Clean Suede

Tom of Finland

Etat Libre d'Orange 2008

To be honest, Tom of Finland is quite a challenging fragrance for me, even though I've owned it for about two years and have tried it numerous times. On my skin, Tom of Finland has one of the most unpleasant openings I've ever experienced. I sense a very fizzy, bubbly, clean, and soapy feeling, with a hint of metallic metal. It's very intense, almost like the sensation of smelling and drinking high-carbonated mineral water. I find it uncomfortable to smell such a fresh and fizzy opening that is very synthetic. But as that fizzy, clean, synthetic feeling hasn't subsided, a scent of suede leather combined with a bit of smoky smoke emerges, somewhat harsh, reminiscent of the smell of plastic gloves or latex, very hard to describe. There's a contrast between this latex plastic sensation and the smoothness of suede leather, compounded by the aldehyde accord still lingering in the opening, creating a somewhat overwhelming sensation for me. Tom of Finland also features an iris accord. Here, iris envelops the leather and unpleasant smoky smell, smoothing out the fragrance and adding sweetness. But in my opinion, the iris here isn't enough to overlook the clash in this fragrance and what I dislike about iris becomes apparent - its relentless, bitter aspect. Tom of Finland undergoes many transitions throughout my experience. From the fizzy metallic sensation, it gradually shifts to the soft leather latex smell, and by the drydown, Tom of Finland reverts to a clean, dry, cold, somewhat unremarkable wood and musk scent.
Tom of Finland performs quite decently, sticking around on the skin for about 6-8 hours. It projects well initially, reaching about two arms' length, and after two hours, the sillage reduces to about one arm's length. The fragrance still manages to give me occasional goosebumps, and I feel like I'll need more time to fully grasp and appreciate it. Well, isn't this what niche fragrances are all about?