Lavender Extrême Tom Ford 2019

Lavender Extrême has recently aroused my interest as a relatively unknown fragrance of the Private Blend collection. Of course, the mirrored bottle has also developed a certain attractive effect, that is not to be denied. It's almost worth putting in your home just as a decoration - not to mention the 250 ml! Let's see if Soleil Brûlant still tops that.

After the first spray I thought: Wow, THAT is real lavender! And THAT is also violently too much! I got from the incredibly intense lavender note at the beginning, unfortunately, even a headache. Still, my anticipation for the drydown was unbridled. Not unjustifiably, as it turned out, because it has it all: On my skin, the scent then became creamier, more floral and more vanilla with every minute. This went on and on, until a slightly powdery note was added. Minutes and minutes passed ... and then - as if out of nowhere - the thought suddenly came to me: "I know that smell, don't I? I rummaged around in my scent memory for a moment and immediately remembered where I got it from: Dior Homme Intense. Zack, pulled out the bottle, sprayed it on the other hand and waited. And indeed: once the heart note is there, both perfumes suddenly smell incredibly similar. To the point of confusion. I don't know if it's just me with my skin chemistry - I'm really asking for feedback in the comments, I'd be dying to hear it - but with an unbiased nose, it's really hard to tell the two scents apart in a hurry.

Dior Homme Intense is of course an outstanding fragrance, so Lavender Extrême could also convince me all along the line. One wonders, however, whether you really want to leave almost 300 euros for 50 ml under these conditions at Tom Ford, you get your money's worth at Dior for just under 70 euros. The only reason from my point of view to pay the "surcharge" is the performance: Here Tom Ford has once again unpacked the Tuscan Leather steroids. The sillage is unbelievably fierce, especially in the first three hours, the durability was always effortlessly ten hours for me. Since Dior Homme Intense has, unfortunately, been weakening more and more with the newer batches, it's not so wrong to have a stronger alternative in your repertoire. For me, Lavender Extrême is therefore something like Dior Homme Intense 2011 reloaded. Only a nuance fresher and more versatile.

My conclusion: A fragrance worth trying, you won't regret buying.