Opera

EN. Opera is my personal symphony. It never starts with a bang, but with a deep and slow overture, like an orchestra tuning up. As it evolves, it reveals a sumptuous, spicy, warm, and intense heart. I feel it grow on my skin, transforming, becoming more and more a part of me. What’s most extraordinary is that I can clearly perceive it at all times—it doesn’t just leave a trail for others, it stays with me. It’s like wearing a tailored suit that not only fits but embraces and reflects me. A fragrance I can converse with for hours, wrapping around my thoughts. However, I must admit that at first, when I tried it, it hits me with a rather unpleasant note—almost disturbing. It surprised me, like walking into an old theatre with the smell of dust, aged wood, and vintage fabrics. But just like in a real opera house, you just need to wait: after about an hour, that note fades and makes room for something magical and captivating. That’s when the fragrance reveals its true soul, and that’s when I fall in love with it every time. Opera becomes not just a perfume, but a story that unfolds on my skin. IT. Opera è la mia sinfonia personale. Non parte mai con un’esplosione, ma con un’introduzione lenta e profonda, come le prime note di un’orchestra che accorda gli strumenti. Man mano che si evolve, rivela un cuore sontuoso, speziato, caldo e intenso. Lo sento crescere sulla pelle, trasformarsi, e diventare sempre più parte di me. E il dettaglio più straordinario è che riesco a percepirlo in ogni momento, senza dover attendere che lo notino gli altri: è come indossare un abito su misura che non solo mi veste, ma mi abbraccia e mi riflette. Un profumo con cui dialogo per ore, che accompagna i miei pensieri e li avvolge. Devo però dire che all’inizio, appena provato, il profumo mi colpi con una nota piuttosto sgradevole, quasi disturbante. Sembrava, come se stessi entrando in un vecchio teatro, con quell’odore un po’ polveroso, di legni antichi e tessuti impregnati di tempo. Ma proprio come accade a teatro, basta aspettare: dopo circa un’ora, quella nota iniziale svanisce e lascia spazio a una bellezza che conquista, profonda, raffinata, magica. È in quel momento che la fragranza mostra il suo vero carattere, ed è allora che mi innamoro ogni volta. Opera diventa non solo un profumo, ma un’esperienza che racconta una storia.

I would love to write a review explaining how Xerjoff Opera smells like the most beautiful opera house in the world where every member of the audience is a different version of Princess Grace of Monaco throughout the years; but I will spare you. What you really need to know is there are (at least) two different formulas of this fragrance, which is likely why the reviews are so polarizing. Basically, this was a blind buy based solely on the completely bonkers reviews here. I liked it so much that after about a week I bought two more bottles (because far too often fragrances that I love immediately get discontinued after purchasing). To my surprise, the other two bottles do not smell like the first one. They are much more fruity, warm, and feminine; and do have a cough syrup type of scent that others have mentioned (I think in a good way, but I can see why some might absolutely hate it). The first bottle smells cool, velvety, more masculine (yet unisex), and very clean -- it's absolutely perfect. It smells beautiful when sprayed on a wool garment and leaves behind somewhat of a "luxury" dry cleaning scent. The only fragrance I can compare it to is Tom Ford Lavender Palm (discontinued, of course!), but this is a bit of a stretch as Opera is far more complex and gorgeous. The first bottle I purchased has production and expiration dates stamped on the bottom of the box -- the production date is "07-2025", with a batch number of 29022N. The other two bottles do not have dates on the boxes, and have the batch number 21024N, which would make them older than the first bottle I bought. They also have more of a rose gold-colored sprayer whereas the newer one is more yellow gold. I do not think any of these are fake (if fakes even exist for Opera). I suspect most of the positive reviews are referring to the newer formula. If you don't want something that smells like fruity cough syrup, then you might have to either pay full price and buy from Xerjoff; or try to find a higher batch number (29022N and up, as far as I know). I've seen recent black glass bottles with the batch number 31523N, if that helps. I hope this information is helpful to someone reading these reviews.

Love this fragrance, a nice dark and elegant fragrance. It opens up with a peach like note and some florals, a nice musky bed for all of this to sit on, with some woods and vetiver, has a dirty element to it as well (from the patchouli maybe?). The fragrance then goes into a more leathery type of scent but keeps the floral-fruity aspect throughout and at some point the nutmeg starts coming through. The sillage and projection are not that impressive, they are good don't get me wrong, but it's nothing like erba pura. But the longevity though? It lasted on my skin (as a skin scent) for 2 days. No joke, this thing just grips to your skin. I took 4 showers in these 2 days and i could still barely sense it on my hand. And mind you I washed my hands throughout the days quite a few times, and I could still smell the leather and a sweetness coming through. The scent is unisex and I really can't decide where to put it. I can see this on a woman, because it's a floral sweet scent, but also a man, because it just smells like laundry detergent, like clean clothes just taken out of the washing machine. A very nostalgic smell, one that I've smelled before, like a detergent/softener that my mother used to use when I was young. I asked my girlfriend to blind test this and she said this was a man's fragrance then I asked a friend and he said it smelled manly and then he thought about it for a second and said that it smells feminine. So it's really one of those cases where its 50/50 but the wearer will decide which way this leans. This has become my favorite Xerjoff fragrance as of now just for the uniqueness and the nostalgia it creates. 9/10, maybe 8.5 but I really want to do this scent justice. -I've heard someone that I know and is a fraghead thats more into these darker scents describe this as an olfactory experience, to get your third eye opened. He expressed that it wasn't necessarily that elegant and feels pretty dirty, but I disagreed heavily with him on this one, it is elegant as the name would suggest. EDIT: 4 Days as a skin scent on my hand with quite a few showers and washing my hands. Longest lasting frag on my skin that I've ever tried. I do give it a 9/10.

Xerjoff Opera is not just a fragrance to me. It is an attitude. From the moment I spray it on, I feel like I am wearing something exceptional — something made for moments that matter. The opening is rich and seductive: warm, slightly sweet, and refined. As it develops, a velvety depth appears — floral, softly powdery, and deeply sensual, yet carried in a subtle, masculine way. In the heart of the fragrance I sense a quiet confidence, the kind of presence that needs no explanation. The dry-down is creamy, warm, and long-lasting, leaving a trail people notice and remember. Opera is my choice when I want to express style, character, and inner strength. It is not a scent that shouts — it speaks calmly and with certainty. On my skin it lasts for hours, evolving beautifully and leaving the impression of a true luxury signature. If I had to describe it in one sentence: Xerjoff Opera smells like the night when you know you own the room.

Warm, textural spice; heady florals; fructose; and supple leather—an intense but intriguing combination. Half of Opera is like floral honey and juice concentrate mixed together in a sticky slurry. The other half is warm, deep nutmeg, and leather so smooth it's almost creamy. At first this was a bit much for me, and I could barely smell anything past the sugary fructose notes, but after wearing it a few times, it's really grown on me. It has smoldering resinous depths as well as vibrant syrupy highs. It's not too youthful, but not too mature either, and if you start to miss your fruity-floral fragrances during the colder months, Opera with its warm, spicy richness is a great way to get your fix. In fact, the more I wear this the more I think of it as a great New Year's Eve scent: tinsel garland and spiced dark liqueur, red lips and wool scarves.