A Cut Above the Rest – Tom Ford Tobacco Oud and Oud Fleur Perfume Review

The Oud Wood Collection — The Private Blend Oud Collection

Tom Ford has a thing for oud. He is reputed to have been the first person to popularise and bring the ingredient (albeit a decent synthetic rather than real thing) to mainstream perfumery with Yves Saint Laurent’s impressive M7 in 2002. Since then he has remained relatively active on the oud front, releasing the equally impressive Oud Wood (a robustly woody oud for western tastes) as part of his initial onslaught of Private Blends way back in 2007.

Cut to 2013 and Mr Ford is once again throwing his hat into the somewhat overcrowded oud ring with The Private Blend Oud Collection. The collection sees the repackaging of Tom Ford’s immensely popular Oud Wood in addition to the release of two brand new fragrances, each displaying a unique and entirely TomFordian take on the most intensely addictive (and definitely over exposed) of aromas.

“I have wanted to revisit oud for years; it is one of the most endlessly fascinating ingredients in a perfumer’s palette. For this collection, I explored how oud could intertwine with other precious ingredients from the rich and storied culture and artisanal traditions of the Middle East”

– Tom Ford

The two new perfumes are Tobacco Oud and Oud Fleur. The former is inspired by Dokha, “a blend of herbs, flowers and spice-laden tobacco that was smoked in secret five centuries ago during a ban on smoking” and is suitably tobacco-filled. Oud Fleur is somewhat more difficult to pin down, and presents a slightly more individual take on the note. Between the two of them however, these two new fragrances show that when it comes to oud, Tom Ford is a significant cut above the rest.

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Moustache Monday: Week 1

Welcome to the this year’s very first ‘Moustache Monday’ – your weekly round-up of all things moustache related during the month of Movember. Here you’ll find out just how well the mo is going, including whether it looks fabulous or terrifying in addition to an update on my fundraising activities. So, how’s it going so far?

Technically it hasn’t been a full week of Movember yet but it is day 4 and I can already see the very beginnings of a mo sprouting on my top lip. I’m still at that awkward ‘haven’t shaved yet therefore I’m quite itchy’ phase and my facial foliage isn’t looking anywhere as remotely impressive as the one being sported in the above image (can you tell I had fun taking these?).

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Movember Madness

It’s officially the first day of November which means one thing and one thing only – dodgy moustaches. That’s right dear readers, Movember is upon us and all throughout the month many a man will be sporting questionable facial foliage all for a very wonderful and worthy cause. The aim is that, through the medium of fanciful tashes we will change the face of men’s health.

The Candy Perfume Boy isn’t exempt from all of this madness and even though he looks utterly ridiculous with a moustache (and I mean UTTERLY ridiculous) he is willing to offer his face up for ridicule in order to raise money for the good of his fellow ‘mo bros’. This means that this year I will once again be joining Team Penhaligon’s in their crusade to raise one heck of a lot of dough for men’s health.

Throughout the month I shall be posting regular ‘mo updates’ on Moustache Mondays and The Candy Perfume Boy (the blog that is) will be focusing on all things masculine, with reviews of a number of manly fragrances, a man-focused edition of the Scent a Celebrity series, plus a whole host of other masculine things (grr). In addition to all of this I’ll also be looking at some classic men’s fragrances on Escentual in a series I’m ingeniously dubbing ‘Movember Masculines’. All-in-all it’s going to be a fun month!

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New Escentual Post: The Apopcornalypse is Nigh – Etat Libre d’Orange La Fin du Monde Perfume Review

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! The Apopcornalypse is Nigh! That’s right, you heard me – ‘The Apopcornalypse’. The human race has long fantasised and obsessed over the end of days, having written, sung and even created movies about it. Now it’s time for the perfume world to join in and represent their version of the apocalypse through the medium of olfaction.

The punky pop art perfumer lovers over at Etat Libre d’Orange (in collaboration with perfume Quentin Bisch) have created their perfumed version of doomsday – the aptly named ‘La Fin du Monde’ (The End of the World) – centered around the slightly baffling note of popcorn, and for Escentual this week I have put together my thoughts on this judgment day scent.

If that doesn’t convince you to head on over to Escentual (by clicking the image above) then perhaps I should say that they are also giving away 5 x 50ml bottles of La Fin du Monde in a special competition. So hurry up, you’ve got a review to read, a competition to enter and a comment to leave! Let me know your thoughts.

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Smelly News: Odou – A New Olfactory Magazine

“Stop and smell the roses” urges the first line of new smell and perfume publication ODOU Magazine, and it’s a good mantra for print that approaches perfume and scent in a new and more personal way. Curated by web/graphic designer and Personal Odour blogger Liam Moore, ODOU explores the world of olfaction from every angle and is an exciting new project for perfume lovers.

Within the 58 pages of Issue 1, ODOU proves that it is more than just a perfume magazine, combining poetry, striking visuals and thought provoking (and even touching) articles from the likes of Sarah McCartney (of 4160 Tuesdays fame), Pia Long (of Volatile Fiction and Lush fame) and Callum Langston-Bolt (he of Les Senteurs) for a wonderful olfactory experience.

This reader sat down with a cup of Earl Grey (or two) this weekend and very quickly digested and worked his way through the entirety of Issue 1 (and he will most definitely be reading it all over again I’m sure) and very much looks forward to more from ODOU in its very bright future. You can find more about ODOU and Issue 1 here.

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New Escentual Post: A Guide to Orientals

As you may be aware, I do like a good ‘guide to‘, and one of the luxuries bestowed to me by the wonderful people at Escentual, is that I get to not only write my guide to notes series here on the TCPB, but I also get to create a number of guides for a range of perfume genres too. So far we’ve taken a look at the humble Chypre, a genre of perfume that is aloof and mysterious and this week’s post takes a look at another famed style of perfumery.

This week the focus is on the mysterious and exotic world of the Oriental. Much like last time, I have picked three fragrances to represent the evolution of the genre – from the classic to the modern and the contemporary. So, if you are looking for a bite-size guide to the Oriental then all you need to do is simply click on the image above to head on over to Escentual!

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Scent a Celebrity Series: Fragrant Femmes – Scenting Leading Ladies

“The Scent a Celebrity Series is my vain attempt at picking perfumes for those who don’t know any better, yes I mean celebrities. Let’s face it, most celebrities are incapable of choosing decent clothing, boyfriends, girlfriends, movies, (insert-celebrity-mistake-here) let alone having the ability to make decisions about something as important as their scent – that’s where I come in. Never fear my dear schlebs, I will ensure that you are appropriately scented, all you need to do is listen.”

This episode of my Scent a Celebrity Series serves as a slight change of tack from the norm. The series usually takes a famous person (ranging from Björk to The Muppets) and pairs them with a suitable fragrance (or fragrances) that perfectly capture the many facets of their personality. However, in this episode the focus has shifted beyond just humble celebrities to the characters they play.

Everyone loves a leading lady and a superb performance from a wonderful actress can turn a good movie into an extraordinary one. Here you’ll find a selection of some of my favourite actresses in one of their most impressive roles, and for good measure some perfumes that capture the spirit of their performances. These ‘Fragrant Femmes’ will have you glued to your seats and with a bit of luck the perfumes will too.

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Telling Stories – Mona di Orio Violette Fumée Perfume Review

Les Nombres d'Or by Mona di Orio — Les Nombres d’Or by Mona di Orio

Nowadays every perfume release comes with a story, normally one that involves a good degree of creative license courtesy of the brand’s PR department. This is no bad thing really, a good story can add to the experience of a scent, after all no art is quite as transportive as the art of olfaction, but at times it’s best to approach a perfume without any pre-conceived notions and just allow the scent itself to tell the story.

Some stories in particular are important and the tale behind Mona di Orio’s latest release – ‘Violette Fumée‘ – is both worth telling and incredibly touching. Created privately by Mona di Orio before her death for the private use of her business partner and co-founder Jeroen Oude Sogtoen, Violette Fumée captures “the melody of Jeroen’s favourite passions, memories and materials.” It’s a perfume made out of love, admiration and respect.

On an olfactory level, Violette Fumée is described by the brand as an “oriental balsamic floral” and in the same vein as many other perfumes from the house it feels incredibly unusual when compared to its peers. It stands as a true testament to Mona’s talent as a perfumer and is a fitting legacy for someone who brought so much intrigue to the world of fragrance.

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New Escentual Post: Crabtree & Evelyn Floral Waters

It will come as no surprise to you that I am a lover of florals, they are after all the genre of fragrance that I tend to bang on about on a regular basis. I’m also pretty flexible in terms of which florals I like, harbouring soft spots for both the simple solifores and big buxom bouquets that announce themselves with a large degree of bombast.

Crabtree & Evelyn (a brand that I’m not overly familiar with) have released a Heritage Collection, in which they have launched three floral waters that hark back to the golden age of perfumery. These three floral eau de toilettes – Florentine Freesia, Old World Jasmine and Venetian Violet – are more than just simple floral ditties and feel surprisingly well done for the price.

This week’s Escentual post is a review of my two favourites from the collection (Old World Jasmine and Florentine Freesia), both of which present their respective flowers in interesting ways. Please click on the image above to head on over to the Escentual blog and read my review. Don’t forget to leave a comment whilst you’re there!

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A Casual Man – Tom Ford Noir Eau de Toilette Perfume Review

This is Casual for Tom Ford... — This is Casual for Tom Ford…

Last year Tom Ford released his third signature masculine fragrance under the very Tom Ford-esque moniker ‘Noir‘. This Eau de Parfum was one of 2012’s more impressive launches, so splendid it was in fact that it won a Candy (my annual awards) for Best Mainstream Masculine, beating out the likes of Viktor & Rolf’s Spicebomb and Guerlain’s Homme L’Eau Boisée.

New for 2013 is the Noir Eau de Toilette, a lighter and fresher version of the Noir signature. Tom Ford describes it as being “inspired by a mysterious duality of elegance and sensuality” and as far as masculine fragrances go it definitely feels elegant enough to fulfill the smart, suit-clad aesthetic of the brand, albeit in a much more ‘dressed-down’ manner.

“An oriental, sensual fragrance that captures the twin facets of the Tom Ford man; the refined, urbane sophisticate who the world gets to see and the intriguingly sensuous, private man they don’t.”

Where Noir Eau de Parfum is a contemporary and masculine take on Guerlain’s flagship fragrance Shalimar, the Eau de Toilette is more akin to a ‘légère’ or ‘light’ version. To put it another way, the EDP is best worn with a super-smart suit (or trench coat and massive scarf) and the EDT is more suited for a clean white shirt and chinos – its the difference between day and night.

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