Lira by Xerjoff

Lira by Xerjoff Lemon and Vanilla

As a general rule, gourmands are not appealing to me, but as you probably guessed, this rule does not apply to Lira by Xerjoff, even if this is often the case. The floral component may be responsible for this, as it prevents the vanilla and caramel from becoming too dominant. However, the blood orange, bergamot, and spices utilized here play an even more significant role. Even though the citrus fruits here are sweet, they are much more sour and crisp than sweet.

However, it is essential to note that the sweetness of the vanilla and caramel comes from their natural origins rather than being artificially produced, as is the case with many sweetened perfumes. This ensures that the sweetness is not masked by the presence of an excessive amount of sugar that has been diluted with water. Indeed, the spices, most notably licorice and cinnamon, as well as the florals (lavender, jasmine, and rose), as well as a gentle white musk, play off the wonderfully rich depth that the caramel and vanilla have, which makes it impossible to compare them to the notes that frequently abuse the user to make up for the lack of quality in many more familiar fragrances. Indeed, Xerjoff describes the vanilla as “woody,” which, in my opinion, corresponds to bourbon vanilla that belongs more appropriately in the category of SDV than something like Molinard Vanille, with its delightful scent.

Cinnamon is also present in this fragrance, but not in the usual way. If I wore this fragrance, I would not anticipate many people commenting that I smelled like cinnamon; if they did, it would only be because they were searching for a sweet spice and happened to grab cinnamon’s name out of thin air. The cinnamon in this dish has the texture of a loaf of cinnamon bread that has just come out of the oven; it is crunchy and has a caramelized flavor.

The blood orange is ripe, and it lingers through the duration of the fragrance. Even though it’s likely that some kind of synthetic ingredient is making the smell more robust, the combination of blood orange, vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon makes the most pleasant gourmand scent I’ve smelled so far.

Imagine that you and the person you will spend the rest of your life with are spending a night at the beach, snuggled in a warm blanket. Because the evening air is a little cool, you start to bury your toes in the sand. You and the person you love both stop what you are doing and look up at the bright winter night sky at the same moment. You see stars winking at you… Excellent. Those who like gourmand and spicy scents will enjoy this pleasant fragrance. Because I find it incredibly soothing, comforting, and cozy, it would be an excellent choice for a fragrance to spritz on just before bed.

The fragrance begins with the crispness of bitter orange and bergamot, followed by a heart of sparkling cinnamon, which is immediately followed by the salty note of the everlasting flower. This transforms the fragrance into a flirtatious caramel musk and takes you to an enchanted ocean where mermaids and dolphins swim around you. This is a softer, whipped-cream vanilla semi-gourmand take on cinnamon that you will definitely adore if you are a lover of cinnamony fragrances like Organza or Dolce Vita. You will probably love this if you are a fan of cinnamony scents like that. My only complaint is that the cost is too high considering that it is a gourmet fragrance.