Tom Ford Tobacco Oud

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When Tom Ford dropped a tobacco oud fragrance, I dug it, having decided that I had enough of my clean, light fragrances and was going to go for something dark.

Tobacco Oud

Tobacco Oud

In Bottle: Resinous and spice with a woody opening with a heady alcohol waft that opens rather powerfully.

Applied: Like I said above, the initial application is very strong and heady. It smells of sweet resins, woods and spice. It makes me think of whiskey and while I’d like to get the tobacco oud, the strength of the other notes in the opening doesn’t quite allow for that. And as it turns out, tobacco oud is somewhat lacking in oud. It actually smells quite smooth, like a very good resin but is it a good oud? I can’t, personally, detect any of that. I get more spicy ambers than anything else and upon dry down I get the sandalwood and a very nice smokiness but still not all that much oud unless the amber I keep smelling is supposed to be a stand in for that. Tobacco Oud is actually not bad–actually, bad is probably not one of the words I’d use for this. I quite like it. I like the amber, I like the smoky incense, I even like the big, powerful opening. It’s got a nice, strong initial presence a good middle ground personality and a pretty delightful dry down with the smoky sandalwood with that touch of amber. But it wasn’t the dark, powerful scent that I was expecting and hoping for.

Extra: Tobacco Oud was released in 2013. Interestingly enough and maybe I was a little swayed by the notes list was that it lists whiskey as one of the ingredients. Fascinating addition, though I never cared much for whiskey myself. I’m more a rum kind of gal.

Design: Fairly similar design to many other Tom Ford fragrances out there. Nice shape, very classic. Easy to own and display if you’re into that kind of thing. Not too special or flashy or different from other Tom Fords. Good and reliable are probably two words I’d use for this design.

Fragrance Family: Woodsy Spice

Notes: Oud, tobacco, sandalwood, patchouli, spices, whiskey.

So now I know that Tobacco Oud is probably not the kick I wanted out of a fragrance. Any recommendations for some really dark and smoky ouds? I have a hankering for one.

Reviewed in This Post: Tobacco Oud, 2013, Eau de Parfum.

Tom Ford Lavender Palm

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Lavender Palm was a new discovery for me from the Tom Ford Private Collection and while I try not to veer into Tom Ford too much–mostly because of the price–I couldn’t help but be curious about how well the lavender note was used here.

Lavender Palm

Lavender Palm

In Bottle: Lavender from the get go with a nice clean hint of lemon and bergamot accompanied by a green mossy base.

Applied: Lavender is loud and first out of the gate followed by a clean taming citrus blanket. I smell the lemon in this more than the bergamot, but lavender is definitely the star of the show. This isn’t screeching lavender. It doesn’t make my teeth hurt or make my nose wrinkle, it’s bold but in a good way. It’s naturally used in the fragrance it wraps the wearer in a comforting lavender throw instead of hitting you in the face full force. It’s a bit difficult to describe so I suppose the best way to explain would be to say the lavender in the fragrance–while strong–smells just right. I don’t get too much progression as the scent wears on. Lavender fades in and out, it gets tamer the longer the fragrance is worn, and near the end I’m treated to a bit of moss and earth. If you were worried about the oleander and wondering how that was going to be, I wouldn’t be too concerned as the lavender is the star and it doesn’t share the limelight very well.

Extra: The Tom Ford Private Blend collection houses the exclusives for the line and if you’ve got the cash, a Tom Ford Private Blend fragrance can be quite nice. Lavender Palm was released to a wider audience in early 2012.

Design: Tom Ford Private Blend fragrances tend to sport a similar look. They remind me of apothecary bottles the more I look at them. Simple, elegant, and they’d look wonderful all lined up in a row.

Fragrance Family: Aromatic

Notes: Lemon, bergamot, lavender, clary sage, lemon blossom, oleander, moss, vetiver, olibanum.

While I can’t say that I really need a lavender prominent fragrance–not being much of a fan of lavender, I can say Lavender Palm is a very nice interpretation. I’m still on the look out for my preferred lavender scent, but I think those who really appreciate the note would like Lavender Palm.

Reviewed in This Post: Lavender Palm, 2012, Eau de Parfum.

Tom Ford Jasmin Rouge

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Still on the look out for a good Jasmine that exceeds Thierry Mugler’s Alien. I still think that one’s a fabulous jasmine, though it is a bit of a one note fragrance. So in search of a bit more complexity, I looked up Tom Ford’s Jasmin Rouge.

Jasmin Rouge

Jasmin Rouge

In Bottle: Strong jasmine with a bit of buttery leather and a shade of very nice spice and wood.

Applied: Jasmin Rouge is a very strong fragrance. Its initial spray is marked with a powerful but beautiful jasmine note that overtakes the space around you. This is the kind of fragrance that announces its presence so be careful when you go to test it or use it for the first time. As the scent ages, I get a bit more of the spices in this fragrance, the peppery kick being most noticeable to me as the leather amps up with its buttery, soft texture that takes the jasmine and leather dominance all the way to the end where I get a few wafts of woodsiness and spices but it is mostly jasmine and leather I’m getting from this. I almost want to describe Jasmin Rouge as a jasmine and fluffy leather fragrance. It smells like it should be floating in the sky, projecting its glory all over everything within a 100ft radius.

Extra: Jasmin Rouge was released along with two other fragrances to the Tom Ford Signature Collection in 2011. So this baby is still new and if you wanted a hand at a leather jasmine then this might just be your stuff.

Design: The bottle screams Tom Ford design. Some fragrance houses just have a look and feel to their bottle designs that makes their products very recognizable. Chanel has it, Hermes has it, and Tom Ford definitely has it. Jasmin Rouge’s bottle is a pleasing shape and weight in an appropriate red color. It has a very nice sprayer that distributes a great even spray.

Fragrance Family: Oriental Floral

Notes: Bergamot, mandarin, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, white pepper, sambac jasmine, broom, neroli, ylang-ylang, clary sage, vanilla, labdanum, leather, wood, amber.

I’m pretty picky when it comes to how jasmine is treated in a fragrance. I know practically every modern women’s perfume has jasmine present in one form or another which only makes me pickier about its usage in a less mainstream interpretation. Thing is, I like Jasmin Rouge just fine. I just don’t know if I love it enough to replace Alien.

Reviewed in This Post: Jasmin Rouge, 2011, Eau de Parfum.

Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille

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When I ask people what fragrance can be a stand in for Spiritueuse Double Vanille, people often say try Tobacco Vanille. But when I tried Tobacco Vanille, I found these two fragrances too different.

Tobacco Vanille

In Bottle: Seems Tom Ford fragrances have a tendency to be on the strong side. Tobacco Vanille is a sharp smoky vanilla upon first whiff. The first whiff was all it took for the scent to travel up my nose. I think one of those cardinal rules you learn in middle school science class applies here; waft, don’t whiff.

Applied: On the skin Tobacco Vanille behaves a bit better for me. This is all tobacco and vanilla that sort of smoky, warm, creamy scent that’s sort of echoed in Spirituese Double Vanille. Unlike in SDV, Tobacco Vanille has a less woodsy and less boozy smokiness to it. This smokiness is coming from a pipe tobacco scent. And let’s not confuse tobacco used as a fragrance with the often sour smoky smell of a cigarette. This stuff is smooth and clean and smells a bit more like burning leaves with a very nice smooth character. As the fragrance ages, I get a bit more of the other notes in this, particularly the hints of woodsiness here and there and occassionally a good sniff of spices. There isn’t much else I can say about Tobacco Vanille. It’s a smoky vanilla scent, a couple of notches away from SDV though these two could be pretty close cousins. I still like the touch of booziness in SDV and the more woodsy character in that fragrance though.

Extra: Tobacco Vanille is a member of Tom Ford’s premium line of fragrances called the Private Blends. I had a devil of a time tracking down an actual bottle and didn’t end up liking it enough to drop over $300 on a bottle.

Design: The Private Blends are bottled a bit differently than other Tom Ford scents. I’ve seen various styles and all of them are very pleasing. There’s the style shown above that I see most often but the bottle I sampled out of had a square cap instead of a round one. I believe the style of bottle differs depending on how much juice you’re getting.

Fragrance Family: Smoky Gourmand

Notes: Tobacco leaf, spices, tonka bean, vanilla, cacao, wood sap.

Lovely as this is, it didn’t sway me from the SDV crowd. I’m still a big fan of Spiritueuse Double Vanille. Though Tobacco Vanille can scratch a very small itch if it came down to the wire.

Reviewed in This Post: Tobacco Vanille, 2009, Eau de Parfum.

Tom Ford Black Orchid

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Black Orchid’s one of the more popular of Tom Ford’s line. It’s a luscious, heady floral that’s billed as an oriental chypre. I see the oriental but I don’t understand where the chypre is supposed to come into play.

Black Orchid

In Bottle: Rich, heady and very strong. If you’re going to whiff up some of this stuff do it slowly and sparingly. It is strong and it will smell very creamy with a heady powdery jasmine and orchid scent. But taking a huge whiff of this kind of destroys its beauty because all you’re getting is a noseful of overwhelming smells.

Applied: Black Orchid goes much better on the skin and even then it should be used in small, exquisite little dabs. This fragrance is not light and it is not meek. It’s loud and full and unashamed of what it is. The first thing I get is this creamy white floral feel then a rolling in of the jasmine and orchid for a lush bouquet of florals that mingles with this powdery cocoa note that also introduces a bit of sweetness. As you continue to wear Black Orchid the rush of powerful fragrances tempers out a little bit, letting me detect a bit of smoky-spiciness. So Black Orchid’s mid-stage is a sweet and spicy floral powder with a layer of cream and a dusting of cocoa. I love its complexity and I love the drydown of dry, sweet woods and sweet amberous vanilla.

Extra: There’s been some rumors that Black Orchid was one of Michael Jackson’s favorite perfumes. While I know admittedly little about the late King of Pop, I do have to say that MJ had good taste in perfume.

Design: Tom Ford’s fragrances are bottled rather similarly, they can be white or black and are often in the shape shown above. The bottles have a very nice weight to them and they also have a simple, but luxurious, look to them. I like it!

Fragrance Family: Floral Oriental

Notes: Jasmine, black truffle, ylang-ylang, black currant, citrus, orchid, patchouli, sandalwood, dark chocolate, incense, amber, vetiver, vanilla, balsam.

While Black Orchid’s heady, creamy, powdery florals isn’t my cup of tea it is a very nice and very complex fragrance that I can see would work rather well for special occasions.

Reviewed in This Post: Black Orchid, 2006, Eau de Parfum.