Top Notes 
White peony
Bergamot
Coriander
Heart Notes 
Rose
Jasmine
Ambrette seed
Base Notes 
Patchouli
Woods
Frankincense
05/10/2013
Ysbrand
84 Reviews
Ysbrand
Very helpful Review
9
white witch
I have an ambivalent relation with patchouli. The truth is that this ingredient smells wonderfully, but, to me, it tends to get overwhelming after a while in some formulas where i find it too cloying/dirty, or screeching or just predictable and uninteresting.
This is not the case of Tom Ford´s White Patchouli, a house whose export line redeems the, sometimes dissapointing, always aspirational, Private Blend line. White Patchouli, from the export line, has an outstanding lasting power and is a different approach to this classic material.
The patchouli in White Patchouli is kept rather sleek, proper and clean, but it has a ruling position as the name implies. There is a medicinal quality in the opening of this fragance that makes it very interesting, like it belongs to an old fashioned pharmacist or herbalist´s shop. It is also very floral, in this odd, aseptic way, and, I agree, kind of mushroomy. Peppery, bitter, dry zest, dry undergrowth, turpentine-like notes fuse together with luminous flowers (peony and a burning jasmine) on a bed of honeyed tobacco and a patchouli, that may be hard to recognise on this garments.
Thinking what could smell alike this strange but well thought start, i can say it reminds me to the rare beauty of Aromatics Elixir, being all over White Patchouli cleaner, lighter and less complex with a very different performance as we will see.
After a couple hours White Patchouli looses the strange ointment edge from coriander, and a non-indolic jasmine with "golden" rose step forward, becoming a quite beautiful, rather unisex floral as it is balanced with the rich patchouli/sandalwood base and a sweet note that reminds me to hop (the herb it is used to aromatize beer). It has a remarkable tenacity but on the other hand, stays quite close to the skin.
White Patchouli is elegant including the twist of the start; sensual and bewitching, as patchouli is, but behaving with certain demure.
This is not the case of Tom Ford´s White Patchouli, a house whose export line redeems the, sometimes dissapointing, always aspirational, Private Blend line. White Patchouli, from the export line, has an outstanding lasting power and is a different approach to this classic material.
The patchouli in White Patchouli is kept rather sleek, proper and clean, but it has a ruling position as the name implies. There is a medicinal quality in the opening of this fragance that makes it very interesting, like it belongs to an old fashioned pharmacist or herbalist´s shop. It is also very floral, in this odd, aseptic way, and, I agree, kind of mushroomy. Peppery, bitter, dry zest, dry undergrowth, turpentine-like notes fuse together with luminous flowers (peony and a burning jasmine) on a bed of honeyed tobacco and a patchouli, that may be hard to recognise on this garments.
Thinking what could smell alike this strange but well thought start, i can say it reminds me to the rare beauty of Aromatics Elixir, being all over White Patchouli cleaner, lighter and less complex with a very different performance as we will see.
After a couple hours White Patchouli looses the strange ointment edge from coriander, and a non-indolic jasmine with "golden" rose step forward, becoming a quite beautiful, rather unisex floral as it is balanced with the rich patchouli/sandalwood base and a sweet note that reminds me to hop (the herb it is used to aromatize beer). It has a remarkable tenacity but on the other hand, stays quite close to the skin.
White Patchouli is elegant including the twist of the start; sensual and bewitching, as patchouli is, but behaving with certain demure.
3 Comments
BrianBuchanan
Stinkypenny
SVW62
Estergg
Jazzy76
