Balsams & Resins: 32 posts

Tom Ford must love Guerlain Habit Rouge with a passion, because we have already seen its incarnation in Private Blend Bois Rouge, and now in Tom Ford Noir. You can compare this fragrance to others perfumes in Ford’s collection or to a dozen other plush orientals, but you only need to smell Habit Rouge for everything to fall into place. From the fizzy citrus top notes to the leather, tonka bean and vanilla inlaid drydown, Tom Ford Noir wears its Guerlinade well.

But Tom Ford Noir isn’t a boring copycat; it’s polished and well-crafted–Tom Ford is known for putting plenty of money into his perfumes–with enough darkness to satisfy most fans of rich, oriental notes. Women who love Guerlain Shalimar and all things “noir” should disregard Ford’s male oriented marketing and try the new fragrance. As much as I want to say that one Habit Rouge is enough, kudos to Tom Ford for taking such a classical idea and launching it as a mainstream fragrance. In contrast to the classical but dull Tom Ford for Men, Tom Ford Noir has plenty of drama.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

The concept behind Annick Goutal Nuit Étoilée—”a starry night” in a reference to Van Gogh’s masterpiece–is so alluring that the idea alone should be enough to make me fall in love with the perfume. Add to this the signature Goutal bottle tinted sapphire blue, and Nuit Étoilée becomes even more irresistible. But while wearing this fragrance over the past couple of weeks, I’ve realized much to my regret that it doesn’t click for me. I enjoy some elements of Nuit Étoilée—the green musky sweetness, the delicious roasted almond of tonka beans, the sheer jasmine interlude, but admiring something on the blotter is not the same as wearing it on your skin. It evokes neither the moonlit forest nor the shimmering stars—it shuts me out of its dream world.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Usually I steer clear of any fragrance named “Candy,” given my unfortunate experiences with Aquolina Pink Sugar and other high-calorie gourmands. However, Prada Candy had a few things going for it: I generally very much enjoy Prada’s aesthetic, and I love the refined work of Daniela Roche-Andrier, the perfumer responsible for many fragrances in the line. She tends to render her accords as luminous and sparkling, and this radiant quality permeates Prada Candy. Although it explores rich materials like caramel, vanilla and sweet resins, Candy lives up to its name by conveying a dainty, luscious confection.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

L’Air du Désert Marocain created by the Swiss perfumer Andy Tauer is a great illustration of the affinity between amber and patchouli. The two notes both have contrasting and complementary facets, and while their marriage is fascinating, arriving at the right balance is tricky. In L’Air du Désert Marocain, the harmony is quite striking—the resinous darkness of labdanum is wrapped around the chocolate bitterness of patchouli, with accents of woods and spices lending the composition a radiant quality.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

One of my best olfactory memories this winter has been catching a whiff of Tonka Impériale on a scarf as I walked through the snowy streets of the city. Leathery and sweet, it was like a soft, tender veil against the cold, making me feel warm and comforted. Originally, I did not find this addition to Guerlain’s L’Art et la Matiere collection particularly interesting. It struck me as a sketch of Shalimar, essentially just an accord, rather than a complete perfume. Yet, I found that on skin Tonka Impériale is an absolute delight—it forms a beautiful, intimate aura of leather, almond praline and tobacco.

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