Xerjoff Pikovaya Dama Perfume Review
Xerjoff Pikovaya Dama Eau de Parfum opens with sweet, fizzy citrus that made me think of a higher-end take on lemon-lime soda. The iris added a creamy, powdery element with aromatic woods that followed, which tended to mute the effervescent quality after an hour. The drydown is lightly spiced, vanilla-woods.
Pikovaya Dama Notes
It is described as being inspired by the novel Pikovaya Dama and use “luscious notes of romantic floral” that “mingle with vibrant citrus and a deep musky base.”
- top notes: Calabrian bergamot, neroli
- heart notes: Turkish iris, coriander, Moroccan atlas cedar
- base notes: Ceylon sandalwood, patchouli, musk, bourbon vanilla
What does Pikovaya Dama Smell Like?
It opened with a burst of sweet, citrus blossoms and a touch of darker, bitter citrus peel that was swiftly blanketed by fizzy pop–it had that zing of carbonation with a slightly, more diluted syrupy sweetness. It evoked lemon-lime soda, just more refined and not as sweet as the actual drink. The effervescent, sweet citrus was light and airy, not weighed down by its sugary content.
About 30 minutes into development, there was a whisper of creamy, slightly powdery, iris in the background. Fifteen minutes later, warm, aromatic woods arrived and most of the effervescence dissipated at this point. The sweetness was darker, chewier, lightly spiced, which gave the fragrance more body and made it headier, though not as heavy as it could be.
The musk joined the base notes after about an hour and a half hour of wear, further making the fragrance seem more diffused and heady. The muskiness became less prominent after three hours, and the vanilla was stronger, sweeter in the drydown.
Longevity
It lasted for five hours until it was a skin-scent and about eight hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were moderate with the sillage dropping faster than the projection within the first hour of wear.
Personal Notes
These are more subjective feelings based on what I like (or don’t like) in a perfume as well as considering the fragrance against other perfumes I own and love.
Testing Methodology
For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent 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.
Availability
Pikovaya Dama is available for $275/50ml.
If possible, I highly recommend trying a fragrance before purchasing a full bottle because fragrance can wear differently just because of skin chemistry. Skin chemistry can effect not just the longevity of a fragrance but also what notes are prominent or hidden.
Pikovaya Dama Samples
We recommend the following retailers for purchasing decanted samples (typically 0.7ml to 2ml in size). This is a fuller list, so individual availability may depend on inventory.
I was really hoping that the lemon-lime effervescence would have stuck around, as that would be a great refreshing scent during summer! I love that it wasn’t sickly sweet or anything like that, too.