XXX by West Third Brand

Vetiver, Black Pepper, Spice, Mandarin, Iris, Bergamot, Benzoin, Coumarin, Tobacco.

Just looking at the name, without seeing or experiencing the notes, led me to believe this would be a feminine and seductive type scent. A masculine called Triple X???

Once applied to skin, I kind of grinned because this implements a few, dominant notes I enjoy, depending upon how they are tuned. What is noticeable on me, during my wearings, is the Peppery Citrus and Tobacco. I have no idea why they decided to call this XXX, but the scent itself is good, masculine and rather long lasting; a trait that seems to be genetic for West Third Brand.

Once enough time has elapsed for the base notes to reveal themselves, I begin to detect an earthiness, along with a mild, underlying soap that fits quite well with the drydown. Not what I expected, but enjoyable nonetheless. Sometimes, two stages of development is a nice reprieve from the completely linear fragrances I've been testing as of late.

Their website insinuates Barbershop, but I don't get that vibe here. I'm glad too, because if you ask me, there are more than enough scents in that genre to last a few lifetimes. You may disagree, but it's all good. Sillage is average or better, with longevity approximately 6 hours on me and longer as a skin scent. Thumbs up from Aromi for Trip-X from West Third Brand and as always, a sample wear is recommended.