Casamorati Bouquet Ideale 
Xerjoff (2010)

I was so excited to receive my sample of Bouquet Ideale by Xerjoff. After reading about the note list and hearing all of the praise heaped upon this perfume, I was sure that it was going to be a new favorite. Unfortunately, BI just didn't live up to my expectations, which is a bummer because I wanted so badly to like this perfume.

BI is a fairly linear, sweet woody fragrance. Although the note list is very base heavy, I'm getting some sort of fruitiness or high pitched note. It smells like oranges have been blended into the composition, but it is hard to tell. Overall, the note list is not represented; at least it isn't on my skin. Given that this fragrance is on the expensive side, I was expecting a high quality, smooth blend with excellent performance. The performance, on my skin, was decent, so that is not my main complaint. My main complaint is that it just doesn't smell good. In fact, there is something in the blend that triggers slight nausea, and it is very similar to the drydown found in Alien, which I am not able to wear. Not only does the fragrance trigger nausea, it fails to bring anything exciting to the table–it smells quite generic. Overall, BI is a poorly blend mess that doesn't have much to say. As an alternative, I suggest Santal Carmin by Atelier Cologne, which is a similar, higher quality option that is smoothly blended without the headache.

1.5/5