The opening of Oud Fleur has a bit of that pissy oud funk the Western synthetic oud materials from Firmenich and Givaudan like to implement, aka "civet oud" if you really want to get down to it. The sadly-discontinued Dior Leather Oud (2010) used it best, and I missed the boat on that one, so anywhere else it appears with few exceptions just makes me upset that it isn't done as well, and with Oud Fleur, it fades into saffron after some time. Cardamom, damask rose, pimento, davana, and dates seem to come in next, offering a bit of dried fruity spiciness with the rose oud blend, before things peter out into pedestrian patchouli and benzoin with the Tom Ford "raspberry leather" accord the house clearly overuses. The brand seems to think castoreum is in this perfume, but I get none unless it is so micro-dosed as to not matter. Caron Yatagan (1974) or Bogart One Man Show (1980) this is not. By the end of it, we get what is basically fruity synthetic oud/rose/patchouli soup that has been done way better and way more boldly than Yann Vasnier did it here, and cheaper too. Performance is average, and best use is pretty much when you want because this is still a rose oud out of context for most situations. Projection will be very loud at first, as Tom Ford private blends tend to be front-loaded to sell at the counter, but afterwards things begin falling apart into a single one-two base accord. Tobacco Oud opens on my skin with a burst of amber and labdanum, then hints of tobacco and oud. For those of you who may mistake the two, labdanum and amber have very different smells. As one perfume nose told me in her studio, labdanum is “real amber,” while “amber” is often the compilation of various other notes to create that overall impression. Labdanum has a very particular, completely unique aroma that is dark, slightly dirty, very nutty and toffee’d with subtle, underlying nuances of honey, beeswax, musk, and/or something a bit leathery. It is almost always a deeper, richer, denser, stronger, darker aroma that is less soft, creamy, and cuddly than regular, lighter “amber.”

If you're expecting just another "rose/oud" candidate from Oud Fleur (something the majority of comments and statements here would lead you to expect), you're mistaken. Oud Fleur finds a completely different approach to this already worn out topic. A juicy, completely dark and mysterious rose enters the ring, which wants to fight a battle with the spicy oud. So at least the first impression.Currently I have a couple of the Private Blend Collection offerings by Tom Ford which are Arabian Wood and Oud Wood. I did sniff out the Fleur Oud at Saks 5th Ave. Its alright. For me it did not have that "buy me now" appeal. You should, however, listen to the die-hard Oud Wood and Amber Absolute fan when she tells you that Tobacco Oud won’t satisfy your oud itch, and that it won’t measure up to Oud Wood or Amber Absolute for anyone who is truly passionate about either fragrance. I couldn’t agree more. Tobacco Oud isn’t a bad perfume, but, as this discussion should make clear, it’s incredibly generic and wholly unoriginal.

Stars on 45″…. hahaha, that was EXACTLY what was in my head, Jordan! Exactly! Re. Oud Wood, I think that that perfume — along with a number of the older TF’s — is in a whole new class from the new ones. Very different in heft, weight, depth, body and power. He’s changed his style, or, rather, I should say Estee Lauder may seem to want something else from his new perfumes. Whoever is behind it, the bottom line is that coming out with EIGHT PERFUMES IN A SINGLE YEAR can only have a bad impact on the result. One simply doesn’t have the time to focus and develop the scents. Yann Vasnier worked on two of the ones from this year. In the old days, houses like Dior, YSL or Guerlain would take years and years for a single perfume release. Oud Fleur, as a whole, has one major problem that runs through Tom Ford's entire Prive Blend line. The naming. Really, this fragrance is not floral in my eyes. Sure, it has a floral approach due to the rose, which becomes one of the main components over time. But the entire fragrance is so much more trimmed towards spices and oud by its make that the epithet "Fleur" should have been left out here. "Oud Spice" would have been a better and more appropriate name for this fragrance. At home sprayed on me boomed first of all a huge load of spiced oud. Some speak of associations with Tom Ford's London - and these are also absolutely not to be dismissed, even if the cumin (fortunately) is completely absent here and instead cardamom and coriander are to be perceived. Above all, however, the oud is here the tone-setting unit, which makes this fragrance seem extremely loud, strong and masculine in the first moment. Introducing Tom Ford Oud Fleur Eau de Parfum 100ml, an opulent fragrance that embodies timeless elegance and exotic allure.

Sandalwood give the fragrance in the drydown a wonderfully adult, profound and confessed character, which clearly distinguishes the Oud Fleur from all other oud-rose combinations. Completely detached, down-to-earth and sophisticated appears the wonderful combination of rough, spicy, edgy oud with the juicy, dark and dirty rose after the sandalwood brings the fragrance the necessary creaminess, smoothness and calmness into play. The opening of Oud Fleur is much about the oud, at least to my nose. What I do get is a pretty strong use of sandalwood, but mainly rose, with a very resinous amber. That’s a positive for me, as I enjoy sandalwood and amber, more so than oud. The Middle East’s Damascus Rose heritage is evoked with a blend of Rose Bulgaria ORPUR, Rose Absolute Morocco and Rose Absolute Turkey ORPUR, said to combine fresh petal, nectar and stem-like scent signatures.