Screaming spices, leather and woods with subtle florals
Note to myself: double-check the notes on Parfumo before assuming I've picked an innocent scent to try on.
So... I'm now trying the three Tom Ford travel size set I picked up at Winners Homesense a few months ago. Thought I had stored them in alphabetical order so when I picked this one up, I thought I had Soleil Blanc Eau de Parfum in hand. A mistake was made here. Strong and overwhelming pink pepper assaulted my nose immediately. Pink pepper that smelled like spicy pencil shavings. Definitely not my thing. Like FAR from it. Then, there's the animalic leather that also came up. Within the first few seconds, I knew it was a no-go to me. I'm just not someone who loves spicy and leathery fragrances and the opening was an in-your-face kind of moment that definitely did not change my mind about my taste in leather fragrances. The beginning was also way too masculine-leaning.
After about 30 minutes, the strong peppery smell subsides a little bit, giving way to the powdery orange blossom accompanied by a subtle, faint, dark and sweet note (probably from the black honey). Smells almost like charred leather with a hint of spices and florals. Still not my kind of vibe. The drydown is a bit less "screaming" and a little more palatable. It smells like the sun-warmed leather interior of a brand new luxury car where a man's spicy cologne and a woman's floral perfume still linger in the air. Moves towards a warm, leathery, woody and resinous accord. Settles into a masculine fragrance. In the heart of the afternoon, when the smell was less pungent, I could smell a warm, ambery, almost vanillic accord with leather in the background, quite reminiscent of "Vanilla Royale Sugar Patchouli | Kayali".
This is LOUD. The beginning is... something. The ride is both horrifying and intriguing. All in all, it's definitely not something I want in my collection (got rid of the travel size after the first few minutes of trying the perfume). This fragrance hasn't changed my mind about scents that feature heavy doses of leather, woods and spices. This trio will always lean masculine to me. As for this perfume specifically, I would never want a bottle in my collection. Not for the faint of heart.
