Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille and Parfumerie Generale L’Ombre Fauve

Maybe it’s exhaustion from the recent (and ongoing) 24/7 roller-coaster jitterbug of the economic news cycle, but today I found myself pawing through my box of unsniffed treasures for scents that might travel the path of warm comfort more than engage in a display of mental gymnastics, and that’s why I dug out Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille and Parfumerie Generale’s L’Ombre Fauve.

Both fragrances exhibit a sweetness at their base that makes them easy to like and easy to wear, while the rest of their listed scent notes could be considered Perfumery 101 material (i.e. Familiar Smells that are Guaranteed to Please).

Take TOM FORD TOBACCO VANILLE, for instance: what’s more familiar and soothing than the nostalgia of pipe tobacco and the sugarland express of vanilla? Mix them both together, toss in some cocoa and dried fruits with a little bit of log-fire woods, and you have a resulting blend that could easily pass for a bottle of holiday cheer.

But don’t just take my word for it — Patty at Perfume Posse writes that “It finds a lovely balance between the gorgeous tobacco and the other notes quickly in the drydown and truly smells like a slightly sweet pipe tobacco . . . If you have a favorite memory in your life of a beloved that smelled like rich pipe tobacco (my dad did), you will adore this smell” while Marina at Perfume Smellin’ Things states, “Tobacco and vanilla go wonderfully well together, and in this particular fragrance the balance of the two accords is perfect. The scent is neither too smoky, nor too fluffy and sweet . . . The drydown of sugared prunes and soft wood is a cuddly delight.”

I ordinarily prefer my tobacco scents a lot drier and dustier, but today, Tobacco Vanille is as soothing as a storybook ending. Both men and women could wear this fragrance, though its spicy-sweet nature would likely suit a female audience better.

PARFUMERIE GENERALE L’OMBRE FAUVE is earthier in its approach, but just as easy on the soul. While I’ve run afoul of Parfumerie Generale in the past, when they score with me, they score big, and L’Ombre Fauve is a winner on my grand comfort-scent scale. I mean, with a scent guide that lists amber, musk, woods, incense and patchouli, how could it miss?

Deep, richly musky and with a lightly sugared, cocoa-dusted patchouli that’s just sharp enough to dig its hooks into my heart, L’Ombre Fauve is like a slightly melancholy French pop song that, when I can close my eyes, I can pretend was written just for me.

Thanks, Pierre Guillaume — you’re my new Idol!

While Tobacco Vanille is a much lighter, fruitier fragrance than L’Ombre Fauve, it’s like the difference between a freshly baked apple cobbler and a warm fudge brownie — do I prefer the warm fudge brownie (L’Ombre Fauve)? Why, yes I do! Would I say no to the freshly baked apple cobbler (Tobacco Vanille)? Why, no I wouldn’t!

Just pray you don’t get between me and the tray full of fudge brownies, though, okay? I have an appetite for dark chocolate that rivals the hounds of hell . . .

UPDATE:

Since we’re already on the subject of tobacco, here are some photos below of the bottle for Social Creatures Rebel Ambush — an almost all-natural (98%) fragrance crafted by U.K perfumer Russell Newell. It has a light and dusty tobacco-spice character: