Tom Ford F*cking Fabulous vs Fearless Flame by Inspired by Scent
I did a side-by-side test of Tom Ford F*cking Fabulous and Fearless Flame by Inspired by Scent. Not an affiliate, bought both myself.
Application:
2 sprays wrist, 2 sprays inner elbow, 1 spray neck for each.
Right off the bat, Fearless Flame is shockingly close. Like, “how are they doing this?” close. Either there’s a computer involved or someone over there really knows the craft.
Opening
The OG opens sage-forward, with soft lavender, smooth vanilla, and a hint of leather. It feels blended, calm, and expensive in that annoying Tom Ford way.
Fearless Flame opens almost identical, but noticeably louder. I get sage, lavender, leather, vanilla, and maybe the tiniest hint of citrus. It’s stronger by far, but not sharp at first. Everything is just turned up.
20–30 minutes in
F*cking Fabulous starts to mellow pretty quickly. The lavender and vanilla move forward, the sage settles down, and the leather is still there but subtle. It becomes smoother and almost powdery.
Fearless Flame stays more sage-forward. The lavender and vanilla are still there, but the sage keeps driving the bus. At this stage it is still very recognizable as FF, but it’s a little less soft and blended than the original.
Around 3 hours
The OG has moved into vanilla, leather, and lavender, with sage in the background. It’s soft, pleasant, and not quite powdery, but close.
Fearless Flame is still stronger. The drydown is mostly sage and lavender, with the vanilla and leather pushed further back. It keeps more of that sage edge, which makes it feel a little harsher than the original as it dries down.
Around 4–5 hours
F*cking Fabulous is mostly lavender, a little powdery, with just a touch of sage.
Fearless Flame is almost all sage at this point, with the sweeter notes way in the background. By hour 5, the sage edge does soften a bit and it gets closer to powdery, but it never fully loses that slightly sharp sage-forward feel.
Verdict
Fearless Flame goes on so close to F*cking Fabulous that it genuinely had me puzzling over how they do it. Over time, though, they separate.
F*cking Fabulous dries down into a smoother vanilla/lavender/leather blend with just a trace of sage. Fearless Flame stays stronger and more sage-heavy, especially as the sweeter lavender, vanilla, and leather notes fade back.
That said, for the money? I’m very happy with the dupe. Fearless Flame is $84 for 3.4 oz, and at that price I can easily decant it and carry a travel spray to refresh every hour or two. It’s stronger, very close in the opening, and still clearly recognizable as F*cking Fabulous even into the drydown.
I may eventually buy a full bottle of the OG since I only used a decant, but honestly, I’m completely happy wearing the dupe.
Note on Inspired by Scent
I really like this brand overall. Their dupes are usually stronger/more concentrated than the inspiration, very close, and sometimes even better. Fearless Flame is probably my least favorite of the ones I’ve tried, and I still like it. Their Aventus, Millésime Imperial, GIT, and others have all been great. I’ve reviewed a few of them now.
EDIT: The next day, TF is essentially gone, the dupe is still very present, still sage forward, but a touch softer, sweeter, less sharp. Impressive longevity.
Other Inspired by Scent reviews
Millésime Impérial vs Imperial Gold
https://www.reddit.com/r/fragrance/s/dhoosgGYmI
Aventus Absolu vs Absolute Resolve
https://www.reddit.com/r/fragranceclones/s/0w4f4kblqg
Creed Clones Review,including Aventis Essence
https://www.reddit.com/r/fragrance/s/93kXIrs2bY