Champaca Absolute

Wow, this is beautiful! Update: Summer is almost over now. I'm wearing Champaca, and noticing the sweet vanilla/ amber/ chesnuts in the dry-down. This is an Autumn/ Spring frag. I may now classify this as Floral/ Oriental. Easter day, and it was my first full wearing of Champaca. I am 4 hours in, so I was noticing the great dry-down. I'm getting less florals now, and the congac and the chestnuts are coming through, and it's a beautiful, rich accord in the dry-down. The Champaca is still there. This has the best longevity. This is transportive. I can close my eyes, and it transports me to a beautiful countryside on a breezy Spring day. There is a touch of fruitiness to it, unlisted, like a ripe pear. It must be a facet of the floral Champaca perhaps. The congac is not too boozy, it's just a nice nuance, hardly noticable. I'm really happy I discovered this by accident, when lucky Scent threw in a free sample. I think this will be my #1 frag for Spring. The Marron glace is candied chestnuts, so there's a great sweet nutty tone, with a touch of vanilla. It also has a nice touch of bergamot for freshness. The fruitiness may be coming from the champaca itself, and the plum wine, and congac. It's a soft fruity tone, something like pear and ripe bananas. Plume wine is a listed note from other sources. I've been looking for a floral dominant fragrance for the past few years, that I could feel totally comfortable wearing, was not easy. This is my #1 floral fragrance. I'm sure many woman will enjoy this as well :) I think one aspect of the masterfull blending, of these lush, tropical flowers, are that they are composed in a gender neutral way, for me. OK, I understand the ladies feeling this is feminine. It's soft and floral, but it's not so girly as many so called unisex florals are. This floral is complex, without feeling busy. A masterfull work of perfumery here. The clean dewy orchid, balances the heady Champaca. The violet gives it a watery feel. Then they add a bit of a shrub wild flower, maybe grounding the florals to an earthy plane. Champaca smells similar to ylang-ylang flower, which I don't care for usually. Champaca is a variety of magnolia. I like the dewy, fruity interpretation of it here. The plum wine and congac, marron glace, and some slight woody touches; all add their subtle embellishments, to the perfumers interpretation of the Champaca heart. The Champaca is a soft floral, tea-like, yet somewhat lush and tropical. It is great for Spring. I will enjoy it when the weather breaks warmer. PS: Loving it now in early Fall. Now December, rich and sweet for Winter. Rating: 10/10 God bless. John 3:16

Champaca Absolute is ABSOLUTELY sexy, sultry, juicy, nectarous liquid gold! Swoon-worthy. The champaca flower here in Champaca Absolute is essentially a sweet, nectarous yellow/white floral of tropical origin. Imagine frangipani, ylang ylang, and jasmine. Combined with cognac and marron glace, comes a syrupy and saucy dimension that adds both to sweetness and depth. Complete with a smooth, sensual dirty/clean musk; both airy, light, and summery, Champaca Absolute gradually reveals itself something dirty and forbidden. There’s just something magic about this scent. The sweetness is blended so well with the florals and musk in a refined Tom Ford fashion, that really lends itself an enticing experience! Yesterday I received the best compliment in history of ever wearing fragrances! My friend said, “You smell like Turkish Delight!” To me, that’s the best thing you can ever tell me! I mean, who wouldn’t want to be walking around dripping and oozing delicious, sticky, Turkish Delight??! Guess what I was wearing? You guessed right -> Champaca Absolute! (Who knew??) For me, Champaca Absolute was a love-at-first-smell kind of perfume. It didn’t struck me as spectacular at the Tom Ford counter, as there was too much sensory overload in-store. But I knew it stood a chance and I bought a 10ml decant. Beautiful, and I wore it during daily life, and I was sold! Literally! Now I have invested in a larger bottle, and I look forward to whatever adventures Champaca Absolute will bring. It’s a firm favourite that could easily rise to a special sort of signature ;)

I’ve written and rewritten the first line of this review repeatedly, but it’s all too difficult to review something one adores as much as I do Champaca Absolute. Simply put, on my skin, this fragrance is absolutely magical. I originally purchased a 5ml decant of CA because I know my boyfriend loves real champaca flowers-- which grow natively all over his home country of Vietnam. Upon testing, it doesn’t smell exactly like the flower, of course, but something about this fragrance is so incredibly well rounded... it has depth (I get mostly Champaca, Cognac, Jasmine, and Vanilla, on me-- a dazzling blend) while still feeling quite ‘tied together’ into one united and overwhelmingly pleasant aroma-- a yellow floral that is neither overly powdery nor indolic... simply perfect, for me. Sure enough, as my usually nose-blind man came closer to me later, he remarked, “You smell amazing!” Though I most oft lean toward perfumes that are quiet and linger close to the skin, CA’s extremely impressive longevity and projection mean I usually only need 1-2 sprays for the day, which makes the hefty price slightly more realistic for me. Hoping to pursue a full bottle for Christmas!! I can definitely see why other reviewers call this a wedding fragance. I was expecting CA to make me feel more on the sexy side, as products marketed 'unisex' usually do, but instead I felt utterly beautiful. Not too feminine, either, but it gives me a kind of confidence that only the most special of fragrances impart upon me. Aroma: 10/10 Longevity: 10/10 Sillage: 10/10

One of the unsung heros of the Tom Ford Private Blend line! For me, this is head-to-head with Luxe Champaca by Comme des Garçons in terms of quality and originality. The primary difference is in temperature and sweetness: Champaca Absolute is situated squarely in gourmand territory, while Luxe Champaca is more floral, with a bitter edge thanks to the angelica note. Another would not be redundant if you already owned one of them. CA is smooth, sweet (but far from cloying or sugary!), and rich. It's already a rather narcotic flower, so it pairs very well with the boozy cognac and candied chestnut notes, which are actually more immediately discernable to me. There's a fair bit of vanilla and sandalwood, too. The champaca flower itself is highlighted thanks the inclusion of a few other floral/herbal harmonies: orchid-violet, jasmine-greenweed. These restore a green quality that isn't quite fresh, but noticeably botanical. I don't get much development, besides the disappearance of the aforementioned floral notes after a couple of hours. But the nutty-boozy-vanilla-amber cradles you gently in a liqueur-induced bliss for a few more hours thereafter. CA is a delight day or night, and holds no allegiances to gender or age. Fairly classy, and beware donning it in very warm weather—it could become a bit stifling!

Guys: Imagine receiving an invitation to a party from a woman that you're dating. You arrive and discover that this is her best friend's birthday party. Your date is only one of maybe 6-10 women there. The rest are guys and the crowd is pre-dominantly gay. You can interact with anyone in this party and probably enjoy yourself with little-to-no reservations. You make connections. You meet your new tailor. You trade notes on grooming tips and talk about football. Your date will be amazed at how comfortable you are in your own skin. If this sounds like you, then you can (and should) wear Champaca Absolute with no problems. I find Champaca Absolute to be feminine AND masculine. It's perfectly unisex. The cognac remains present throughout the drydown, making this a sexual skin scent. This is Bond No.9's Westside - only more refined. The sillage is moderate, yet intoxicating. This definitely belongs on skin. If only sprayed upon fabric, the individual is cheating him-/herself. For me, the longevity is outstanding. I can still detect it after 8 hours and a shower. This is one of those compositions that a couple could/should share. It's quite the sexual skin scent. 9/10, if your'e comfortable with your sexuality.