Tom Ford Eau de Parfum is a simpler, more linear perfume that embraces and accentuates the sweetness of fresh roses with the rosy, citrusy aroma of peonies. It has a more citrusy floral quality to it for the first half hour to an hour before being mostly a sweet, somewhat jammy rose and peony mix. In the middle, there was a sharper, clean musk that coupled with the rose but this was smoothed out about two hours in. The drydown was slightly sweet and more resinous over a bed of roses.
It is described as a “decadent, untamed rose” that contrasts with “Chinese peony” and the “smoky carnality of cistus absolute and myrrh.” Here are the notes:
- top notes: Chinese peony
- heart notes: rose
- base notes: myrrh, labdanum
Scent Development
It opened with soft, sweet citrusy florals; the peony was in fully bloom is lush, pink petals that were a little bit spicy, sweet, and fresh. The subtle, citrusy undertone of the peony lifted the rose, which was fragrant and wafted sweet rose into the air, though it wasn’t overly sweet or jammy–just fresh, just blooming roses in the garden.
The sweet, jammy qualities of the rose came through more noticeably after 20 minutes of settling on my skin. There was still a clean, freshy aspect that lingered from the peony but it was definitely a rose-driven scent at this point in the wear. At times, it smelled almost like laundry detergent, it was that clean, but it was somewhat sharp to my nose, too, which made it less pleasant to wear. From a distance, the sweet florals rose over the clean undertone, but closer-up, it was brasher.
After an hour and a half, the laundry-like clean musk diffused to a moderate level, so it was left sharp and the sweet, slightly jammy rose settled over it with a hint of peony.
Application
For testing, I used two sprays to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise.
Longevity
It lasted for eight hours until it was a skin-scent and about 14 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were moderate with noticeable drops after three hours of wear.
Personal Thoughts
The way the clean musk translated on my skin was sharper and tickled my nose (and not in a good way!), and I’m thankful it didn’t last for the entirety of the perfume’s wear, it was a significant part of its development and character. I definitely found that Rose de Russie (and the original Rose Prick) to be my preferred picks for the brand’s rose-centered Private Blends.