This weekend, I had the pleasure of trying out my sample of Erba Pura from Xerjoff, a fragrance that has garnered quite a bit of hype. After wearing it for two days, I've gathered my thoughts on this intriguing scent. The fragrance opens with a burst of citrus and a delightful fruit salad aroma. For anyone who enjoys fruity scents, the initial impression is nothing short of beautiful. It immediately transported me back to my childhood in Mexico, reminiscent of visits to the local market where I would buy fresh, diced fruit drizzled with lime. This joyful memory was vibrant in the opening notes. Within about five minutes, the citrus notes dissipate, and they’re beautifully complemented by a smooth vanilla that emerges alongside the fruit. As the scent progresses, the fruity notes remain dominant. After about half an hour, it transitions into the drydown where a nice, musky scent joins the mix, lingering gracefully until the fragrance fades. In terms of performance, Erba Pura is quite impressive. It delivers a robust projection bubble for about five hours. Even after this, the scent doesn't disappear; it begins to soften but continues to be noticeable on the skin for up to ten hours when I washed it off in the shower. This fragrance is definitely potent, so I recommend applying with caution to avoid overwhelming your surroundings. Overall, I found Erba Pura to be a delightful fragrance. I have a soft spot for fruity scents, especially those with a vanilla and musk backbone. While I've enjoyed similar fragrances like Citizen Jack Absolute and Kirke, I feel that they aren’t as powerful, making them more suitable for everyday wear. If you’re on the lookout for a vibrant, fruity scent that packs a punch, Erba Pura is definitely worth trying.

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to hear perfumer Stephen Dirkes discuss Blue Tea during a Sniffapalooza event. Before that presentation, the fragrance hadn't even been on my radar. On my skin, the opening immediately suggested a boozy rum butter cake accord, though that impression was fleeting. Within minutes, it transitioned into a beautiful floral heart where jasmine and gardenia took center stage. I was testing the fragrance outdoors in relatively strong winds, and every gust seemed to carry waves of the white florals around me. Throughout the wear, the lemongrass remained surprisingly prominent, providing a bright, citrusy backbone that kept the composition balanced and prevented the sweeter notes from becoming overly rich for me. The true highlight for me was the dry down. It instantly reminded me of the dry down of Kilian's Sacred Wood with its creamy cedarwood accord dusted with nutmeg and clove that evokes freshly cut cedar bark. The resemblance was striking enough that I applied Sacred Wood to my opposite arm for a side-by-side comparison. While they are certainly different fragrances overall, the character of the late dry downs shared a remarkably similar creamy, spicy woodiness. Also reminds me slightly of Jorum's Aborist in the dry down. Performance was equally impressive. I applied Blue Tea around 5:00 p.m. at the beginning of the online class, and by midnight the fragrance was still projecting its warm, woody base with little sign of fading. It was the lingering dry down, more than the opening or heart, that ultimately made the strongest impression on me.