| Fragrance Overview | Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous

| Fragrance Overview | Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous 

If you haven't been living under a rock in the luxury beauty community than you probably heard about Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous. Let's all be honest and say that there is no one who sells vulgarity as well as Tom Ford! The provocative and controversially named fragrance debuted during Tom Ford's spring/summer 2018 runway show. Yes, that's right, we are already talking about spring/summer 2018! As soon as I saw pictures of this fragrance, I knew I had to get my hands on it! I called my closest boutique that very day and was the first to pre-order the fragrance! 

I want provide and overview vs. a "review" because I don't think someone can truly review a fragrance. Fragrances are so personal and everyone picks up different notes, fragrances smell different on everyone, and everyone has different preferences. I can only let you know my feelings about the fragrance and that's pretty much it. 

Tom Ford Fucking Fabulous retails for $310.00 USD for 50ml, was exclusive to Tom Ford or Tom Ford Boutiques but now it is offered at Neiman Marcus!) I know many people are hesitant to purchase this fragrance without being able to smell/test it first, which is understandable. Luckily, it will be more readily available now at Neiman Marcus. From what I can tell, it is still considered limited edition, however this may change due to popular demand. While many of you are probably experiencing sticker shock, let me assure you that the ingredients that go into each of Tom Ford's Private Blend Fragrances tend to be extremely rare, valuable, and difficult to obtain which is the reason you pay for a truly exquisite fragrance. After a experiencing several courses on Tom Ford Fragrances (see this post and this one), I can really appreciate the thought and premium ingredients he includes into each of his fragrances. Tom Ford's fragrances are often designed and inspired by his travels. While there is little known about the inspiration for this fragrance, it is luxurious and high-quality, as with all his fragrances. 

Housed in a beautiful mattified black glass bottle, with the same iconic shape of all Private Blend Fragances. The mattified texture of the bottle is very chic and sexy, as it is masculine and bold. Really it is the perfect packaging for such a statement fragrance.  

The key notes are:

Almond Bitter Oil

Tonka Resinoid 

Orris Accord (Derived from Iris Root)

Cashmeran 

Leather Accord 

Clary Sage Oil

After doing some research on fragrance making and jargon, I was able to get a better grasp on what all these notes are and what they add to a fragrance. I am by no means a fragrance expert and I found all this information online. Also, there is a very limited amount of information on fragrance making and especially in regards to "mainstream" (sold popularly) fragrances. The fragrance industry is a highly proprietary industry with many secrets to maintain the uniqueness of of each fragrance. 

An "Accord" is a blend of notes that loose their individual identity to create a completely new odor impression. These notes tend to be from the same family of notes. The Orris Accord is derived from the Iris Root as well as probably other roots, which adds a dry and powdery note to the fragrance. The Leather Accord, will of course, be a blend of leather or leather-like notes. Cashmeran is a synthetic ingredient with woody and musky notes. While Tom Ford is using some synthetic fragrance, many of the natural ingredients included are rare and difficult to source, which is part of the reason why the cost of his fragrances are so high but this also makes the fragrance unique and complex to others on the market. 

If you aren't familiar with Tom Ford Fragrances, they are all unisex and due to their complex notes they really do transform into a unique scent on everyone. When I initially spray this on myself, the first note to hit me is the Clary Sage Oil, with a fresh and earthy burst but very quickly behind that note is the notes of Oriental Leather Accord. I find the leather note is very very strong in this fragrance, especially on me. It isn't an off-putting leather fragrance but it is reminiscent of a very expensive new handbag. I find the leather note lasts for quite a long time and I can get small wiffs of it throughout the day. As it begins to dry down more, the sweeter notes of Almond Bitter and Tonka Resinoid, as wells as the woody and warmth of the Cashmeran come through.

The lasting power for me is lacking. It seems to only last me about 4-6 hours. While I can smell little bits of it throughout the day, at hour 4 even with my nose pressed up against where I sprayed it on my arm, I can only pick of very faint notes. However, some days, I still get wiffs of the Leather Accord well into the 8th hour of wear. Maybe I just believe the scent has faded because I have become accustomed to it? For the high price, this is disappointing because I don't feel this is one of his lighter scents like Fluer di Portofino or Soleil Blanc.

While Tom Ford Fragrances are made to be unisex, this one does lean a bit more masculine but not so much so that I find it unappealing to wear myself. In fact, based on reading about the notes alone, I thought this was going to be overly masculine and I wouldn't enjoy it. I would describe this fragrance as chic and cool. It makes you feel like throwing on your Louboutins, grabbing your Chanel bag. and heading out to be a boss by day, and heading to a Vogue Magazine party at night. If only right? You get what I mean, it makes you feel so chic, cool, and confident. Who doesn't need a little confidence booster? 

Now for the million-dollar question (actually more like the three hundred and ten-dollar question), is it worth it and is it Fucking Fabulous? 

Again, fragrances, like many spending preferences are very subjective. As I have gotten older, I have moved away from buying more and moved toward buying better. Like with my other beauty preferences, I like to buy high-end products because I would rather have quality pieces that I love and will use again and again. I used to collect perfumes of all kinds but that gets expensive on its own because even lower priced fragrances are not cheap! Also, fragrances can expire over time and change. I like the uniqueness of the Tom Ford fragrances because while popularly sold, they truly are different on all individuals, making it very close to a custom fragrance without the high cost of a very high quality custom perfume. If you were to use the same ingredients as Tom Ford Fragrances, in a custom fragrance, it would surely cost you just as much or more! No, for the price, it is not as Fucking Fabulous as I would have expected it to be (in my opinion) HOWEVER....

This particular fragrance is not something I typically go for but each time I wear it, it seems to grow on me and it always makes me feel so confident!

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