ALEXANDRE J
ZAFEER OUD VANILLE

2012

Coconut
Toffee
Leather

Tonka Bean
Ylang-Ylang
White Woods
Clove

Vanilla
Oud
Musk

Out of the 7 Alexandre J I tried at the time of wring, I only loved The Majestic Vanilla and I liked Zafeer Oud Vanille.

It seems that for my taste, Alexandre J does vanilla right. There are three things that set Zafeer Oud Vanille apart from other vanilla and benzoin fragrances; two that I really like and one that throws me off a little bit. What works for me here is the tropical twist; there’s (a tiny bit of) ylang ylang and coconut and it’s not soapy or overly tropical, but it adds a nice touch.

The other aspect that I enjoy is the leather, which adds a bit of maturity and depth to an otherwise sweet scent. The leather isn’t overpowering and the balance between the notes is quite nice.

What I don’t particularly like is the way the woodiness comes off; I don’t detect oud and the woods come with a musky, almost medicinal edge that reminds me off the ‘ouds’ from Mancera and Montale. That style threw me off in some of the others from Alexandre J, but here it’s balanced enough for me to still enjoy the scent overall very much.
It’s quite sweet, but not cloyingly so. I think it works equally well on men and women, although I know some men aren’t partial to the ylang ylang at all, so more women might gravitate towards it.

The performance is good; I get decent longevity, but with a nice projection for most of the wear.