A master art work with huge Iris which is little not bearable at beginning but when it settles a great dna.

As I explained last night, my X-Men (my Xerjoff collection) were victorious as my SOTE in a surprise victory over any selection from the Dark Empire (Amouage) as I selected XJ 1861 Renaissance for my dinner out last night. Tonight was a diffferent story. The plans included a summer party with a couple hundred people, so I had to play it a little safe. Nothing too forward, nothing too heavy - a real crowd-pleaser Afterall, I'm in the desert and it's about 70-75 degrees tonight and I'll be around a lot of people. Again, one of my X-Men seemed like a good choice. Maybe a little Torino21 or possibly a little Erba Gold would be in order. However, an unstoppable force spoke to me and guided me to a dove, and not just any dove, a Roja Dove. Specifically the Roja Dove that resides at 18-19 Burlington in London, England. One quick test spray of Roja Burlington 1819 and every single X-Man in my collection was toast. Burlington 1819 is a perfect summer fragrance that (IMO) may actually be worth the price of admission. The opening is a bright citrus blast of lime, grapefruit, and a very subtle mint. The quality of the ingredients are unmistakable and the skill of the blending is quite impressive. The mid continues with a clean and green vibe with a beautiful edge. At the base you MAY pick up some light tobacco, but the soft woods and musk were unmistakable. As I'm sure you know, this is an upscale creation but it's no beast. It's not particularly deep or heavy, and it's certainly NOT of an Amouage-level performance. The projection is moderate but unmistakable. It's a reward to those that choose to be physically closer to you, and believe me, they'll want to be physically closer to you (based on my experience tonight.) I would say the sillage is refined and polite, but it's there... This is a great choice for a nice summer evening and probably be a good choice during the day too depending on your situation. This is the sort of fragrance that gives Roja it's well-earned reputation as a top-tier niche House.

This is just my take, but I think a lot of people jump into niche fragrances too early before their nose is really developed. There is nothing wrong with niche itself, and I am definitely not against it, but I do think the experience hits a lot differently when you actually have enough time in the game to understand what you are smelling. A lot of niche fragrances are more abstract, more challenging, or more subtle in the way they are built, and if your nose is not trained yet, it becomes easy to confuse price with quality or uniqueness with greatness. To me, having a developed nose means you can actually pick up on the blending, the transitions, the texture, the balance, and how the fragrance evolves from the opening to the drydown. That is when you really start appreciating what makes a scent special. Without that foundation, I think a lot of people end up buying off hype, reputation, exclusivity, or what they heard from other people instead of what truly connects with them. That does not mean you cannot start with niche, because anybody can wear whatever they like, but I do think the journey is a lot more rewarding when you have taken the time to smell different styles, learn notes, compare quality, and really build your taste. At that point, niche stops being just expensive bottles and starts becoming something you can genuinely understand and appreciate for yourself. Less expensive designers, quality clones, decants, and sample sets are often the smartest way to build your nose first without overspending. Why: - Designers usually help you learn the basics more easily because many are more wearable, more structured, and easier to understand. - Clones can help you explore profiles tied to expensive originals without paying full niche prices. - Decants and samples are probably the best route of all because they let you smell more and buy less. I think the best path is balance. Some people jump into niche too early before their nose is developed, but on the other side, too many people get stuck in the clone and designer world because of price, and never explore the full hobby. Budget matters, but if you never branch out, you can end up limiting your understanding of fragrance, quality, and creativity.