Sunday, 19 December 2010

Review: Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille EDP

Disclosure: PR sample

Described as "a modern take on an old world men's club", Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille is a very rich, almost cloying vanilla based Oriental.  As part of the Private Blend Collection, it's a very luxurious fragrance - with prices ranging from £115 for the smallest 50ml bottle, to £260 for the giant 250ml bottle.

On first spritz, I can smell the notes of tobacco leaf, made buttery and almost overpowering in its intensity.  On the dry down, though, the tobacco disappears completely, settling down into a rich, warm vanilla which confuses the hell out of my nose - because the vanilla base doesn't tally with every other vanilla-y scent I've ever experienced.  This vanilla, paired with tonka bean, doesn't really have that overly sweet or powdery note that some other fragrances can have - it's much darker, more refined, and much more grown up.

The final fragrance on my skin is a deep, rich, mysterious blend which smells distinctly foody but with a dark, sour edge to it that makes it feel very sophisticated.  It puts me in the mind of 1920s jazz clubs and flapper dresses; it makes me feel feminine and soft with an edge of femme fatale.  This fragrance tends to gather compliments and questions when I wear it - there's something very unusual about it. 

Whilst it's undoubtedly expensive, the luxuriously heavy, smoked glass packaging make it an absolute luxury to use, and the scent is so compelling that I rather think I'll be scraping together the pennies to buy another bottle when I reach the end of my sample.  I'd definitely recommend heading down to Selfridges to have a sniff if you can - the complexity and depth is so hard to describe.  Similarly, if you're looking for an absolutely luxurious, complex, and exclusive fragrance to make your own - I'd highly recommend smelling your way through the entire Private Blend Collection; there are some extremely unusual scents in there.

If you're interested to read more, you'll find the full description of the fragrance at the Selfridges' website, where you'll also be able to purchase the largest sized bottle (at an eye watering £260).   

Have you had a sniff of any of the Private Blend fragrances?  Which are your favourites?  Or is £115 just too high a starting price for a bottle of scent?  Let us know in the comments!

2 comments:

  1. This sounds very interesting. I do like vanilla scents but often they are too sweet or synthetic. Sadly, it's totally outside of my price range. It won't stop me having a sniff next time I'm in Selfridges though!
    Jane x

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  2. If you like vanilla scents you might find yourself falling in love with this one. That said, I've read a lot of reviews which indicate there's too much tobacco or too much honey - not something I smelled at all - so I suspect it grows quite unique on the skin. Definitely worth sampling before you buy!

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