Xerjoff Starlight Eau de Parfum includes warm, winter spices with a creamy, almond heart that gives way to golden amber and aromatic cedarwood. The journey was fluid and more linear with the clove and cinnamon being more dominant against both almond and amber for about half the wear.
It is described as having “warming spices” with “flaming balsamic accords.” Here are the notes:
- top notes: bergamot, cardamom
- heart notes: almond, clove, cinnamon
- base notes: amber, cedarwood
Scent Development
It opened with a sweet burst of clove and cinnamon, warm and spicy, with zesty bergamot in the background. Then fresh cardamom joined the fray with its slight bite and green quality. Almond added a creamy, nuttiness and a suggestion of cherry after 10 minutes. It was a warm, spicy mix of light citrus and creamy almond with the beginning stages of golden amber, resinous and warm.
Starlight remained warm and spicy but became more resinous with rich amber and drier cedarwood, though I found the clove and cinnamon were still quite intense. After two hours, the cinnamon and clove finally diminished and dropped to a whisper, blending in with the amber and cedarwood while the almond was vague, creamy nuttiness against spiced, dry woods with rich resins.
Any shifts were few and far between for the reminder of the wear, merely weakening and softening over time, while the drydown highlighted the amber with the cedarwood weakening and going into the background.
Application
For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise.
I purchased my sample in January 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime , so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.
Longevity
It lasted for eight hours until it was a skin-scent and about 12 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were moderate with both dropping closer after three hours.
Personal Thoughts
I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I feel like I’ve smelled this type of composition before, and I have had a similar reaction – good but not to the point where I fell totally in love with it and had to have a bottle.
Available Sizes
- 50ml for $275
- 0.7ml sample for $7