Cosmic Swirls Beige” by Jeannie Atwater &Jordan Allen at fineartamerica.com http://fineartamerica.com/featured/cosmic-swirls-beige-jeannie-atwater-jordan-allen.html

Other key ingredients include roasted Tonka organic absolute, coumarin, sandalwood, amber, cistus oil, cistus absolute, cedarwood Atlas ORPUR, patchouli and castoreum. 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. Years ago, there was once an article about Generation Z, there titled "Generation Maybe", and was about the fact that this generation Maybe has lost itself in the either-or, can not decide, has no answer to any question, would not like to commit. I think Oud Fleur is a pretty, pleasant fragrance that has some wonderful creamy bits and can be quite lovely at times. It is more complicated than a simple, small application would lead you to believe, and veers from being sweet, sexy and feminine, to being quite cozy in an elegant manner. However, at heart, it’s really a misnamed fragrance that is more a light fruity-floral with spices and some generic woods than an actual oud fragrance. If I’m to be honest, I think Oud Fleur is very pretty, but somewhat over-priced for a fragrance that isn’t very distinctive. I also think those expecting a true agarwood perfume, or something with the heavy, woody richness of Oud Wood will be sorely disappointed. The same applies to anyone seeking a very masculine or true oud. This is not Xerjoff or Amouage territory!

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That said, my dear friend has what I affectionately call “unicorn skin,” because she gets longevity from all fragrances to a degree that is simply unique. I’ve never seen numbers (from anyone!) like what she regularly gets from a single, tiny, split spray of perfume. (Any perfume, any brand — doesn’t make a difference.) She’s in a whole other territory, beyond even “glue skin,” and verging on something completely epic. It fills me with the deepest envy, but it also requires me to caution you that you should not take her longevity numbers as the typical norm. According to CaFleureBon, Oud Fleur was created by Yann Vasnier of Givaudan who has made a number of fragrances for Tom Ford. The perfume’s notes on Fragrantica are extremely limited: Only in the course then the rose comes out with me. No soft, bright but a somewhat coarse and slightly "dirty" rose. Paired with this oud accord from the opening of the fragrance, this becomes a very spicy composition, which is completed in the drydown by earthy patchouli. Ten minutes in, other nuances appear under the top notes. There is a whiff of something floral, something almost rose-like, but it’s very minor at first. Much more noticeable is the subtle aroma of burnt beeswax, along with the merest suggestion of a darkened leather coated with honey. Both are side-effects of the labdanum. My skin tends to amplify the note, but it also makes patchouli act like a bullhorn a lot of the times, and Tobacco Oud is no exception. It takes the patchouli and runs with it, bringing out a definite syrupy, fruited, almost fruit-chouli like sweetness. Less than 30 minutes into Tobacco Oud’s development, the patchouli merges into the floral note to create a jammy rose sweetness that completely overwhelms the tobacco. I’ll be honest, I was a bit baffled, but, clearly, it’s the patchouli at play and, as usual, my skin wreaks havoc with it. Tobacco Oud is standing in front of the hearth and warming your hands, a brief respite from the cool outdoors. Amber Absolute is curling up in a luxurious blanket in your favorite chair and settling in for the night.

Introducing Tom Ford Oud Fleur Eau de Parfum 100ml, an opulent fragrance that embodies timeless elegance and exotic allure. 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. To give you an idea of the debate and divergence in opinion, here are some snippets from Fragrantica: 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.

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Oud Fleur is of course, another unisex scent from Tom Ford. This one does lean much more feminine, in my opinion. Wearing it was closer to a standard female perfume experience, than any male cologne of the market. That being said, it could still be worn, by anybody. Just be aware beforehand, what you’re getting. There is an underlying spice which peaks through the composition, during the entire wear, but really feels at its strongest in the opening act. Most of that, is the patchouli note, though some of it is due to the wood notes interacting and the amber. 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.