Velvet Teddy

I only opened this page today because I saw MAC Velvet Teddy in the list of new reviews on the right side of my browser. I was curious what a MAC fragrance might smell like, and I became even more intrigued when I saw this being compared to Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille. Now, I've never had the pleasure of smelling TF TV (I have never even seen any Tom Ford fragrances in stores in my country, so either they are not readily available locally or they are sold in more exclusive boutiques), but after reading descriptions and reviews of it here on Fragrantica, I so wanted to try it as it sounded like something I'd love. Well, I still have no idea how TV smells like, but if Velvet Teddy is a dupe, oh my, it is pure love! I went right to the MAC counter at the nearby mall during my lunch break and was thrilled to find the Shadescents testers. I didn't even realize they were already available in the nearby branch because I don't really visit the MAC counter. I sprayed some on a tester strip and some on my skin, and oooh how delightful it is! I even declined to smell the other fragrances, which I would normally sniff just because I have the chance to see how they smell. (I'm the type who feels a bit embarrassed to sniff testers without buying while the sales assistant hovers by and tries to sell something to me.) Well, I don't own anything like this (my collection is rather small), and Velvet Teddy contains some notes I haven't encountered much or at all, and yet, it smells exactly as I imagined. Very warm and cozy, with the sweetness of honey and tonka bean tempered by spiciness of tobacco. I've never encountered tobacco in a fragrance before as until recently I've stuck to lighter, fresher or fruitier scents, and I never thought it could smell so delightful. And even though I don't have any real recollection of meeting a scent like this, it somehow feels so comforting and familiar, almost like coming home to a safe place. Needless to say, Velvet Teddy is now very high on my want list, and trusting what others have said about its similarities to Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille, I no longer feel the need to actively seek out the latter. EDIT: I agree with thesheppardess's observation above. Velvet Teddy did get stronger as the hours wore on. Initially, I had to press my arm to my nose to catch the fragrance, but about an hour later, I kept catching whiffs of the scent as I sat in front of my computer at work. To my surprise, it had gotten stronger and fuller. Also, it lasted at least a good nine hours on me. I could still smell it on my arm when I went to take a shower last night, reluctant to wash it off. It may have lasted even longer. Velvet Teddy totally dominated my afternoon and I could barely keep my mind off it as I savored the delightful smell, knowing I would have to wash it off in the evening. This is a fragrance I really must have!

The first time I smelled this was back in May this year. The weather was heating up here, and I was doing some browsing at the mall and saw the shadescents lined up at the MAC counter. Having heard about these I though 'why not?' and decided to spritz Velvet Teddy. I instantly regretted it. It was so cloying, nauseating even. I could actually feel my stomach turn every time I catched a whiff! 'How can anybody like this?' I thought. As soon as I got home I tried scrubbing the scent off my wrist to no avail. However, there was something about Velvet Teddy that spoke to me despite my initial repulsion. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Fast forward to September. The weather has cooled down considerably, the humid heat making way for cool, crisp autumn-weather. I was at the MAC counter again the other day and saw this standing there yet again. Against my better judgment I spritzed it again, and... my oh my! I can't believe this is the same perfume I smelled back in May! The cloying, nauseating sweetness (the honey) that made me feel physically ill in warm weather works splendidly in chillier conditions - honey is still the star of the show, but instead of it hogging the spotlight it shares the stage with musk, spices (that's what it smells like to me, anyway) and a slight hint of tobacco. I can't believe I went from straight up detesting this perfume to loving it! On me it leans very much feminine, but do not mistake this for a bubbly, girly scent! Velvet Teddy is grown up, womanly, mysterious and darkly sexy. Longevity and sillage is great. For me, two spritzes do the trick nicely. I am getting this ASAP. It's strictly an autumn/winter scent for me though, and I usually don't mind spraying a heavier scent in warmer weather, but it's a no-go with this one unless I want to make myself sick! Update 18th sept.: So I went and got a bottle of Velvet Teddy a few days ago, and can I just say that the scent is even more beautiful from a fresh, unopened bottle than from the tester bottles I've sampled! It's far more velvety and smooth and warm, it's doesn't have the sharp hit of alcohol in the beginning that the tester had. It's delicious! I can't wait to wear this all Autumn and Winter long!

Best honey/ tobacco scent I ever tried. Better than TF, too bad it's discontinued.... longevity and sillage is enormous, if you don't want to overdo it, 2 sprays are enough. It's a very stylish, strong, statement scent with enormous sillage. Warm, heavy, wintery and reminds me of campfire, incese, old gothic cathedral and vanilla scented candles. At the same time it's cosy, warm, empowering scent which develops on the skin during the day and doesn't leave for a minute. That's how strong it is, so easily I can categorise it as BEAST. It's loud, but still close to skin, if you enter the room, everyone will notice but on the other hand, if you're sitting in the office you keep sniffing yourself once in a while and it just transports you to a nicer, cozier place. By cosy, I mean it's a winter type, heavy scent which you love to wear with a heavy knitt, wrapped in blankets, or even if you're bold enough, in the office, but you keep thinking of hot cocoa, fireplace and more, the tobacco isn't "cigarette" type, it's damp. It's a rolling tobacco, actually pipe tobacco type, oldschool and classy, intriguing. Cosy as mentioned, but can also be "worn" when half naked and wearing black lace lingerie, will keep you feeling hot for sure. Not a summer scent defo. In the past years the only cheaper and more mainstream scent which I found and resemble this one is Prada Candy Night (apart from TF Vanilla Tobacco ofc), but that one is more feminine and has chocolate in it which makes it more gourmand. Mac VT is not gourmand as it has a lot of wood and also some leather notes. It can be easily worn by men if they feel this type of vibe. This is mainly honey, wood, tonka, amber in this speciffic order. It's a BETTER dupe for TF, shame it's been discontinued as it was £32 in UK when it launched. I have a backup ofc, otherwise I would've mourned it more. Sad anyway.

Ooh this is beautiful. As another reviewer has said, it's like chai tea with lashings of honey! It's a gorgeous blend of honey and beeswax, warm spices like chai tea, dried sugared fruits, vanilla, tonka, hay, and tobacco. It's super sweet. Opening I get a strong dry hay note appearing, which is very reminiscent of hot summers, horses and dry crunchy fields. The hay note does reduce as it progresses and the sticky sweet honey beeswax and chai spice is more prominent. I think it's best suited to cooler weather but I love it so much that with the sticky sweet honey and dry hay notes being prominent it could also work well in warmer weather depending on preference. It lasts forever on my clothing and skin. I can smell it on my silicone watch strap for weeks after wearing it. Sillage is also huge, my boyfriend said he could smell beeswax from the other side of the room about 8 hours after application when applied to the front of my jumper. The price is very reasonable at £36 for 50ml, but people are selling for much higher than the RRP on second hand sites. Patience pays off as I managed to get a second hand barely used bottle for 2/3 of the RRP. I've no idea whether it has been discontinued or not. It would be such a shame if it has been, it's an absolute steal for such a complex, well blended and beautiful scent. I have only ever smelled TF TV dupes never actually the real thing, and whilst I can see the similarities, I would say that this is much more honied and sweeter, and the tobacco notes in here are much softer and lighter than the copies I've smelled. It's like a TF TV honey edition, and I would say it leans more feminine to my nose.

I fell in love with TF Tobacco Vanille but really couldn't justify the heavy price tag right now. I had made up my mind that I was going to save up over the next couple of months, eat bread and water, re mortgage the house lol and would buy a FB. Someone recommended Velvet Teddy. Aside from the fact that the name of this perfume is ridiculous, and whoever thought of it must have been drunk at the time, this is an amazing dupe for Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille. The top, middle and base notes play out differently to TV, but in the end, it is hard to tell the difference. First spray is softer by comparison to TV but unmistakably similar, the notes are definitely there. Perhaps the vanilla is a little sweeter and the smokiness is not as obvious, but it is pretty good. As the top notes fade, there is a short lived burst of honey, which seems to tone everything down and complement the perfume. I'm not a fan of honey, but this is subtle and short lasting. Finally, the piece de resistance, the smoke comes into play. That gorgeous, unmistakable, smoky, vanilla, with soft tobacco leaf in the background. Its gorgeous, my husband couldn't stop complementing me on how amazing I smelled, (astounding as he hates every single perfume that I own and I own about 500)! 5 hours later it is a skin scent but I do keep getting a waft of two creeping up my nose. For £30 this is absolutely fantastic and I am really not craving the original at all. If you love TV but really can't justify a FB, try this first, seriously, you wont be disappointed.