FRAGRANCE | Cherry Smoke EDP by Tom Ford: A more masculine take on the original

I know Tom Ford fragrances are often criticized for being overpriced (more so now with Estee Lauder jacking prices up) and for no longer being as unique and creative as their earlier counterparts. However, when the house released a pair of Lost Cherry flankers earlier this year, I still got excited because in spite of what other people say, I do like Lost Cherry; so I got Cherry Smoke as soon as it became available locally. The other one, Electric Cherry, I have yet to try.

No surprise, cherries open the show for Tom Ford Cherry Smoke. They're sweet, sour, and a bit boozy all at once, supported by an underlying leather accord with a mild smokiness. The sweetness had me thinking for a moment there. There's something among the fragrance's sweetening agents that remind me of the apricot syrup in Diptyque Kimonanthe, which I find really nice. I also noticed, albeit belatedly, that there's a lipstick-y quality to the scent as well. I don't think it's from iris because it's decidedly different from Dior Homme Intense; so it must be the cherries. While the scent is generally sweet at this point, the sourness and booziness—not to mention the leather bubbling under—provide enough contrast, so it doesn't become cloying. 

After several minutes, the mildly smoky leather slowly steps into the front but doesn't necessarily dominate, at least just yet. Meanwhile, the sourness dissipates but the sweetness and the cherry flavor remain. A mild sharpness ensues but is easily subdued by everything else going on. Something woody also peeks through but retreats just the same. 

Later, the sweetness starts to relax and the leather becomes more prominent. Still, it's far from other leather-dominant frags like Tom Ford Rose de Russie or even sweeter ones like Carner Barcelona Cuirs. The sharpness returns but then softens again, bringing out the woodiness out of hiding. Despite the fragrance's name, I don't really find smoke to be a major player in this composition. It's there but nuanced. The cherries and sweetness come and go, as do the smoky leather and wood, as if in a cycle—until everything settles into a sweet, cherry-tinged, smoky leather and wood combo. This goes on for several more hours until the scent is no more. 

On its own, Tom Ford Cherry Smoke isn't particularly dark but when compared to Lost Cherry, it appears so. I find Lost Cherry much sweeter, lighter, and as a result, more unisex. Cherry Smoke, on the other hand, possesses a masculine slant because of the leather, wood, and the subtle smoke. For me, though, it's still wearable for both sexes. Initial projection is on the loud side but it gradually dials the volume down until it fades. Even though I'm not getting much smoke from it, I'm still happy with Cherry Smoke overall.