TOM FORD

 Café Rose Eau de Parfum

Most Helpful Critical Review

Probably not one of my faves

I received this item for free from Influenster and Tom Ford in return for my honest review.  I was really excited when I learned that I was getting the Tom Ford VoxBox with the Café Rose perfume. It arrived in a box that was neither plum colored or brown, but somewhere in between. The bottle is love...ly, and is a transparent plum/brown color. As you can see in the photo, the bottle is sleek, expensive looking, and understated. I felt sure that something that looked that classy and beautiful would most certainly smell beautiful, too.  I quickly gave two sprays around my throat, and eagerly anticipated the heavenly scent that I would enjoy.  Hmmm...as the first notes hit me, the first two words that came to mind were "Unforgettable" and "Boring." It did have a slight rose scent, along with other notes I couldn't quite place. I did not smell any coffee, even though that is supposed to be one of the notes. As the minutes passed, it didn't evolve into anything. It just stayed flat, a rather indescribable scent that was neither here nor there, nothing stood out. I then walked by my husband, and asked, "What do you think of this?" He said, "Think of what?" I walked by him again, and said, "Can't you smell anything? This is the new Tom Ford fragrance!" He said, "Oh, yeah...it's ...um...fine."  FINE? FINE? I had been hoping he would swoon! Then we really tried to critique the scent, but it seemed that there was really nothing to it. It was just kind of a generic  fragrance with no character, nothing that stood out to make it special. Wow, what a letdown.  Over the next few days, I wore it again, and the only noticeable feature I found was that after it had dried down for several hours, there was a faint scent lingering on my clothing that smelled totally different from the original blast. The dry-down on me was different, yes, but still rather boring.  It reminded me of a clean, dry smell that I might encounter in a clothing store, when trying on brand new clothes. Pleasant, but nothing to write home about. It was a scent similar to new fabric. I really wanted to love this fragrance! We went out to dinner last night at a high-end restaurant, and I gave myself a couple of sprays after getting all dressed up, thinking that I would surely feel differently about Cafe Rose once I was wearing it in the right setting. I asked my husband again, "So how do I smell?" Again, I got the same answer, "Um, yeah, it's...uh...it's fine, it's okay."  Bummer. I have worn it again around friends and co-workers.  Usually, I get compliments on my fragrances. With this one, not one word! Maybe I wasn't generous enough with the sprays? Other reviewers said that it was very strong and to be stingy when spraying.  I can't really address the sillage because on me there doesn't seem to be any! As far as longevity, it is there, but very weak, and smells totally different from when it is first applied. Fragrance is a very personal and subjective thing. We all have different tastes.  Also, everybody's body chemistry is different, and some fragrances that I love on other people smell terrible and cloying on me, so maybe Café Rose and I are just not a match made in heaven.