Tom Ford: Private Blend - Arabian Wood

As stated in an earlier post (or so I believe), I am a HUGE Tom Ford fan, so much so as to my personal fragrance collection now consists solely of his perfumes. It is then with great displeasure I must announce: I do not like this scent. At all. And do you know what? I really wanted to! 'Mystical. Eternal. Urbane.' - or so it is described in the Private Blend 'catalogue', if you will. I have a different three words: 'Chanel Pour Monsieur', which is to me, exactly what it smells like, the latter being significantly cheaper. Indeed the similarities extend even to the colour of the liquid itself! Supposedly inspired by the extraordinary confluence of ancient and modern culture in Arabia, this 'Timeless Chypre' boats notes such as aromatic lavender, galbanum and countless unspecified 'exotic woods and spices'. The result for me is an extremely herbaceous even bitter scent which reminds me of the miniature cologne selections my Grandfather would wear. This leads to the classification of Arabian Wood as an 'old man's' fragrance in my eyes. The floral notes seem lost entirely on my wearing, which is rather disappointing. My main disappointment however was the lack of an authentic woodsy smell which featured so fabulously in Oud Wood and Bois Marocain. Perhaps I should be fair here and say that it may well suit some people (although I would like to point out that this is one of the 'unisex' Private Blends that is perhaps not suited to women). For me, it is possible for a scent to be 'too manly', and by that I refer to the ubiquitous yet undefinable heavy spice smell in male fragrances, which I do not like, but as have mentioned, others might. The longevity and sillage are also quite poor, but perhaps that isn't entirely a bad thing with a fragrance as heavy as this. For me, of all the Private Blend, this is one which I do not believe warrants it's luxury price tag (which, for those interested, is 50ml £118, 100ml £165 and 250ml [decanter] £265 - yes, recited off by heart).

Prada - Infusion D'Iris (Eau de Parfum)

I've had some difficulties in purchasing this in my local area recently which leads me to the conclusion that it my in fact be being discontinued or that it is instead rather unpopular 'up North'. Why this should be the case I am not entirely sure, as I am a great lover of this beautifully light and simple fragrance. Indeed, I was extremely upset with Prada last year at their discontinuing (or rather, the fact it was limited edition) of Infusion D'Fleur d'Oranger, and so the thought of losing this too is equally troubling - perhaps I should invest in one of the obscenely large 750ml decanters available over Amazon*? But please don't take my worries as anything to serious, as this has not been confirmed to my knowledge and may in fact just be an issue with availability. Now, to the scent itself. Although describe as an 'Oriental-Woody' [1], this is, for me, one of the ultimate 'clean' fragrances. Light, soft and slightly powdery, Infusion D'Iris is a modern perfume suitable for everyday wear, consisting (supposedly) of notes such as: mandarin, galbanum, and orange blossom (top notes); iris, cedar and vetiver (heart notes); incense and benzoin (base notes). As you may have noticed with my use of the word 'supposedly', I myself do not deem the composition to be quite so intricate. Not that this should be seen as a bad thing, in fact the thing I enjoy most about this fragrance is it's simplicity. And yes, as some other reviews have pointed out, I do believe there is a slight soapiness to the perfume, which leads me to my 'clean' conclusion. I think this fragrance is suitable for anyone (women and men) who want to smell fresh and casual without having a heavy sillage or to strong an aroma.

* http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prada-Infusion-DIris-Perfume-Splash/dp/B003N1LMT6/ref=sr_1_13?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1297883054&sr=1-13

[1] - Fragrantica description

Posts Update

New posts coming soon:
Jean Paul Gaultier - Classique
Prada - Infusion D'Iris
Juicy Couture - Couture Couture
Jo Malone - Nectarine Blossom and Honey

Chanel - Cuir de Russie

Part of 'Les Exclusifs', Cuir de Russie is only available from Selfridges (UK) and the Chanel boutiques - I can't comment on US availability. I was given a sample by my friend Gisèle Scanlon (author of both The Goddess Guide and The Goddess Experience) around late November, and so it proved the perfect accompaniment for Winter nights. Created in 1927 by the Legendary Ernest Beaux Cuir de Russie (Russian Leather) is one of those delightful fragrances that to the untrained nose is referred to as 'granny like', but to perfume connoisseurs is known as 'classic'. Instantly recognisable as a Chanel fragrance, Cuir de Russie is both powdery and smoky, underlined with the trademark florals and aldehydes. But that brief summary doesn't do justice to it's intricate composition; it's elegant presence. The Chanel website provided a beautiful description which I believe needs no further annotation: "Constructed on a base of Albanian Birchwood, its pure heart of Jasmine, Oriental Rose and Ylang-Ylang peaks in a mélange of mingling notes - Tunisian Orange Blossom, Calabrian Bergamot and Sicilian Mandarin." There is also word of notes of blonde tobacco and frankincense, providing a dark and musky twist. It was supposedly inspired by Coco Chanel's love of all things Russian (as shown in quite a few of her collections) after meeting Grand Duke Dimitri, cousin of Tsar Nicholas II. Perhaps what is most noticeable to me however is the heavy smokey note (presumably provided by the said blonde tobacco consistent throughout - not an unpleasant one, quite the contrary. The only let down, should I have to try and find one, is that the leather here is not quite as obvious as say Tom Ford's 'Tuscan Leather'. But don't let that detract from what is a truly captivating fragrance. It is more suited to the colder months of the year, working best in glamorous locations and parties, when one wishes to make an entrance.The first time I wore it was to a show at the theatre, and I'll never forget the experience of Baroque opulence, red velvet, warm lighting and Cuir de Russie. Magnifique!