Grown. Classic. Timeless. Chic. Intentional or not, Donna The Gold is a nod to the golden era of designer perfumery when florals were unapologetic and bottled femininity boldly disregarded pleasing the crowd.

Sweet mandarin gives a sparkling and juicy opening to a heady gardenia, robust and lush a she opens quickly after. She sings, a long and longing solo that isn’t quite long enough when a demure coconut joins her to add a deep harmony.

This is a freshly done sleek updo, natural face with a bold red lip, gold jewelry, deep red manicure… this is a woman who knows who she is and walks in it without apology. This is golden, and stunningly so.

It’s FINALLY back!

Standalone review: opens with a blast of sweet candied apples, then the caramel and bubblegum ease into view. Anything floral is just there to add depth, the star of this show is apples and sweets. This is average longevity and projection but smells so delicious, it’s worth reapplying. Way in the dry down this turns into sugar and soft amber.

Listen, this is not complex, it’s not totally unique, but it is damn good. To me, compared to all the things up top… it’s better. Eden Juicy Apple is too sharp and musky. Candy Apple Cauldron is too sour. Dylan Purple, Irresistible and Dolce Rose are too floral. Sugarful is a synthetic mess that disappears in minutes. Sugar Fleur is perfection.

These days getting a 3ml bottle under 80usd is unheard of, but I got mine under 60 thanks to a sale. I definitely feel it’s worth it because I have begged for them to bring this scent back.

OG comparison: the OG was sharper and didn’t last as long. That’s it. The new one feels sweeter and better quality, more refined if you will. I also prefer the new label/ribbon. Very demure… other than that, we have back the scent we fell in love with. I’m grateful.

This is for the girls and guys who like to smell like a candy shop. If the name and notes didn’t make it clear, allow me. This is a bottle of cavities. I love it, but it may be too much for you. Don’t be mad at a Sugar perfume for smelling like sugar if you know you don’t like sugary scents…

To me on its own it’s definitely traditionally femme. But as a layering scent, surprisingly unisex. This adds such a nice touch of sweetness to so many scents, it’s definitely worth keeping an open mind.

Anyhow, I’m in love and so happy to have this missing piece of my collection on the shelf where it belongs🥰

A modern and Luxe Cashmere Mist. Not the same scent, but the same vibe😍

Literally the perfect quiet musk. They picked the right fruit, the right florals, the right accords and the just the right amount of all of it. Not too juicy, not too sweet, not too floral, not too woody, not too powdery, not too musky…. It has the perfect amounts of all these elements.

This dries down warm and sweet and in my opinion is better than Skin. As much as I love praline in fragrance, it’s too heavy in Skin for me and ruins the scent. But this gets its sweetness from a juicy, almost preserved, pear that balances well as a skin scent. It feels more natural.

I was lucky to get an older batch on deep discount at a rack store, as I’ve heard this has been reformulated. Sad to see perfection tampered with unnecessarily.

Overpriced J’adore. Why was this made?

I have never requested a refund so fast in my life.

I paid nearly 40 bucks for what translates to a dollar store body spray. The worst Fantasy I’ve tried, this being my 9th.

So, what do I get? Someone down the street yelled bubblegum while spraying an off brand air freshener, and the wind blew in my direction. The end.

This is faint in every way imaginable, and on my skin, what smells like a two week old body mist test on paper, turns into a jumbled chemical mess. Yes, on paper 5 fresh sprays are hard to detect.

I purchased from the Britney Spears store front in Amazon, and assume this is authentic, but who knows. This could be scented tap water🤷🏽 Either way, it’s a no for me. What a wasted release.

Just added the beautiful Shaghaf Oud Tonka to my collection. This is the perfect almond tonka vanilla blend to me. The almond leans into its fruitier nuances and is not bitter at all. The cinnamon is sweet and almost honeyed and the rose essence is just so perfectly blended only a rose lover would even notice she was there. There is no way in the world this should be so inexpensive! This smells amazing!

If you love Velvet Tonka, you may love this. They are in the same world. The tobacco in VT gives it a smooth and sophisticated feel, and I just love that fragrance. Shaghaf Oud Tonka, by comparison, feels more lively, decidedly more feminine, and more captivating. Different vibes but that same gorgeous take on the main accords.

I don’t find it overwhelmingly sweet, loud or dense. It has an airiness to it that offsets the heaviness of its accords. It is a powerhouse though, so no need to overspray. Its powdery feel is a bit more textured than Velvet Tonka. If VT is pressed powder foundation, Oud Tonka is pressed highlighter with texture provided by glitter. Stunning 😍

I’m glad I got this now and not in summer. This is perfect for cooler weather and will sing in the cold. Ugh… I’ve fallen in love

On the nozzle, I get milk and raw greenish honey. They should’ve skipped Davana and Bran and went with Patchouli. Thankfully it’s fleeting.

On my skin, I smell like I’ve been bathed in honeyed spiced rum by the maidens of a goddess. Heavily honeyed. Raw honey. Immediately the rum and cinnamon are boldly present, then davana and bran pass through sourly, just enough to keep this from giving you a headache.

This dries down really beautifully and is a perfect fall gourmand.

I see what this is trying to be, mildly sweet, understated patchouli. It wants to be soft. It wants to stay close. It wants to be a breath of fresh air to anyone catches a whiff. And there are times when I want just that. Not to smell like perfume, but to smell like a clean, refreshing breeze.

Sadly, from my wearer perspective, I can’t get past the cleaner vibe. Windex or Comet cleanser is ruining the wear for me. I’ll stick with underspraying Gucci Rush when I need this vibe.

Way in the dry down this is slightly reminiscent of Valentino Donna. I much prefer Donna to this, however.

Compared to other recent releases, this is the most Tom Ford smelling scent I’ve smelled in a while, and it’s gorgeous.

In the same world as Ebene Fume and Myrrh Mystere and the more elegant amber centered releases, Black Lacquer has a solid seat at the table imo. The fantasy notes in the opening add to the overall experience but don’t define the fragrance as the name suggests that it would. I was pleasantly surprised when smooth booze, deep woods, warm spice and sensual and elevated amber collided beautifully in this modern take on a classic private collection profile.

I’ll come back with updates after a full wear, but I feel firmly this may be one of the best releases since the acquisition.

Update: I remain firm… best TF release since the acquisition. The longevity is so good on this, the sprays on my HANDS are going strong after 6 hours and handwashing. A little goes a long way for me. But even with that, this doesn’t become cloying or overwhelming… it is SO WELL DONE. This one is definitely worth the cost to me.

On skin I get a beautiful incense. The type you would use as bakhoor to scent your surroundings and yourself… as a westerner, do you know how good a scent must be for us to want to use it that way? Usually we separate home scents from personal scents and make clear distinctions.

But, Black Lacquer is a vibe. Stunning start to end with the florals making the briefest welcome appearance in the mid and the finish being a sueded frankincense. A must have for me.