Modoc

My sample starts out smelling like alcohol and an odd medicinal, cedar-like note that I can’t identify. It then settles down into an extraordinarily strong iris/violet accord, dry and powdery, almost chalky, reminiscent of new leather that's still giving off the chemicals it was treated with. After a little while a slightly smoky vetiver comes through along with - what’s that? - a whiff of patchouli? Must be a component of the amber that’s reported by some sources to be at the base. After an hour or two, the iris subsides a little, revealing a light scent of orange/orange blossom plus vanilla, accompanied by the dry powdery violet/iris/vetiver that seems to be the main attraction. Two to three hours later I start smelling sandalwood, so it seems that the “amber” contains vanilla, patchouli and sandalwood, for starters. After 5 or 6 hours the scent settles into a woody musk with a little sandalwood and some slightly teak-like nuances, a little bit sweaty and very comfortable feeling. Modoc has plenty of sillage and lasts all day and more. It’s at least three completely different scents in one. I like it overall but, like all of the other Xerjoff fragrances, not enough to deem it worthy of the inflated price tag.

Xerjoff have disappointed me time and time again with their repertoire but something about this one with it's strong opening told me things were going to be different. Modoc comes straight out with a sweet woody opening which is nothing short of beautiful. Iris and vanilla create almost like a very soft leather I was thinking at first. The powdery Iris accord is massive in this fragrance and coupled with vanilla becomes turbo charged in it's creamy sweetness. Almost to the point of turkish delight...even a hint of rose in there perhaps? This is tempered by woods & musky hints as it settles down though. To be honest it's a little much in terms of powder but I can't help but be intrigued by Modoc. This is my third time sampling it before reviewing and the previous outings just served to confuse me. When it dries down however it looses it's charm those opening few seconds promised so much but sadly Modoc doesn't deliver.

I received a small sample mysteriously labeled only "MO" from MinNY, and because it was in a packet with other XerJoff samples, I figured that it must be from this house. Donning the perfume, I discovered that orange blossom and neroli were undeniably present. From there I deduced that "MO" must be MODOC. Here are the notes listed at MinNY: Lemon, orange, artemisia, Florentine iris, orange flowers, vetiver, vanilla absolute, amber, musk To my nose, MODOC is basically a super strong neroli-orange blossom-vetiver cologne. It smells good, no doubt about that, but I think of neroli-orange blossom-vetiver as a classic cologne composition, not the basis for a fine perfume. Yes, it's a matter of habit and convention, but that's just the way it is. I do not think that this particular creation smacks unmistakably of 4711, which was my major criticism of Tom Ford NEROLI PORTOFINO, making it seem a ridiculous way to spend $200, if you ask me. MODOC, in contrast, offers a potent dose of vetiver along with an equally strong neroli-orange blossom facet tinged by some greenishness--apparently imparted by tarragon (according to another site's hierarchy, which is closer to MinNY's but also lists tarragon), though I would not have identified it as such without prompting. I actually think that there is more vetiver than orange blossom/neroli in this creation, but there is really no getting around the neroli, which leads me to conclude that MODOC may not be the best investment for precious XerJoff funds, I mean, assuming that one has a budget of some sort. If the sky is the limit, why not?

OK...My first review - and a hi - Im new to this game, started with dipping into reviews one day after getting back from the shops with some chanel bleu I picked up on an impulse a year and a half ago. It got me looking anyway, prior to that I totally ignored scent for the most part of the last 20 years. These days im enjoying exploring scents just for myself, it makes me happy smelling my frag during the day, adds another colour or dimension. Anyways, I picked up a fair few Amouage bottles since then and a few others. A whole bunch of samples and the Xerjoff Discovery set. Nio I tried a few days ago and it smells just like the hand wipes you get at a chinese restaurant to me... Uden is just georgeous... I cant be any more precise than that im still working out what smells like what to be honest. But this Modoc juice is different altogether. Im getting a zingy smell I can almost taste and it reminds me of the Pez sweets that come in the little plastic tubey thing with cartoon head and pops a Pez candy out of its mouth. Thats exactly it, it smells like those taste. Sorry, but thats it, I really cant talk about start and finish and different notes my nose isnt trained at all im working on it! Meantime it seems linear and just like those sweets... I like it, will give it an 8/10, I have 15ml in this set so wont be tempted to buy a bottle unless the wife likes it but she thought it was too musky and reminded her of Kouros as she left for work this morning.

Trying a sample of this out right now. My sample leaked all over during shipment and I try'd to salvage what was still wet on the vial by applying it to my hand. The opening scent reminds me of when I was a kid with a soldering iron burning designing into a piece of cheap leather. Very warm scent but not smokey. For the first 10min its the exact smell to me from burning leather with a hot soldering iron. Now that it has calmed down its VERY nice, same as the opening with less of the burning leather(not smokey) First seen this fragrance being unboxed on youtube, the bottle came in a very nice satchel. The presentation makes it worth its money I think, Thanks