XerJoff: Kobe

Yet another fragment of the same meteorite found in Kobe? Yeah, right.

The opening blend of neroli, citrus and petitgrain is simply gorgeous, with just about the right balance between hesperidic sparkle and citrus-peel bitterness. Unfortunately this aspect of the scent lasts no more than 20 minutes on my skin, giving way to a sweet but surprisingly oily and (gasp!) flat combination of tonka, amber and perhaps vanilla. It did get a little drier and resinuous later on but my nose could not detect whatever passes for 'oud'.

The list of notes may look like a grocery list for Amazing Race participants but it certainly didn't fool me. Ultimately Kobe may still work well on fabric but on my skin? Disappointing. Even more so considering the price.

Notes:

Calabrese bergamot, Florida orange, Italian neroli, Paraguayan petitgrain, rose wood, resins, oud, palisander, tonka, amber.