Cheap Thrills Series: Just Jack – Oud Oak (2018) & Just Jack – Tobacco Leaf (2018)

Just Jack seems to be a line of the Irish brand Make Scents, based in County Mayo. Just Jack is the line of Tom Ford clones, while the other line – Jenny Glow is a clone line of the Jo Malone brand. There are some rumors that Make Scents is owned by Sterling Perfumes, the owner of Armaf and several other brands. This information is most probably correct because the Sterling name is engraved on the atomizers of my 30 ml bottles of Oud Oak and Tobacco Leaf.

To this date brand Just Jack is not listed in Fragrantica, Basenotes nor Parfumo. It is unclear why Just Jack brand is the problem, because other cloning houses like Alexandria Perfumes and Parfum Vintage are listed and regularly updated on all fragrance platforms. This is a question for debate.

Just Jack – Oud Oak

Source: Makesscents.ie

Oud Oak supposed to be the clone of Oud Wood, and to my nose smells similar to Tom Ford creation. It maybe lacks the depth and performance of the original, but still possesses its key structure. Oud Oak opens with strong oud accord accompanied with some spices. The oud accord is obviously synthetic, but still has some musty truffle nuance found in the original. Behind this wall of oud I detect some woody and vanilla/Tonka beans undertones. The longevity of Oud Oak is solid (around 8 hours) with weak projection. The whole composition is somehow one-dimensional, but pleasant and garners compliments. For some reason my fiancé who really hates oud finds this composition very alluring and good smelling. Overall, a solid take on oud theme. Do not expect a miracle.

Rating: 6.5/10

Just Jack – Tobacco Leaf

Source: Makesscents.ie

Compared to Oud Oak, Tobacco Leaf is truer to its original. This clone possesses similar vibe and some depth of the Tobacco Vanille. It hits all the right buttons. Tobacco Leaf opens up with strong moist tobacco note followed by fruits and honey accords. Vanilla is mashed with Tonka bean to give a pastry-like undertones. As expected, I wore it often during this holiday season, and it was perfectly cozy during the holidays. The composition is mostly linear, and do not change much during the life of the fragrance. Performance is all right on my skin – longevity around 8 hours with moderate projection. Overall, a nice take on tobacco theme with similar vibe to Tobacco Vanille.

Rating: 7/10