No 16 Tomato Leather

I love this fragrance... it is a very nice and realistic, balmy-woody-smoky with green that goes underneath... well known tomato leaf smell somewhere from early childhood brings up memories going into the garden and picking tasty tomatoes. This is one of maybe 5 fragrances I really remember from LA Artisan Fragrance salon and I have smelled many fragrances that day. There were about 20 brands and all have at least 5 fragrances some more.

This is gorgeous smooth balsamic woodsy smoky leather I can smell this clean green note also, transparent and mingles under the others. Very unique, great quality!

You definitely can tell the tomato leaf in the opening quite distinctly, but I wouldn’t say it’s 100% realistic. The clary sage is also a bigger proponent in the profile, and with the two of these, combined with the lateral notes (benzoin, myrrh, incense), make an abstract leather that is a very reminiscent sibling to Synthesis by Xyrena (PVC-like aspect of leather). However, I think here it’s more of a complement to the overall addicting, abstract leather that can be found in Boxer by HUNQ. The linden blossom is kind of a tough one for me to manage here however—it’s not overbearing but it’s definitely noticeable, and I just struggle with most floral notes, but over a bit of time it’s definitely presenting itself as more of a close cousin to Boxer, and a sibling to Synthesis. This is probably the “wearable sour” aspect that Boxer could have potentially used, but it’s probably good that they didn’t because it doesn’t really meld with the profile harmoniously. I don’t get a substantial amount of oud here, but it’s likely here as a support bias. This is probably one of the first frags I’m having a hard time making a decision on a FB, but after testing a swatch with a blend of Boxer+N16, I conclude that I will forego this scent—I would also prefer to enjoy it on its own. It’s a solid, more concrete alternative that trades the faint cherry/light aromatic from Synthesis by Xyrena to the lemon substitute, though projecting less initially, has better long term performance in terms of average projection and longevity compared to Synthesis. The lemon here doesn’t make it feel more ‘sweaty’/’worn in’—it’s more of a facet on the cleaner side. As a result, the PVC interpretation is a bit less raw but more on the clean side. For a "brand new dress shoes" smell look no further than English Shoe Factory by Chronotrope.

Tomato leather is a factory fresh motorcycle jacket left to rot in a patch of tomatoes. I mean this in the best way. Opens with a strong chemical leather both softened and invigorated by tomato leaf. The green here is sharp and fresh, like fresh sprouts pushing through soil in the springtime. There’s something not-quite-human about this opening, bringing to my mind the motorcycle alien drones pursuing Scarlett Johannsson and her victims in Under the Skin. However, much like Ms. Johannsson’s alien character in that film, tomato leather soon begins to soften and humanize. Unlike some other reviewers, I get a full spectrum of leather experience from this scent, slowly becoming warmer, cozier, and more worn. Benzoin and tobacco play a major role in this, while the oud brings a subtle earthy powder. The suggestion is of decay minus the ick factor. On dry down this almost reminds me of revlon ciara or even shalimar type interpretation of leather, but the persistent tomato leaf note keeps things springtime appropriate. Edit: I have been getting lots of compliments on this one, and based on what I’m hearing the silage seems to be giving more “incense” than “leather” on my skin

I mean, they ain't lying with the name. On first spray, boom - it's a shiny new leather jacket in a tomato patch. Not a bad thing. Truth in advertising and all. As it dries down... here's that tobacco and a bit of myrrh, and something lightening it up, I guess the lime blossom. It's a really pleasant leather that doesn't dive too much into the incense / smoky territory, though there's a whisper of smoke that shows up more as it dries down, and it's thankfully free of the powdery notes I often find leathers paired with. While in the same family, it's the counter-argument to something like Hiram Green's Hyde. Both have their place. This is more everyday wearable, though. Do you need it if you have a really pleasant everyday leather already? No. But it'd be different enough that you could, just to have a couple options to break things up a bit.