Paco Rabanne - XS Extreme Girl

For a long time ago I practised in a perfume shop. The name of the shop was "Lilly´s Bags and perfumes" and it was situated in my home town Boden. As the name suggest, Lilly offered not only perfumes in her shop but also bags, and swimwear, leather gloves, make-up and skincare products. Lilly and her emploies where all elegant ladies, close to retirement age.


I was a somewhat gloomy and balck dressed teenager with red and black hair and even if Lilly and her staff was really nice ladies, they didn´t want me to come close to the customers, mostly elegant ladies 50+. So I had to run errands, make inventory, get things from the store-room and dishwash the tea cups. When there wasn´t any customers in the shop, it was also ok for me to try some perfumes.


I can´t imagine that they got any rare brands, but nice classic brands like Hermes, Chanel, Dior and maybe Guerlain. Some a little more modern and trendy also. I do remember that one of my old teachers stopped by and bought a bottle of Paco Rabanne in present to her husband.


Among the perfumes I´ve tried there was only one that I really liked. I tought it smelled much better and more interesting then all the others. As I can remember the name was Crest. But I have no idea if it was the name of the perfume or the company that made it? It could have been a scent for men, since I´ve got some memory that one of the women that worked there told me it was a gentlemen perfume, not for girls. But I can have mixed things up. Well, I´ve tried to find a perfume named crest, with only resulting in a scent from Ralph Lauren named Crest, but released much later. And when reading the notes, it doesn´t at all sounds like my long lost perfume.


This mysterious Crest-perfume made such an impression on me, that I wished it in Christmas present. My mother visited Lilly´s shop, but I don´t remember if she later told me that the perfume was to expensive or that they couldn´t figure out wich perfume it was. I din´t get a bottle of Crest in Christmas present. Maybe my passionate perfume interest would have started back then if I had get me a bottle!?


Many years later, when my perfume interest had accelerate I get curious about Paco Rabanne´s XS Extreme Girl (but the name is sooo boring), the notes seem interesting and promising. Pistachio, safron, tobacco, cinnamon. Fortunate enough i manage to swap me a little sample of it. And...


Yes, XS Extreme Girl is a nice, pretty and a little different kind of scent. Not at all so extreme as the name suggest, but still a little more than your average mainstream scent. It´s kind of fresh and warm at the same time. Sweet, but never heavy. Youthful, but not girly. As a matter of fact, it do remind me of my long lost mystery perfume from the 80'ies!


XS Extreme Girl, isn´t an extremly interesting perfume, but still it got a personality. There is something minty, or maybe eucalyptus in it. And it is that minty, cool part together with warmer, spiceier notes I remember from that perfume back then. Strangely enough I also find that this perfume XS Extrem Girl could work for men as well. It has an unisex quality.


You can´t complain about the lastingpower or the sillage, they´re both pretty good. That paco Rabanne´s Black XS (available for both men and women) has become a best seller and not this one, is to my nose, really strange! I think XS Extreme Girl is a much better scent. But I guess it can depend on the name and the look of the bottles.


If there is anyone that can figure out or maybe remember what perfume it was, please tell me about your suggestions! Thank you!








Pic: Iceland Artscene