Preconceived ideas about tobacco perfumes will not help much when trying Tabac Aurea from Sonoma Scent Studio. Perfumer Laurie Erickson's creation does not conform. It's also not related to the big players in the tobacco field: Tabac Blond (Caron), Tobacco Vanille (Tom Ford Private Blend), Havana Vanille (L'Artisan), By Kilian Back to Black, Tabarome Prive (Creed) or Uncle Serge's Chergui and Fumerie Turque. No, Tabac Aurea wants to take you on a different path, despite the familiarity of the notes: Cedar, sandalwood, tobacco, leather, vetiver, patchouli, clove, labdanum absolute, tonka bean, amber, vanilla, musk.
More than anything, I find Tabac Aurea to be an amber fragrance. It's amber on all its facets: the perfume note, the color and the stone itself. This Sonoma Scent Studio perfume is connected in my mind to my vintage Baltic amber jewelry. They have a certain feel and warmth when you touch them, a rich color and an organic shape. Tabac Aurea has all that.
The tobacco note is boozy and steeped in cherry liqueur. It's sweet and develops into a somewhat Lutensian dried figs in mulled wine. It's a little spicy and dries down into a wood-incense-vanilla veil that envelops the skin for the entire day (and then some. Tabac Aurea offers superb longevity). Lovers of spicy oriental perfumes will be delighted with this fragrance. I find it all-gender friendly in the same way as Chergui or Back To Black, but really, this perfume feels more intense and alive than both (and I adore these two).
Tabac Aurea from Sonoma Scent Studio ($40, 17ml, samples and other sizes are available) can be purchased from the perfumer's website, sonomascentstudio.com.
Art: Stand by Pamela Sukhum.
I adore Tabac Aurea!! I've been hoarding my sample... and can't decide if I like this better or Amber Noir... I will probably end up buying both of them anyways! Already fell head over heels in love with Jour Ensoleille and immediately pulled the trigger on that one!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder - I keep forgetting I have that bottle and how much I love that perfume. :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful detail in your description, love the idea of a true Baltic amber perfume
ReplyDeleteOne of my all-time favorites and a beautiful example of Laurie's knack with labdanum. I think the touch of clove is genius -- subliminally evoking clove cigarettes! I also find it to be less gourmand than many tobacco fragrances.
ReplyDeleteLove Tabac Aurea - I need to pull it out and wear it again now that the weather is cold. It's an excellent fall-winter scent. Laurie's fragrances are a reminder that high-quality perfumes do not need to have sky-high pricetags.
ReplyDelete"Lutensian" -I think you need to put that in Wikipedia. I love it!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Laurie, well done.
ReplyDeleteTabac Aurea was the SSS fragrance that I had most looked forward to trying, and it did not disappoint one bit. All at once sweet, rich, and smoky, it lasted over twelve wonderful hours on my skin. A bigger bottle is necessary, I think. Thank you for this review!
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