Allara

When I caught sight of this fragrance, my heart skipped a beat: a lavender scent - by Tom Ford! Could this finally be a Tom Ford for me? Since the others are all too loud and often disharmonious. And I absolutely love lavender, so nothing should go wrong if it also comes with the typical Ford sillage and longevity....
So I had to get a decant!
Sprayed on - and yes, THIS is the lavender I like. Just like the lavender sachets for the laundry. I briefly think of my beloved "Lavandula" from Penhaligon's. Very nice!
I indulge for, let's say, 5 minutes, and I'm already thinking about how I can get a bottle. Then, as you might have guessed, the fragrance takes a turn. For a few minutes, I feel reminded of my also dearly loved "Fourreau Noir" by Serge Lutens - lavender with a lovely tonka bean, slightly smoky. Very nice, but I already have that.
Well, I'll wait and see how it goes.
Attentive readers have of course noticed the title of this comment, and so the inevitable follows: After only a short time, this wonderful lavender dream turns into a coconut nightmare for me. The lavender is still there (not like in "Caron pour un homme," where it completely disappears for me after a short time and is replaced by an unbearably sweet vanilla) - but it is overshadowed by a cloud of warm coconut milk. Yes, to my nose, it smells like coconut. This cloud might actually be quite pleasant for most, and now and then "Fourreau Noir" shines through.

However, I do not like coconut at all; in fact, I hate it. Both on the tongue and in the nose.

Oh Mr. Ford - why coconut of all things?!
Sigh - yes, I wanted to like you so much... I prefer to refrain from giving a rating; for many noses, this will be a very pleasant, soft fragrance. The sillage is in a very good range for such a scent, at least 7.5. Unfortunately, I can't comment on the longevity; I'm going to wash this scent off now :-(

PS: Even more attentive readers might discover "Sweet Smoke" and "Popped Cherry" in my collection, which are Tom Ford dupes that I really, really like. If the originals are as good as the copies, I would like to revise my opinion that no Tom Ford is for me. Hope lives on!

With Sycomore, we have yet another beautiful proof that the mention of fragrance twins is indeed quite interesting, but unfortunately not very helpful when it comes to making decisions in the search for scents.

As a fragrance twin, Encre Noire is also mentioned here with Sycomore; one of my absolute favorites. And yes, when you look at the notes, primarily vetiver and cypress - it fits.

And then the spray is here. You spray a generous amount on your wrist with great anticipation. After all, I don't want to wear a men's fragrance, and Encre Noire is a men's fragrance. And yes, I really don't care whether I'm wearing a men's or women's fragrance, as long as it's nice. But Sycomore is a declared women's fragrance, and I would prefer to wear a women's fragrance... :-)

And now this spray has landed on my wrist... Yes, it immediately reminds me of my beloved Encre Noire - but wait!
Wow, this one has quite a bit of woodiness... (well, it IS a women's fragrance - muahahah, collapses) and also quite a spiciness... (although I actually like pepper very much). But too much wood usually has the effect on me that after a while it smells like - I can hardly bring myself to say it - urine. And this effect sets in quite soon for me here...

Oh, what a pity... but in this combination, it's too much wood and spiciness for my nose, and in the end, it's so completely different from Encre Noire with its light sweetness. If I didn't know better, I would classify the two the other way around, considering Sycomore more of a men's fragrance - although I would find unisex the most fitting for both.

Well, the nose wants what the nose wants - and so Sycomore may continue on its way and hopefully delight a nose that can appreciate it more :-)

Until now, I have always thought that the scent note vetiver was not for me at all. Fragrances that carry even a hint of vetiver rarely make it into my collection; probably simply because the combination with other scent notes clashes in my nose or it comes across as too dirty-damp... I don’t know. This one knocked me off my feet (in the most positive sense), even though (or perhaps precisely because?) it almost solely consists of the vetiver scent.
Here, I have the impression of a wonderfully dry, almost slightly sweet earthy note, without all the frills of other scent notes around it - I like it! I find the combination with cypress very harmonious and coherent. Of course, one should not expect a great development from this fragrance pyramid, which suits me very well. The longevity is perfectly fine, and the sillage is very pleasant: always noticeable, but not too much.

Actually a men’s fragrance, but who cares! Luckily, my husband also likes it very much, so it is now his bottle that I occasionally help myself to - on some days, it just has to be Encre Noire :-)

I would like to sincerely thank Caligari for the opportunity to get to know the scent (in the truest sense of the word, blind). I would never have voluntarily held my nose to it in my life.