01/22/2012

Njdeb
63 Reviews

Njdeb
Helpful Review
7
Spicy gourmand perfection
Swoon. The initial blast of this is just unbelievably good. Back to Black is a heavenly spicy/smokey gourmand fragrance in the vein of Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille and Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque, a genre I admit to loving.
Of the three, Back to Black is most definitely my favorite. I also find Back to Black to be the most feminine of the group (although certainly still unisex). The top notes are particulary delicious. Although I don't see any flowers listed, I get a bit of a floral feel here (maybe the bergamot?) along with jammy fruits, honey and spices. It truly smells good enough to eat.
Supporting the delectable top notes are the classic oriental perfume ingredients of amber and vanilla. Bitter almond provides a nice twist on this classic formula, adding a subtle powdery sweet note. Patchouli makes an appearance as well, and when combined with the fruits, adds an element reminiscent of modern fruity chypres such as Badgley Mishka. Back to Black pretty much takes the best aspects from several perfumes I admire and rolls them into one fabulous, well-blended fragrance.
Since this is frequently compared to Tobacco Vanille, and having a decant of Tobacco Vanille, I thought it might be interesting to compare them side by side. At first spray, I find Back to Black to be more honeyed fruit and amber and Tobacco Vanille more of a boozy vanilla. Both have that smokey element, but Tobacco Vanille is more in your face about it. Tobacco Vanille is also more blatantly spicy and stronger in general. Back to Black just feels softer and more nuanced. I also find Back to Black to have more layers of development (as I've descibed above) than Tobacco Vanille. Tobacco Vanille is pretty much just what it says it is, a smoky vanilla, and the aroma of Tobacco Vanille remains very stable throughout the life of the scent. On the plus side for Tobacco Vanilla, it's sillage and longevity are superior to Back to Black. If you're looking for bang for your buck (ok, lots of bucks), Tobacco Vanille wins hands down.
Unfortunately, I do not have any left of my sample of Fumerie Turque, so I can't compare that directly to Back to Black. I'm fairly certain, though, that I would find Fumerie Turque smokier and more leathery than Back to Black. No doubt, because of that, I view Fumerie Turque as more masculine than both Tobacco Vanille and certainly Back to Black. It would probably be my first choice for a man.
For me, Back to Black is the ultimate spicy gourmand and destined to become one of my very favorite perfumes
Of the three, Back to Black is most definitely my favorite. I also find Back to Black to be the most feminine of the group (although certainly still unisex). The top notes are particulary delicious. Although I don't see any flowers listed, I get a bit of a floral feel here (maybe the bergamot?) along with jammy fruits, honey and spices. It truly smells good enough to eat.
Supporting the delectable top notes are the classic oriental perfume ingredients of amber and vanilla. Bitter almond provides a nice twist on this classic formula, adding a subtle powdery sweet note. Patchouli makes an appearance as well, and when combined with the fruits, adds an element reminiscent of modern fruity chypres such as Badgley Mishka. Back to Black pretty much takes the best aspects from several perfumes I admire and rolls them into one fabulous, well-blended fragrance.
Since this is frequently compared to Tobacco Vanille, and having a decant of Tobacco Vanille, I thought it might be interesting to compare them side by side. At first spray, I find Back to Black to be more honeyed fruit and amber and Tobacco Vanille more of a boozy vanilla. Both have that smokey element, but Tobacco Vanille is more in your face about it. Tobacco Vanille is also more blatantly spicy and stronger in general. Back to Black just feels softer and more nuanced. I also find Back to Black to have more layers of development (as I've descibed above) than Tobacco Vanille. Tobacco Vanille is pretty much just what it says it is, a smoky vanilla, and the aroma of Tobacco Vanille remains very stable throughout the life of the scent. On the plus side for Tobacco Vanilla, it's sillage and longevity are superior to Back to Black. If you're looking for bang for your buck (ok, lots of bucks), Tobacco Vanille wins hands down.
Unfortunately, I do not have any left of my sample of Fumerie Turque, so I can't compare that directly to Back to Black. I'm fairly certain, though, that I would find Fumerie Turque smokier and more leathery than Back to Black. No doubt, because of that, I view Fumerie Turque as more masculine than both Tobacco Vanille and certainly Back to Black. It would probably be my first choice for a man.
For me, Back to Black is the ultimate spicy gourmand and destined to become one of my very favorite perfumes