Category Archives: Tom Ford

Holiday Fragrance 2021: Tom Ford’s ‘Ébène Fumé’

Every wonderful once in a great while, the passions of my measly personal life align with the artistic creation of one of my heroes. When it was announced that Tom Ford was releasing a new Private Blend that harkened to the early days of that line’s original potency, I was intrigued. After a spell of sweeter and lighter stuff (‘Lost Cherry’ and ‘Bitter Peach’, neither of which I adored) a return to the pungent, darker aspects that made his best stuff so beautiful was a welcome notion. Even better was the notice that explained this fragrance would feature the somewhat polarizing scent of Palo santo – a sacred wood used for incense and meditation – which is precisely how I knew it.

Legend has it that the scent of Palo santo smoke is often acrid and off-putting to those who have spiritual issues that they still need to work out, and as they address and acknowledge them in repeated meditation sessions, the scent becomes more and more enjoyable. This was very much my experience with Palo santo; the first time I smelled it, in a Tibetan store in Cambridge, MA, I thought it was horrendous. That was many years ago, when aspects of my life – at least the ones that I had never fully dealt with – were appreciably horrendous. Returning to that store, I still found the scent objectionable the next few times I visited.

The first time I lit a stick of Palo santo at the beginning of my meditation journey, it was challenging, but even without consciously working things out in my mind, the last few years seemed to have shifted how I was reacting to the smell. As my days of mediation went by, the scent became something that calmed and centered me before each session, and I eventually came to love it. Whether that’s simply the familiarity taking away its sharp edges, or some deeper transformation, I cannot completely tell, and it doesn’t really matter. When I read that Tom Ford was crafting a Private Blend that incorporated this sacred wood, I was stoked.

Of course the best laid fragrance plans on paper always seem to end up defying what the actual scent ends up being, but that didn’t stop me from blind-buying it during a Sephora sale. Thankfully when I finally tried it out in Boston a few days before my bottle arrived, it turned out to be everything I’d hoped it would be, and quite a bit more.

Rather than starting out with the Palo santo, ‘Ébène Fumé’ opens exactly like Ford’s exquisite ‘Santal Blush’ which is a sentimental favorite for holiday time, so at this point in the year it’s a welcome breath of refined air. The one minor thing that (barely) troubled me about ‘Blush’ was its relentless sweetness – which was fine for the holidays, but I tended to temper it with a bit of ‘Oud Wood’ to give it a darker aspect. Ford solves that gorgeously with ‘Ébène Fumé’, as behind that opening blast of sandalwood is a layer of incense and smoky resin which gives it some heat an hour or so into its trajectory. Shortly after that, the Palo santo comes into its glory in a most marvelous unfurling of wispy smoke – deep and rich yet somehow not overpowering. After years of volleying between too much and too little sillage – see the extremes of ‘Tuscan Leather’ versus ‘Neroli Portofino’ or ‘Japon Noir’ versus ‘Fucking Fabulous’ or ‘Vert D’Encens’ versus ‘Mandarino di Amalfi’ – Ford seems to have found the ideal meditative center of a lovely cologne, which feels finely fitting for the calming essence of Palo santo.

Continue reading ...

Palo Santo via Tom Ford

The last person I ever expected to dovetail with my meditation practice was Tom Ford, and yet that is precisely the sort of happy alchemy that is happening with his forthcoming new fragrance. Advance word is that this marks a return to his smoky, deeper frags after lighter and sugary forays such as ‘Lost Cherry’ and ‘Bitter Peach’ – neither of which impressed me much. This one sounds more promising: 

Tom Ford unveils a new fragrance from the Private Blend collection, called Ébène Fumé or “smoked ebony”. The scent represents the mystical ancient essence of the Palo Santo wood whose scent and smoke are believed to cleanse from negative energy. There is also ebony that stands for calm and enlightened luxury.

Mindfulness meeting opulence, Ébène Fumé promises a fragrance of transcendental aura and spiritual peace, focused on warm woody notes, fresh herbs, resins and sumptuous flowers. Palo Santo wood releases pufyfing mystical aromas that mix earthy, woody and floral aromas, as well as pine needles and incense.

My current meditation practice involves lighting a stick of Palo Santo incense and allowing its tendrils of smoke to surround and purify the space, so the fact that ‘Ébène Fumé’ revolves around this is pretty amazing. It’s said that the scent of the Palo Santo smoke will be bitter and acrid for most people at first, and then as you purify your thoughts over time the scent transforms into something more enjoyable. I’m at the point – whether real or imagined or born out of desperate hope – I enjoy the scent of it as it burns, so I’m extremely interested to see what Ford does with the idea of it. He’s gone resinous and incense-like before with the gorgeous green incense of ‘Vert D’Encens‘, the desert smokiness of ‘Sahara Noir‘ and the incendiary majesty of ‘Amber Absolute‘ – and it’s the ideal place for his olfactory expertise. 

The anticipation is killing me, even if it’s only been a hot minute since my last Tom Ford experience (the exquisite ‘Soleil Brulant’) but that was in May and feels a lifetime ago. I’m ready for the next one…

 

Continue reading ...

Sun Burn

The more I read about the notes and impressions people are getting from the newest Private Blend by Tom Ford, the more I feel it’s going to be my requisite fragrance for summer. While I don’t believe in a blind-buy for this one (I enjoy ‘Soleil Blanc’ but ‘Soleil Neige’ didn’t do much for me, and the rest of the Soleil offerings were nice but nothing special.) ‘Soleil Brûlant’ sounds like it may bring me back into the sunny Ford fold

Most appealing are the elements of citrus that are said to open the scene; more problematic are the notes of vanilla and cream that some wearers mentioned. My favored scents for summer lean toward crisp and dry rather than sweet and cloying. That said, I’m very excited to try this on – if it embodies a citrus sun as the literature claims, I’ll be bathing in it by June. 

Continue reading ...

The Battle of Silver and the Sun

The soul of spring and summer is about to be won in a battle between Silver Mountain Spring and Soleil Brûlant. That means a showdown of the House of Creed versus the House of Tom Ford – and while the house that Ford built usually has the edge, this time around my nose is leaning into the Creed. Something to contemplate for the gift-giving events to come…

In this corner, Tom Ford:

Soleil Brûlant belongs to the Private Blend line, launched in March 2021. The opening notes combines bergamot, mandarin orange and pink pepper, leading us to the rich heart of orange blossom absolute and black honey. The composition is settled on a deep and warm oriental – woody blend (leather, vetiver, resins, frankinsence, amber and woodsy notes) which reflect the warmness of enveloping Sun. 

In this corner, Creed:

The adventurous Silver Mountain Water evokes sparkling streams coursing through the snow-capped Swiss Alps, a bracing landscape in which Olivier Creed, a championship skier, finds relaxation and renewal. A bestseller since its launch, this modern marine/green scent captures the purity of the mountains-soft, milky-sweet blackcurrants mixed with green tea, the richness of bergamot, and sandalwood. Its opaque white bottle hints at icy snowbanks topped with a glistening cap.

Continue reading ...

Who Needs New Clothes?

“The thought of designing a collection seemed frivolous when so many important and disturbing things were happening in our world. As this all dragged from spring into the summer and as I think we could all feel a global depression [both financial and psychological] worsening I thought about skipping the season altogether. After all when no one can go out of their house, who needs new clothes?

There was a light at the end of the tunnel. Or at least an imaginary light: the hope of a happier time to come. That is what this collection is for me: the hope of a happier time. Still a somewhat casual moment as it relates to fashion but a time in which we need clothes that make us smile. Clothes that make us feel good.” – Tom Ford

Continue reading ...

When Vanity Lies Another Way

“I will add this praise, that I do not think her personally vain.  Considering how handsome she is, she appears to be little occupied with it; her vanity lies another way.” ~ Jane Austen

Literary flotsam and jetsam, culled and curated by an eye that wishes to be more discerning than it actually is, float about in these parts like little toothpick boats on a rainy spring day. One never knows whether it will end in a rainbow or a harrowing trip into the sewer of Pennywise the Clown. Some of my blog posts lately have followed similar meandering trajectories. I’ll begin writing and think it will end somewhere that I have in the back of my mind, and then the words take me somewhere completely different, the tone becomes shaded in ways I can’t control, and by the end of what I’ve written, I don’t even know where I am. This is not out of place in the land of 2020. In many ways, I’ve come to accept and almost embrace such an uncertain rhythm of life. It’s a good way of clearing out any remaining cobwebs of perfectionism that cling to the way I go about my days, a good sort of trouble that results in something better. 

Messy is the message, downright disastrous is the journey it takes to get to the message, and unexpectedly grateful is my countenance. This may just be the year I grew up a little, and with growth comes a certain amount of pain, and letting go, and none of it regrettable. 

 

I do still love Tom Ford, but rather than the extravagant velvet blazers or pungent Private Blends, I’ve honed it down to a pair of basic black underwear. Simple. Elegant. Minimalist. Refined. 

I do still adore a colorful silk scarf, but favor the one I found in Savannah a long time ago instead of something new or of the season.

I do still long for the unknown excitement that accompanies the curtain of a Broadway show I’ve never seen, but I find equal enchantment in perusing a book of paintings while the sun slants through our bay window. 

Silly, trifling things, I happily admit, and I am so grateful that they are so. 

“I would much rather have been merry than wise.” ~ Jane Austen

Continue reading ...

Tom Ford for the Fall and the Win

“I do struggle because I’m attracted to beautiful things, yet at the same time I am actually very aware, in some sense, of their lack of value and that the most important things in life are your connections to other people.” ~ Tom Ford

While Tom Ford has a fun and effervescent collection of lighter fragrances for spring and summer (the Neroli Empire for example) it’s his wickedly dark and smoky concoctions that are more suited to fall and winter that appeal to my primal olfactory beast. There are a few Private Blends that I wear only from now until November, and they are the fragrant signifiers of fall, and all the decadent drama it typically exudes.

It starts with ‘Amber Absolute’ ~ probably one of my top three TF Private Blends. It’s like the resinous incense of some sacrilegious church-inspired orgasm, dissipating in the smoky air of dappled sunlight shining through a window of stained glass. It’s one of Ford’s most potent mixtures, though some have said it’s been watered down in recent years (if it’s even still made ~ I believe it may have been discontinued a while back).

A hint of incense also informs the magnificent ‘Vert D’Encens’ which is actually where I began this fall’s fragrance journey a few days ago. It’s compelling notes of fresh green are perfectly resplendent of September’s happy tendency to hold onto the sun and warmth a little while longer.

A drier, woodsier scent is to be found in ‘Bois Marocain‘ which is as much an exotic inspiration from a faraway land as it is a reflection of the New England forests where Hester Prynne sinned. If that makes no sense, I’m sorry ~ that’s just the way it smells to this nose. Dry, sinful, decadence – like a roll in the burning leaves.

When it comes to burning, that brings me to my latest acquisition: ‘Tobacco Oud’ and its exquisite sweet and smoky combination, somehow evocative of scenes I’ve only seen in my mind. A library of wooden shelves, dusty books, and a worn leather armchair. A side table glowing beneath a fringed lamp of red silk. The sweetness of tobacco smoke rising from a pipe.

That was a life I never lived, but I wanted it ~ not the life as much as its sensual trappings, its atmosphere and smoky cocoon of spicy warmth. I’ll do a more in-depth review of ‘Tobacco Oud’ ~ for now it’s all in my head, where it shall reside in splendor until the real memories of a run-down corner of Amsterdam reveal themselves in a future post.

‘I’m actually a very, extremely, almost pathologically shy person, which no one believes today because I have mastered a work/public facade that takes an enormous amount of energy to project.’ ~ Tom Ford

Continue reading ...

When In Doubt, Default to Ford

“If I’m going out in the world, I should make everything look as good as it can by looking my best, it’s a show of respect. Maybe a lot of you are thinking ‘oh he’s so full of it’, but this is how I feel, is that it’s a show of respect to other people who have to look at you! You should try to look as good as you can look and help make the scenery look good.” ~ Tom Ford

Maybe the heat had finally gotten to me. When it’s a hot and humid 97 degrees outside, that can happen. Especially when we’re social distancing and trying to survive a world-wide pandemic. And so I woke on a sultry summer morning, feeling not quite perky enough to face the day, before remembering Tom Ford’s advice to get dressed up whenever you feel as if you’re in a funk. It’s actually good advice, even if the temperatures would argue against a suit and tie. Yet another example of leading with your physical self to condition your mental self into following suit. Despite years of practiced pessimism, it really does work. At least for me, and for the momentary lifting of a mental cloud. It realigns the perspective and thinking, and it tricks you into mentally re-inhabiting those moments when you were decked out and ready to take on the world.

I picked up this day-glo jacket the last time I was in New York, while on a ‘Swan Lake’ extravaganza with Suzie. In January, it looked like we had a whole spring of wardrobe opportunities. Somewhat needless to say, it stayed on its hanger, tags still attached, until I finally used it to brighten an otherwise mundane day when I needed its jolt of happy color. The lavender Brooks Brothers shirt peeking out was a pre-COVID purchase as well, back when I was still dressing decently for weekday office work. Suiting back up already felt foreign, and it struck me how much and how quickly our world has shifted. There was something terrifying in that, and so I pulled an orange bow tie around my neck, hoping to harness the fear, the unknown, the impulse to freak out. Grateful for the fact that bow-ties are supposed to be messy, I didn’t bother retying it, but embraced its wayward style. This was just for me, and this new version of me, forged in the past few months of all sorts of self-improvement endeavors, has come to appreciate the good-enough rather than insisting on the perfect.

That may be the greatest lesson of this year.

“Glamour is something more than what you put on your body. It has to do with the way you carry yourself and the impact you have on others.” ~ Tom Ford

Continue reading ...

Summer Evening by Tom Ford

His exquisite Portofino summer line is my go-to for special summer outings, and Tom Ford has provided the fragrant accompaniment to many an elegant evening. This summer, there aren’t many moments of gathering or excitement, and so I make a moment out of the mundane through the simple application of these products on an otherwise-uneventful night. Memories of the beach in Cape Cod and summer drives along the Thruway, and fancy dinners out for birthdays and anniversaries. In other words, these are the scents of happiness, and on this evening I can reinhabit those lost days and nights. Summer is here, past and present, and it will be again, perhaps in find form. 

Besides, Tom Ford offers great comfort in these perilous times, and in more meaningful manner than might be expected. With the 20th anniversary of the day I met Andy quickly approaching in a few days, I’m reminded of this quote by Mr. Ford: “When you find somebody good, keep them in your life.” Style and substance, with a few grace notes of elegance and love. 

Continue reading ...

Tom Ford from Behind

Not everything that Tom Ford touches turns to olfactory gold. I didn’t care for ‘Lost Cherry‘, I’ve never liked ‘Shanghai Lily’ and I wasn’t a big fan of ‘Rose Prick‘ when I finally got to try it. That meant a Valentine’s Day gift had to fall by the wayside, but Mr. Ford has so many other gorgeous scents there is always room for a do-over.

Over the years, certain Private Blends have started out as non-events for me, then grown into veritable obsessions. Take his very first PB, ‘Tuscan Leather‘. For too long I fought against its opening blast of pure, dirty leather, and for all that time I missed out on the beautiful raspberry dry-down. Only once I gave it a chance did it open for me. (My appreciation for deeper and more complex scents also had to develop a bit which is why if you think you hated something many years ago, I suggest you give it another try. Our tastes develop and change over the years.)

The same thing seems to be happening with both ‘Tobacco Vanille’ and ‘Tobacco Oud’ – both of which were unimpressive to me a couple of years ago, but have since become intriguing and desirable, to the point where either might make a lovely gift. I’ve been on a tobacco kick of late, with its smoky, resinous richness, and the way it embodies memories I’ve likely never had – a tufted leather sofa in a richly-wood-paneled library room, a green-shaded banker’s lamp, a bulky old overwrought desk, and a pipe from which perfumed smoke trails off in mesmerizing fashion. This is all fantasy, comprised from literature and movies and the like – the only actual memory I have of any perfumed pipe is the overweight gruff owner of an aquarium store in Amsterdam, who sat at his counter smoking a pipe while I surveyed clownfish and anemones. Not a bad memory, but nothing very glamourous. In my mind, I melded the beauty of the sea with the scent of a tobacco pipe. When growing up in landlocked upstate New York, these are the fantasies I had. We all come to favored fragrances in different ways, and my path to the two Tom Ford tobacco scents began all those years ago.

That said, I’m also open up to another delicious fragrance outside of the realm of Mr. Ford. In fact, before finding my way back to the ‘Tobacco Vanille’ I was toying with the idea of Frederic Malle’s, ‘Portrait of a Lady’, which is an absolutely exquisite scent. My hesitation in diving right into it stems from the fact that it veers perhaps too dangerously close to ‘Oud Fleur’ which I already have. Avoiding duplication is my new way of reducing expenditures. But if this is a gift, I would never turn it down. ‘Portrait’ carries a powerful rose note that would be lovely for spring leading into summer. We need more of that. And quite frankly, I need a new fragrance if I’m going to make it through this isolation period.

Continue reading ...

The Sniff That Triggers A Memory

One of the main reasons I’ve been obsessed and enthralled with cologne has been its power of summoning remembered experiences. It’s long been believed that scent is the most powerful memory trigger, and in my experience that is most certainly the case. There are certain basic colognes from long ago that bring me back to my youth. Calvin Klein’s ‘Eternity’ provided the background to my late high school days. It was the springboard to a college career of ‘Cool Water’ and ‘Curve’ and ‘Safari’ and ‘Polo Sport’ – and I’m not proud of any of those choices, but to get a whiff of them now brings me back to very specific moments as I crossed from the teen years into my twenties.

For the past decade or two, I like to think that my taste has refined and evolved, thanks to a richer understanding of life events, as well as a bigger pocketbook. My tastes now are dominated by Tom Ford’s Private Blend collection, which have happily provided memory triggers that is actually worth more than their exorbitant price point. There is no price that can be placed on some of these memories. What price could you put on happiness?

A brush with the exquisite ‘Venetian Bergamot’ brings me back to a 40thbirthday celebration in the Judy Garland suite of the Lenox Hotel, where we met a stuffed lion waiting beside a sparkling ruby red slipper. ‘Japon Noir’ is a smoky resinous beast designed for chilly November nights, a selection I usually save for special dinners with our family and Elaine – the pre-cursor to the holidays. Speaking of holidays, ‘Santal Blush‘ and its sandalwood sweetness have annually provided happy memory triggers, redolent of gifts of frankincense and myrrh.

A whiff of ‘Lavender Palm’ instantly conjures summer in the backyard, as mounds of lavender spill onto the pool deck, mixed and mingled with pushy stands of mint – both providing pleasant perfume when working in the area. 

The classic ‘Oud Wood’ is where my TF collection began. It was a gift from Andy, who gifted me many TF objects over the years, but not all. As we prepared for a family vacation in Cape Cod with a Boston stopover, I popped into the Neiman Marcus at Copley Square and purchased ‘Mandarino di Amalfi’ on my own because I loved it so much and could not wait. To this day, whenever I spray some on I think back to that wonderful vacation – our first with the twins – and an image of Andy and Emi lounging on the beach comes immediately to mind. The amber-hued August days in Boston are conjured with a spritz of ‘Rive d’Ambre’ from his line of Asian-inspired fragrances. That was another one that I loved so much I had to have it as soon as I tried it, and after letting it settle on my skin for a couple of hours I went right back in and got it.

Another gift from Andy, ‘Fucking Fabulous’ is actually a softer scent in spite of its brash moniker. I wore it for a couple of Broadway Mother’s Day weekend excursions with Mom, and it still kindles twinkling nights on Broadway, window shopping days at Bergdorf & Goodman, and endless walks up and down Fifth Avenue.

More summer memories were provided with ‘Costa Azzurra‘ which formed the spicy-sweet backdrop to our trip to Rehoboth Beach. The sun was deliciously hot, the waves were thrillingly immense, and the whole vacation – which coincided with another birthday – was an unexpectedly happy surprise. Along those lines was a rare summer visit to Ogunquit, when we knew we would be on the beach, where salt water met sand, smooth rocks glistened in the sun, and the scent of the ocean drifted on the strong breeze. Andy gave me an early anniversary gift of ‘Oud Minerale’ and worked with the salesperson at Bergdorf’s to insure that it reached us by the time we left for Maine. It worked out marvelously – the mineral elements matching the oceanic setting in a glorious bit of alchemy.

Finally, the coconut-tinged ‘Soleil Blanc’ provides one last dose of summer day memories, and this was another purchase I made on my own. The bottle was a steal (for TF prices at least) thanks to my Sephora VIP discount. (Tom Ford Private Blends never go on sale at other places; Sephora is now stocking more of them, and the VIP sales can usually be applied – a helpful hint hidden for those who stuck with this long-winded post until now.) ‘Soleil Blanc’ is summer incarnate – bright in its pure white bottle and golden seal – with the unmistakable nod to sun-tan lotion raised to an elegant echelon and drying down to powdery gorgeousness.

My cologne shelf is a treasure-trove of such fragrances and, more than mere scent, it’s a collection of memories lovely and dear, markers of the paths we have taken over the years, signifiers of all that we’ve gone through. It is a shelf that exists simultaneously in past and present and, if we’re lucky, future – for all that is to come. Every new day is the opportunity for a new memory, coupled with a new scent, waiting to be revisited on cold winter nights when loneliness creeps in through the cracks.

Continue reading ...

Scent of a Prick

When you’ve already released a fragrance called ‘Fucking Fabulous’, the name ‘Rose Prick’ almost feels rather quaint. Of course it’s meant to be more provocative than that, as Tom Ford does so often and so well, but it’s the essence of rose that appeals to me more than the quad-controversial prick part, so let’s get into what I’ve read and heard about this mysterious cock-tease of a scent, and why I so badly desire it even as it’s yet unsniffed. 

Given its powder pink packaging and rose-tinted moniker, I initially didn’t give this one much thought or consideration, especially after the disappointment that was ‘Lost Cherry’. My indifference should have been a warning to me, like a protective thorn, that I should pay closer attention. The world seems to work that way, and once early reports came in indicating that this fragrance was not what it first seemed, I pricked my ears up and listened for the universal whispers. 

My first concern was that this was a redux of ‘Oud Fleur’ which is a rose-centered smoky oud delight, and one of my favorites, and I don’t believe in repeating or approximating Private Blends when they’re so expensive, but I was quickly schooled that this wasn’t anything like ‘Oud Fleur.’ Still, I sought out some excuse not to get into this, and we all know how it goes when you try to resist.

A few online sources provided additional firsthand information – this was not a super floral rose that ventured decidedly into stereotypically feminine territory. If anything, it was a patchouli and tonka-centered oriental take on rose, which is infinitely more appealing to me. Sillage and lasting power were reportedly in full TFPB effect, making this worthy of its price tag. Now I’m thorn, I mean torn, because I really covet this from everything I’ve heard, including the way it carries some serious pepper notes which I absolutely adore. 

I’ll be honest, I was not in the market for another Tom Ford Private Blend – I’ve got enough for life – but this one may delay that judicious decision. The heart wants what it wants as Valentine’s Day approaches…

Continue reading ...

Tom Ford Gets Me, Now Get Me Tom Ford

In the likely event that you haven’t gotten me anything for Christmas yet, here’s a simple post with a single link that will bring you to the only page you need to bookmark for all my gift-wishes to come true. It’s the Tom Ford underwear page, where any of the offerings will go beautifully with me. Of course, I am particularly partial to all things pink and fuchsia and leopard. As these all run extremely big, anything in a size small will work, and if you send them my way I will work them for you. Here’s the page. Let’s get to it. 

 

Continue reading ...

Tom Ford in Pink & Fuchsia

Holiday gift idea alert!

Tom Ford just added two of my favorite colors to his underwear line and just in time for the Christmas gift-giving season: fuchsia and pink. I was going to go for the boxer briefs since it’s almost winter, but at this price point I’ll allow for the briefs since it shaves some dollars off. Size small will work, as these run extra big, and I’m doing my best to lose a few pounds. This would be the ultimate incentive. Again, first choice is fuchsia, second is pale pink. I’ll even take them in red if the pink shades are gone. See, I’m totally flexible. {Order here.}

Continue reading ...

The Cozy Season in Scents of Amber

Its resinous richness redolent of its namesake, ‘Amber Absolute‘ by Tom Ford is the perfect smoldering scent to greet the deep days of the fall season. I have a perfumed pathway that leads from September to December thanks to Mr. Ford and his Private Blends. It begins with the incense-like ‘Vert D’Encens‘ from his Vert line – the perfect September scent that carries some lingering sweetness from summer into fall. Those transition times are tricky, but the Vert series deftly straddles the shifting line of demarcation. After that, October brings the heat of ‘Amber Absolute’ – when fall is at its most radiant, when the forest leaves are on fire, and when the final warm days of the year release their splendor like it’s their very last show (because it is).

When October goes and November rears its cruel gray head, something smoky and dramatic is needed, which I find in the bracing ‘Japon Noir‘ – a dark shade of soapy night decadence that sparkles in the early blackness of evening. That’s a difficult one for day-wear, but I don’t mind subjecting the office to such a heart of darkness once in a while.

December calls for something special, with the celebratory spirit of the holidays when we need something to brighten the darkest and shortest days of the year. ‘Tuscan Leather‘ and ‘Santal Blush’ are the pair of unlikely sweethearts to see us through those holidays – the former with its smoky sweetness and the latter with its sandalwood opulence. Together they seduce the sense of smell, whispering and gently tugging at all those who follow in their sillage.

As we careen through autumn at full-throttle speed, I’m grateful for such small delights to ease the cooler days and nights. An embrace of cologne can be better than a hug, if you’re as cold as me.

Continue reading ...