Cruz del Sur II

Cruz del Sur 2 was a fantastic purchase from last summer holiday in the South of Europe when I was looking for the best mango scent. I will mention that I am a huge fan of Xerjoff fragrances and a huge mango and guava fruits lover. I love occasionally a milky, lactonic scent as long as it doesn’t turn sour on my skin. So, keeping all these in mind, here’s my two cents on Cruz del Sur 2... All these things said, you probably realise that I’m obsessed with Cruz del Sur 2. People either love it or hate it from I could gather, I am in the first category! This scent is inspired from what I can remember by Sergio Momo’s trip to Amazonian regions. Hence why it smells very tropical and exotic! And milky. Xerjoff does gourmand very well. This is the creamiest, ripest, juiciest mango possible followed closely by another two delicious tropical fruits that I adore, guava and pineapple. There’s some blackcurrants and dry fruits listed as well but they show up towards the middle of scent life. The other most prominent nuances of Cruz del Sur 2 are the milky, lactonic, warm and almost comforting ones. Like mentioned above, the milk meshes well with the exotic fruits and doesn’t turn sour on me. Not even in the summer heat. I can detect vaguely and very much in the background the flowers listed, apple blossom and the other exotic floral accents. But so soft, and maybe just to balance and cut through the sweetness of the blackcurrants, the exotic and the dried fruits. Maybe that’s why they added the violet leaves in the middle, to bring down the syrupy sweetness of the fruits because as a stand alone accent, it’s really not detectable. Without these, some might have found Cruz del Sur 2 sickly sweet and too fruity and immature smelling. I love it! The musk and cedar are grounding the composition gracefully and potentially help boosting the performance of Cruz del Sur 2. I am an over sprayer, so on me Cruz del Sur 2 lasts well. It’s not a beast scent, but it’s not performing bad. I am not sure I would want a beast scent on me during days when temperatures hit 30-40C degrees. This goes perfectly with mild warm weather and sunny days, specifically late spring and early summer days! The bottle and the whole presentation of the entire Xerjoff lineup is amazing. Luxurious, elaborate, classic, heavy and elegant are words that come to my mind when I unbox one of their creations! Case in point... I still need to get my hands on a sample of SHL God of Fire to see what is the ultimate mango scent, but this one is fantastic! I will update this when that happens.

Cruz Del Sur II is unlike most mango fragrances. I must admit, it took a full wear to fully understand it. I can see how a lot of people are completely turned off by the milk & dried fruits in the base. For me personally, I'm not turned off. I think what throws a lot of people off is this really isn't a typical tropical/pina coloda concoction. The mango here is more on the unripe side, and the juicy aspect comes from the guava & pineapple. All in all, I do really love this fragrance. Personally, I can see myself wearing this in the fall, in addition to summer (but probably not on super hot days). There's certainly a punch of depth & complexity here, which I why I think you could wear this in autumn as well. I remember watching a video where Sergio Momo was discussing how the inspiration for Cruz del Sur II came from a trip he took to the Brazilian Amazon. I've spent some of my childhood in Brasil, but not the Amazon. But I will say this, This scent does remind me of the overall scents of Brasil. Most people would associate smells such as tropical flowers and coconuts when thinking about Brasil, but no, not exactly, this is a misunderstanding on a large scale. When I think of the smells in Brasil, my mind goes more towards an earthy range, think lots of green vegetation. That's what I get from this fragrance; a magical blend of green mango, fruits, and a touch of earthiness from the violet leaf. I think Xerjoff really nailed it. I appreciate how this house produces fragrances that are more complex and challenging. There are a couple from them that I needed to give a full wear in order for me to "get it", and once I do I end up falling in complete love. If you're looking for a sweet, pina coloda-y type of mango that you'd wear to the beach this isn't it. If you're looking for a more complex mango fragrance that takes you on a magical journey then I would highly recommend this! Update: I layered this with MOAPC Tales From Zanzibar. What a magical combo. I had multiple people CHASE me to tell me I smelled so good. Sur II is more prominent and TFZ adds a little zing. Chef’s Kiss.

This is my absolute favorite Xerjoff fragrance that easily became one of my favorite fragrances in general. It's actually what I expected the highly praised Moonlight in Heaven to smell like and what I was looking for. Cruz del Sur II is an exquisite mango perfume that has a perfect blend of freshness and creaminess. It opens as an authentic fresh green mango that you just brought from store and sliced open. But it sits on skin with more creaminess, so lactonic note is very much present (but not to the extend where I would call it a mango milkshake). Some may call it overly simplistic because it doesn't change on your skin over time - what you spray is what you get. For me it's totally worth the price tag because it's such a photorealistic fresh mango scent that doesn't have even a hint of synthetic smell. I was recommended this one next to Mango Skin by Vilhelm Parfumerie but they are two vastly different mango scents. VP one was extremely artificial to my nose. Depending on season you may get a bit of variety of how Cruz del Sur II will sit on your skin. In summer it projects strictly as mango but in colder weather you will definitely be able to enjoy other fruity notes being more prominent and distinct.

Bruh, 10/10 I own over 50 fragrances currently and have had over 100. This is 100% one of the biggest compliment pullers I have. I KNOW it is expensive. But 100% worth it. Completely unisex, maybe slightly feminine leaning. It is an unreal amount of creamy? I don’t know how they even created this. Creamy? It feels like you’re wearing milk. I want to drink it. I cannot count how many times I’ve walked past this and grabbed a bottle off the shelf just to smell it as I’m walking by. It is THAT good. It’s “I’m gonna stop my day and smell this even though I’m wearing something else” good. My friend wears this and it smells different on her than me, and I’ll even ask “what are you wearing?!” And she’ll say Cruz del Sur II, and I’m like “even when it smells different, it still is fire”. Some ppl say it smells like mango smoothie. I don’t get mango at all, even though it’s the very top note on their bottle. Which maybe it’s me? Idk. But I do know is this is lactonic and the most milky, creamy scent I own. I cannot stress enough: I 👏🏿 want 👏🏿 to 👏🏿 drink 👏🏿 it. 100% can be a signature scent for either sex. 5 star.

Upon opening, this fragrance greets you with a mango-like fruity scent layered over a creamy base. It's slightly multifaceted but doesn't deviate much from its initial notes upon dry down. Not complex, but thoroughly enjoyable. I love it because it does one thing exceptionally well. My only real gripe is its performance. During the peak of summer, it projects on my skin for about 5-6 hours but doesn't radiate far, becoming a skin scent after that period. Interestingly, the note breakdown mentions cedar (likely Iso E Super) and vetiver, but I can hardly detect these when it settles. This suggests the formulation is intentionally lighter or the base is quite weak. While most of Xerjoff's fragrances are EDPs and the opening feels robust, after an hour it resembles an EDT in strength. To enhance its longevity, we might have to alter the qualities that make it so enjoyable.. possibly overshadowing the delightful mango note with heavier surrounding scents. So, even though I wish it lasted longer, it's a trade-off I'm willing to accept.