TRehf

Sometimes being a fragrance enthusiast can be very stressful: There is this one fragrance that is on my to-try list since years and I simply never did try it. Recently, rumors occurred that the fragrance is going to be discontinued and it immediately sold out everywhere. I was afraid that I will never get a chance to try the mentioned fragrance and after a few weeks, I finally found it back in an online store, even at a discounted price. I pulled the trigger before it’s too late. And now I own Plum Japonais by Tom Ford - another blind buy.

Although I don’t find the Tom Ford Private Blend packaging special, it’s still kind of unique in its own way and hence it feels kind of special when unboxing a new TFPB. After I opened the box of Plum Japonais, I was excited to finally try it, knowing the risk that blind buys usually carry with them. So I immediately sprayed it on my arm and what can I say... it’s good, very good actually, but not what I expected based on the name „Plum Japonais“. I was expecting more of an Asian Style of fragrance, fruity-floral, more lightweight. What I got is an oriental style of fragrance: sweet amber and vanilla, spicy cinnamon, oud and plum.

Now, based on the notes I could have known how this fragrance smells but I last checked them years ago and kind of ignored them ever since.

Am I happy with the blind buy? Yes. I do like lighter scents for spring and summer but I also love oriental perfumes and this one smells just very good. If I would have to describe the smell I would say it’s about 30% of Tobacco Vanille, 30% Tobacco Oud (both without the Tobacco) and 40% plum with a Tom Ford-ish base.

I can’t say too much about the performance yet because I simply haven’t given it enough full wearings. But based on the style of fragrance and first wearings I don’t see any reason to complain.

I haven’t got any compliments or complaints either. But that’s also due to a lack of wearings and Social distancing (Covid-19).

I’m excited to wear this fragrance more often in the next few weeks and months and happy to have it in my collection before it’s (maybe?) gone or re-released in a more expensive product line.

I don’t want to spread rumors but it seems to me that this fragrance is getting discontinued or at least limited in its distribution. Last year, I’ve also talked to some sales assistants in different parts of the world (Berlin, Dubai, San Francisco,...) who told me that they are out of stock without knowing if and when it’s going to be back in stock. Since there was practically no way to try it, I’ve made a blind buy online. Because it’s still in stock online (European Dior Website).

Everyone in the community knows that blind buys can go pretty right or pretty wrong. In my case I’m still not sure how to categorize this blind buy.

Upon the first spray on a paper tissue it reminded me on an old subway car with leather seats. It’s not really what I want to smell like. I got a similar first impression when I sprayed it on skin. However, on skin, the fragrance turns into something much more pleasant after 5 mins. And I actually can enjoy what I get after 5mins.

The scent is a very smooth leather with some florals (mainly iris and jasmine) to keep it balanced. This fragrance is not rough like Tom Fords Tuscan Leather and it’s not as sweet and gourmand like Valentino Uomo Intense or Dior Homme Intense. It has a tiny vintage vibe but still smells sophisticated and elegant. It’s unisex but for people 25+ years.

It’s a bit like a leather fragrance that was washed with a very high quality wash soap. So the florals do have a soapy appeal. However I find this fragrance also tiny bit animalic, due to the Jasmine, but this part of the fragrance never becomes dominant.

I don’t know if Dior changed the formula but I cannot confirm that this fragrance is filling a room. It projects nicely for a while and stays on skin for 8h (maybe even a bit longer) but it’s not beastly.

I have grown to like Cuir Cannage and I’m happy that it’s in my collection. But everyone has to decide for herself/himself if it’s worth 200€.

Honestly, I don’t get the hate that this fragrance received at its release. It was ignored by many and others put it in the cheap girly grocery store scent department.
I couldn’t disagree more.

Is it beastmode? No.
Is it completely unique and groundbreaking? No.
Is it complex and challenging? No, but it doesn’t has to be.
Is it easy to wear and enjoyable? Yes.

I understand that fragrance is a very subjective hobby. We all like certain kinds of fragrances for different reasons and we all wear fragrances for different reasons. But just because a fragrance doesn’t fulfill our criteria for being purchase-worthy doesn’t mean, that it’s a bad scent. It just means that it’s not made for us.

But now let’s come back to the fragrance. I’ve had the chance to test it a few times during this year. It starts with a blast of fruits. In the opening, I actually get more citrusy notes (grapefruit) than berries. Nevertheless some sort of berries can still be smelled easily. As it dries down the fragrance becomes a bit fresh and green. That’s also why I feel very comfortable wearing it as a man. The fragrance is a bit tart and very enjoyable. In contrast to Happy Hour from Dior, Rouge Trafalgar doesn’t turn sweet at all on my skin. At the end the fragrance remains fruity-green-musky.

Now depending on your skin, the development of the fragrance might be different but as mentioned before, I felt pretty confident wearing it myself. Sure, it is not that typical aquatic woody type of scent that you will find in any blue-ish men’s cologne but I see it very unisex.

Performance-wise you cannot expect a beast. This fragrance is intended to be worn in spring and summer and in warmer weather it projects nicely for about 2h and stays on skin for about 6 to 7h. That’s alright for this kind of scent.

The presentation is like any other Maison Christian Dior presentation, so you can find various videos of it on YouTube.

Getting back to the scent. The scent is simple and straightforward. If you look for complexity like Xerjoff offers, you won’t be happy with this scent. Otherwise, with increasing complexity of the scent often the wearability decreases. And I pretty much appreciate the wearable of this scent. It is easy to like and easy to wear.

Considering the pricetag, it’s up to you if you consider it being worth 200€ (125ml). Sure, there are fragrances much more expensive but 200€ seems steep for a scent like this and it’s the only reason why I haven’t purchased it yet.
I don’t know if I’m going to make a purchase in the future (maybe in 2021).
But I really wanted to point out, that this fragrance is not as bad as some said. So at least give it a try.

I remember when I smelled Alexandria II for the first time. Back than, I didn’t really know what to think. Alexandria II was and still is one of those BIG names in the fragrance community that almost everybody at least has heard of. I was just wondering „This is it?!?“. Maybe my nose was already saturated or I just wasn’t ready for this type of scent.

Now that I’m talking about my very first impression of Alexandria II, it sounds like this happened years ago. Actually, it’s only a few months ago and things have changed a lot. I finally have a bottle of it in my hands.
To me, Alexandria II has become a reference point for what a scent has to be. It’s this 10 out of 10 benchmark that every other scent has to compare with.
It’s smooth yet complex, mysterious, creamy yet aromatic, woody and so much more. It just captures all the facets that a scent can incorporate. In addition to that the performance is great, projection and sillage not overwhelming but clearly noticeable. The presentation is the best that I’ve seen so far and I got several Kilian Paris fragrances in my collection.

It is a fragrance that smells like class, status and success without being arrogant and derogatory to others. The lure is great to use it as a signature scent, but it’s too pity, it’s made for special occasions.

I would never suggest anyone to spend 400€-500€ on a 100ml bottle of fragrance. Yes, it is expensive. Sanity cannot justify spending that much money. But It’s weird because somehow I even find this pricetag justified.

If you haven’t already, at least try it once in your life.

Since there is no other review of this fragrance, let me be the first reviewer.

Smell: 9/10
This fragrance starts citrusy-minty. There is a faint trace of coconut in the background but unlike VIW from Creed, the note of coconut is not dominant and hence I can imagine people who are not liking coconut still liking this fragrance.
After a few minutes the mint note becomes more present on my skin and is the dominant note. There is a very creamy undertone in the fragrance which comes from the amber supported by something woody. I also get the Ambroxan/Ambergris.
The fragrance stays relatively linear during its lifetime.
All in all I can say that this is a perfect summery scent (if you like mint). It is mass-appealing.
The best way to describe the scent is: imagine PdM Layton with its fresh-minty opening but without the sweetness from the vanilla. Nevertheless I still find the fragrance very unique.

Performance: 9/10
The longevity is 9h on my skin.
The fragrance projects heavily for the first half of its lifetime, afterwards it sits closer to the skin but you can still smell it around you.

Packaging: 6/10
It’s okay but nothing special in my opinion. The atomizer is fantastic.