Simply Blanc

It's that moment when you finally buy the perfume you have been thinking of for a very long time..does it live up to the dreams? I once longed after buying this from an expensive boutique shop in London whilst I was living in an overpriced flat in a highly desirable postcode. As all my money was spent on rent I couldn't afford, even this inexpensive dupe for Tom Ford seemed an indulgence at the time (sadly I write a lot about money and its relation towards perfume for some reason). Anyway when I wanted it from first sniff, was it the perfume or the darling smaller bottle that looked as though it was an expensive nail varnish? Was it the experience of being inside that boutique in a leafier part of London and that the perfume was positioned on an elevated plinth? Who knows with perfume what it really is that makes us want to own it so quickly? Reunited again after more than a decade later..I immediately think of boozy White Russians on a fading summer's evening in the City. Very milky and slightly nutty (think almond) with a hint of coconut and leather, enough to think of baby powder for a moment. As someone else said, like high end sun lotion put on before a boozy time at the beach or picnic on a heath. It has an elegance to it that you wouldn't normally pair with a sunkissed style fragrance. Like a crisp white expensive bathing suit that you will never expect to be anything but pristine. Yes I do get all these things from this bottle. What was once a line memorised from a book I wish I had bought, develops into a fascinating and riveting read on the arm. (p.s. Zut alors! It wasn't this one after all! I fell for Paul & Joe's Blanc but sadly didn't buy it and now alas! - it has been discontinued! But maybe Blanc is just Tom Ford and so we are are all roughly on the same page as team almond milk!)

Sophisticated, Tropical & Beachy... Once you give it a few weeks after spraying to level out, this is quite a good clone of Soleil Blanc Tom Ford, despite it costing "Just Jack". I just have samples of the originals, but this is a pretty close copy, leaning a little to Eau de Soleil Blanc Tom Ford. All the notes are there, but before it levels out, the top notes, heart notes and base notes seem separated into three layers tather than blended, and you can distinctly pick up the civet, which used to be listed as a note here and on the page for Soleil Blanc. There's a tropical, fresh and slightly buttery ylang note which steals the show, riding on a powdery tuberose white floral bouquet with some sunscreen nuances & soapy cardamom touches, all supported by an amber-animalic base. There's a dash of pepper as well that keeps things fresh. Performance is excellent, no complaints. It's a love for me. Enjoy! Update 08/06/24: Sprayed this on my hand this afternoon. Despite it being a white-floral, the ylang is really beautiful here. Really shines in the heat. The way the top notes are blended reads slightly aqueous & fresh, yet the base's animalic tones keep it well rounded. This and Soleil Blanc are not as sweet as similar scents, and it's definitely a more sophisticated & animalic scent profile. A stylist would ask you to wear this in summer, but it does require confidence. Still a love.

Good sunblock opening and mid, but the magic for me is in the deep drydown when all the sunblock scent is gone and what remains is a super likable white musk natural body scent, like the universal smell of natural human beauty. To get the most of the deep drydown, I spray 3x on my back so it's far away from my face and nose. When that white musk stage hits and it's warm under my shirt, I can enjoy it wafting around all day long without going blind to it. Everyone around me loves this white musk accord.

I haven't smelled the Tom Ford and to be honest, I'm not prepared to pay that sort of price for it. Now, Simply Blanc is a beautiful fresh and well blended fresh juice with a great performance. Excellent for Summer. It's very uplifting and to cap it all off........it's amazing value. All in all - a gorgeous product.

I am shocked to see there's no coconut listed in the notes. I have bought this scent because it went well with the Hawaiian Tropic sunbathing oil, which is also coconuty. This scent is like... you smell it... coconut. That's the top note for me.