Bitter Peach by Tom Ford

 

Photosource: Fragrantica.com



Tom Ford fragrances have always caught my eye due to their amazing bottle design - it is sleek, minimal and looks luxurious. Everytime I would pass the stand with all the amazing fragrances, I would take a sniff of all the ones I could get my hands on. Years ago, I would wonder whether I should ask for a sample, but I would pass that opportunity, because I knew I wouldn't be able to afford the perfume - I didn't dare to fall in love with one, or even more.

It has been a couple of years since I have fully invested my interest in fragrances, but for some reason I would never dive into the house of Tom Ford, because anytime I did, I always ended up disappointed.

~

After trying some of the most popular Tom Ford fragrances, I asked for a newer launch, Bitter Peach, last time I visited the stand. I have been swarming around Lost Cherry for some time, but each time I visited the local Tom Ford stand, I was left disappointed and empty-handed, because they were always out. I asked for the equally fruity cousin, Bitter Peach, or so I thought.

~

Bitter Peach is nothing like Lost Cherry and its pungent, realistic and juicy scent of cherries. 
It opens with a soap-like quality, it is quite boring, really. A floral note is just as prominent as the peach, which is not saying much, because the peach is barely there.
Half an hour in and the fragrance has not developed at all, it remains faint and soapy. In actuality, it smells just like having washed your hands with a bar of soap that has a cheap peach and jasmine scent.

After an hour, the scent has gone. I have to press my nose against my wrist and breathe in sharply to be able to smell anything at all. I am sorry to say, but the longevity is an absolute joke. I really hope that my chemistry in reaction to Tom Ford fragrances is what causes this poor longevity, otherwise, I cannot fathom customers having to pay 130£ per 30ml bottle.
I usually do not mention price in my reviews, but because of how high it is compared to quality, I need to point it out.

~

I am no luxury snob, but I am very reluctant to buy fragrances that are made to imitate original ones. I respect the time it has taken to blend a fragrance and to develop its notes to perfection. Each fragrance is unique and should remain so, however, I do expect a quality product when paying a high price. Tom Ford fragrances are far too expensive for the quality that you receive and I have been considering whether I should try an 'inspired by' perfume brand, because Lost Cherry is an absolutely gorgeous cherry fragrance. For the tenth of the price, you can get your hands on it and smell like a cherry sorbet for more than an hour. Because I ended up trying Lost Cherry once on my wrist and the longevity was just as poor as Bitter Peach's. 

The brand itself, what it stands for, bottle design, everything, is taken into account when pricing a fragrance, but Tom Ford definitely misses the mark in quality and profits off of the fashion house name, which is a cheap shot, if you ask me.

~

Looking at the note profile, I am smirking at the poor performance of this blend.
Top notes are peach, blood orange, cardamom and heliotrope; middle notes are rum, cognac, davana and jasmine; base notes are Indonesian patchouli leaf, vanilla, sandalwood, tonka bean, cashmeran, benzoin, styrax, labdanum and vetiver.

Where have all these gorgeous notes gone?! All you get is a balanced dominance between peach and jasmine. 'Dominant' might not even be the right word, because this fragrance is too faint.

~

Bitter Peach by Tom Ford is definitely a pass for me. After all the bad experiences I have had with this fragrance house, I am wondering whether I will ever add one of their fragrances to my collection.