Xi'an

Wellllll with regards to Xi’an what can I say....it’s a dreamy creamy sandalwood composition with luscious white florals such as gardenia and tuberose with a touch of jasmine sambac. It slightly reminds me of a Cruel Gardenia but this is significantly refined and rounded where the later goes quite sour and obscure on my skin possibly due to the mix of white musk and modern muguet bases....Xi'an on the other hand is super rounded and refined. It starts with a similar astringent green freshness one may find in Matcha 🍵 or freshly cut bamboo all flanked by the creamiest and most luscious moistened gardenias one may have the privilege of smelling in ones garden at dawn. The other white florals then wakes up and gains prominence. The sandalwood accord which feels to be fine balance between the natural and synthetics, is looming and glowing at the back providing support and a solid foundation. Normally sandalwood in modern perfumery doesn’t smell like sandalwood and comes across overly synthetic but in Xi'an‘s case it was well chosen and calibrated to smell as natural and smooth as possible. As with cruel Gardenia there is a touch of the signature Guerlainade but just a whisper which can be felt in the later hours after application. The silage on this is quite strong but extremely pleasant and not obnoxious. Longetivity is an average but well respected 8 hours🙂.

What begins as a slightly vegetal, green overture segues into a semi-sweet, abstract white floral bouquet that evokes gardenia, jasmine, and tuberose without directly replicating any of them. From there, we transition to a notably sandalwoody drydown sculpted from a few various sandalwood aromachemicals. Beyond all of that is a whisper of the modern Guerlinade--something creamy, skin-like, and musky with touches of vanilla. If you liked (and miss) Jasminora, you may like this far greener take on that theme. I myself prefer the former for its ease of wearability and the more prominent jasmine note, but I'm excited to explore Xi'an in a variety of weather options!

Tuns out when a fragrance is rare and exclusive, it is not necessarily good. I love sandalwood, and I tend to roll my eyes when people describe it as giving them pickle juice. Well, this is straight pickle juice to me. And to make matters even worse, there is some creamy, lactonic quality to the fragrance that makes it slightly nauseating. To me this is completely unwearable. If you would like a nearly full 5 ml decant, message me.

This fragrance was especially dedicated to the city of Xi'an (through the French-Chinese Cultural Forum) and is only available in the gift shop of the city museum there. This is beautiful. It's ethereal. Fresh green bamboo in a bed of florals and sandalwood. It's a scent that makes me zen. I wish I could own this, but I will just cherish my small sample that I received from a generous parfumista.

This is lovely but I hardly wear it, so I have a nearly FB for sale. Message me if interested!