By Designer

Ombre Leather Parfum by Tom Ford

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Ombre Leather Eau de Parfum is one of my favorite entries from the Tom Ford line. When the brand released a 2021 Parfum version, I was really intrigued at giving it a try. Well, I’ve been testing it out and am now ready to post my review to the site. How does it smell? Is it as good?

What does Ombre Leather Parfum Smell Like?

Notes include: leather, violet leaf, jasmine, orris, cedar, tobacco

Click here to try: Ombre Leather Parfum

My Full Review

Here’s how Tom Ford describes it: OMBRÉ LEATHER PARFUM INTENSIFIES THE ORIGINAL SCENT, FUSING HEATED LEATHER FLORALS WITH WOODS–CAPTURING THE UNBRIDLED SENSUALITY OF THE AMERICAN WEST.

Well, I don’t think there’s anything any more intense about Parfum versus the EDP. Actually, that one starts and finishes with a heavier boldness.

Parfum isn’t as warm and doesn’t have that cardamom spice up top. Instead, we get a lighter and cooler aroma at first versus EDP.

The violet leaf note really sets the tone. Watery to an extent, with its greenish floral aroma, giving the leather a cleaner feeling than the somewhat earthy example of the EDP.

Cedar, jasmine, and the orris note also come into the picture. The jasmine note won’t be as prominent as in the original, but it still does a lot next to the more dominant violet leaf.

Yes, the orris note is present. It gives Parfum whiffs of a light powdery smell, but really not too heavy.

This is fresher and never has that same dryness. Cedar bolsters the base and a general woodiness just sits underneath the leather and violet leaf.

Tobacco is a newer addition to this. Again, another light note that adds some sweetness and an overall smoother experience.

In the end, it does become dominated by the leather. If EDP was an older, beat up type of leather, this is a brand new jacket.

Leather, the violet leaf/jasmine combo, and woods. That’s the dry down, on me.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

With the longevity here, I still get the same 9-11 hours total on skin, like the EDP. But, whereas that gives me 6-8 hours of strong wear before become a skin scent. Parfum will go 5-6 and then be much softer.

The performance is by no means bad, but on my skin it is actually a slight step back from the original.

Seasonally, Ombre Leather Parfum is still mostly in the autumn and winter camp. Though, it has much more of an ability to be a late springtime wear versus the original. It’s lighter style is beneficial in that environment, holding up better in the heat.

Also, while both are unisex fragrances. Parfum is much more universal in its wear-ability. The original can be earthier and more animalic. With the violet leaf here, plus the lack of intensity from the cardamom and patchouli notes of the original.

This is an attractive scent. Good for nightlife. But, just know that not everyone appreciates the smell of leather, so it isn’t going to be universally beloved.

Overall Impressions of Ombre Leather Parfum

Overall, do I like Ombre Leather Parfum? I do. It shares plenty of overlap with the original, but takes things in a bit of a different direction.

I was worried about the leather and violet leaf before trying this. It could’ve veered more into the Fahrenheit by Dior direction, which isn’t a bad scent, but not one of my favorites.

This is a cleaner representation of the leather, actually can be a bit suede like. There is some tobacco and orris which gives it a smoother finish. Not all that powdery, but there is just a hint at times.

The jasmine that I loved in the EDP is also still here. Now, it splits weight with the violet leaf, which is just isn’t as good as the original.

Ombre Leather Parfum is a lighter version of this fragrance and probably will have a greater appeal in that regard.

Personally, I don’t like the smell of this one as much as the EDP. It’s still up there, just a notch below the eau de parfum.

Performance is also very good. So, which Ombre Leather you should go with is going to boil down to your personal taste, and not anything glaringly wrong with either. Softer, semi-aquatic suede? Or heavier earthier leather?

Paris-Riviera by Chanel

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Les Eaux de Chanel is a newer series of fragrances from the famous French design house. I’ve tested out the first five from the line and have been posting my reviews of each. Today, it is going to be my thoughts on Paris-Riviera. How does it smell? How long does it last? Is it worth a try?

What does Paris-Riviera Smell Like?

Notes include: orange, neroli, petitgrain, sandalwood, jasmine, musk, benzoin

Click here to try: Paris-Riviera by Chanel

My Full Review

Here’s how Chanel describes it: A fresh, solar fragrance that evokes the carefree charm of the French Riviera, where Gabrielle Chanel built her villa, La Pausa.

Paris-Riviera starts off with a burst of zesty citrus and neroli. The citrus is mostly made up of orange, but I do detect a bit of the bergamot note, the designer seems to use in other perfumes.

The zest of that citrus is joined by the dominant neroli note and petitgrain. Both of which have their own citrus aromas and the green freshness of the petitgrain also plays a big role at this early stage.

This one isn’t sweet. The fragrance does have more of a bitter orange aroma, especially during the latter part that the citrus sticks around.

Paris-Riviera does remind me a lot of the array of Tom Ford summertime fragrances, that utilize neroli. So, could serve as an alternative to those who are fans of those scents.

It’s not too heavy or sharp, but has a fresh and clean energetic kind of aroma to it. The jasmine note does come in for me, taking over the neroli as the heavier weighting, but early it’s about the neroli. Though, it’s never too lopsided either way.

The jasmine will be joined by a general muskiness and benzoin note, which gives this some resinous highlights during the dry down. Paris-Riviera becomes less about zesty citrus and more of a soapy and indeed drier perfume.

Jasmine, sandalwood, neroli, and that benzoin/muskiness. Sandalwood really seems to make a late push with this and Riviera ends up being a woody floral…not wholly the citrus floral, that started things out.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Sillage wise, this one is pretty moderate. Probably on the lighter side of the moderate spectrum. Though, I think that it has a fairly strong peak in the beginning. With normal sprays, you should get a little scent trail from it.

On the whole, I found it to be just fine during testing. Noticeable, while note being particularly in your face about it.

Paris-Riviera seems to hit the 4-6 foot mark, in terms of how far it will project off of my skin. Not bad, but this isn’t a powerhouse.

The longevity is in the 6-7 hour range. Again, not spectacular, but solid and pretty useful for this style of perfume. Really about what the other Les Eaux fragrances give you in terms of hours of wear.

Seasonally, this is spring and summer all the way. Clean, fresh, and upbeat with bright aroma in the early stages.

It does have pretty good versatility within that seasonal context. It’s much much more of a daytime sort of fragrance. Casual, semi-formal, or work is fine.

It’s a pleasant aroma, but not something that is going to be wildly attractive or sexy. Not really a Chanel that is built for the nightlife.

Overall Impressions of Paris-Riviera

Overall, do I like Paris-Riviera? I do like it. It’s not a love for me, but I find it to be an enjoyable enough perfume. As of now, I’d rank it as my fourth favorite from the Les Eaux de Chanel line of scents.

I thought that I might like this one more than I actually do, going into the testing. It’s a fine fragrance, probably a bit too expensive based on what you get with Chanel prices. Likeable and certainly nothing offensive even amid the periods of greater intensity.

The opening might be a mixed back for some people. It can have a cleaner-like aroma, but I don’t find it to be too off-putting. The citrus is the usual Chanel fare, with the petitgrain and neroli too, it might overwhelm some folks.

However, the dry down is particularly nice. Soft and low key. But, the sandalwood and benzoin mixing with a more balanced floral presentation works well for this perfume.

Good performance for a summer scent, just don’t expect anything amazing. That being said, this is a good Chanel perfume, just not a top tier option. So, you may not want to pay their prices just to own it.

Paris-Riviera isn’t a must have, but certainly worth a try, if this sounds like it could fit your personal style.

Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet vs. Absolutely Blooming

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For this edition of the head to head fragrance match ups, I am going to turn my attention once again to some women’s perfumes. The two entries today are both from Christian Dior’s Miss Dior line of scents: Absolutely Blooming vs. Blooming Bouquet. Which one of these flanker fragrances, smells the best? Has the better performance? Is the better buy?

Tale of the Tape

Blooming Bouquet

Notes include: Calabrian bergamot, peony, Damsacus rose, musk, and more

Click here to try: Christian Dior Miss Blooming Bouquet Eau de Toilette Spray for Women, 1.7 Ounce

Read my review: Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet

Absolutely Blooming

Notes include: rose, peony, musk, pink pepper, black currant, and red berries

Click here to try: Christian Dior Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming Women’s Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.4 Ounce

Read my review: Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming

Opening

Absolutely Blooming starts out with a blend of pomegranate, raspberry, and white musk. It has a juicy delectable sweetness, a cheerful disposition, with a hint of musk. It is pretty powerful from the start.

The peony will be the strongest floral to first emerge from the mix. Then, the rose note will come on stronger, later in the wear.

Meanwhile, Blooming Bouquet, starts with citrus bergamot and a floral accord headed by peony. This Dior is actually quite beautiful and the bergamot is such an interesting note when contrasted with peony and some rose.

The peony is also stronger at first in Blooming. Rose never fully takes over, but it has some balance later.

Which is better? I really do think Blooming is great. However, Absolutely Blooming, is a step ahead with the strong fruity notes that smell fantastic from the start. It’s not way better, but enough to get the nod.

Edge: Absolutely 

Projection

Absolutely Blooming is a strong fragrance, as I wrote above. It starts off with a bang, tones down as it moves along, but is strong throughout the wear. Great sillage.

Blooming Bouquet is a much softer scent. It isn’t weak but is just a soft and airy style. Never has the same power as Absolutely.

Absolutely just radiates off of the skin more, can leave a scent trail, and let’s its presence be known much more than Blooming.

Edge: Absolutely

Longevity

Blooming Bouquet, while a light perfume, does last for a fairly long time. I got 7 hours of wear out of it, on my skin.

While that’s nice, Absolutely Blooming is one that can go for over 10 hours with that strong sillage.

For me during testing, it wasn’t even a close contest between how long each of these lasts on skin.

Edge: Absolutely

Versatility

Both of these scents share a lot of commonalities, in when they are appropriate to wear. They both have a spring/summer vibe. Both are good for work or casual situations. Both are very attractive.

However, Absolutely Blooming is sexier, and has better ability to double as a nightlife fragrance. Blooming Bouquet is very pretty and delicious, but it isn’t really a sexy kind of perfume.

Edge: Absolutely

Overall Scent

Yes, it’s a clean sweep for Absolutely Blooming, but I don’t want people to get the idea that Bouquet is a bad scent. It’s actually very good, just not when compared, to its counterpart.

It is very fresh with that bergamot/floral opening before transitioning with the help of a light musk note.

Then, it becomes more floral, when the bergamot fades. What you’re left with is peony and rose and a lovely fragrance overall. It’s the third best Miss Dior.

Absolutely Blooming is just a great fragrance and my favorite from this line of perfumes. It is simple and similar to Bouquet, with the rose and peony. However, it also has a surprisingly well done black currant, that isn’t too sharp or sour.

Plus, it keeps the fruit juiciness throughout, even when the floral notes grow in strength. It’s just better across the board.

Winner: Absolutely Blooming

Dylan Turquoise vs Blue by Versace

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Versace released its Dylan Blue series for men and women more than a handful of years ago now. On the women’s side, they followed it up with Dylan Turquoise, which share similarities with the initial release. The question is, which perfume is better? Lasts longer? Is the better buy, between them?

Tale of the Tape: Dylan Blue Femme vs. Turquoise

Dylan Blue

Notes include: blackcurrant, apple sorbet, styrax, wild blooms, musk, white woods, patchouli

Click here to try: Dylan Blue Pour Femme

Dylan Turquoise

Notes include: mandarin essence, lemon, pink pepper, blackcurrant, jasmine, freesia, guava, cedar, vibrant woods, and musk

Click here to try: Dylan Turquoise by Versace

My Full Review: Dylan Turquoise Review

Opening

Dylan Blue begins with its black currant and apple notes in full swing. It’s sharp, fruity, and already fresh from the accompanying notes. Very much a body wash or shampoo-like aroma.

Blue is joined by floral notes including forget me not, jasmine, and a mix of others. It becomes a slightly sweeter perfume after the initial spray.

Turquoise starts off with it’s own sharp blend, that also includes that black currant note. But, it also comes across as more aquatic and a bit tropical versus Dylan Blue.

Orange, lemon, and guava accompany the black currant. The apple note isn’t here and the black currant is reduced.

Which is better? I like the start of Turquoise a little more than Blue. The guava is short-lived but that and the watery aroma with the citrus gives this one a nice beginning.

Blue isn’t bad, but I don’t enjoy the opening to the same extent.

Edge: Turquoise

Projection

Turquoise starts off leaving a moderate scent trail with a decent projection off of the skin. After that first hour or so, it’s much lighter and will only project a few feet from where you sprayed it.

Dylan Blue follows a pretty similar path to Turquoise, except that it has a bit higher peak in its strength early on. So, with Blue you’ll have a higher level of projection for slightly longer.

It takes this category.

Edge: Blue

Longevity

The longevity of Turquoise only hits about 5-6 hours, on my skin. It’s not great in this department, but also not absolutely terrible. Performance on the whole, is just okay.

With Dylan Blue Femme, it is about the same. It will hit the same 6 hour mark, but doesn’t seem to go beyond that at all for me.

This category is a draw.

Edge: Push

Versatility

These two basically exist in the same space. Both are best served as spring and summer wears.

Neither is very formal or built for nightlife. More clean and fresh daily wears. Think casual or just an easy grab that you don’t need to put much thought into.

I don’t really see a clear winner here.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

So, this is a very close matchup between these two Versace perfumes. I have to say that, I’m not entirely in love with either, but they’re both pretty good fragrances.

With Turquoise, I like it’s opening act. It’s more tolerable to me and the guava and aquatic touches is something that I gravitate towards.

After that, there is some muskiness and spice. But, overall its a fresh citrus, floral, and woody combination. Freesia and just a general sharp/sweet fruitiness with a cedar base.

The dry down doesn’t particularly excite me and the performance is basic.

With Dylan Blue Pour Femme, I don’t like the opening as much, but I think that the latter stages are better than that of Turquoise.

Yes, it is sharper at first, but it will settle down into a more sweet floral freshness. The cleanliness is much more approachable after the opening act, with a good mix of the floral notes and a musky quality.

Sure, soapy clean, but it is an attractive fragrance. During the entire wear, it is better than Turquoise, even if that has a better opening.

All things considered, I’d give a very slight win to Dylan Blue.

Winner: Blue

4 Best Smelling Taylor Swift Perfumes

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Taylor Swift is a massive star in the world of music and has begun to expand outside of that realm and lend her name to certain products including fragrances. She has released several perfumes at a very inexpensive pricing point that are geared towards younger women and teenagers. For this list, I will present four of the best choices that are available thus far by Taylor Swift.

What are the Best Taylor Swift Perfumes?

Best Overall T. Swift Fragrance

Taylor by Taylor Swift – Made of Starlight Musical Jewlery Box w/ 3.4 FL. OZ. Taylor Perfume- Soft floral notes meet with apricot and peach to create a subtle, pretty, and youthful fragrance. Made of Starlight does lean much more towards the fruity side of things, with a nice sweetness, highlighted by the aforementioned notes and some passion fruit.

This is a flanker fragrance to the original ‘Taylor’ by Taylor Swift. However, the sequel is definitely an improvement over that initial release. The juiciness of the fruits, along with orange blossom, make this one a definite wear for the warmer months of the year.

Overall, I think that this is the best fragrance from Taylor. It’s not head and shoulders above the rest, but it has enough strong points, to give Made of Starlight the edge. Not super heavy, but has pretty good longevity.

Most Popular/Best Seller

Taylor Swift Women’s Wonderstruck Eau De Parfum Spray, 3.4 Fluid Ounce–The original Taylor Swift perfume. Wonderstruck is a fruity sweet gourmand fragrance that is warmed by notes of vanilla, amber, and musk. Smooth, light, and fresh.

Wonderstruck keeps the sweet theme of Taylor Swift fragrances going. It opts for the berry route. Blackberry and raspberry highlight the opening act, with a somewhat cold and less juicy aroma, than the other options on the list.

The drydown becomes much more of the usual amber and vanilla affair, found in so many fragrances. However, the tea note, really helps to give it a slightly unique edge. This is an easy and enjoyable wear, that gives you plenty of value for a low price.

Most Unique Scent

Taylor Swift Incredible Things Eau de Parfum Spray, 1.7 Ounce-  Vanilla, woodsy notes, and musk. A sweet but not too sweet offering with earthy undertones. Incredible Things goes against the fruitiness of the other perfumes here, but does have some tropical hints, at times.

What is interesting, is the inclusion of a suede note. When blended with vanilla and musk, it becomes very smooth, with a powdery finish. Those notes really come into their own, later on. At first, the passion flower is pretty noticeable, but never stands out as the most powerful note.

Incredible Things is very balanced with a great musky/suede finish in the latter stages. Nice performance, but not a complete bomb.

Best Winter Perfume

Taylor Swift Enchanted Wonderstruck Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 3.4 Ounce- A sweeter and more fruity version of Wonderstruck with notes of berries and sugar to go along with the floral and vanilla notes. More towards the floral/berry side of the spectrum than the original.

It opens up with passion fruit and that blend of berry notes. The latter smell really fantastic and the opening is a sweet and juicy affair, with the floral notes initially taking a back seat. Peony and poppy flower, do start to seep into the composition more and more, as time moves on.

Later, the vanilla and some musk becomes a part of the draw. Mostly, Wonderstruck Enchanted is a fruity floral perfume with enough vanilla, to keep it from being a summertime scent. The longevity and overall performance of this perfume is very good for the price point. Wonderstruck Enchanted Full Review