Uden

Absolutely amazing. You need to wait a few minutes for some Xerjoff fragrances to show their true colours, and this is one of them. On the opening, you get a huge blast of citrus, mostly lemon and grapefruit. Delightful ones, typical Xerjoff, but it could fool you to think "oh, it is just another citrus fragrance. Nio is better", and put it back in the shelf. However, after a few minutes, you notice the rum kicking in, and these two elements - together with the hints of coffee - really distinguish the fragrance from the rest. The base of Vanilla, amber, musk becomes more predominent with time, but never overpowers the fragrance. As such, the freshness of Citrus and Rum not only lift up this fragrance, but are always present, and while they get slighter less present with time, you never end up having "another vanilla-amber fragrance". This blend walks the very thin line between a gourmand and an "attractive" fragrance, but does not end up being too delicious, like Italica, or Lira. Some florals are slightly noticable, playing more of a supportive role to blend the woods better with the remaining elements. While it shares the combo of vanilla + citrus of Channel's AHS Edition Blanche. I think they go to different parks. Chanell's is an amazing gourmand fragrance of it's own, but Xerjoff just humps the quality to the next level, and the addition of some elements on Uden, mainly the rum and woody elements, just keeps the fragrance unique, and far away from the gourmand "lemon cake" perfume. The coffee also adds a very nice touch to it. In a similar way, I feel that the comparison between both is akeen to the ones made between Naxos and other honey-sweet tobacco fragrances - the presence of some elements in Naxos (mainly Lavender) just makes the fragrance go in a completely different direction. Same thing with Uden and the presence of Rum, enriched with the hints of coffee. It is an unique fragrance that blends citruses and rum perfectly, laying in a sweet base with hints of coffee in the background. A top creation of Xerjoff, together with Naxos and the recent Iommi, and a must try for every citrus / boozy fragrance lover out there looking for a new approach to such fragrances.

Every Saturday morning, when I can sleep in just a little longer, I lay in bed until I decide to get up and make myself a coffee or an espresso. And 9 times out of 10 when I do that, I put on a little bit of Uden just for the occasion. It's the perfect zen "me time." Anyway, that's not why I'm here. I'm here to say that around 9am this morning, I did the very thing described above- I sprayed some Uden on my robe as I got my coffee, and 14 hours later, after a long day and a hot shower, I put my robe back on before bed and I can 100% absolutely clear as day still smell Uden on it. It's been almost 14 hours and all I did was 2 sprays max on my right sleeve and that citrus/vanilla blend is pumping through my nostrils. And I love it. The performance is insane. Anyway, I heard this one was like Edition Blanche, so I bought it to own a frag that had its own spin on the DNA since I'm a fan of EB. And as for the scent itself, it really does smell liked Edition Blanche- like A LOT, but after doing a side by side, I can tell that Uden is so much better. Edition Blanche is incredible, but Uden is much more refined and of a higher quality. The lemon is stronger in EB, and to my nose, it cheapens the fragrance. Uden is just so much more balanced. It pulls that lemon in just a tad bit and in doing so, Uden's notes are balanced out a lot more nicely. This is an example of a 10% difference going a LONG way. The coffee note is not strong in this one at all. This is NOT a coffee scent. I just like wearing it when I drink my morning coffee because there's something about the lemony/citrus vibe that really does go well with (the scent of) coffee. If you're ever on a coffee date, this one would be the perfect fragrance to wear. A blue freshie (despite being some of my favorites to wear) will clash with the coffee and pastries. You don't want or Aventus or Polo 67 on a coffee date. You want Uden.

I don't want to sound like a niche snob, and I only have samples so I have no motive for bias. But this is MUCH better to my nose than Allure Homme Blanche EDP. Totally different leagues of realism, crispness and lifelikeness. My first sniff reaction to Allure was "hmm...", to this it was "oh wow!" This smells like a glass of realistic lemonade, on top of warm and extremely lifelike smooth notes of vanilla and rum/coffee. The deeper notes are apparent right away sprayed on paper. On skin the citrus opening has better coverage. There's also a minty breeze blowing throughout the fragrance. There's a lot going on and everything is beautifully balanced. I very rarely smell anything this harmonious and beautifully put together. Allure Blanche EDP smells like a "cologne" version of this general theme. All of the fancy decorations have been stripped back to focus solely on masculine vanilla + lemon. Not nearly as lifelike, detailed and complex. Also somewhat lacking in general direction and structure. It just smells like "cologne" with no clear point of focus. It's like watching a video in 360p VS 1080p. With Allure's dry-down, you get the masculine Chanel DNA that's also found in Bleu de Chanel. Here I don't recognize any particular DNA, other than the lifelike realism that Xerjoff sometimes has. 1861 Reneissance is another photorealistic Xerjoff. But Erba Pura is the farthest thing from photorealism... The reviews do point this difference out, and I've yet to be disappointed by a highly rated Xerjoff. This is quality stuff, definitely get a sample!

I first smelt Uden a couple years ago when I was looking for a new fragrance at Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge. However I did not end up buying it as I immediately fell in love with Mefisto and bought that instead, which is now my signature. Anyway I am now in Boston and reordered Mefisto as my bottle has just ran out and received a free sample of Uden and I've loved it even more since. The opening is not the greatest, honestly I hate to say it but reminds me a lot of Versace Dylan Blue, a nice fresh fragrance but there is something a little bit harsh about it. But I must say, 20 minutes later it is a completely different fragrance. That harshness disappears and reveals a creamy vanilla citrus that couldn't be more relaxing. I've seen a lot of people comparing this to Allure Edition Blanche, and while they are similar, I would not say that they are the same at all. I have Allure Edition Blanche in my collection and it simply just does not have the same complexity as Uden, and certainly doesn't have the same performance. Uden gives me about 8-9 hours, while Allure Edition Blanche barely gives me 4-5. I think of Uden as much more grown up and mature than Allure Edition Blanche, like its uncle, same DNA but not the same at all. Allure Edition Blanche reminds me of a lemon cake, while Uden reminds me of a lemon cake on a yacht off the Amalfi coast with a quartet playing in the background. I've just put my order in for the full bottle and cannot wait for it to arrive.

Opening was bright sharp citrus and green, immediately reminded me of Nio. The aromatic spicy “coffee” side then immediately started coming out. There really was not much delay between the top notes sparkling and the immediate dry down effect. Kinda wish the top notes stayed a little longer but that’s kinda the name of the game with realistic natural smelling citruses. Honestly if I didn’t read the notes I probably wouldn’t have said coffee. Even now I still don’t really think this comes across as coffee. It’s a spicy dry vanilla with a slight dry woody incense vibe. Theres a lot of spice which again is kinda surprising from the notes. Almost like star anise and cardamom maybe? EDIT: now that it’s dried down more I do get the coffee note. It’s still very spicy and dry and woody though so coffee wouldnt have been my obvious description choice if I hadn’t read the notes. Reminds me of something you’d wear on an Italian vacation on a night out. It’s definitely sexy while also giving the slightest mature vibes as well (it's possible I think this because it is reminiscent of fragrances from the 2000s, as apparently some other commenters have suggested the formula has been around for a while). Aside from the opening, this is not screaming summer or daytime to me, much more of a spring/fall night time fragrance for men