WHAT I SMELL:  Black Orchid opens with this luscious citrus that dances upon some candied florals.  It’s spicy sweet without being obnoxious .  After a couple of minutes, in comes the orchid, big, creamy and smooth and it’s met with a flattened note that I can’t quite put my finger on, but it might be the chocolate note (see notes below), but after a few more minutes that seems to dissipate.  After around ten minutes, Black Orchid begins to warm and mellow with the vanilla coming forward like it’s covering the fragrance with a creamy layer of elegance.  At around the 30 minute mark, the fragrance becomes more woody that’s dried with some peppered spice. And then at around the hour mark, the patchouli starts to begin to lightly sweeten Black Orchid  again.  When it’s all said, in the end you’re left with this spellbinding concoction that is greatly seductive.

Black Orchid notes listed in Fragrantica:

The top notes are French jasmine, black truffle, ylang-ylang, black currant and effervescent citrus. In the floral-spicy heart, dwells the Tom Ford‘s black orchid, imaginary more than real, and the base combines woodsy notes (patchouli and sandalwood), dark chocolate, incense, amber, vetiver, vanilla and balsam.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Bringing the 1980s back to the present.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE BLACK ORCHID: creamy, bewitching, lush

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BLACK ORCHID:  The Perfume Critic, What Men Should Smell Like, Perfume Posse

BOTTOM LINE:  Tom Ford and I have not always been great friends as his perfumes will tend to overwhelm me.  Black Orchid could do the same, but if you moderate the application, it’s incredibly beautiful.  

• Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
• Scent: Oriental Floral
• Classification: Feminine, but can easily be worn by a man
• Expense: $110 for 50ml EdP from the Tom Ford website