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Fragrance Reviews

Tom Ford Private Blend Rive D’ambre Fragrance Review

tom-ford-rive-d-ambre

* Starts with a fresh citrus blend – orange, lemon, bergamot, and neroli.

* As usual, the citrus doesn’t last long, maybe 20 minutes.  

* The scent becomes really faint, and if I sniff my wrist closely I get a hint of light resins and mint.

* Somehow the scent turns around and comes back a little stronger with some boozy resins.

* It calms down again really quickly and lasts a little bit longer as a sheer skin scent.

Summary: Honestly, I am very disappointed with Rive d’ambre.  One of the original Tom Ford Private Blends – Amber Absolute was a masterpiece of incense and amber which kind of inspired the start of my fragrance journey.  It has since been discontinued.  For the Atelier D’Orient collection, the amber is a lot more toned-down, quiet, and possibly apologetic.   When you see Tom Ford ads – they are brazen, aggressive, and make a statement.   Rive D’ambre says next to nothing.  Although it’s an EdP, it wears like an EdT lasting barely 4 hours on the skin (and most of that as a sheer skin scent). If you are really meek and shy and afraid that your fragrance might be too strong, then check out Rive d’Ambre.  Honestly, you can find much better for 1/3 to 1/4 the price.

Other opinions:

The Candy Perfume Boy

Kafkaesque

Persolaise

Best Things in Beauty

Really Ree

Ca Fleure Bon

Tom Ford Private Blend fragrances are available at Saks 5th Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

Disclaimer: Sample provided by sales associate for review. Image courtesy of Neiman Marcus.

Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Ormonde Jayne Woman Fragrance Review

ormonde-jayne-woman-quintessentially-gifts

* Starts off with a brash yet narcotic sweet smell. Syrupy and resinous, with a hint of spices.

* This is a real comfort scent, heavy, but not overbearing.

* The resins stay present and act as a layer- a Christmas tree filled with violets.   A little bit of wood dries it out, but it is still feels vibrant.

* At this point, the scent becomes really close to skin.

* The wood stays in place and is softened by amber for a snuggly base.

Summary:  Wait, Ron, it says Ormonde Jayne Woman, aren’t you afraid that you are going to sprout breasts if you wear this fragrance? The gender thing in fragrances is all marketing and OJ Woman couldn’t be more unisex if it tried. It starts loudly, then calms down to be a really nice comfort scent that would be appropriate for the office. Longevity is about eight hours, so it will get you through the workday. Ormonde Jayne scents aren’t widely distributed in the US – but if you are ever in the London, I strongly recommend your going to their boutique and doing their smell test (or whatever they call it). The sales associate has you smell individual notes to see which you like, then recommends a scent based on your preferences. It’s really quite ingenious.  One note about the boutique, they are stingy with samples – but the smell test makes up for it.   Ormonde Jayne Woman isn’t an earth-shatteringly amazing fragrance, but it’s a great intro to niche and would make a nice gift for just about anyone.

Other opinions:

Eau MG

Kafkaesque

Olfactoria’s Travels

The Candy Perfume Boy

The Non-Blonde

Australian Perfume Junkies

Confessions of a Perfume Nerd

Bois de Jasmin

Perfume Smellin Things


Ormonde Jayne Woman is available from the Ormonde Jayne Website.

Disclaimer: No disclaimer needed as I own a full bottle. Image courtesy of Quintessentially Gifts website.