Symposium is a night of indulgence staged like a masterpiece—bright opening notes like applause, a decadent heart that melts slowly, and a finale of vanilla-oud velvet that lingers long after the lights go down. Inspired by Xerjoff’s Symphonium, it’s a fragrance that feels both gourmet and sophisticated: dessert and drama, sweetness and shadow, all perfectly composed.

It begins with a burst of orange and mandarin—juicy, radiant, and almost effervescent, like citrus zest exploding over warm skin. There’s something joyful about this opening: sparkling, sunlit, and irresistibly inviting, as if you’ve just stepped into a candlelit room where someone has placed a bowl of fresh citrus on a polished wooden table. The brightness isn’t sharp; it’s golden—sweet and vivid, with that mouthwatering peel-and-pulp realism that makes you want another breath immediately.

Then the heart arrives—slow, decadent, and dangerously addictive. Chocolate unfurls like melted dark truffle: rich, smooth, and sensual rather than sugary. It’s the kind of chocolate that feels expensive—more cacao and cream than candy. Woven through it is cardamom, adding a warm-spiced glow that lifts the cacao and keeps it elegant: aromatic, slightly green, softly peppered. Together they create a plush gourmand center that feels like silk on skin—comforting, intimate, and undeniably seductive.

As the fragrance deepens, the base reveals its true power. Madagascar vanilla rises, luminous and refined—creamy but never childish—like the finest vanilla bean scraped into warm milk. And then, quietly, the shadows come in: Laotian and Thai oud, smooth and resinous, adding depth, a subtle smokiness, and a dark wood aura that makes the sweetness feel grown, poised, and impossibly chic. The oud here isn’t aggressive—it’s a velvet frame, turning vanilla and chocolate into something more mysterious, more magnetic.

Finally, musk settles over everything like a soft hush—skin-like, warm, slightly animalic—blurring the edges into a long, lingering trail that feels intimate and memorable. The drydown is pure luxury: citrus echoes fading into cacao warmth, vanilla glowing steadily, oud whispering in the background, and musk keeping it all close and addictive.

Symposium wears like a private celebration—bright laughter at the start, a rich dessert at the center, and a final embrace that lasts until morning. If you love gourmand fragrances but want them elevated—polished, sensual, and artfully shadowed—this is your signature.

Notes:
Top — Orange, Mandarin Orange
Heart — Chocolate, Cardamom
Base — Madagascar Vanilla, Laotian Oud, Thailand Oud, Musk

Main accords: citrus • warm spicy • oud • sweet • chocolate • vanilla • cacao • animalic • powdery