Xeryus Rouge

Annick Menardo has always been ahead of the curve in regards to creating iconic scents that are both Incredibly unique and at the same time manage to sell and reach the audience with commercial success that expands the palette of perfumery as the masses follow in her footsteps. A major reason for her success and uniqueness is that Menardo comes from a scientific academic background, not a fashion one, and dares to experiment with odd combinations based on chemical composition rather than assumed aesthetics. Meaning convention in the pejorative sense, is thrown out the window for something altogether more fundamental; the manufacture of chemicals from their atomically most basic core ingredients, ground-up. Xeryus Rouge was one of her first highly lauded successes. It's extremely synthetic, so be warned if you have a sensitive sinus cavity. The cactus, geranium and tarragon can sometimes be harsh in tandem with some wearers and require some gritty survival instincts in the heart stage of its evolution to survive. The top smells like a Mexico City pulqueria (A type of bar in Mexico that serves the standard Aztec alcoholic drink, based fundamentally on cactus juice), with a fermented cactus juice smell that is fruity, slightly creamy and very green herbal all at once. The citrus is there, creating a refreshing and sourness that balances the harsher elements of the cactus. The geranium and tarragon quickly join in and create a higher-pitched lightness that cools down the warming cactus and creates a little bit of a cooling sensation on the skin. The heart welcomes the spicy and warm pimiento into the mix, pressing against the high-pitched geranium and rootsy cactus and citrus and settles into a rather attractive dry-down that is mostly the heart notes combined with soft woods and a bit of musk to lower the initial intensity of the scent. Be patient with this one. The first few wears are a bit awkward because of its very mature and highly concentrated complexity. There's a lot here to explore and every wear reveals a bit more of Xeryus Rouge's subtle yet sophisticated nature. This one is a real landmark original that changed the game completely for modern orientals through its chemical approach, leaving the packaging simple and letting the juice do the talking. The other was Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male, but more for its loud packaging and flashy boldness of scent. If you are younger you may not like this at first and you shouldn't buy this blind, give it a sample first and see how it performs on your skin. This one is more a gift from Menardo to the mature and sophisticated man who appreciates the blending o f modern and classical pretensions under which Xeryus Rouge was crafted. Projection is very good and strong, 2 sprays are the most you want to go if you plan to wear this at work our out on a date. Longevity is outstanding at 9-12 hours. One of the few fragrances that keeps getting better as you age. A mature modern classic. Formal yet casual at the same time.

This is a gorgeous and distinctive Spicy, fresh and aromatic scent that is still so relevant today. Citruses, spice, woody and musky too, offering just a gentle warmth that still allows for all season wearability. It may be considered a classic by many but I feel although Xeryus Rouge genuinely stands amongst the Icons of the past it doesn't always get the Kudos it fully deserves! The craft of the blend is just Givenchy doing what they do best, constructing a wonderful, innovative (at the time) scent that performs admirably. Although an EDT it's easily comparable to many of today's releases that are of higher oil volume and benefitting from more modern, enhanced ingredients such is the depth of the quality. The scent itself has unusual notes, especially for the time which consist of cactus, Chinese orange, pimento and tarragon then added to by the perennial perfume classics such as cedar, geranium, musk and sandalwood. What this combines to produce is an aroma that is best described as manly bliss! The notes are so well matched and mixed together that with concentration the individual nuances can be picked out but why bother trying when the overall effect is such a zingy, outstanding creation. This is a fragrance that is easy to wear in all but tropical temperatures, it performs great up to the mid 20s! I haven't pushed it further such is the strength and potency. The sillage is good and bubble created is above average, lasting for a good few hours before slowly receding back over 6-7 hours where it will beautifully perfume your skin for several more. It'll stay on clothes far longer. Xeryus Rouge still stands out today, especially in a world of perfumery dominated by a million blue, gourmand or similar profiles that all mirror each other over and over and over.............. This is definitely an aroma for the man who is 30 upwards, a proper masculine character and enjoys being well dressed and presented. I'd consider this an everyday scent that can and should be worn to any occasion whether day, night or a rendezvous of the early hours variety! 😳 Just not really ideal for the younger generations preferred settings such as sweaty nightclubs and the like! It's just far too classy for that environment. Like eating a McDonald's in a Michelin starred restaurant. 😆 Excellent value and a fragrance that represents the male of the species at its finest. I feel genuinely lucky that I managed to try this as it had passed me by somehow! It really does belong with all the other Chanel's, Dior's, Guerlains and of course other Givenchy scents that have that legendary status and continue to stand the test of time. Absolutely blown away and another classic that will stay with me from now on.

I have to preface every review I write with the disclaimer that my skin is extremely stubborn and naturally aromatic, so fragrances tend not to perform as well on it as they would on most. I write my reviews using my skin as the bar exam, so keep that in mind as you read on. I recently bought a bottle of this brew (2014 batch), having tested it before on my wrist. That being said, let's get straight to performance: Depending on the fragrance, I usually apply one spray to either side of my jugular, and one to the back of my neck. Longevity: By my standards, insane. I accidentally sprayed twice on the same area of my neck (which usually kills performance), and Xeryus Rouge still lasted 8 hours strong. Projection: Uncanny. I live in Montreal where there is a language barrier in public, and I noticed people walking in relative proximity looking back at me constantly. The ladies had unassuming smiles on their faces, the guys looked around bewildered and amazed. Hilarious. Sillage: I walked past two girls when I was downtown (smells barraging people from everywhere), and I heard one of them say "Mmm what the f*ck IS that?". I was about 6 1/2 feet away at that point. On a colour spectrum, I would've named this fragrance "Xeryus Rouge et Bleu-Vert", the reason being that this scent is constantly locked in combat with itself for being as hot as dragon's breath and as refreshing as a secluded lagoon somewhere in the Mediterranean. In that sense, this makes it extremely alive and turbulent while retaining a calm and collected center, not passive in the slightest while offsetting any notion of it being linear or predictable. The caveat here is that Xeryus Rouge is powerful, amorphous and dualistic; it takes someone with an equally nuanced personality to harness and absorb it without letting IT dethrone THEM, because this scent is a brutally honest and unique creature that will make a wearer's lack of confidence painfully obvious for all to see. I feel like people who hate on Xeryus Rouge are afraid of it, and hence can't retain objectivity when attempting a review unless they truly appreciate fragrances as a form of art and science. All this said, I believe if someone can master this scent and its infinite variety, it can unquestionably become a signature scent for virtually any occasion or season, with the provision of a conscientious application in terms of the number of sprays used. Ultimately, the onus is on the wearer to comport themselves in a manner worthy of Xeryus Rouge.

*This review is for the vintage* I think XR falls into that category of synthetic "concept" fragrances, a bit like Beyond Paradise, but better made and less polarizing. I am not sure why people are saying the vintage smelled "natural". I love the vintage but I doubt something this hyper is natural (but I freely admit I am not an expert in these matters). To put it short, it is a fruity, slightly musky, and spicy masculine fougere. I want to stress that the spiciness here is strictly capsaicin, AKA the sharp tang of a red pepper, and not the gourmand/oriental definition of aromatic cooking spices. The composition overall has a very "juicy" feel, aided by the cactus and the kumquat. The Kumquat and pepper combine to a very interesting "red berry" note. The cactus gives it the watery, vegetal body, accentuated by the sharper notes of cedar, tarragon and geranium. The musk and amber give it a really well executed "roundness" in the base. Performance is fantastic, easily trumping 10 hours with 3 sprays, and for people with amenable skin, you should see well past 12 hours of longevity. I am not sure why this one is so polarizing in the community. Perhaps because it was a clear break from Givenchys previous releases and, in a way, embraces the "watery fresh" zeitgeist of the 1990s. I can assure you that it is not at all aquatic. My personal opinion is that it is extremely unique, versatile in all weather (and will perform well above average) and would make a great statement piece, or even a signature, for someone looking for something different that can be easily appreciated by the layperson. Grab a vintage bottle while you can (Tall, red art deco bottles with terraced ridges). I wish I could comment on the current issue, because it is available in 5 oz bottles, but until I hear anything definitive about it, I will go with the vintage because it is quite affordable (as of writing, NIB 50ml bottles are selling for $40)

this one was in my wishlist for a few months.finally i realized i couldn't resist buying this bad ass. ***packaging*** Retro, stylish ***bottle*** love holding this in my hand. suits the smell very much.easy to put in your suitcase. ***at first encounter*** initial note, smelled like soup and regret. specially if you spray the same spot twice or 3 times. but then after 2-3 minutes HELLO CACTUS my old friend! and if you wait 20 more minutes the vanilla comes out and it stays and adds a mellow delicous scent. it's probably not vanilla it should be one of the notes in the perfume that is rare and i'm not familiar with it. the whole time orange and cedar are laying in the backgroudn making not so much noise but they exist.n doubt this is a citrusy perfume! ***The Farewell*** ending note is musk. ***OVERALL*** performance is great. i don't recommend this one because i want to be the only one wearing it! it's an old perfume that no one really knows about but everyone keeps asking what it is!it's not really hard to figure out this scent. you have probably smelled it somewhere in your life but can't remember when and where! i would wear it at winter spring and autumn 24/7 but maybe not in a hot summer day. but summer night? definitely! ***Does it smell like Davidoff Hot Water?*** let me put it this way. davidoff hot water is xeryus rouge's retarded stepbrother. Xeryus rouge is like taking davidoff hot water to a whole new level. xerus is the type of perfume that you can wear at your first date but davidoff? maybe after 30 years of marriage your wife will like it at some point