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Tom of Finland by Etat Libre d'Orange

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Tom of Finland was most assuredly a reluctant sample wear for me. I expected a flanker of Secretions due to the promotional machine that runs this House. I am one of many that find Secretions absolutely nasty. Blood and semen do not float my olfactory boat, so it was with hesitance that I tried Tom Finland.

I have, however, sampled a few other from ELDO that were interesting and very wearable, so I thought..." How bad can it be? No way would they have the balls to put out another version of SM". Well, I was wrong to hesitate in sampling Tom of Finland. I've worn it three times now and admit to it being strangely good, yet something in the evolution of the scent comes to a halt when I wish it would transition a bit more.

I like the opening of aldehydes and citrus. It shimmers just enough to satisfy and then within minutes the spicy wood opens up and this accord leans green. It's like unripened wood bark and will have most wearers sniffing. There's a slight powder from iris and tonka creeping in slowly and with it a hint of vanilla, but only a hint. The iris also enables a leather note to come to fruition after about 5 minutes on my skin. I can't say any one note dominates, so it's a team effort here and I chalk that up to intelligent blending.

There are a few other players in ToF, but they can't seem to open up on me. Because of this, the drydown is what I just described albeit at a softer volume. The longevity is admirable with very respectable sillage. All in all, Tom of Finland is something I would have no problem wearing......and if I come across a bottle on the boards at a good price, I would probably pull the trigger. It's different enough from what I have in my drobe to warrant that. Thumbs up from Aromi for ELDO's Tom of Finland.



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  1. Carrie MeredithDecember 10, 2010 at 8:13 PM

    I'd really like to try this, I love leather scents and am very into trying new ones out these days. The only prospect that doesn't thrill me is the iris/powdery accord. Small note, it's actually Tom of Finland. If I didn't say anything, Touko Laaksone would have rolled over in his grave. :)

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  2. AromiEroticiDecember 10, 2010 at 8:33 PM

    Thanks Carrie ! I would not have noticed the typo had you not said something.

    The leather aura is modern and different than classic leather constructions. It's definitely of the softer variety and worth a sample wear.

    I don't get much powder, but enough that I recognize it as such. Too much iris or tonka kill a frag for me, but it's utilized pretty good in this one.

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  3. bluesoulDecember 10, 2010 at 8:40 PM

    Such a strange offering conceptually, between citrus, vanilla, iris and aldehydes this sounds decidedly feminine, how would you categorize it? Nice intriguing review.

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  4. AromiEroticiDecember 10, 2010 at 9:04 PM

    Hey Dan. To me, it's like a woody oriental overall in spite of the suede-like note that's in there.

    Quite a few newer releases seem to defy classic categorization. They eschew the old constructions and just blend away. I guess no rules are good rules......as long as the finished product is good to go.

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