Tag: tom ford

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Fragrance Reviews

Tom Ford Private Blends Oud Fleur Fragrance Review

* Sweet yet subtle flowers – not really muted but not as vivaciously strong as you would expect

* Then after 5 minutes – it blooms – a lush garden of dirty jasmine and spicy carnations.

* Next comes a sweet rose that is both powdery sweet and fruity/jammy.    

* At one point it seemed to have morphed into a fruity floral with a bit of a kick.

* During this portion, if you sniff really closely there is a hint of oud behind the rose.  Not overbearing, it kind of just levels out the sweetness.

* The flowers fade away for a base that is a soft mix of light leather, woods, and amber.

Summary:   Fleur oud is confusing.  It makes me think again of the infamous “chess for girls” sketch from Saturday Night Live, but it goes both ways.  A few times when I wore this, it felt like it could be a safe “non-oud” oud for women who didn’t want a skanky, dirty oud scent. Other times I wore it, it seemed like a floral fragrance that a guy could wear without feeling too girly.  Either way, this is one that definitely needs to be skin-tested several times to get the full story of how it works on your skin.   Projection is strong for the first hour, but after it calms down it would be safe for office wear.  Longevity is excellent for an EDP, lasting over ten hours.   Together with Tobacco Oud, these two scents restore my faith in the Tom Ford Private Blend line.  This is the line that first got me into niche perfumes a few years back.  The past few collections (Musks, Atelier D’Orient, and Jardin Noir) made me feel like the brand had lost their way but these two oud scents make me think that the line is ready for a comeback.

Other opinions:

Perfume Possee
Kafkaesque
The Candy Perfume Boy
The Scentrist
Ca Fleure Bon
Persolaise
Man Loves Cologne
Katie Chutzpah

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.tom-ford-private-blend-oud-fleur-nordstrom

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Fragrance Reviews

Custo Barcelona Man Fragrance Review (MAINSTREAM MONDAY)

custo-barcelona-man
* Begins with a sweet, but not too sweet, mix of citrus and light floral.

* It’s like a sweetened Tom Ford Neroli Portofino on top, but projects stronger.

* Then it gets really interesting.  The orange blossom comes in with a strong, animalic musk and changes it from sweet and clean to dirty- almost to the point of slutty.

* The change comes as a surprise – maybe one hour into wear.

* Sfter a while, the musk retreats.  The base is again a surprisingly strong amber vanilla mix that lasts a long time.

Summary:  Custo Barcelona is a Spanish designer that I fell in love around 2006 because of their vibrant patterns and colors. The scent matches that exactly.  It is bold and brash but doesn’t go all the way to being obnoxious.  It is not an office-friendly fragrance, but would work for a night out fragrance, especially for someone who is not afraid of wearing bold clothing that gets them noticed.  Actually, this would work well for someone who wears neutral or black clothing but wants an accessory that will make them stand out.  Anyone in your proximity will notice you.  I am guessing they called it an EDT because it’s for guys, since the longevity is more like an EDP- lasting more than 10 hours on my skin. It’s also interesting to note that this fragrance was made by Francis Kurkdjian.

Custo Barcelona Man is available from the Custo Barcelona website.

Bottle purchased by me so no disclaimer needed. Image courtesy of Fragrantica.

Categories
Fragrance Reviews

Tom Ford Private Blend Tobacco Oud Fragrance Review

tom-ford-private-blend-tobacco-oud-nordstrom
* Tobacco oud starts off spicy – cinnamon/cloves and a bit of sharp wood

* It reminds me of the top of Bois Marocain and it projects massively.

* Then the tobacco starts to show up and overpowers everything about it.  Buoyed by a subtle oud, the tobacco really is the star for a lot of the fragrance’s life.

* While it begins to calm down at this point (around three hours), it’s still present and projecting nicely.

* The dry down to sweet amber and vanilla takes a long time and lasts even longer.

Summary:  I thought I was having flashbacks when I wore this scent because like AKafkaesque I realize that each stage of the development was another Tom Ford Scent.   Whereas AK sees it as a mix of Amber Absolute, Sahara Noir, Cafe Rose, and Tobacco Vanille – being the DJ that I am, Tobacco Oud feels like a wonderful mashup of Bois Marocain, Amber Absolute, and Tobacco Vanille with a touch of oud.  When I first heard of Tobacco Oud, I was hoping that it would be Tobacco Vanille, plus oud.  I am happier with the results as this is very oud 2.0 (oud as subtle supporting flavor, rather than an ‘oud in your face’ bomb). It feels more like a greatest hits medley (kind of like Julet Has A Gun Mad Madame, but much more well-conceived) and is far better in my opinion than anything in the last two private blend collections (Atelier D’Orient and Jardin Noir). Since I already own the three scents it reminds me of, I probably would not buy this for myself, but for anyone who is strong enough to handle a powerful long term scent (more than 12 hours of wear), this could easily be a signature.  Because of the projection, it’s not office friendly, but the strength can be downplayed by wearing only one or two sprays.  This is also definitely a scent that needs to be skin tested, as reading through the various reviews online, I kept scratching my head wondering if we were all spraying the same juice.

Other opinions:

Ca Fleure Bon
Now Smell This
Perfume Possee
Kafkaesque
Scentrist
The Candy Perfume Boy
Perfume of Life
Man Loves Cologne
Persolaise
Manface

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

Tom Ford Private Blend Plum Japonais Fragrance Review

tom-ford-plum-japonais
* The top starts with a sweet and slightly spicy mix of plum, cinnamon, and honey. 

* First whiff had me feeling deja vu.  It took me a minute, but I realized it was a fresher version of the Japon Noir opening.

* A thick sweetness comes in – like maple syrup and a bit fruity.   Although it’s dense, it’s not overly sweet.

* From this sweetness peaks out a little bit of sour wood which is the oud showing its presence.  It’s not strong or aggressive at all.

* The base of vanilla and amber lasts a good long time as a snuggly skin scent.

Summary: On a whole, I am unimpressed with the Atelier d’Orient collection because they are not my style/taste.  They are more sheer and restrained than you would expect a Tom Ford fragrance to be.  Plum Japonais isn’t bad, and as a candle or room spray it would be pretty amazing.  To me, it feels like a lighter version of Japon Noir (which I adore and own a full bottle of). Longevity is average for an EdP at 6-8 hours.  If you were a fan of the original Japan Noir and want a lighter version for summer or day wear, this would be a good fit.

Other opinions:

Man Love Cologne

Kafkaesque

The Candy Perfume Boy

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.