Amber Intrigue

I imagine a room with a beam of dusty light coming in from the window and illuminating a table on which there is a large sandalwood bowl. The inside of the bowl has been sprinkled with a layer of silver incense and gold benzoin grains, and on top have been placed large fresh rape palm fruits, juicy and pulpy dates of the Deglet Noor variety. The air in the room, warmed by the sun, is filled with sweet, boozy, resinous, smoky nuances. Fingers of light embrace and caress everything. That is how I imagine this perfume. Amber Intrigue is a dynamic scent that starts with fruity and spicy nuances, touches a warm woody heart and culminates with a powdery amber trail. It can be unpleasant if you overdo it with the spray or smell it up close too soon, as happened to me. Otherwise, it opens with a deep note of dark dates, complemented by spicy and smoky accords. For a short while, the mix of the alcohol and spices gives a boozy accord akin to the Kraken Black Spiced rum. You might be surprised, as I was, by how realistic the date scent is. I expected a hint of citrus as an introduction, but it starts right away with saccharine and dense notes of date pulp, dark, sticky and opulent. The taste of a Deglet Noor date is similar to brown butter and has a very nutty finish. Maybe it is overly sweet, syrupy, cloying, or a date jam, but I am not sure if it is my cup of tea. But I let this sugary jubilation settle down and slowly something magical happens. First, I smell something reminiscent of Big Babol gum, thick, gooey. Then, a smoky and resinous accord accompanied by a warm spicy accord bursts in and invades the sweetness with an army of cinnamon bark and golden grains of olibanum. The date does not give up, but takes a back seat, leaving only its fruity side to be perceived. The more the perfume grows, the more I feel that I like it. It’s like a video game where you have to pass the first stealthy level, after which it becomes intriguing at each subsequent level, revealing secrets, hidden doors and pitfalls. So, a first level that offers a sweet and spicy opening. It takes a good hour for the heart to open up and let the woody tones of vetiver and sandalwood emerge. Now on the skin, there is a creamy mix, at times earthy but mostly powdery thanks to the addition of violet leaves. Overall, it remains smooth, the date is still distinguishable, and the powderiness is not comparable to talcum powder. Thus, the middle stage is all about woody and warm whispers. The fragrance fades and ends with a rich amber accord. It is not the salty ambroxan that has been overused in recent years and we found in "Erba Pura | XerJoff" for instance, but a vivid brown amber accord courtesy of vanilla to create dustiness, tree resins such as frankincense, myrrh and benzoin to add smokiness and musk to balance with softness. Those notes add a kind of intimacy and sensuality to perfumes and pair well with spicy and woody notes that give dark but soft powdery facets to a composition. When smelled close to the skin, it releases balsamic and smoky nuances. Overall, it is much more than a classic amber fragrance, which stands out for its extremely heavy character on glues such as dates and resins. Despite the explosive opening, the perfume then takes a calmer turn, with exceptional longevity I would say, remaining on the skin and clothes for many hours. It is still an intimate perfume, which does not fill the spaces while making itself noticed. I like to wear and smell it during the day, on relaxing weekend days, but its placement is that of elegant evening events in the colder months thanks to the warm, resinous and spicy accords. I like to say that I have a few fragrances featuring dates, but none of them are as heavy as this accord, and perhaps that is what makes it unique for me. This feeling comes from a bottle I've owned since January 2025.

I get it. People love to sht on Tom Ford, but come on guys. Guaranteed half the people (at least) bashing this have never put their noses on it. This is a beautifully constructed fragrance. Smells absolutely nothing like Grand Soir btw. There is zero powdery feel in this, and this has that wonderful presence of dates and a touch of cinnamon. I love that its a little darker, the vetiver gives it a nice earthy feel, and its not another fking vanilla bomb. This is classy and sophisticated, yeah, if you wear nothing but Khamrah, CDNIM this IS NOT for you. "Whats that weird smell?" Its called not a synthetic 20 dollar mess. LMFAO Longevity is very good, projection isnt crazy, but sillage.... oh you'll leave a trail. There is something to be said for not punching people in their senses. This is what's called mysterious and alluring. "But its not beast mode man!" Everyone you know secretly hates having you around. HEHEHE Classy, sophisticated, cozy, and welcoming. Now... if it wasn't ridiculously priced, as are all Tom Ford's this would be a fall/winter daily driver.

Some previous reviews mentioned it didn’t last, and I get the impression this was an exclusive for Harrods in the UK for a time, but I just tried a tester inside Nordstrom in the United States, and I’m honestly blown away for a variety of reasons. The scent is incredible, I absolutely love it. And it lasts, the Sillage was evident many hours later, and when I woke up in the morning, I could still smell it (faint, but there). The funny thing is, I’m not an Amber fan at all, but it’s hardly noticeable with the amazing balance of other scents. This scent is just sweet enough to lure you in without being too “candy” like, it actually has a certain mysterious feel to it, hence the Intrigue in the name. Definitely an Autumn or Winter scent, but you could pull it off year round especially at night. I’m not sure if the formula has changed or not for the US Market, but in my opinion, it’s another Grand Slam by Tom Ford.

Luscious dates and cinnamon with Smokey woods ...I knew this would be a lot more up my alley than the recent release black lacquer. although I do appreciate the creativity in black lacquer and the complexity it is simply hard to wear . Amber intrigue on the other hand is extremely wearable as you can wear it up with a suit/formal wear but can also dress it down and reach for it with casual attire if you’d like. For me it will mainly be a luxe grab for the fall/winter season, It is very upscale and luxurious. I really love the exclusivity Tom Ford provides as not everyone can afford which means very rarely will you encounter. It you are a Tom Ford fan you will not be disappointed. A comeback is being made and I’m here for it!!...pure class

I was fortunate enough to obtain a sample of this even though it's not officially released in Canada yet and it smells very, very good. It reminds me of The One Luminous Night without the smokiness from incense and slightly less sweet. Also has some similarities to MFK's Grand Soir. Overall, smells great but it's redundant in my collection since I already have the two above mentioned fragrances. Longevity was average with moderate projection for the first hour, then becoming a skin scent. I'm not sure why TF fragrances continue to be so expensive when the quality rarely matches the hefty price tag. I'll enjoy my sample while it lasts but once it's gone, it's gone and I'll move on.