Absolutely not what you'd expect as Fahrenheit.

I discovered with interest a recent addition — one among many others — to Christian Dior’s “Fahrenheit” franchise. It was elusive, not something I’d noted in my travels through store after store, and rarely mentioned or even promoted. It was more than a surprise, so my natural curiosity about these things was piqued.

Locating it was even more difficult since the normal channels didn’t stock it, and there wasn’t a store or sample available anywhere. Satisfying my curiosity meant that I was banking on two key things:

Reviews of others who shared similar taste in fragrance.
The ever dreaded blind-buy.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that parting with top dollar on the mere hope that a fragrance will live up to reputation is an easy decision. This one was also required to live up to the reputation of its namesake, something other variations (Fahrenheit 32, Fahrenheit 0, Fahrenheit Summer) had really failed to do. Leaving me to wonder whether Dior was finally just capitalizing on a name, or would they remain true to the original. I found a reputable retailer with stock, so I was about to find out once my shipment arrived.

The fragrance
First, it’s important to recognize that the original Fahrenheit was a very potent picture of violet, honeysuckle, sandalwood, and a series of components that had a very deep and mysterious complexity. For its day, it was innovative, cutting edge, and evocative; simply put, a scent you truly loved or couldn’t stand. I loved it for its complexity, and even wearing it recently, I’ve been approached by people who recognize it instantly and ask “Is that…”

The depth and smokiness of the original have been compared to everything from leather to smoldering wood to even petrol (note: There is no petrol in Fahrenheit, just to clarify). It was the quintessential man’s fragrance for the gentleman who wanted to maintain a somewhat different fragrance, perhaps the last of a breed of scents that would give way to the floral and aquatic trends to follow in the 1990′s. That’s a very heady reputation to uphold.

Fahrenheit Absolute is very different. While it’s evocative of the original, the differences are just as dramatic. Where the original took queues from nutmeg flower, cedar floral, bergamot and various citruses, Absolute opens with violet which tends to lend a much different focus on the smoothness of the transition to follow. The transition into heart and base notes also rests in stark contrast to the original; where Fahrenheit blasts into sandalwood and a concoction of several additional florals — too many to enumerate — Absolute takes a very minimalist approach: incense, our and myrrh, which continue into the base. The divergence continues here, as the original takes its queues from a very powerful sense of leather among other notes (Patchouli, vetiver, amber, Tonka, musk), Absolute stays with the Agarwood and incense.

The lifecycle
The dry-down on this EdT is fairly linear, so the pungency of the initial violet yields cleanly to the remaining 3 major notes. From there, it remains subtle. It’s also very easy to over-apply, despite its EdT status. Expect to be smelling this through the entire day or evening without reapplication.

The Verdict and Rating
Is there similarity to the original Fahrenheit? Some. For purists and fans of the original, there still holds some appeal. The difference is that this is Oud and incense straight to the bottom. True to the original, the longevity and sillage are of similar caliber. But…

There are differences. If you were expecting something that simply repeated the original, or took it to another level with more ingredients, that wasn’t what occurred here. This is an experience in incense, myrrh and our, not the original’s flight into florals, woods and leather. Where I would classify Fahrenheit as a woody-oriental, Absolute is a more Arabian formulation and focuses on being a softer, understated wood of a different genre.

That’s where this isn’t a bad fragrance, though not one about which I’d be carried away. It’s strong, masculine, and keeps in trend with the more modern focus of woods and incense. It’s not a woody oriental of that ilk. I also won’t call it the best Oud of the bunch, nor the most focused on incense or smoke. It’s not a leather. It’s not a spice. In short, it’s not Fahrenheit as you would expect it to be. Simply, it’s different though not with a negative connotation. It has a certain subdued temperament that I wouldn’t associate with Fahrenheit, however. While pleasant, the jury for me is still out on whether I would classify this in the same overall neighborhood as the original fragrance.

Bottom-Line:
This isn’t the worst blind-buy I’ve made, nor would I consider this a bad purchase. It’s different, good in some ways, but lacking if you expected something with the same “x-factor” as the original. You could do better, and far worse. I’d classify it as true enough to the namesake so as not to simply trade using only a franchise and no substance. It’s an improvement over the more commonly available/updated versions that I’d give it a try/buy rating. At its price-point, the quality is reasonable (i.e. don’t expect natural essences, you’re looking at good quality synthetics instead), it maintains good sillage and longevity. In a word, it’s a good fragrance. Sadly, it falls short of greatness, but it doesn’t embarrass its namesake original.

Rating: 2.5 / 5
Quality:2 / 5
Longevity: 3 / 5
Sillage: 3 / 5
Composition/Scent:2 / 5

Availability: Many Web outlets only, including Walgreens, Fragrancenet, Amazon and others. Pricing between $60-$105 dependent on reseller. Available as EdC and EdT (50 and 100ml). This review was based on the EdT Intense.

Update – 30-August-2011: Thankfully, I made a good decision on this particular ‘blind-buy’ in selecting a vendor with both an on-line and brick & mortar presence: Walgreens. While the fragrance is not available in their retail outlets, the shipping box provided an option for easy return either by post or to any of their retail locations. Given my lukewarm feelings toward FA, I decided the return was a good option and Walgreens gave me no hassles in accepting the open-box back (minus the couple sprays to test). So I can end the review on a positive note, though not the one I expected. I’d highly recommend Walgreens as a source for ordering, especially if the particular fragrance is not available in the normal retail channel (as was the case here), and based on their customer-friendly return policy. Additionally, with discount codes circulating around the Web, a bit of searching may yield anything from $5 to 20% or more off your purchase. http://www.walgreens.com for more details.