Scandal starts off very bright and invigorating: a burst of juicy lemon and aromatic lavender take charge ahead of a green backbone of mint, petitgrain and basil. A soft and sparkly heart of jasmine, violet and Rose de Mai then gives the scent that classic Roja signature that he does so well. The lemon, lavender and mint stay strong throughout the life of the scent, but in the dry down they mingle spectacularly with soft oakmoss, sparkly ambergris and earthy vetiver. Scandal is the perfect iteration of the modern fougere. It smells very classical and masculine, but at the same time is very mass appealing and contemporary. The lemon and lavender in here smell photorealistic as if the real thing is right in front of you, while the oakmoss and ambergris lay a soft and slightly powdery bed for everything to rest gently on. Scandal is undoubtedly a mature and sophisticated scent for a modern gentleman, but the Parfum Cologne version seems to be brighter and more youthful as all the scents in this collection are. This is a must have if you’re a fan of fougeres, it does this classical French scent profile fantastic justice while still keeping up with the times, all with fantastic quality throughout. A must have for spring in my opinion.

Richwood is the perfect name for summing this scent up - it’s woody and makes you smell rich. It opens sharp and tangy with bergamot and orange, with a lingering fruitiness in the background coming from grapefruit and blackcurrant. In the heart you’re gently greeted by a fantastically soft rose and sweet vanilla of the highest quality, before drying down to a base of buttery sandalwood and a slightly earthy patchouli. I am in love with this scent. I’m a big fan of rose and sandalwood, and the marriage of the two in this fragrance is magical. It has good performance and will get you noticed, all while giving the impression of refinement and extreme wealth - Richwood is definitely a confidence booster. The price of this fragrance is laughable, but it’s one of my favourite fragrances of all time and one of the absolute best from Xerjoff. I find the house to be a little hit and miss but this and the entire 17/17 Stone Label collection is magnificent. I would strongly recommend this to any lover of rose and sandalwood.

Reflection exudes class and sophistication at every turn, a perfect name for a perfect scent. It opens somewhat harsh and sharp due to the pink pepper, rosemary and petitgrain, but soon begins to softly settle into bright white florals of neroli and jasmine, on a powdery bed of orris and ylang. The dry down is mainly comprised of those same florals, with a soft sandalwood. It’s very simplistic but in a fantastic way - a masterpiece. Reflection is everything a clean masculine fragrance should be, it’s perfect for every occasion and is incredibly versatile - but I love it best in the spring. The performance is really good, at least from my bottle, and when you catch whiffs of this beautiful sillage throughout the day it really is addicting. Overall this fragrance is stunning, a truly fantastic interpretation of a modern sandalwood. I do think Reflection 45 is even better, stronger and more rounded, however the price is insane and the original scratches that itch more than enough. Saying that, I do plan to get my hands on Reflection 45 when my bottle of the original Reflection runs out.

Acqua di Gio Profumo exudes confidence and maturity while still staying true to its roots. It opens with salty aquatic notes and bergamot, just like the classic Acqua di Gio, before an aromatic heart of sage, rosemary and geranium begin to take over. The dry down is addicting - sweet Incense and patchouli contrast the fresher notes beautifully to create something truly unique. The longevity of this scent is fantastic and the quality is actually quite impressive, which I honestly don’t see too much from Armani’s releases. This scent is quintessentially masculine and mature, it means business and makes you smell important while still managing to be very mass appealing. This scent is one of the few designer freshies that continues to impress me every time I wear it. Perhaps it’s the combination of fresh aquatic notes with such contrasting dark notes. It’s very creative and still holds up to this day, I will always have a bottle of this. I’m very interested to see how the new Acqua di Gio Parfum compares to this as it’s supposed to be a re-release of Profumo.

Cool water opens with a fresh burst of sweet aquatic notes and lavender, with sharp green touches of mint and rosemary in the background. As it settles, a heart of synthetic florals comprised of neroli, jasmine and geranium begin to combine somewhat harshly with the mint. The dry down is where the more masculine notes of sandalwood, oakmoss and cedar begin to shine through alongside the aquatic green notes. Objectively speaking, Cool Water is not a great fragrance due to its synthetic and low quality ingredients. However for the price, I think it’s pleasant enough for most people and gets the job done. For me though, this scent is very special. Cool Water is so nostalgic to me for some reason, I must have smelled it as a child but can’t place where. This fragrance takes me to a point in time which I can’t quite place, but is kind and comforting nonetheless. I think this scent is a timeless classic and will always be a part of my collection.

Duro is an animalistic beauty - it’s rugged, masculine and dirty without being offensive or overly challenging. It’s pretty linear from the get go as the fragrance doesn’t seem to change much over time, however that doesn’t mean it lacks depth or complexity. Unfortunately official notes aren’t listed by Nasomatto, however this is an incredible leather scent with woody and animalistic notes, I mainly get oud and maybe civet/castoreum. Unidentified warm spices in the base round off the scent and smooth the edges of the harsher leather and woods. Duro is very dark and bold with a lot of character, this fragrance is unapologetic and loud. It will definitely get you noticed and is a confidence boosting scent, however I’m unsure how appealing it would be to others. Regardless, this scent is very high quality as expected from Nasomatto and one of their most underrated releases.

Gris Charnel starts off very green and fruity as the fig and black tea note are most prominent, this opening is very unique and addictive - drawing you in further. As it settles on the skin, it grows warm and sweet with cardamom and tonka, with a gentle floral heart of iris. The result is absolutely stunning. In the dry down the cardamom, fig, black tea and iris are blended beautifully together to create an incredibly smooth and inviting scent. A slightly dark and earthy base begins to grow as sandalwood and vetiver make an appearance, however this is very subtle and only adds to the depth of the fragrance. This fragrance is very unique and creative, and will have you smelling different to everyone around you - all for a very fair price in my opinion. It’s very mass appealing to those around you and I actually prefer the original EDP over the new extrait version. It’s become a modern classic that really put BDK on the map, and for good reason because this fragrance is incredible.

Aoud initially opens with fantastically bright notes of lemon, geranium, jasmine and ylang however quickly develops more depth and complexity as the oud, rose, saffron and ambergris become more prominent. These notes blend together so beautifully, and this opening blows me away every single time I wear it. The dry down bears a noticeable similarity to Amber Aoud as the composition of rose, oud and saffron is the same. However as it lacks the fig and intensity of the ambergris, the resulting scent is much less sweet and instead more dry and woody compared to Amber Aoud. The warm spices of cinnamon and nutmeg are also slightly noticeable, however the rest of the notes are so well blended you would struggle to pick them out. To me this is the best rose-oud fragrance money can buy, and my absolute favourite from the Roja Aoud line. It perfects this classic scent profile with ingredients of the highest quality which will leave you breathless. I would advise against following the hype and trying this before buying Amber Aoud as this is much more regal and refined, a one of a kind fragrance and a true modern masterpiece.

I have recently acquired a vintage bottle of Aoud, the first batch ever created back from its original release - the old paper label and blood red juice is absolutely beautiful. As for the scent, it’s stunning: an absolute work of art and compelling masterpiece. In the opening, the rhubarb note is more noticeable than in current formulations, while the lemon and verbena have a slight aged bitterness. The rose and jasmine stay true to my current bottle, however here I find the geranium to be more prominent which gives the heart a certain greenness. The oud here is far dryer and almost ‘dusty’ which might just be due to its age, while the ambergris has a lot more depth - bringing that addictive saltiness combined with a deep leathery amber sweetened with saffron and sandalwood. This perfume is magical to me and I feel these vintage batches are worth seeking out if you already love the current formulations of Aoud.

Naxos smells like an Italian coast on a warm summers evening. It opens with bright and invigorating notes of lemon, bergamot and lavender, giving the fragrance a fresh sparkle before developing a sweet heart of honey, vanilla and tonka. The dry down is where this fragrance shines however - the honey and vanilla are joined by incredibly warming notes of spicy cinnamon and smooth tobacco leaf, leaving an alluring scent trail. Naxos is a very interesting fragrance because of the way it changes depending on the time of year. When worn in the winter, the tobacco and honey dominate the scent whereas in the summer, the lemon and lavender are more prominent - it’s incredible either way. It’s versatile enough to wear all year round, however my favourite time to wear this is on a warm summer night out, particularly on holiday. It’s easy to see why Naxos is Xerjoff’s most popular fragrance. The quality is brilliant and the scent smells so natural and realistic, and the 1861 collection are the only fragrances that aren’t hideously overpriced from the brand. The performance is brilliant too and as it currently stands, this is my most complimented fragrance out of my entire collection - people just seem to love it.