Tom Ford | The Scented Hound

May 26, 2014
by The Scented Hound 14 Comments

Tom Ford Black Orchid

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

June 18, 2013
by The Scented Hound 23 Comments

Tom Ford Sahara Noir

You would think by this time that I would have learned that when wearing a Tom Ford fragrance that less is more. In other words, a little Tom Ford goes a long way. So now that we established that I overspritzed, that set the tone for the rest of my experience with Sahara Noir.

WHAT I SMELL: Hay. It smells hay like that has been sitting in a barn for some time. The smoke from a nearby fire has been absorbed by the hay. There’s incense and what may be a hint of bergamot, but mostly smoky hay. Nothing really happens much after this except that the hay becomes a bit dryer and woody and maybe just a tad sweeter; but I think that’s just wishful thinking and my mind playing tricks on me.

From Fragrantica:

Sahara Noir is an oriental-woody scent based on incense. Bitter orange, Levantine cypress (known as one of the plants growing in the gardens of the 1001 Arabian Nights) and cistus essence Orpur® (Orpur® are high-quality natural ingredients of extraordinary purity, developed by Givaudan) open the composition. The heart blends frankincence essence Orpur®, cinnamon, cool papyrus extract, rose absolute from Morocco and Egyptian jasmin with honeyed and animalic shades of beeswax from Burma.The base centers around warm amber notes – made of labdanum absolute and ambreinol (an intense natural labdanum fraction), cedar, frankincense resin, benzoin, vanilla, oud and balsams.

OK, I am seriously missing something here because Sahara Noir is incredibly linear and I am missing what I wish I could smell, like the rose absolute, jasmine and other notes that could brighten this a bit.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Of course, I can only say…smoky hay.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SAHARA NOIR: boring, dull, there (I know, there is not an adjective, but Sahara Noir is just “there”)

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SAHARA NOIR: Adventures of Barberella, Scents of Self, Notable Scents

BOTTOM LINE: When I first put on Sahara Noir I found it promising. I thought that it would develop and morph into something interesting. Unfortunately, it ended up sitting on me like a log. By the end of the work day I was incredibly tired and worn out from wearing this fragrance so much so that I just couldn’t wait to get home and put something else on. Uggggh.

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $150 for 50ml EdP

October 14, 2012
by The Scented Hound 28 Comments

Tom Ford x 2: Tobacco Vanille and Noir

TOM FORD PRIVATE BLEND TOBACCO VANILLE

WHAT I SMELL: Tobacco Vanille opens with rich creamy tobacco and spice, with what I find to be almost a slightly nutty honeyed apple clove like layer, but you have to get near the skin to find that effect. This scent stays pretty linear to me although it sweetens after a bit and then becomes more woody as the drydown continues. Tobacco Vanille opens as time goes on and becomes more robust. Don’t let the quiet opening fool you and keep spritzing, because in no time you’ll feel the full effects of the fragrance.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The reason I wanted to test this is because I heard that it was similar to A*Men Pure Havane. Sure, there is a similarity with some of the notes, but I think they’re very different. Pure Havane is a party in Cuba; it’s fun and it’s festive and raw. This to me is very much a 1980s fragrance, sophisticated, big and maybe a bit dated. I find this very nostalgic.

Tobacco Vanille Notes: top notes are tobacco leaf and spicy notes; middle notes are tonka bean, tabacco blossom, vanilla and cacao; base notes are dried fruits and woody notes

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE TOBACCO VANILLE: mature, sophisticated, powered

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT TOBACCO VANILLE: Olfactoria’s Travels, Notable Scents, Scentrist.com

BOTTOM LINE: The first time I wore this, I liked it better than the 2nd time I wore it which made me feel a bit like I was walking around with a “Yankee Candle Company” candle hanging from my neck. For those of you not in the US, that’s not a good thing.

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Spicy
Classification: Unisex – leans masculine
Expense: $205 for 50ml EdP

TOM FORD NOIR

WHAT I SMELL: Noir opens to a fresh and clean bergamot opening. It’s zesty and peppery and not what I would have expected with the name, Noir. Very quickly this becomes a bit warmer, but not enough to make this less zesty. There are many notes to this fragrance which I am having difficulties distinguishing as they’re blended together well.

Noir notes: top notes are bergamot, verbena, caraway, pink pepper and violet; middle notes are black pepper, nutmeg, tuscan iris, geranium, bulgarian rose and clary sage; base notes are opoponax, amber, indonesian patchouli leaf, vetiver, civet and vanilla

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Fragrance that is indistinguishable from many other colognes. With the name Noir, I want mystery and adventure… this has neither.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE NOIR: zesty, familiar, predictable

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NOIR: Scentrist.com, The Black Narcissus, The Grooming Guru

BOTTOM LINE: Nice and pleasant, but rather unexciting. I’ll pass.