Forbidden Plum
Alexandria Fragrances (2018)

I recently made several purchases through the Alexandria line, after reading about their performance online. Since the original scents can be rather pricey or are no longer produced, I wanted to see about the quality of these "inspirations".

To preface, I don't have any experience with Tom Ford's Plum Japonais, as it has been discontinued for some time-so I won't be able to give you a true comparison of the two fragrances. This juice, however, opens strong: almost stringent-it's rather unpleasant on first blast. The oud overpowers on the first spray, but the plum quickly mixes in to make up the top prominent top notes. They mix together well. Hints of amber and cinnamon remain steadfast in the background: it becomes a powdery-smokey scent after the first 45 minutes that leans masculine. The scent remains linear until it dies down some 4-6 hours later. It is a dark fruity oud that dries down into a strong plum-I enjoy it!

As far as longevity, I rarely get more than 4-5 hours out of Tom Ford at its greatest moments (with the exception of Tobacco Oud), so this is easily within the same ballpark. It does project strong, so I would take it easy on the sprays unless you want to overwhelm. I sprayed on 4-5 sprays and people did comment that it was strong.

For the price as of this review ($40 for 30 ML) I give it a thumbs up: I think it's a good cologne to have in your collection and can see it in both a professional and casual social situation. Certainly worth an add.

7/10

I got a sample of this. Wore it for about a hour. Then went to the Alexandria website and bought a bottle. This is a fantastic juice that to my nose is more of a unisex juice than Tom Ford Plum Japonais. I really like the juice overall. It is sweet and slightly bitter at the start. Quality plum note, saffron, cinnamon, amber and oud. This is a top 5 from the house IMO. Enjoy!