Givenchy Xeryus Rouge
Xeryus Rouge is a favorite of mine. I crave it.
Its featured red pepper is impeccably done. It’s crisp, vibrant, and lasts more or less through the whole life of the fragrance. It’s a palpable note: I can almost hear the snap of it as I spray.
The eau de toilette opens brightly on this red pepper, as well as a deep cedar. With my body heat, smokey green herbs and vetiver rise up alongside a juicy note that makes the others seem “wet.” I suppose this wet juiciness is the so-called kumquat, but I couldn’t really say. Reminds me more of starfruit, if anything. I’m reading about a whole host of other off-the-wall notes attributed to this fragrance, but really what I perceive IS vetiver. It’s quite like the one implemented in Givenchy Pour Homme. The vetiver I smell casts shadows, and hints at unlit corners. Propping up all this is a virile base of dark clean musk, and what I think is a dab of vanilla. I don’t notice the vanilla until the very end, and I’ve guessed in the past that it may be here to serve as a fixative.
Xeryus Rouge is a very good fragrance. It’s justthisclose to being a great fragrance, but I’m not sure what exactly might be missing to help this make the hurdle to great. However, it’s dead sexy, distinctive, and most importantly, memorable.
Image is from gallery at klubphoto.pl.