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Vert d’Encens by Tom Ford

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Continuing on with my reviews of Tom Ford fragrances, I have today, an entry from 2016: Vert d’Encens. This one was released under the Private Blend umbrella and is one of the options with the Vert title.

In this post, I will share my experiences with this fragrance and review it on a number of metrics. How it smells, what the ingredients are, how long it lasts, when it should be worn, etc.

What does Vert d’Encens Smell Like?

Notes include: fir, pine resin, incense, heliotrope, wood

Click here to try: TOM FORD VERT D’ENCENS EAU DE PARFUM SPRAY 1.7 oz / 50 ML SEALED 2016 NEW …

My Full Wear Review

Vert d’Encens opens up with a blend of fir and pine with a strongly resinous undertone. In the beginning, it can be fairly sharp and green, but there is a sweetness within the composition, throughout the wear. I actually like how the sweetness plays off of the forest notes. It’s quite warm and green.

A few minutes in, I really start to get more of the resin, but also the smokiness of the incense. I know at this point, that this Tom Ford scent, isn’t really going to be a standard issue pine wood cologne.

Then, there is the heliotrope, which I think adds to the sweetness and lends a very slight powdery quality to Vert d’Encens. There is a bit of a nutty aroma, lurking in here. I don’t know if there is a nut as an ingredient or if that’s just how the notes are coming together.

It dries down finally, into a slightly sweet and resinous woody fragrance, with some leftover smokiness from earlier on. It’s a pretty straightforward perfume, has some development, especially after the initial ‘green’ opening. Though, it doesn’t undergo major transformations thereafter, either.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The projection of this one is pretty average. No massive sillage here. It doesn’t even start off strong, on my skin, and settle down later. Nope, it hits that mid-tier level, and just sits there the rest of the way.

However, the longevity is very good here, and it will go for over 10 hours without a problem. It’s just a steady beat throughout.

Is this actually unisex, as listed? In my mind, very much so. It’s not super woody or earthy, but the sweetness never pulls things too far in the other direction.

Well balanced, for anyone to wear. It would be good in cold to mild temperatures, but doesn’t give me summertime vibes, in the slightest.

I like it as a casual or business wear. Vert d’Encens is pleasant enough to be around, but don’t expect a super sexy fragrance or a club banger. It’s just not that type of thing.

Overall Impressions

Overall, do I like Vert d’Encens by Tom Ford? I do like it, but I don’t love it. It is an interesting change of pace from what I usually wear, but never crosses into the spectacular. I am quite fond of resinous sorts of fragrances, so, on that level I do enjoy wearing it.

If you’re looking for a woodsy scent, with some sweetness/smokiness, then this would be a very good buy. If it doesn’t sound like your thing, it’ll be easy to pass up at Tom Ford prices.

Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford

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For today’s review, I am finally getting around to doing a full write up of Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford. I am still getting through my reviews of fragrances from this designer and this is among the most highly regarded of the bunch. This one came out in 2007. But how does it actually smell? Does it have good performance? What are the ingredients?

What does Tobacco Vanille Smell Like?

Notes include: tobacco, vanilla, dried fruit accords, cocoa, tonka bean, wood sap, spices

Click here to try: Tom Ford Beauty Tobacco Vanille Private Blend Spray/3.4 oz.

My Full Review

Tobacco Vanille opens up with a lot of very sweet tobacco, vanilla, cocoa, and creamy tonka bean. It is loud and really sweet, which I think puts off many people from giving this a fair shake, because it can kind of be overwhelming at the start.

The sweetness is somewhat offset by a layer of unnamed spice, but from what I can tell is mostly cinnamon. It’s a warm enveloping cloud of tobacco and familiar gourmand notes.

One thing about the sweetness is that it has a dry and powdered quality to the aroma. The cocoa note smells like cocoa powder and the dried fruit accord provides a different type of sweet scent from that of the strong vanilla and cocoa.

As it dries down, it becomes less sugary sweet, and more of a rich and dark aroma. It’s a very thick fragrance, smooth overall, but notes like the wood sap give it a resinous undertone.

As it dries down, I get more of the tobacco as a stand alone, that is less drowned out by the gourmand notes. It’s a green leafy tobacco, not a cured and toasted one. This is surrounded by sap and spices.

Plus, the sweet combo of the cocoa and vanilla, which lend it a creamy powdery disposition. It’s pretty much what I get for the rest of the wear.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, the sillage of Tobacco Vanille is really quite strong at first. It’ll stay that way for a few hours, but I’d put it on the upper edge of moderate for the rest of the wear. It isn’t a super bomb scent for the entire way, but it can hit hard at first.

Longevity is great. It’s an all day wear, and can hit double digit hours of wear, with only a couple of sprays. Probably in the 11-12 hour range, at its best.

This one has always stuck to my skin very well and kept going. I’m not sure everyone will experience the same, but it’s one of the best performing Tom Ford scents for me.

Seasonally, it’s a cold weather scent. Too much warmth and sweetness to be of use for me in the spring/summer, but it’s great when the temperatures drop. Very versatile, sexy enough to be worn out at night, but mature enough for office wear.

Doesn’t offend and gets positive reactions from people, as long as you’re not doing a crazy number of sprays. Also, it’s more masculine than anything, but it is still within the realm of being a unisex scent.

Overall Impressions of Tobacco Vanille

Overall, do I like Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford? Yes, it is a very good tobacco based fragrance. The dry down period is my favorite part, because it doesn’t have the same in your face sweetness, but I cannot say that I totally dislike the opening either.

It is expensive, but this is one of the Tom Ford scents that has really great performance, while being pleasing to wear. If you live in a very humid climate, it might not be the best choice. Obviously, you’ll also need to like the smell of tobacco.

For me, this is one of the Tom Ford perfumes that I can and do enjoy. Though, it isn’t my favorite or one that I personally want to wear all of the time. Especially since, the autumn and winter is when I get to break out a whole host of other scents with a dark, sweet, spicy profile.

Other Tom Ford scents like: Noir Extreme and Parfum. Different high end stuff like Oajan, Angels’ Share and Chanel’s Egoiste.

So, I do recommend giving this one a try at least. But, I already have a glut of fragrances with a similar use case, and this one gets left out of the mix for me.

Fleur de Portofino by Tom Ford

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Continuing on with the Tom Ford fragrance reviews, we have a rather popular scent from the line up, Fleur de Portofino. In this post, I want to share my experience with this scent, and what sets it apart from the pack. What are the notes? What does it smell like? How does it perform? Is it actually worth a buy or is it over-hyped?

What does Fleur de Portofino Smell Like?

Notes include: bergamot, Sicilian lemon, bitter orange leaf, tangerine, violet leaf, magnolia, white acacia, orange blossom, jasmine, vanilla, acacia honey

Click here to try: Tom Ford Fleur de Portofino Eau de Parfum Spray, 3.4 oz

My Full Wear Review

Fleur de Portofino is a part of the Neroli Portofino line of fragrances by Tom Ford. So, yes, they do have some similarities but each is fairly distinct, in my mind. The opening features a great blend of citrus notes, mostly a lemon and tangerine.

However, it isn’t a pure citrus start, as I pick up on floral notes, honey, and some subtle ‘greeness’.

This perfume does smell a bit different, particularly in the floral notes. It is led by white acacia flowers, as well, as having a healthy dose of acacia honey.

I wasn’t familiar with the scent of this flower, but it does offer a nice change of pace, from the usually neroli found in a million other perfumes.

After about 20 minutes, the citrus notes start to really take a backseat to the floral notes. They never completely vanish for me, but they don’t completely permeate things, either. I really get a lot of magnolia and what I guess is the acacia, it is a distinct white floral aroma.

The great thing about Fleur de Portofino, unlike some of the other Tom Ford perfumes, is that the floral notes are tempered enough to prevent them from becoming overbearing.

The sweetness of the honey smooth things out and the citrus, retains a light touch, to keep it from becoming a giant bouquet.

Finally, I do pick up on a decent amount of jasmine in the dry down. Now, not to the same extent as say in, Jasmin Rouge; but it does come on fairly strong. Nonetheless, it never fully occupies the composition, and the other two florals remain strong.

In the end, I get this blend of white floral notes, honey, some citrus, and an indistinct mix of some other flowers.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Projection wise, it starts off with pretty strong sillage, but it’s not a bomb. Later, it lightens up quite a bit, but still stronger than a skin scent for me.

The longevity isn’t amazing, but it’s solid, giving me about 6 hours of wear. These style of perfumes, never seem to go super long, but Fleur de Portofino holds up well enough.

I do with I could get a few more from this, solely because of what this fragrance costs. It just doesn’t work out that way.

Seasonally, this one is a spring/summer wear, all the way. While it technically is unisex, this leans much more feminine, in my opinion. Not super girly, so men can indeed, wear it safely.

Some of the others from Tom Ford that are in the same style as this one, can lean more masculine.

This strikes me more as a casual daytime wear or something that you could wear to the office. Not one for a night out or as something which could considered to be a romantic wear. Mostly something to wear, as you’re out and about on warmer days.

Overall Impressions of Fleur de Portofino

Overall, do I like Fleur de Portofino? It’s nice enough. Even if it is still a pretty basic white floral and citrus blend, it changes things up enough with the acacia, to make it distinct. The performance is pretty standard, but it is a very nice smelling perfume.

It doesn’t amaze me, shares some similarities with Sole di Positano, but overall I enjoyed wearing this one. There’s a lot of different fragrances like this from Tom Ford and Acqua di Parma, so, they all start getting jumbled together in my mind.

That being said, it’s one of the better examples. I like the citrus notes in the start and the honey which gives it something somewhat different.

It’s somewhat safe as a blind buy, if you know that this kind of perfume is your style. At the price it sells for, you may want to try it first. Though, I don’t think you’d be all that disappointed if you didn’t test it beforehand.

Patchouli Absolu by Tom Ford

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I have only about a handful of Tom Ford samples to finish getting through, after this one, before I’m done with my current stash. Of course, I’ll have to acquire whatever scents are left, in order to do writeups another time.

However, today, we have an entry from the Private Blend collection: Patchouli Absolu. Yep, a patchouli based fragrance is going to be a bit polarizing, but we will see how this one ranks. How does it smell? What are the notes? Does it last long? Is it worth a try?

What does Patchouli Absolu Smell Like?

Notes include: patchouli, leather, cypriol oil, guaiac wood, moss, amber, bay leaf, tonka bean, rosemary, and cashmere wood

Click here to try: Tom Ford Patchouli Absolu Eau De Parfum 50 Ml

My Full Review

Patchouli Absolu is a part of Tom Ford’s Private Blend series of fragrances. From the start, this particular scent is going to be pretty niche, as patchouli isn’t always everyone’s favorite ingredient. It’s definitely not mine, but it is here in spades.

Will you have to like patchouli, to enjoy this? Yes. However, it really doesn’t strike me as, most other fragrances of this type.

The opening act is quite woody, dry, and with a slight spice. You do have rosemary and bay leaf, at the top, but neither strikes me as being all that strong for the duration of the wear. The patchouli is there, but it really starts to break out, a little later on.

Along with the main attraction and herbal spice is: oud, leather, moss/woods. The wood is definitely cypress to go along with that oud note, which isn’t very strong.

I like the addition of the leather here, I think that is what is making the patchouli itself, much more tolerable. It’s smooth while being quite earthy/woodsy, with that super dry profile.

During the dry down and the rest of the wear, the patchouli gets stronger, and is flanked by the leather. The moss is the next strongest note, to my nose, with woods underneath.

There does seem to be at least some amber and tonka bean in Patchouli Absolu, but it is very little, and really blends together.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage of Patchouli Absolu is pretty strong. This isn’t one that you’ll want to douse yourself with, even if you really enjoy it. A little will go a long way.

Like most other Tom Ford fragrances, this one will last for a long time on the skin, as well. 10+ hours has been my experience with it. Really, it’s one that I just lose track of because it just keeps going.

Seasonally, stick mostly to the autumn and winter months with this one. In my opinion, it wouldn’t be bad on warm days, but keep away from the high heat.

This is a casual to formal wear fragrance. Not really a nightlife or date night sort of scent, unless whoever you’re dating, just loves patchouli.

It’s got a real mature sensibility about it. Most younger guys, would want nothing to do with wearing this. It’s not so offensive to a general audience, but in a lot of ways it will be more of a niche wear.

Overall Impressions of Patchouli Absolu

Overall, do I like Patchouli Absolu? It’s not my style, but for what it is, I do like it. The patchouli and leather are quite good together. Plus, that mossy dryness and wood, create a masculine and earthy scent.

It’s not too harsh, but has a definite classic feeling. I wouldn’t recommend this for most guys to just grab a bottle of. However, if you’re a patchouli fan, I’d definitely give this one a try. It’s right up there with the best of them.

Noir de Noir by Tom Ford

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For this edition of my fragrance reviews, I have another entry from the Tom Ford Private Blend lineup, Noir de Noir. The scent is one of the more popular perfumes offered by the brand, but does it actually smell any good? How does this black of black perform? Is it even worth a try? I’ve been testing it out for a while and here are my results.

What does Noir de Noir Smell Like?

Notes include: rose, oud, patchouli, black truffle, tree moss

Click here to try: Tom Ford Private Blend Noir De Noir Eau De Parfum Spray Edp 3.4 Fl / 100 Ml

My Full Wear Review

I’m not too much of a fan of rose, as a note in fragrances. Especially, rose dominated scents, they usually never really strike a chord with me; even if I don’t hate the way it smells. So, Noir de Noir shouldn’t be a perfume that I enjoy, but I actually do.

When I saw that oud and patchouli were added to rose, I had the preconception that it was going to smell exactly like, every other Middle Eastern inspired fragrance out there, with a huge rose and overpowering spice. What I got from this Tom Ford scent, was quite different.

Noir de Noir does indeed open up with a familiar aroma of rose, however, it seems sweeter, while at the same time dirtier than other rose scents. But this is what makes it such a good smell.

It is paired with patchouli at the start and this provides an earthy spice, that not super intense but allows the scent to be dark and not just another in your face rose.

The oud sits at the base, along with the slight mossy element in here. However, the key here in my opinion, is the black truffle and vanilla. I didn’t see vanilla listed as a note, but I get that sweet creaminess peaking through during the dry down.

This is when Noir de Noir is at its absolute best. I love the balance here, one minute it is rosy and floral, the next dirty and spicy, and then it is sweet. All wrapped up in a dark and enveloping warmth. The oud is the sturdy heart of the perfume, but it stays out of the way, and isn’t super overt.

Sillage, How Long it Lasts, and Versatility

Projection wise, I don’t find the sillage of Noir de Noir to be all that powerful. It isn’t weak, but it didn’t make me recoil when applying it. It’ll stay in a nice little 3-4 foot radius of you during the wear and you will catch nice whiffs of it throughout.

It also stayed on my skin for about 9 hours or so. Wasn’t insane, with the longevity, but it is certainly very good. On a colder day, the performance does stand out. The longevity is good, but what’s impressive is how it sticks around with a good amount of power.

This is a unisex scent, maybe leaning more towards a woman’s fragrance, but it doesn’t really seem as wholly feminine. Noir de Noir works fantastically on me, as a man, so I wouldn’t worry about seeming too girly with it.

Either way, I liked wearing it in the cold weather recently, and don’t think that it would be too successful for anyone in the summertime. It’s a bit too rich for any time with too much humidity or heat.

Noir de Noir is a sophisticated scent, as such, I probably wouldn’t wear it casually. This is more of something to wear on an evening out, whether that is in a suit or a dress. Anything with a bit of style to it. It is sexy in its own way, not super seductive, but inviting and intriguing.

Overall Impressions of Noir de Noir

Overall, do I like Noir de Noir by Tom Ford? Yes, if you couldn’t tell. I think that it is a highly enjoyable fragrance, that captures a lot of different moods, aromas, and skirts the line of masculine and feminine.

It successfully managed to take notes that aren’t usually my favorites and make me enjoy wearing it. This is a wonderful piece of the Private Blend collection.

The truffle is a fantastic addition, getting paired with the more commonplace vanilla note. They sweeten and calm, what would otherwise be quite an intensely earthy sort of perfume.

Nonetheless, it ultimately is an earthy experience. The rose note is surprisingly good, when paired with patchouli. It comes together as a very dark, warm, sweet, and powerful wear. Noir de Noir is a fragrance, I wouldn’t have expected to enjoy, but really did, in the end.