Dear community,
Here follows an analytical comparison of two fragrances: the well-known Fucking Fabulous by Tom Ford and the F‘ing Unbelievable, which to this day has not received a single comment on Parfumo.
The following will address the bottle, opening, heart note, base note, and overall impression, followed by a conclusion.
OPENING STATEMENT:
Those who follow me here or know my comments have surely come across my post about Tom Ford's Fucking Fabulous. The title and comment are probably as polarizing as the fragrance itself: “Friends with Benefits.” Naturally, a 30 ml bottle of this spectacular scent soon found its way to me, to which Tom Ford himself said in his ‘Three Rules of Fragrance’, “and when I’m feeling fabulous... well, I got a fragrance for that, too.” This fragrance has become a loyal companion for the days when I simply feel fantastic.
Through my great enthusiasm for this scent, I eventually stumbled upon F‘ing Unbelievable, which is said to be a brilliant, almost identical dupe of the original. I purchased it recently, and it arrived yesterday by post.
What followed was extensive sniffing, testing, and analyzing. Below is the result of my work.
BOTTLE:
- Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous: The bottle from the Private Blend line impresses with its elegant beauty in matte black. Like all other bottles from the Private Blend series, this one also has a touch of an old apothecary or a medicine cabinet. Simple yet original. This point definitely goes to the original.
- DUA Fragrances F‘ing Unbelievable: The bottle serves its purpose but is less original and does not particularly stand out or catch the eye. It is made of glass, and the cap is plastic. The spray nozzle dispenses generous amounts, seals well, and does not leak. Purpose fulfilled, test passed. But nothing more.
OPENING:
- Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous: It starts very surprisingly, very unexpectedly, and very, very passionately and captivatingly. The surprising element is especially the smell of plastic... like the scent of a brand-new life jacket combined with sunscreen. It is probably the bitter almond that perfectly plays its supporting role here. Supporting because it lovingly carries the sage and lavender, creating an unconventional opening of strong bitter almond and very mild spices that comes across as extremely creamy and yet expressive after just a few seconds. I find it particularly successful that the opening lasts a long time and the bitter almond remains throughout the entire fragrance journey. And although the start is very loud and almost feels like a punch in the face, it is incredibly smooth and brilliantly designed. 10/10 points.
- DUA Fragrances F‘ing Unbelievable: This fragrance also starts very surprisingly and unexpectedly: Here, too, you immediately get a hefty dose of bitter almond plus sage and lavender, where it might seem that the poor bitter almond is being carried away, if not completely overwhelmed, by the sage and lavender. Clear parallels to the original are immediately recognizable, although the opening here comes across as rougher, more brutal, and significantly more angular in the first 30 to 60 minutes. If the opening of Fucking Fabulous is a punch in the face, then this one is more like a proper beating - but in a good way. The sillage is indescribable: After a few minutes, the entire room smells of F‘ing Unbelievable. However, after about an hour, the tables turn, and the bitter almond gains the upper hand, trying to tame the sage and lavender. The emphasis here is on TRIES. 7/10 points.
HEART NOTE:
- Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous: The loud bang from the opening is still very present and exciting, but now the first nuances of vanilla and tonka bean are coming in. Initially subtle, but gradually becoming clearer and eventually louder. Paired with the smell of brand-new plastic, this creates a certain familiarity but certainly no boredom. It starts to become very cozy and tender... the plastic-tonka-vanilla mixture is now joined by very smooth leather, comfortable amber, and at this point, a noticeably more pronounced, sweeter vanilla note. After about 4 hours, the smell of plastic fades away, and from now on, the cozy leather and the very, very sweet vanilla dominate. Initially still 10/10 points, but after 4 hours, only 8/10.
- DUA Fragrances F‘ing Unbelievable: Here, the fragrance comes very close to the original: brand-new life jacket with sunscreen, spices still dominate initially, but now the first nuances of vanilla and tonka bean are also joining in. However, it seems that the tonka bean is stronger than the vanilla, which I personally appreciate, as it hints at a first touch of sweetness but is still kept in check by the bitter almond. Even though tonka and vanilla initially remain in the background and the bitter almond-spice mixture maintains the upper hand, smooth, supple leather and luxurious amber begin to create a smooth effect. The fragrance now appears more balanced and somewhat smoother than at the beginning, but it remains extremely loud. The beating is still very present and noticeable here. After about 3 hours, the shy tonka bean finally begins to emerge from the shadows and rounds off the previously rather angular scent experience smoothly. Vanilla plays a rather subordinate role here, which I appreciate, as it makes the already loud fragrance less sweet. 9/10 points.
BASE NOTE:
- Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous: The vanilla becomes sweeter, more kitschy, and more intrusive, eventually pushing aside every trace of plastic, every bitter almond, and every spice. The extremely sweet vanilla and the previously cozy leather, which becomes sweeter at this point, begin to dominate the fragrance. The tonka bean is still clearly present, trying to keep everything somewhat smooth with its creaminess, although it increasingly fails. 7/10 points.
- DUA Fragrances F‘ing Unbelievable: Here, too, it steadily becomes sweeter, but the angular and rough aspects have a positive effect: it doesn’t become quite as kitschy and sweet. The bitter almond remains throughout the entire fragrance journey until the end, which I truly appreciate, as it tempers the sweetness a bit. Individual nuances of sage and lavender also come and go. 9/10 points.
CONCLUSION:
- Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous: 9/10 points - an extravagant fragrance for the days when you feel fantastic. The art and genius that Tom Ford has put into this fragrance allow one to overlook the somewhat overly sweet grand finale. I would buy this fragrance again and again. For me, an olfactory masterpiece from a brilliant master. Longevity and sillage are above average.
- DUA Fragrances F‘ing Unbelievable: 7.5/10 points - a very well-executed copy of a brilliant masterpiece. Even though it comes across as somewhat rougher and less balanced initially, the parallels cannot be denied. H/S even more extreme than in the original.
Bitter almond
Cashmeran
Venezuelan tonka bean
Orris root
Sage
Suede
Jujulalu
GuidoSch
Musowski
SaGa
DOCCParfum
Clausd
Caligari
Schücha
Fragranceob
Smoetn
