The BEST? / Characteristics of all flankers / The problem of batches / Did it need you? / First impression!
Hello everyone,
although this will only be a relatively short impression of the Alexandria II Anniversary, I would still like to give you a few things - things that may have added value for you!
Foreword:
I have been a real FAN of the line for many, many years and I am probably one of those who has the largest "real consumption in ml" here and by that I mean that of Alexandria II Parfum , Alexandria III , Alexandria Orientale , "Oud Stars - Alexandria Imperiale | XerJoff" , if we are talking about numbers here it is about 300ml since 2017 (!) and somehow it was clear that I would get the Alexandria II Anniversary...
Comparisons to the other Alexandria's! (Always just a short version)
"Oud Stars - Alexandria Imperiale | XerJoff" :
It is the most independent one, yes it has a natural (like all of them!) more than subtle similarity to Alexandria II Parfum, but it does 1, 2, 3 things a little differently. You notice the extreme high quality and that definitely. Here we have the complex/deep and evil oud that we know from Kemi, among others, and a very well-made leather (and if I, as a non-leather lover, say it's good, then you can assume that it's really good ;) ). Besides, we have significantly more lavender (noticeable) and less of the vanilla sweetness of the current Alexandria II Parfum batches.
Alexandria Orientale :
It is the one that is most similar to Alexandria II Parfum and that by 90%. You have a TICK more noticeable animalics in the opening (immediately) and afterwards. But there are "hard differences" that I experienced. I had the UAE Special Edition about a year ago and when I compare it with the current batches of 2022 and 2023, they are tame CHEESES...
Alexandria III :
It's the tamest, the lightest and the one with which you can indulge in the most sprays without being immediately looked at askew ;) . And in my opinion, the Alexandria III is very much overlooked - just saying. I have one from 2020 that is really AWESOME, in every respect. But what makes it stand out, or in other words, what makes it noticeably different from its brothers? At the beginning, the noticeable focus is on the lavender and cinnamon, but what's really special here is the rose! It looks 0.0% like a normal rose, but rather like a watery kind, more like rose water with oud chips in it... It is different and goes other WAYS and that's what I like!
And finally the Alexandria II Parfum :
The classic and it all started with you. From 2017 to 2021 you were my signature fragrance (except for the summer / midsummer) and really daily. For me it was the fragrance par excellence.... it was! Why? Over the years, it became quieter, softer and more appealing to the general public. And that's exactly what runs through the brand's entire (!) portfolio...
I have written a blog article on the subject - you are welcome to read it ( https://www.parfumo.de/Benutzer/Sirbennyone/Blog/Eintrag/ein-riese-der-wackelt ).
And that was also the reason why I turned my back on Alexandria II Parfum. When I smelled the new 2022 batch (the same to this day), I was disappointed + sad..., the last corners + edges were virtually taken away and a slight gourmand was created in the drydown, due to the noticeable increase in vanilla.
The others (Alexandria's) never had this "sweetness" back then and still do. The other "problem" of many people who smell the fragrance for the first time, smell something like a hairspray note - I understand what they mean..., you read that again and again in the statements or in the reviews of some and this "impression" is actually only with Alexandria II Parfum and not with the others and this impression started in 2019 and (more or less) this impression remained until today...
By the way, all batches, old or new, have power!
But now to the Alexandria II Anniversary !
(Finally...^^)
Rarely have I been so hyped - but do we need you/are you worth it?
Unpacked - an experience as always!
Now take a sniff... WOW!
It's different from all Alexandria's, but always has those moments of familiarity. Moments when you realize, ah, here we have Alexandria II Parfum and here the Alexandria Orientale and here the Alexandria III and there the "Oud Stars - Alexandria Imperiale | XerJoff" ...
He starts quite quietly and reservedly, I thought he would go straight ahead but no.... - he needs something and really moves forward! It starts subtle, light and really smooth with lavender very noticeable and a full and strong rose. I never notice the cardamom + the wormwood - so much for that! The cumin is there giving it an oriental touch (a spicy one), but that's it slowly the STAR enters the stage, it's the OUD. In my opinion, it's oud from KEMI (it's now XJ and somehow fits....).
It's dark, but wonderfully soft and zero (!) animalic. Perfect for me. I know 1, 2, 3 fragrances from EO and ALD, we're not talking about this league. EO and ALD have insanely crass raw materials, which gives them a quality that unfortunately cannot be realized here because of the IFRA. They are one of the benchmarks because they come from the Middle East (not Europe) and only ship their stuff from there, which is why they are allowed to bypass the IFRA (My level of knowledge!)
The Alexandria II Anniversary combines 2 worlds (for me) to perfection - darker and nastier oud in the smoothest form and everything has been screwed to the max.... - really noticeable!
I don't think I need to say much about the bottle, the OVP, the sprayer and the lid + the design of the bottle and anyone who gives a rating below a 9 in this respect, I can't help them, sry.
For me (!) an absolutely great work and next to the "Oud Stars - Alexandria Imperiale | XerJoff" the Alexandria II Anniversary is currently the best of the Alexandria line.
Also thanks to da KEMI!
Briefly about the price.
At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself: is it worth it? It's 580€...., good for 100ml..., but it's really sporty and you have to want it... ! For me as a (among other things) businessman, the question of the price/performance ratio and whether it is justified arises....
As consumers, we are not obliged to buy a product and if you want to and can pay for it because you are convinced, then that's fine.
When do I see and recommend it?
All Alexandria flankers and this one are very suitable for the colder time of the year, say from October to March (now at 15° it's already very borderline). For me (!) it has something upmarket, something special, something special. Yes, you can wear it daily during that time!
If I wasn't really convinced, I wouldn't recommend it to you!
(At least for a test)
And now have a nice day/evening, or whatever you read this review, LG the Benny
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