Selects

I had the regular EdT of Club de Nuit Intense Man (CDNIM) in my collection for a long time. The performance was top-notch, but the piercing lemon opening in the first 30 minutes unfortunately always reminded me of toilet cleaner. When the Limited Edition (LE) was released, I was honestly skeptical: Is the price increase really worth it, or is it just clever marketing? Spoiler: Yes, it is absolutely worth it.

The scent:
From the very first spray, the difference is extremely noticeable. While the EdT hits you with a shrill, synthetic lemon, the Limited Edition starts off much softer, rounder, and noticeably fruitier. The pineapple is much more present here, and the scent feels high-quality from the very first second. Nothing irritates the nose.
In the drydown, this beautiful, smoky birch comes through, paired with musk and a hint of vanilla. It strongly reminds me of the older, smokier Aventus batches from before 2016. The progression is almost fluid and incredibly well-balanced.

H/S (Longevity and Sillage):
Typical Armaf: absolute beast mode. Two to three sprays are more than enough to get through the day. On my skin, I can still perceive it after 9 to 10 hours, and it only comes out of sweaters with the next wash. The sillage is quite enveloping in the first two to three hours.
A little tip: With this scent, you become incredibly quickly nose-blind. So please don’t re-spray just because you think it has faded. Your surroundings can definitely still smell you!

Presentation:
The velvet box is huge and perhaps a bit over the top, but it makes a great impression as a gift. The bottle itself is heavy, dark, and feels very premium.

After Lost Cherry has practically taken the perfume world by storm and inspired what feels like a thousand dupe clones, I was incredibly excited about Cherry Smoke by Tom Ford. The name alone promises a lot: less sticky sweetness, more edge, more darkness and mystique. And to be honest? That’s exactly what you get here - at least for the most part.


The scent journey: from fruit to fire.

The opening is fantastic and grabbed me right away. While Lost Cherry initially throws a nearly marzipan-like, liqueur-like Amarena sweetness in your face, Cherry Smoke starts off much more mature. The cherry is definitely present, but it is dark, juicy, and is immediately flanked by a spicy saffron note. This takes away the fruit's innocence from the very first second.


In the heart, things get exciting. The promised "Smoke" is neither the scratchy campfire smoke nor the strict incense for my nose. It is rather an elegant, fine smoky note - think of an exclusive lounge with heavy leather chairs or slightly charred, expensive wood. The osmanthus brings in a fascinating, slightly floral apricot-leather nuance that harmonizes incredibly well with the dark cherry.


In the drydown, after about two to three hours, the fruitiness unfortunately retreats quite a bit into the background. What remains is an elegant, soft, and slightly smoky wood base with a subtle leather accord. Very noble, very smooth, but also quite quiet.


Longevity and sillage are the downside.

Here we need to talk about the typical Tom Ford elephant in the room. For this proud price (we are talking about the Private Blend line here), I would have expected significantly more "oomph".

The sillage is great and noticeable in the first hour, but then it quickly pulls back to a skin-close level. The longevity on my skin is about 5 to a maximum of 6 hours. On clothing (especially on the collar of a leather jacket), it lasts significantly longer. However, this is definitely not a "beast mode" scent. It is more of an intimate companion.


Conclusion and wearing occasions: For me, "Cherry Smoke" is an absolute autumn and winter scent or the perfect companion for an evening date. I see it paired with an all-black outfit, a leather jacket, or an elegant coat. It is absolutely unisex, although the leather and woody-smoky notes may give it a slightly more masculine vibe than its predecessor for many.


Cherry Smoke is mysterious, wicked, and wonderfully unconventional. If you like the cherry DNA but found Lost Cherry always too sweet, too gourmand, or too tame, you should definitely give this a sniff. However, due to the rather average performance and the extremely high price, I strongly recommend testing it extensively on your own skin beforehand. Definitely not a blind buy candidate!

I actually wanted to hate Louis Vuitton. I thought, this is just another expensive designer fragrance riding the Ambroxan wave. "Do we really need this?" Then the sample of Imagination arrived - and my bank account immediately knew it would soon hurt.


Why it’s different

The opening is like a slap in the face, but a good one. The lemon smells very realistic, not like toilet cleaner or cheap refreshing wipes, but like a freshly cut lemon in a luxury hotel.


But the real reason is the black tea. It gives everything a dry, intellectual note. You don’t just smell "freshly showered," but also "wealthy and deeply relaxed."


The "White Shirt" Feeling

Do you know those fragrances? The ones you spray on that automatically make you pull your shoulders back a bit? That’s what Imagination does to me. It’s very clean, almost like soap, but the cinnamon (which is hardly detectable, yet provides a subtle warmth) keeps it from ever being sharp or cold.


What’s your honest opinion on the performance? The scent lasts a long time. I spray it on in the morning before work and in the evening during sports when my body warms up. The sillage isn’t strong, but anyone who comes closer than an arm's length will ask you what you’re wearing. Trust me.


My opinion: Is it new? Maybe not. Is the wheel reinvented? No. But it’s perfect. Other brands don’t manage it as well. It’s my "go-to." When I don’t know what to wear: Imagination fits. Whether it’s a T-shirt or a suit.