Thermometer

A budget take on the legendary Dior Fahrenheit, Thermometer opens aromatic and bright with lavender, mandarin, bergamot and a hawthorn lift before the heart everyone knows arrives: that distinctive, slightly petrol-tinged violet leaf, dusted with nutmeg and carnation over creamy sandalwood and a touch of jasmine. The base lands the rugged finish - leather, earthy vetiver, patchouli and warm amber softened by sweet tonka and musk. Set against the real Fahrenheit it reads more two-dimensional, the famous gasoline edge tamed and the leathery woods thinner, so it trades some of the original's contradictory, love-it-or-hate-it character for a smoother interpretation. Projection is moderate and turns close after the first hours, with respectable but not the original's marathon longevity. Even so, for the money it captures that singular violet-leaf-and-leather signature convincingly - an aromatic, woody, faintly edgy warmth that suits spring and cooler-weather evenings, the office, dates and formal occasions, reading as confident, grown-up and quietly bold.