WHAT I SMELL:  APEX opens with a combination of muted bergamot and citrus…it’s fresh and not sweet and it’s as if it’s wrapped in a pineapple and amber cocoon of warmth.  After this wonderful introduction, this masculine leaning perfume moves quickly to the sensual with a mix of amber tinged green notes.  There’s no way to distinguish one note from another and instead the perfume invokes more of a sense of feeling and being.  The greenish amber feels secure and with the addition of some incense creates for a sensation of being centered and right with the world.   As APEX settles further, you are met with a vetivered sandalwood as the perfume becomes ever so slightly soapy.  But in the end, APEX is less about the notes and instead is like an aura that surrounds you with a warmed leather-lite amber that seems to mix with your own persona to create a one-of-a kind perfume that’s just for you.

From the Roja Parfums website:

Top Notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Red Mandarin, Orange

Heart Notes: Jasmine, Cistus, Pineapple

Base Notes: Galbanum, Elemi, Patchouli, Oakmoss, Rum, Tobacco, Cypress, Fir Balsam, Juniper Berry, Casmir Wood, Sandalwood, Benzoin, Amber, Frankincense, Labdanum, Leather, Ambergris, Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  meditation

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE APEX:  contented, introspective, confident

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT APEX:  I Fragrance, CaFleureBon, Fashion for Lunch

BOTTOM LINE:  APEX is gorgeous with a small application which makes it beautifully warm and masculine in a very personal way.  However, too much of a good thing is really true here.  With a heavy hand, APEX can take the meditative to a sledgehammered scream.

• Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
• Scent: Chypre
• Nose:  Roja Dove
• Classification: Masculine
• Expense:  $345 for 100 ml eau de parfum

Review based on the eau de parfum version.  Also available in parfum extrait.