Jasmin Rouge

I usually reach for my "Jasmin Rouge" when I am in my "femme fatale" mood (which can be any day or night, really), but still ought to "behave" myself. It opens up on me with powerful ylang-ylang sprinkled with ginger and mandarin juice. I do not get any cinnamon or pepper, and cardamon must be "in disguise" somewhere, as it is imperceptible to me too. Jasmine here is neither sharp nor animalistic, and due ylang-ylang's strength, it gains into a tuberose-like smoothness at the start. It can feel rather confusing, but with time, jasmine regains it more classic/familiar self, with indolic notes coming through, supported by neroli. Labdanum and vanilla are narcotic-like in their duet, long before other perfumers started using the expression for their creations. Projection is very good, sillage is beautiful and lasting power is out of this world (those were the times when the price ws justified by how little of the perfume was needed to last a day without any "top ups" needed). I suppose the word "Rouge" was meant to convey the sensuality of the fragrance, rather than the colours that it invokes. Personally, I see the bouquet as golden-cream, with an occasional speck of carmine red & ochre popping through. "Jasmin Rouge" is the LBD of my fragrance wardrobe as it can be dressed up or down for any occasion and during any time of the year, by simply selecting an extra spray for intensity, or keeping it on the "classic" points only. It is also the scent that I associate with Tom Ford himself, especially his early work at YSL and Gucci, as his collections were always provocative, daring, but, at the same time, did not go overboard, were perfectly wearable for the right occasions and were the earliest transcenders between male and female clothes (in my memory). This is why even though "Jasmin Rouge" is considered to be a female fragrance, I can very well see it on a man in an evening jacked of velvet and silk satin, tuxedo trousers and no shirt, with sunshades on after 9 pm...oh, hang on - this is "La Dolce Vita" by Federico Fellini! - I just had my man lose the shirt and the tie (LOL). Yes, "Jasmin Rouge" is an early Tom Ford with silk and satin and velvet, deep cuts, sleek silhouettes, endearing arrogance of youth, sexuality and stylish living; its Hedonism in a garnet red bottle, sharp-edged and enticing, and AB-SO-LUTE-LY IRRESISTIBLE. Enjoy!

I bought it at the Macy's on Herald Square in Manhattan, New York City. The sales lady was very attentive and told me, while sampling other Tom Ford fragrances, that after three of them, my nose would go 'blind'. I was enchanted with Jasmin Rouge. The opening note is straight up jasmine or jasmine sambac. It's a rich, opulent, sexy, glamorous jasmine. There is a vintage feel to it. Makes me think of gorgeously sexy Old Hollywood stars known for their powerful feminine allure, top of their sex goddess game - Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren. There is a lipstick and rouge vibe; almost theatrical make up style i.e. dark smoky eye shadow, bold or blood red lips, in a cabaret fashion or even Goth 'vampire chic' fashion. This perfume definitely matches up with a formal gown, a classy long evening dress with a slit to reveal one leg, plunging neckline to reveal beautiful bosoms. It is not a unisex and definitely for a woman who is aware of the power of her beauty and her charm. She is a bold floral fragrance of the night. To get technical with it regarding the notes, to my nose, it's mainly jasmine; to the point of becoming a one note soliflore. But I can detect the ginger and cinnamon spice accords. It gives it a bit of a kick. But not too spicy. The dry down, which comes rather quickly, is a dark wood accord. There is also leather or suede; but not very much of it. And a very bright amber. There is a dash of vanilla. At times it gives you a Samsara by Guerlain vibe. She is sweet and at the same time seductive. It lasts a long time, hours, probably more than 5. There is also a clean, polished, elegant, sophisticated and expensive aura about it. The prices for the large and smaller sizes are over 100 and up to 500 so yeah it's expensive. This perfume will add to your sex appeal. It is a man killer. But because it is a spicy jasmine, it's suited to winter and fall seasons. This is not a casual will wear it to the grocery store or to pick up kids in school kind of scent. It is for dinner dates, for night clubbing, for going to the theater, or for weddings (as a guest not the bride). I wore this baby to the musical Back to the Future on Broadway and felt the fragrance wafting up throughout the night. I love it and would want to keep buying it. It is an addictive jasmine.

My favorite tea - the only tea I drink almost - is jasmine. This perfume somehow manages to smell exactly like that to me, especially on the initial spray, even though there aren't any tea notes (technically). Jasmine is absolutely at the forefront here, but there is a slight fresh, watery and green quality to the jasmine here that gives it this vibe. It reminds me of rainy evenings curled up with a mug of my jasmine tea and a book and I find that ever-so comforting. What I really enjoy is, as it dries down, I definitely get a hint of that woody-spicy in there and it becomes more and more woody on my skin. Slightly amber, but I get more wood here to be honest (not bad, I love woody scents). BUT, the most critical thing is that it doesn't lose complexity for me. I get the fresh spiced wood and I can still smell that initial hit of jasmine tea even a few hours after I've sprayed it and, often, florals can be overtaken by amber and woody notes in fragrances. That well-blended aspect, along with the fantastic sillage and longevitity, makes me justify the price point. That's not always the case with Tom Ford (looking at you, Lost Cherry). I never really get any fruity or vanilla notes and I can only maybe detect other florals if I try very very hard. This is great because I WANT it to stay a woody jasmine tea. There's a lot of elegance to this fragrance. I can imagine a well-groomed mid-40s woman in a long red silk dress at some museum fundraiser. She floats as she walks and has a charming smile. There's something grown up about Jasmine Rouge - which isn't always a given with white florals - but it also doesn't smell TOO old. It has decent longevity for me (around 6-8 hours). I have a super sensitive nose that often gets very testy and, honestly, Tom Ford rarely fails me on this aspect because his blending and balance are good (and he doesn't use tons of musks in most of his bases). It's an easy 10/10, but of course white florals are among my favorite notes out there.

My husband bought this for me as a birthday gift several years ago and I love, love it! I also love the story of how he chose it. He described me to the guy behind the perfume counter at Neiman Marcus as a dainty belle with an edge. I love that he sees me this way! This is the fragrance the sales associate recommended based on that description, and he couldn’t have gotten it more perfect even if he had known me for years! I love quality fragrances, but I’ve always struggled. The popular fragrances that smell dreamy on others smell awful on me. Fragrances tend to turn quickly on my skin to something weird and dank, especially the florals I love. I’ve tried so many and been so disappointed. They also tend to not last long on me. Jasmine Rouge is a wonderful exception. It works on me! It smells just as heavenly hours later. The fragrance evolves on my skin throughout the day, and it is always beautiful. I definitely get strong notes of Jasmine. It’s sweet and floral at first and then shifts toward spicy, feminine leather on the drydown. It’s artsy and exotic with the ideal amount of masculinity to keep the floral from being too sweet. I wish my nose were sophisticated enough to identify all the gorgeous notes, but alas, I’m not able to distinguish the subtler scents. All I know is it is divine. To me, this is a perfect scent for all occasions and times of the year. It’s sexy, intelligent and mysterious. Just as appropriate for work when spritzed very sparingly as for date night when I can enjoy applying a little more. The bottle is beautiful too, although I keep it in a drawer instead of displaying it to protect it from sunlight. It brings to mind what I imagine the Parisian salons of the 1920s literary and art crowd would be like - with treasures from the orient and leather-bound books all spilling out through open French doors into a courtyard overgrown with jasmine. We’ll done, Tom Ford!

My all-time favorite scent. I had a champaca tree in my childhood yard that my dad tended, and every summer I looked forward to smelling the creamy florals whenever I stepped outside. It smells similar to jasmine, but deeper and more indolic. I searched EVERYWHERE for a scent that emulated it, but everything fell short. I saw that Tom Ford had a champaca scent and immediately went to try it out. To my dismay, it smelled nothing like the champaca I knew and loved, and was heavy in all the wrong places. Disappointed, I picked up the pretty red bottle of Jasmin Rouge next to it and spritzed out of curiosity. My jaw dropped. THIS was the smell I’ve been looking for. It was incredibly creamy and so animalistic and indolic, and everything I was looking for to emulate that nostalgic scent from my childhood home. I never felt so blown away by a perfume. I spent the next year or so looking for a more affordable jasmine scent that could have a similar effect. Alien by Mugler was far too artificial and nauseated me, Lust by Lush had a waxy middle note that reminded me too much of old lipstick, and while A La Nuit by Serge Lutens was beautiful, its other notes of honey and powdery benzoin diluted the jasmine in the dry down. Knowing my obsession for Jasmin Rouge, my partner gifted it to me for my birthday. I’ve had it for a few years now, and I’ve only fallen more in love with it. The sillage is atomic: one spritz on my neck and the people downstairs were wondering where the jasmine scent was coming from, before I even left my room. A bit of it rubbed onto my leather jacket’s collar and it smelled like Jasmin Rouge for WEEKS. As it settles down, it becomes sweeter and creamier as the indole takes a backseat. But the white florals are still center-stage until you hop in the shower. It is just everything I was looking for in a scent.