Notorious XO

Niche December Contestant 14: First impression: A very good combination of sweet-spicy booze with a bit of leather and wood. Probably the most beautiful take on the cognac note I've ever smelled. It's strangely refreshing despite being comparably heavy, but I do have concerns about its wearability. Main review: I like this scent a lot. It develops into warm well-noticable amber-vanilla. I would however not wear this as a daily. I have a feeling that the scent would become overwhelming on warmer days, and there are some better choices for a cold-day daily. Still, a solid 8/10.

This is GORGEOUS. I got to give a quick test at 2024 Scent Xplore and fell in love. It is UNISEX - women who love a good dark vanillac-amber can enjoy this. It doesn't have any "cologne" notes or smell overtly masculine. Yes, it reminds me of Vanille Havane. Yes, it has leather as a note but it's not a "leather fragrance". MM did a brilliant job with this one, it's smooth and well-blended. I feel this should get some hype because it's worth it. This was one of the top 3 fragrances I smelled at Scent Xplore '24.

I don’t know what you people are smelling but this is nothing like Angel’s Share. It’s a league of its own and it’s a masterpiece. Try it and don’t listen to the trolls leaving misleading comments and comparisons here. One of the sexiest, strongest— all in all best masculine fragrances I’ve ever owned.

This is very similar to Angel’s share, when I first sprayed it on my skin I smelled vanilla and cognac. If you love sweet boozy perfume this one’s for you

This is the best thing I have smelled on a man in a really long time!

This is GOOOOOD!!! For us MEN, a HUGE plus. Now they have their 3rd good release! Notorious xo (Fall & Winter), Desir Toxic L' Intense ( All seasons) and GnTonic ( Summer, Spring) Well done M.Micalleff!!! This is boozy Cognac and Pepper in the opening and the rest of the notes begin to unfold perfectly. The mid of Leather, Cinnamon and Cardamom shine and the base notes are the anchor. I'm not a Gourmand type of guy. Not an Angel Share or Oajan apple pie , or Double Attack by Mind Games wearer. When you look at the bass notes you would think this is one of those heavy Gourmand scented fragrances. This IS NOT overtly sweet. The Leather, Musk, Sandlewood and oakmoss keeps the sweetness in check. There is a bit of darkness in this as well. To me... I smell Blessed Barraka in it with a smidge of MFK Grand Soir (mid and drydown of G.Soir, not the opening). This is definately in the realm of B.Baraka and G.Soir. not exact, but if you like those..THIS is a few rolled up in 1. Its Fall here in NY and I did the first test on a strip and then I put a little bit on the top of my wrist at work. Cannot wait to full out put this on with the cold weather. This dry down is so beautiful and awesome even away from the wrist its on.

Pafory Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 14 First impression: It opens with an intimate, boozy-spiced sweetness - rich but never overwhelming, thanks to a beautiful hint of sea air that keeps it lifted. The heart evolves masterfully, melting into the softest, sweet leather. This isn't harsh leather; it's woven seamlessly with the warmth of Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Tonka Bean. It settles into a base that just lingers: a warm, elegant combination of Musk and Amber, dusted with soft Vanilla. It holds a unisex appeal with a magnetic, masculine edge. Full review to follow. More fragrance stories and visuals on Instagram — @lavendercloudsjd

Nothing like Angels' Share. People have broken noses. This is like Amber Keso but WAY lighter and WAY more wearable.

Well, this is quite good, but nothing like Angel's Share or Grand Soir or Vanille Havane. As others will surely confirm when they get the chance to test this, it is just an office-friendly take on ROJA's Enigma / Creation E. The main differences according to my wearing experience are: - The coca cola hits you from the first second, but the cognac is more pronounced, and it is pristine. Better than a lot of boozy accords in the niche realm. Even with the cognac turned up, this is not a chemical punch, do not expect anything like Monkey Special, Il Padrino, Old Fashioned etc. It's even lighter than designer stuff like SWY Absolutely, and I respect it a lot for that. Very classy. - The scent is overall less ambery than Enigma and wears a lot easier and lighter. The benzoin is here as well, you won't actually get "leathery" leather. It wears and performs light and safe, on a designer level. Like a (then) expensive 90s/00s night out designer fragrance that is nowdays used easily as a daily driver. This is not a statement scent. Just like DesirToxic, which seems monstrous on paper but is a very easy wear. - Overall smell is just as high quality, but this feels more watery. Not in a bad way, but if Enigma is the syrup concentrate, Notorious XO is the drink you get served at the counter. There's a down side to this, it performs quite worse, especially in the projection department, which stops at the 2h mark. The scent trail and drydown are just as nice though, perhaps safer because the cinammon/tonka/cola accord is not as substantial. The performance and overall experience are similar to these of stuff like L'Homme Ideal Extreme. This sells for 240€ while ROJA has a seasonal discounted price of 245€ for Enigma EDP (and you can find it for much less on discounters). Especially considering the mid performance, Notorious XO would have been a nice grab for 160€, but even then, Enigma is a superior blend so it would be the wiser choice. Comparison aside, this is expensive for what it offers, but it is very good, I totally get why an influencer would hype it up after getting a free bottle, but this is just a high quality designer fragrance with a niche tag.

Beautiful raw pepper-water-metallic-leathery-hardwood oaky opening. Opulently rugged and novelty composition that is for sure signature material. Relatively clean yet dense and separate portion of heavy earthy tones which over time reach an orange tinge, unique. Great shame for weaker durability and vanilla in the finish, it is defeated by the absurdly high price. Terrible shame.

Great boozy opening that fades into a gooey praline vanilla amber, landing somewhere between Roja's Enigma and PDM's Althair. It's nice but too soft, too bland Definitely not Vanilla Havane, which is darker richer and more complex.

I feel like this is so close to being a banger but still a decent scent. Not blind but safe.

Angels share? Yeah in Delulu land. It has sniffs of No Limit$. Notorious shows the power of free bottle crew hype. Big let down. Trade it immediately

So let’s go step by step. The fragrance comes with, in my opinion, a super cool and interesting name. It’s very catchy and, I must admit, powerful. But — does it actually smell that way? Let’s find out in the description. The opening of the fragrance is very much in the M. Micallef signature style. I simply love when a brand has its own DNA, a recognizable touch that it skillfully threads through its perfume creations. For all fans of Desired Toxic, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. The opening doesn’t go too deep into the boozy direction; it’s rather a measured boozy note — not overly “cognac-like.” I thought there would be a lot more alcohol in the blend, but luckily everything is nicely balanced. After a few minutes, once the fragrance settles on the skin, the second phase begins — which is, more or less, what this perfume is in its essence. It strongly reminds me of those distant designer interpretations from the ’90s, but reimagined in a new dimension. It has a very designer-accessible character, yet in a much higher quality tone. I’d say it’s half-niche, half-designer — but definitely likable in nature, because it’s moderately sweet. The scent doesn’t have an “open” character; it lacks that airiness and spaciousness, if you know what I mean. It’s more like those perfumes that feel “compressed,” dense, or packed. There isn’t much room for it to breathe — it’s more of a thick, charged cloud kind of composition. Something in the category of JPG - Le Male — of course, not in terms of smell, but rather in the type or category of fragrance. Naturally, it has nothing to do with Le Male itself, but it carries that slightly “stifling” element — not in a bad way, though. Personally? It’s a likable scent — partly boozy, partly synthetic, partly niche, partly designer — and in the end, I kind of like it. I’m convinced that people around you will enjoy it too, as did my friends and fellow fragrance enthusiasts, because at the end of the day, it all comes down to personal taste. If I were to define it according to my own taste? Not bad, but not quite my cup of tea. Va due for money and quantity? Why not — I give it a green light. But in terms of value for money and type/quality, for us picky and demanding niche/art noses? I’d say I’d gladly pass it on to a newer fragrance enthusiast — someone who’s still growing, learning, and developing their olfactory skills. Definitely a good one to observe, to reflect on retrospectively, and to imagine that ’90s masculine vibe reinterpreted in a new boozy way. But definitely different from anything I’ve tried on this or a similar theme. The bottle, as always, is beautiful — heavy, with a lovely color that catches the eye. Well-balanced and thematically fitting. I give it an ambitious 6/10. There’s room for M. Micallef to offer something better, although this is a perfectly solid take on this theme from the brand. Solid, different "boozy style" , interesting, half designer, half niche.

I really do not enjoy this fragrance. I expected something darker, more resinous, and more masculine. It’s definitely not outright masculine at all. This leans heavily feminine to me. The sweetness is softer and rounded - this isn’t particularly spicy or boozy or anything like that. What I do get is a strong musk combined with wafts of a soft sweet feminine leatheriness as the dominant notes and everything else is sort of vague and supportive underneath that - with the soft mildly sweet cognac, some cinnamon and maybe something like a vanilla scented hand lotion at the base. I am really surprised. They should just call this Notorious XO Pour Femme, and then release an appropriately masculine version of this later on. I think Fan Your Flames by Nishane is the masculine version of this profile.

Please do yourself a favor and test first, I was lucky and got a bottle for a good price and when I got it and sprayed it on I was shocked about how weak this stuff is. I was so perplexed that I decided to order a decant from a reputable supplier and do a side by side test and it wasn’t my bottle that was bad the fragrance itself is very very weak from both the bottle and decant. I kid you not I did 10 sprays one night from my bottle and my girl showed up an hour later and she didn’t even notice that I had anything on and she usually lets me know because she gets migraines. The next night I did 10 sprays from the decant and she and my son didn’t say a word and my son alway tells me good or bad. Just beware it’s not a beast it’s not even an average it’s weak.

OMG wow. This is incredible this really plays a range, it’s bubbly, youthful, and I think easy to enjoy by a wide range of people. But it is still masculine and isn’t like the JPG le male etc type the bubblegum sweet scents that are so common nowadays. The hint of leather/cognac is something I enjoy, it doesn’t crowd the scent profile just lingers subtly. I would 100% recommend a sample of it if you enjoy sweet scents or vanilla

It doesn’t smell like Vanille Havane at all. Vanille Havane (especially the extrait) is the most delicious thick tobacco, cacao and vanilla fragrance I’ve ever smelled. Notorious XO smells much thinner and fresher, with a prominent cardamom note and no tobacco or cacao. This scent doesn’t really do it for me.

If someone doesn't believe that unisex fragrances exist, and they do, I would show them this perfume! Specifically, a "genderless fragrance". A great choice for both women and men! Elegant, pleasantly sweet and spicy. A great find!

I LOVE IT! The true unisex scent! I would wear it as a woman, I really like it. Perfectly spicy, creamy enough and just deep enough. I really love it! Its durability is unquestionable!