Black XS Potion for Him by Rabanne

I absolutely love this perfume. The opening is identical to the Woman version, but without that note, it smells like spectacular juicy apple for the first 5 minutes. Afterwards, it dries down to 100% Virginia juniper and I think rosemary too. I’m obsessed with it, 10 out of 10!

If you like fruity scents on intense Black XS Potion bases, it’s a must-have. I was lucky to find it at an excellent price and bought it blind. There’s nothing like betting and winning; with this Flanker from the Rabanne XS series, it’s easy, although the Extreme is highly recommended despite being hard to find. Black XS Potion is ‘liquorous and lively’; its uniqueness lies in a bright, saturated opening, with a heart and dry-down projecting a beautiful bitter fruity (red) accord in this phase. Note: unlike L’Excess, Potion feels rounder and more accomplished. After 5 minutes, it contracts into a masculine trail that projects class and uniqueness, semi-gourmand but not invasive, rather more contained. Here, the spirit of the mother emerges, covered by unlisted red fruits and a subtle bitter vegetal touch (perhaps juniper with absinthe). It’s perfect for almost everything, but I see it as more usable in temperate to cold climates. In deep dry-down, it’s intimate and very long-lasting. A creation where Cresp really displays his craft. If you see it for under $50, it’s worth it. PS: the bottle sprays a lot.

Black XS Potion is my favourite in the line so far. It has a very distinct scent, sweet and to my taste, without losing its mother’s essence but with its own signature. At first, it smells like those soft candies like Winis or Sugus found in Mexico; it surely carries red berries and leans more towards red wine than rum. In the base, without being overpowering, there is a herbal-bitter touch that must be absinthe. After a few hours, it becomes slightly powdery and vanilla-like, yet the red berries still emerge. It’s versatile and suitable all year round, though it suits me best in spring and autumn. Although it seems youthful, I believe everyone will like it. The projection is medium-low and the longevity is good. What a pity it’s a limited edition and becoming harder to find.

I bought it a few years ago and I agree it was the darkest and most mysterious of the Black line; very woody and resinous, dry, without the excessive sweetness of the others, but with a fantastic touch of two liquorous notes: Absinthe and Rum. Not as youthful or versatile as the others, but to its credit, it has a spiced, intense woody body and is quite original (not synthetic). I’d love for it to still be on the market… But Paco has the habit of taking the best off his lists: this one, L’Excess, Ultra Red, and Violet. A great memory.

I’ve had this for years and it’s the darkest, most mysterious scent in the Black line; very woody, resinous and dry, without the excessive sweetness of the others, but with a fantastic touch of two liqueur notes: absinthe and rum. It’s not as youthful or versatile as the rest, but it has an intense, original spiced and woody heart (not synthetic). I’d love to see it stay on the market… But Paco has a habit of dropping the best ones: this one, L’Excess, Ultra Red and Violet. A great memory.

The best of Paco Rabanne for men; I like it from the opening notes to the dry-down. It has good longevity, surpassing 12 hours on me, and projects well for about 4-6 hours. It’s a Vivaldi, suitable for any season and day or night, very versatile although preferably for casual wear. Its notes are very well composed; it’s of very good quality although hard to get as it’s limited. In my opinion, it’s better than the original XS; they smell similar but this version is darker and more masculine, and lasts longer on my skin, with a better-defined oriental touch. Highly recommended. Trail: 7/10, Versatility: 9/10, Longevity: 10/10, Projection: 8/10, Fixation: 10/10, Quality: 8/10, Total: 9/10.

Bought it today and it delivers 100%: smells delicious, projects well, and lasts just enough. Being a limited edition, it’s hard to get hold of. Reminds me of Black XS but more polished, with that exquisite rum note kicking in when it dries. On my skin, it lasted about six hours, which is acceptable for me.

As a fan of Black XS, I hunted it down online blind because I can’t find it here in Venezuela (same with L’Aprodisiaque, which I’ve never tried). It smells sweet at first, reminiscent of the original, but with a very present rum note. To me, it felt like Diesel’s Only The Brave Tattoo; I suppose it’s that opening red apple note. The dry-down is intense and sweet, perhaps too much for some, so I see it as unisex or even feminine. I’d recommend it for night out in mild weather; its longevity and projection exceed the average. A great find.

The opening is delicious, fresh, and sweet, but it changes within minutes. Leaves me with a powdery scent, like makeup, nothing like the iris (which I don’t like anyway). It’s something completely different.

I liked this limited edition perfume. It smells like an alcoholic drink; they say it has rum, but I noticed more wine or grape. It’s sweet, but not as much as the original Black XS, which is half gourmand.

On first try, it seemed super sweet and delicious, ideal for winter and summer, provided it’s at night. The trail is good and the scent is addictive, perfect for attracting someone. That sweetness is probably due to the rum, giving it a fruity twist. Very youthful. A good investment given it’s a limited edition. Although the website doesn’t list all the notes, after 30 minutes I sense a citrus base with oranges and a boozy, sweet yet fresh vibe. Perhaps there’s a very slight spicy touch, like pink pepper. The woods make it warm, and that fruity base doesn’t disappear; it’s probably the ‘potion’ that makes it irresistible. I must admit, I’ve received many compliments with this one.

A delight. Upon trying the Black XS, it seemed very sweet, so I wasn’t very hopeful about this limited edition, but it turned out to be to my liking. I find it very masculine and youthful, ideal for winter. Women like it quite a bit.