Byredo Tobacco Mandarin and Tom Ford Bitter Peach Reviews

Tom Ford Bitter Peach was the original target of my review today, but I sorta got distracted, so that one is going to be short.  I’m not entirely thrilled with this direction Ford is going. I did love Lost Cherry, I learned to mostly love F’ing Fab, and I admire Rose Prick, but I sorta miss all of his over the top stuff, like Velvet Gardenia and the old Oud Wood and Tobacco Vanille.  Eh, everything changes.

So Tom Ford Bitter Peach has notes of peach, blood orange, davana, labdanum, patchouli, sandalwood. The open is the opposite of how I felt on Lost Cherry. It is verging on shower shampoo/bath wash, and not the expensive kind.  But I was patient, and the davana veers it off into something more interesting. Davana is a more fermenty smell, little putrid – like the fruit was getting just a wee bit rotten.  I always like to see that pop up in a very sweet fruity thing that is annoying me.

Then the drydown gets completely away from shampoo and  has this rounder peach smell.  Ultimately, I’m not sure I really love it, but it’s an interesting take on peach, and I do like it and enjoy wearing it because I can’t think if anything else I have that is like it – that is saying a lot right there. I never think there are enough peach fragrances. No, it is not Mitsouko.

Then Byredo Tobacco Mandarin arrived on my doorstep.  I’ve never paid much attention to the Byredo Night Veils line, toooooo expensive!  But this one sounded interesting.  I like tobacco, and I like mandarin!

Byredo Tobacco Mandarin goes on, and it hit my nose and I was like whaaaaaa???!?!?  Who emptied the cumin bottle into this?  I grabbed the notes, and this is what we have – cumin, coriander, cumin, tobacco, cumin, leather, cumin, mandarin, cumin, labdanum, cumin, olibdanum, cumin, oud, cumin, sandalwood and, yes, cumin.

It was like someone grabbed my arm after a three-hour sweaty workout and no shower and rubbed it on my arm.  My oldest brother used to do this kind of thing when he came in from the fields. Gross, but I am very familiar with the smell of nasty armpit on my arm.

Amazing is an understatement. If you do not like cumin or skank, then just skip to the end.  The cumin phase lasts so deliciously long, but other notes show up and kind of corral the cumin a bit so it doesn’t get too wild and feral.  I kept thinking, where is the mandarin(?) but I think that is what is doing the job here of putting ropes around the skank.  Because on top of this truckload of skanky cumin, you are throwing, oud, leather, resins and, duh, tobacco.

The long drydown – and this thing last forever – loses the skanky cuminy stuff and is soft and snuggly with an echo of smut lingering.

I’m in love. I’m not sure I can wear it out of the house until about 2 hours after it goes on, but I really love a perfume that makes me think about my choices carefully. Now I’m obsessed with the rest of the Byredo Night Veils line, I need to try that Casablanca Lily!

Update on my mom. She is out of the  hospital as of last Saturday.  It’s up and down, feels good one day or in the morning, and then gets puny as the day goes by, but it is better than it was.  She’s eating well, which is the piece that landed her in the hospital – not eating and drinking enough, and her sodium and potassium were dangerously low. She is really tricky to sort out once her electrolytes get out of whack  But she is better, and her voice sounds really strong, like she always sounds. She has a voice like a bullhorn when she needs it, and being 86 has not curbed that a bit.  She did make the decision to sell her lovely little house on the hill outside of town with the several acres and move into senior apartments in town.  She lots some strength with this, and she isn’t sure how much she will get back, and she said she is just tired of worrying about watering things and all that goes along with that, and just doesn’t want to be scared of getting snowed in this winter and her friends can’t get up the hill to  take care of her. I think this is wise. I still want her to come move in with me, but she’s not there yet and may never be. She doesn’t want to leave her friends and sister and where she has lived all of her life.

First, winner of the Kilian Angel’s Share samples – Taxi and Gina T.  Just click on the Drop Us a Note up at the top in the Aqua bar, send me your mailing address, remind me of what you won, and I’ll get it sent out to you!

Yes, of course we’ll do a drawing.  I’ll draw two winners at random, and you can pick which one of these you’d like to sample.  But which one do you think you’d like just based on the notes?

  • gwenyth says:

    Having a parent age, change, and deal with those changes plus an illness is a challenge for all concerned folks. I’m happy to hear that you and she are reasonably well and happy. Take care!

    I had the opportunity to sample TF Lost Cherry. In general, I’ve enjoyed all of the TF perfumes. I was not surprised to find that Lost Cherry was lovely and long-lasting.
    Because I’m a fan, I’d love the opportunity to try something new.

  • Undina says:

    I’m glad your mom is feeling better. And I think it’s good that she won’t be leaving alone – especially if it’s her decision.

    Don’t count me in: peach and cumin are two of my least favorite notes.

  • Cinnamon says:

    Glad to hear your mother is on the mend. I’m long out of the loop on TF stuff. Some of the names just made me tired. Why do you have to try so hard? The Byredo, on the other hand, sounds very interesting. Might have to chase up a sample.

  • Gina T says:

    Welcome home, Mom!!!!! I think I would like the Bitter Peach but not the cumin Byredo cumin Tobacco cumin Mandarin. 🙂 Thank you so much for the Kilian samples.

  • Tara+Mc says:

    I’d love to sniff either of these, though I may need a lot of alone time with the cumin bomb! Glad to hear your mom is improving, those decisions on what to keep and what to let go are so difficult as we get older.

    • Patty says:

      Yeah, that cumin bomb is amazing. And it’s not like a gross one, it’s just … Love it! And it was surprising, maybe that’s what I liked the most. It is hard to surprise me some days.

  • Kristina K. says:

    I am glad about your mom, hope she’ll do fine.
    About the Byredo Night Veils line. I have tried a Casablanca Lily, but it didn’t really get to me. Too much of tuberose to my nose. Although Reine de Nuit is something out of this world, really recommend it!

    • Patty says:

      Oh, that’s sad. I still want to try it. i did get a sample of the Reine, and you are right, it is so gorgeous. I need to spend some time with it when I don’t have the cumin bomb on the other arm, though, and a really long shower is going to be necssary cuz I went downstairs and sprayed it on again!!! It lasts forever.

  • Ariel says:

    I’m so glad that your mom is out of the hospital. I truly hope her recovery goes smoothly. Her little house on the hill sounds lovely- I hope the move is a relief and welcome change.

    I’m up for the draw. The Byredo Tobacco Mandarin sounds so very up my ally. Someday I’ll make a song and the backbeat will just be a chorus of folks singing “skank skank, skank-skank”. That’s my jam.

    • Patty says:

      I used to not love the skank as much as I do, but my nose has learned to appreciate it. Beautiful skank is the pinnacle. Thanks, my mom seems happy with her decision, plus now she is free to come stay longer down here without worrying about mowing and watering and freezing pipes, etc.

      • Ariel says:

        My youngest aunt and uncle bought themselves place in a retirement community- their parents are still living on their own! My aunt and uncle just realized that (a) they didn’t feel like moving again and (b) their monthly fees cover building maintenance and insurance emergencies- it is so much easier for them to budget and they don’t have to mow a lawn. They love cooking and making up drinks for their neighbors. Even though they are the youngest kids on the block (late 40s), they found a lot more life and vitality from living in a community than on their own. I hope your mom continues to enjoy having access to other people and freedom from house chores. I bet you are worrying less about her, too.

        You’ve probably already written above this– but what are your favorite skanks these days?

  • VerbenaLuvvr says:

    Great news on you mom, and glad that she is home now. I’ve been following the Bitter Peach reviews, and they are all over the place. I’ve still not found the perfect peach fragrance so it’s the one I’d love to try.

    • Patty says:

      It’s really not a bad peach, once you get past that open. I did enjoy wearing it after the first may be 20 minutes, and I would wear it, but, I dunno, I guess I wanted something more? That’s greedy of me!

  • Zazie says:

    So glad about your mom!!!
    Please don’t enter me in the draw: I think these fragrances deserve a more loving home than mine (peach and mandarin are not really my thing!!!)

    As I am really drawn by Byredo’s packaging I tried all the Night veils I could (but don’t recall this one you mention). I liked a few but didn’t love any. I found they all had a great but very prominent incense note from mid development to the end, and while I can appreciate it, I don’t fully enjoy it. When the juice is colored like a marvelous old cognac, I don’t expect to be interrupted by any kind of sober austerity.

    I think I’ll end up buying their amazing rose hand sanitizer (in the chicest overpriced black tube), and leave their perfumes alone…

    • Patty says:

      rose hand sanitizer, yoiks! I know they have room diffuser stuff now too or I think they do, maybe they are room sprays. I may need to investigate those. I haven’t loved Byredo’s middle part of their existence, too many scents I don’t remember, but their early ones were great – Pulp, Gypsy Water, etc., and so far I have loved their Night Veils line, at least the two I have smelled. But dang, they are pricey!

  • Musette says:

    and… how on earth did I miss Casablanca Lily?!!! xoxoxo

  • Musette says:

    you know that cumin starts out as Seriously Sweaty Armpit (and other places, alas) on me – and stays there. Apparently, on me, there is no drydown – evah! Which is a shame because the rest of the notes sound stunning. So.

    Your mom! SO glad she’s feeling better! The good-to-puny sounds typical of any virus/illness, doesn’t it (saying that so you don’t worry too much about it). I know when I’m recovering from something I feel pretty good in the am but by the time 4-5p rolls around I’m totally ready to pack it in. And that stage seems to take awhile. Hope you can go see her soon! xoxoxo

    • Patty says:

      Yeah, but I think they sent her home without the steroids they had been giving her. I remember asking her if they sent her home with some, and she said no. Apparenty they did prescribe them, but didn’t tell her, and she got them when her sister went to the drugstore for her for something else. So I’m sorta chalking that up to sudden steroid withdrawal. She felt great Saturday, then as Sunday wore on, she was pretty miserable, and that is about right. She did use my dad’s old walker for a couple of days, she just felt unsteady, and didn’t want to risk a stumble and fall, but now she says she’s not really using that. She just needed to get some chow in her and sturdy up. But I am glad she is making this move. Winter on that hill is beautiful, but a little scary if you are 86. It never scared her before, but this year, she said enough, she didn’t want to do it anymore.

  • March says:

    That MANDARIN. I would never have tried it, and now I must! Sounds RIGHT up my alley hehe. I am so glad your mom is better! And her decision sounds like a sensible one (although tough to make). I’m glad you’re closer to her now and y’all have so much family right there. xo

    • Patty says:

      Exactly! I though of you. I got it for the Tobacco and the incense, but had no idea it was a stinky little shit like that. Thanks, I think she’ll be fine, and now she can spend more time with us over the winter. She always said she had to get home to make sure her pipes hadn’t frozen or whatever. She’s a little weird like that. 🙂

  • Neva says:

    Oh, I just can’t decide…just like you, I think there are never enough peach fragrances out there and on the other hand – cumin! I love cumin in perfumes. Ok, let it be peaches this time.
    Glad that your mom is back from hospital and I hope she’ll stay well and happy with her decision to sell the house. My mom is 85 and right now in the stage that she has lost her appetite and losing weight quickly. Maybe the next stage is the hospital but I doubt any hospital would take her now in the Covid crisis and I wouldn’t be able to see her at all. Yes, sometimes life is challenging.

    • Patty says:

      You know what? I had the peach on one arm and the cumin bomb on the other, and I actually kind of liked them together. The cumin gave the peach some depth I thought it needed, but may have been tricky to get in there without destroying the peachy smell.

      Oh, I’m sorry about your mom. Is she ill? Mom had Covid and didn’t get the test until like ten days in when she felt a lot worse. She knew she had it, but her appetite was awful, and she really didn’t have any other symptoms. But not eating and drinking enough, even though she was trying, really screwed up her electrolytes. They salted and postassiumed her back up, and she’s starving hungry again!

      My brother’s mother-in-law tested positive, and she is 91, I think. She was in assisted living, and one of her daughters came and got her for that reason, they locked it down, and they didn’t want to go through a winter with not being able to see her. Not at her age and where she is doing really well. It’s so hard right now to make those decisions.

    • Ariel says:

      Unsolicited advice time (sorry, just worried about your mom):

      Do you have a pulse oximeter? They are really cheap (like, $5) and easy to use (just fits on the end of a finger). It measures the amount of oxygen in the blood. Below 90%? It is hospital time.

      Here’s a link: https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2020/aug/can-an-oximeter-help-detect-covid-19-at-home/

      I wish you and your mom the best.

  • Portia says:

    So glad Mum is getting back on track Patty. Fantastic that she is even thinking of moving somewhere better for her health and welfare. Small steps, eh?
    Tom Ford is wavering on the edge of insignificance. It’s a bummer.
    Excited Byredo has done something super remarkable in that high price point line. The ones I tried would be excellent value at 1/3 the price.
    Portia x

    • Patty says:

      Small steps for sure. Byredo does have a crazy price point on all their fragrances. I’m not sure why, I think it keeps a lot of people out that otherwise would find many of them remarkable. I think if they would just go right under the $200 mark, they would open up their market.

  • Shiva-woman says:

    I’m so utterly disappointed in all the Bitter Peach reviews. I love peach and my favourite is probably Slumberhouse Kiste, a boozy tobacco peach syrup. Compliment getter. So I love the name and I like Tom Ford scents but every review compares this to cheap, bad shampoo. What a pity and a total pass. Too much perfume, a whole lotta samples, and not time enough. The skank however sounds fantastic. I’m into animalic sweaty cumin and oud–and tobacco green, dried, leaf, etc–mmmmm. I’d love to have a go at this.
    I’m so relieved your mom is out of the hospital. It’s so hard on many of us to watch our loved ones go through this. Sad to hear she’s leaving the farm, but it does sound like she’s making the move and the choice while she can, and enjoy an active social life.

    • Patty says:

      Well, it doesn’t stay like that. It’s just the open. The davana saves it and may be responsible for some of the super fruitiness at the beginning. Maybe? Skank sounds much more like what you’d like, though!

  • Maya says:

    I am happy to hear that your mom is getting better even if it’s slower than you might want. Sending her strength.
    I love peach notes in perfume and was wondering about Bitter Peach especially since Lost Cherry was a tobacco fragrance on me. Couldn’t find the cherry at all but did find a few other reviewers who had the same problem. I was wondering if Bitter Peach is actually peachy – couldn’t resist. 😉

  • Tara C says:

    Please don’t send me either of the samples, they don’t sound appealing in diametrically opposite ways, LOL! Shampoo vs. armpit skank. :-). I’m glad your mom is improving.

  • Ellen says:

    I too miss the old Tom Ford. Of the two, bitter Peach would be my choice. Too much cumin is not something I enjoy. Glad your mom is doing better.