Xerjoff Zefiro - real world fragrance review

[@glamconnor]

tbh i’ve always felt you’ve been extremely fair to xerjoff and have overall conveyed a pretty positive impressions of the house. they aren’t all winners but they put out a ton of shit and a lot of it is really great. you have basically echoed that sentiment.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@glamconnor thanks man! I really appreciate the support 🙂

[@travelmate3212]

Zefiro is just unbelievably good! This is my first Xerjoff full bottle after I sniffed so many from them, and I selfishly didn’t recommend to friends because I love it so much I don’t want the others smell like me lol

[@SeldomlyOften]

Although very wearable and relatively mass appealing, you still need to be into incense for this one. A lot of people will immediately say it's too churchy.

[@justaddlight]

Love how you match the background lighting to the vibe Dan. I think I got to sample this one once, but rather long ago. Definitely incensy, but also pretty heavy on the cardamom off of my skin if I remember correctly. It was the old bottle style too. The ergonomics on those things suuuuucked. 😆

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@justaddlight yeah the old bottles had a lot of QC issues too, Leaking everywhere and such. Thanks for the comment!

[@ohfour-seven6228]

I have all of the 1861 fragrances and Zefiro and Decas are my favorites. I think Zefiro is a masterpiece. Whenever I smell it, It reminds me of the smell of highly polished oak pews in a church, when you walk in and there's no one there. I absolutely love it and I'm glad you do too.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@ohfour-seven6228 yeah Decas is also great! And I love your description of Zefiro ❤️

[@ohfour-seven6228]

@@SeldomlyOften 👍

[@ohfour-seven6228]

@@SeldomlyOften Oh and I forgot to mention, Eau Sauvage Parfum is incredible! In fact I wore it yesterday, so so fine.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@ohfour-seven6228 it's a staple! absolutely amazing :)

[@KalopsiaMyth]

Shady practices? Hmm. Thanks for the great reviews.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@KalopsiaMyth “shady” is very relative. They are a very successful PR company with huge events and massive amounts of bottles out to influencers, creating a boosted positive bias. It’s great marketing but it might mislead about some of the scents.

[@KalopsiaMyth]

@@SeldomlyOften that makes sense. I always wonder a bit about the trade-off there, ie. is my bottle more expensive because all of these influencers are getting them for free, or because of this lavish party? Thank you for the insight and opinion.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@ all the costs are ultimately put onto the consumer. I worked in retail marketing in the past and every event we would do would impact the price of the product. Fancy name comes with massive PR gigs.

[@Sliceisnice850]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I wasn’t aware of it, and it sounds practically made for me. The brand’s catalog is a bit bloated, so no wonder stuff goes overlooked. Nice work! (“Unified wall of scent” was very effective.)

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Sliceisnice850 this one goes super under the radar! If you are open to incense but want something wearable, it’s probably the best I came across.

[@Kharaman.V]

Thanks for continuing to talk about the Xerjoff house

[@SeldomlyOften]

It's a fun house I still have stuff to say about the house so... fear not!

[@BengalBells]

I love Naxos, Renaissance is just unreal. I have to try Zeffiro and Decas.

[@SeldomlyOften]

I think the whole line is really good, I can easily recommend all of them.

[@milankostadinovic330]

Love the vids Daniel! Keep up the good work! Can‘t get enough of the content. Little suggestion: If you love Incense then have to try Mortel by Trudon. They are mainly a candle house, but they also do fragrances. I am not a fan of incense but I really enjoyed that fragrance! As far as Xerjoff is concerned, we don‘t really get along. I‘m in the same boat as you.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for the appreciation and suggestion! Really interesting that they are a candle house first.

[@Strictlybusiness79]

I will second Mortel by Trudon. It’s a incense fragrance in my rotation

[@markeletr]

Thank you for this, I’m gonna take another look. It is one that I remember being very appealing, I generally don’t find any in the range worth the money. I think we have quite similar taste. Dior Eau Sauvage EDT and Parfum are two of my all-time favourites.

[@SeldomlyOften]

It's surprisingly unique and very wearable. If you like your incense hard and intense this is not for you but I appreciate all variations :)

[@maxxis-fr9wn]

Hey daniel i saw a couple of your past videos and noticed that you are really into cherry fragrances, i wanted to get your opinion on guerlain's la petite robe noir black perfecto if possible. It is a dark cherry, leather rose scent. Much love man and keep up with the quality videos!

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@maxxis-fr9wn I was always super attracted to that one, the way it was described online was just really interesting. I smelled it at the airport and it’s way too feminine to me. It’s an awesome fragrances but a little too girly and sweet. I would totally love if a little more toned down.

[@leepaterson7340]

Yes the review is here!

[@leepaterson7340]

I even ordered the a sample of it right now the decant is going well so far you’re right about its versatility! Will purchase a full bottle as my signature scent tabac nomade as a close 2nd

[@SeldomlyOften]

It's here! Glad this one worked out for you, a true diamond in the rough.

[@leepaterson7340]

I can’t thank you enough because I’ve seen someone make a comment about bois imperial and it appeals to the masses but I’m so bored of it! Would love for you to do a top 5/10 incense fragrances at some point I know it would be interesting

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@leepaterson7340 I'll think about it, if I do that one I'll have to cover other notes as well; it's a slippery slope :D

[@blagojmilosevski9547]

Thank you for the review 😊.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for stopping by!

[@Ismelledathing]

Great review! Haven't heard of a fragrance having honeyed wine before, very interesting.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Ismelledathing it’s really subtle and beautiful, nowhere near as off putting as it may sound.

[@PainfulPig]

Wanted to try this since you mentioned it on a Memo review. Did try the also mentioned Enclave, awesome thing.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Enclave is a really good one to throw in the options for this as well. Really wearable and super unique smelling.

[@fabiojungle4722]

Beautiful realised review. It is indeed a very calming fragrance at the same time being elegant & Italian. It's stylish without trying to be. It never shouts or tries to be attention seeking. It kinda wears you in a very alluring manner. It is my first Xerjoff and my favourite. Try and check out Liquide Imaginaries Sanctis which is very similar but even more cathartic and beautiful 🙏🏿

[@SeldomlyOften]

It’s in my cart as we speak, I just have a TON of incense frags 😉

[@fabiojungle4722]

@@SeldomlyOften Hahaha. OCD binge ! Would love to know your thoughts. I think it's amazing

[@jebz]

FINALLY!! i have been waiting for this and trying to put Zefiro on everywhere!❤ Appreciate the review as always your videos are some of my go-to’s.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for the patience. Zefiro is really great :)

[@yannickgluck4224]

And again it appears, that we have a very similar taste! Zefiro is at the top of my list to replace Bois Imperial as my everyday fragrance, as soon as I finish that bottle. Excellent video as always!

[@mohamednayad]

Interesting 👍 I never tried Zefiro and I have Bois Impérial do you find similarities between the 2 ?

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@yannickgluck4224 it’s a really good everyday. Probably would be a candidate for my signature if I was into that sort of thing. I’m not a huge fan of Bois Imperial, a little too synthetic and artificial smelling.

[@yannickgluck4224]

@@mohamednayad Its less about the scent profile than the occasions. I have my special fragrance, which is Silver Oud by Amouage and my everyday fragrance, which is currently Bois Imperial. So no similarities, I just think they have a similar use case. :)

[@yannickgluck4224]

@@SeldomlyOften I used to really like Bois Imperial, but I got tired of it as well. It kind of smells like hand sanitizer after a while. You probably have a lot of fragrances to chose from. Since I go to university I have not as much money to spend on fragrances. Silver Oud already burnt quite the significant hole into my wallet haha. Are you going to do a top 5 video of you current fragrance rotation any time soon? I really enjoyed that video!

[@SeldomlyOften]

@ I’ll be doing a top five for Q4 24-Q1 25 soon 🙂

[@AtheneanSoul]

Hi Daniel, Thank you for the review. One of my favorites too :) This perfume is similar to Jovoy's La Liturgie des Heures (similar DNA, though I prefer Zefiro's interpretation). Eau Sauvage is a classic and I own several from that line too. Take care!

[@SeldomlyOften]

I also have the Jovoy, it's similar to Zefiro but more niche. I actually like the extreme wearability of Zefiro.

[@phantomplastics6582]

Great work Daniel! Zefiro is amazing. You may enjoy Midsummer Dream as it shares the Elemi note (also Roja Madison which is a richer version of Midsummer). My favorite Xerjoff is Dhofar but it is discontinued.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks! I've been looking at Midsummer Dream for a while, looks up my alley as far as general tone goes. I never even heard of Dhofar :D

[@kspeers07]

Great review. I have been putting off buying this fragrance for years. Would love to see a Top 5 or 10 from Xerjoff from your perspective.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks for the comment! I'll think about it, for the most part it would have to be off the top of my memory as most bottles come and go for me regarding this brand.

[@EndersFPS]

I've ignored Xerjoff for a long time now. I need to go resmell lol

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@EndersFPS they have some good ones in the bunch, you just need to search 😊

[@JJplaysGuitar]

Definitely gotta sample this one. I have only one incense fragrance, CDG Avignon and I dub it cola-incense combo, thanks to its effervescence from huge dose of aldehydes. Have you ever tried Ambre Russe? Its incredible perfumery and I reckon its right up your alley.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@JJplaysGuitar Ambre Russe is literally one of the fragrances I’m going to purchase next. I’m kind of on the fence if wait for Exsence or just buy it now.

[@JJplaysGuitar]

@SeldomlyOften It can be found dirt cheap during some sales... which is hurtful for such an incredible fragrance 😅 looking forward for first impressions then!

[@banananaz674]

Xerjoff's Apollonia has, to me, a prominent white wine note as well, though haven't seen many others mention it. Maybe it's from the "white flowers" listed as a top note, and it smells very sharp. It's quite feminine leaning, so it's tricky to pull off on skin for me. I just have a sample I enjoy smelling it.

[@SeldomlyOften]

never tried that one, unusual bottle too! Thanks for sharing :)

[@tibor1832]

1. Really interested in your take on 1861 Renaissance, which generally speaking deserves a good deeper dive/reflection, most reviews on KZbin on this one feel very superficial and too complimentary, it's VERY much recommended/appreciated, but also kind of controversial specifically the florals and for some the citrus opening... I partly enjoy it and it partly annoys me, since the dry down slightly nauseates me... don't know what to think about it, maybe it'll be more appealing in spring/sunlight. Not a request to review, just a signal as an expression of interest. An authentic, critical take on it might clear the skies on this one a bit! 2. In addition to your comment on Zefiro, to me Starlight is also kind of underrated and in the echo chamber of KZbin reviews as it's primarily - unjustifiably - positioned as a very nice christmassy holiday scent. However it's beautiful - in many occasions, day/night/formaletc. My current signature scent and one of my absolute favorites. 3. Your critical approach to Xerjoff as a brand to me seems very justified. My experience with Xerjoff is that I find it very difficult to effectively separate the marketing from the scent experience, I tend to give them too much credit for some reason and one of the antidotes to protect the intellectual independence is to remain (emotionally) critical and resilient by allowing oneself an explicitly vocal, rational and emotional opposition towards the brand. For Parfums de Marly to me it's the opposite bias: I just seem to want to dislike them (thinking of them as too bold, off-putting, overdone, too loud, unsubtle) and therefore I rob them (and myself) to give them fair chance. We probably all need our coping mechanisms, in this case to weaponise ourselves against subtile marketing influence to remain independent and critical in our opinions and experiences.. Holding on to a hate it/love it-attitude towards the brand might be a suboptimal strategy, but for me it does the job 😄

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks so much for the meaty comment: 1) I'll talk about Renaissance in due time, I will pair it to something else in a first impression comparison as I'm not really interested in getting a bottle. Maybe vs Torino 21? 2) The western culture seems to associate anything spicy and warm to Christmas... I don't agree either and cardamom makes for a really clean easy wear. I still have to try Starlight but I'm loving the very cardamom centric Amouage Lustre. 3) Having brand preferences is completely normal and will introduce biases in judgement (that is also fine). There are some brands that I tend to not like out of principle too but for Xerjoff I have more a curious approach, walking the line between constantly aggressively testing them and being overly forgiving...

[@tibor1832]

Renaissance & Torino21 interesting comparison to do I think, since on the surface / note-wise they are considered to have a lot in common but the experience in wearing them to me is completely different. I currently have both on bottle. After my initial love for Torino21, I left it aside for a while since lately it tends to smell slightly synthetic to my nose, which is a bit off-putting. Maybe also the wrong season to wear it (Dutch winter weather). I have the same with Grand Soir, since I recognised a ISO-e-super alike chemical note, I seem to be unable to unthink/unsmell it anymore. Still nice, but for that reason not a 10/10 anymore. Compared to Grand Soir and its use cases, I've developed a preference for Starlight which still occurs all-natural to me.

[@seanp7871]

I couldn’t agree more zefiro is hands down better than Naxos , Naxos is the worst one from the collection, good see Zefiro get some love iv always liked this one

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@seanp7871 not really comparable in my opinion as they are very different scent profiles. Zefiro is definitely more unique 🙂

[@ivanadam4018]

Hi Daniel ! Have you tired Xerjoff Ouverture? What is your opinion about that perfume ?

[@SeldomlyOften]

Never properly tried it, sprayed it in a Xerjoff boutique a while back and it was pretty good. I'll try to get a sample :)

[@EduardoHenrique-nd1ro]

😍😍😍

[@SeldomlyOften]

Cheer man!

[@CarryOn-Janet]

I agree with you regarding Xerjoff. I find the opening of More Than Words so intoxicating, so complex and beautiful, and then poof, it's gone. What I am left with after that is a very one-dimentional rose. And a heavy rose, at that.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Have you tried MFK Oud Satin Mood? it's similar to More Than Words but super duper smooth. I have a review of that coming out super super soon.

[@AngelMC11]

Hi Daniel! Great insights! Another scent you might consider trying is Craft by Andrea Maack. It is an amazing cold incense. Take care.

[@SeldomlyOften]

Thanks! sounds really cool that one, I might give it a go :)

[@Principemostprincipe]

Cool perfume. Try Bulgari - Kobraa. Perfect fresh incense

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Principemostprincipe that one has been on my radar for a while now! Not cheap or easy to find 😅

[@baloubar3886]

Hey, have you thought about changing up the music from time to time ? When watching multiple videos of yours it feels a bit repetitive to me sometimes.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@baloubar3886 I thought about it but it’s been almost 150 videos… it would have to be part of a whole brand refresh. Also, selecting music every time might add time to the workflow. Also also, as annoying as it is (I get it can be repetitive) it’s very recognizable. Just thoughts

[@Roy_Godiksen]

I love Zefiro, but i can't really wear it. It's one of those fragrances a lot of people find "offensive". Too strong and weird, i guess. Decas is my favorite in the "1861" series.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Roy_Godiksen Decas is also really underrated, I like that one a lot. Why do people find Zefiro offensive?

[@Roy_Godiksen]

​@SeldomlyOften It has a scent that for some is reminiscent to a kind of burnt rubber. I get a little of that myself. It's the mix of wine and incense, I guess. I like though. Very soothing, calming, and mystical. ❤❤👏👏

[@legeanflorin]

And again I say: WAZAMBA!!! 😅 Parfums D'Empire

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@legeanflorin that house is definitely high on my sample list!

[@theworkingkitchen7325]

Is dodo good in high heat? Like 30C + ?

[@SeldomlyOften]

the freshness is definitely there and the heavy musky tone also works well but the whole things needs sampling for sure.

[@theworkingkitchen7325]

@@SeldomlyOftenamazing thank you. Zoologist and meo fusciuni discovery sets are next up, I’ll check it out.

[@SeldomlyOften]

@ amazing fragrances, those are really fun to sample 🙂

[@mahirdaiyan8780]

Do naxos

[@SeldomlyOften]

I’ll do Naxos eventually. I don’t have a bottle anymore but I kind of regret trading it off and plan to get another.

[@MuddyGreenMonster]

I'm a fan of Xerjoff, too. I have quite a few, but unfortunately Zefiro isn't one of the ones I like. To me the notes are a bit of a mismatch. I'm usually attracted to scents that are unique & do their own thing (which this is), but I just didn't relate to this one for some reason.

[@SeldomlyOften]

the curse for Zefiro is just that, it's completely overshadowed by the sweeter, more attractive fragrances in the line.

[@ob3063]

Dont talk abt it We dont want anyone to know abt it Its my fav + decas

[@SeldomlyOften]

😎

[@Stevepalt]

Daniel consider reviewing Opera or Opera Grande..🫂🤍

[@SeldomlyOften]

@@Stevepalt I’ve heard great stuff about that one. I’ll see if I can get a sample 🙂