Tuscan Leather vs Noir de Noir Comparison

In this head to head matchup, we have to more entries from the Tom Ford Private Blend collection: Tuscan Leather vs Noir de Noir. Which of these popular Tom Ford fragrances, smells the best? Which has the better performance? Versatility? Which one is the better overall buy?

Tale of the Tape

Tuscan Leather

Notes include: leather, suede, raspberry, jasmine, olibanum, saffron, amber

Click here to try: Tom Ford Tuscan Leather Eau De Parfume Spray for Men, 1.7 Ounce

My original Review: Tuscan Leather

Noir de Noir

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 original review: Noir de Noir

Opening

Tuscan Leather opens with saffron and a very good smelling and rich leather note. If one is a lover of how leather smells, Tuscan Leather is a fantastic example of it at its very best. Add to that, a smooth black suede note and the added touch of raspberry, and you have a delightful fragrance opening.

Meanwhile, Noir de Noir, opens up with rose and patchouli. It is a sweet smelling rose with a very earthy and slightly spicy patchouli. Oud sits underneath this combination and give it that familiar aroma.

Which is better? I like the way both of these fragrances smell at first, but I think Tuscan Leather has the better opening act. Noir de Noir is at its best once it starts to dry down, but Tuscan Leather tops it at the start.

Edge: Tuscan Leather

Projection

Tuscan Leather starts off with pretty heavy sillage and then becomes a moderate fragrance the rest of the way. Noir is moderate pretty consistently throughout the wear and never really goes that big. It will stay within 3-4 feet of your skin.

Edge: Tuscan Leather

Longevity

With the current incarnation of Tuscan Leather I get 8-9 hours of wear and I get about the same with its Tom Ford compatriot. No clear winner.

Edge: Push

Versatility

Both of these fragrances shine in cold weather. Tuscan Leather can probably take the heat better, but it’s not a warm weather scent by any means. They are both listed as unisex, but I think Noir de Noir can be worn by a greater number of people.

They are also both best served to be worn while dressed up or for a night out. However, I’d wear Tuscan Leather casually, but probably wouldn’t with Noir. I do also think that Noir is probably considered sexier. Again, this is a tough call but I think Tuscan Leather has a slight edge.

Edge: Tuscan Leather

Overall Scent

Noir de Noir is a great scent. The rose and oud notes, which I’m usually not a fan of, are actually something that I enjoy with this one. Beyond that the dry down actually does get earthy and a bit dirty with moss and patchouli, but also sweet and creamy with black truffle and vanilla.

It’s all very warm, complex, and strikes a lot of different chords while wearing. It is definitely the more unique scent of these two.

Tuscan Leather is a fantastic leather fragrance with solid performance and an intriguing smell. It isn’t all that unique and does have a rather straightforward composition, so it won’t score high on originality, but it does outshine Noir in some respects or at least equal it.

In the end, I think I’m going to give the nod to Noir de Noir. While it doesn’t have beast sillage, it is good, and lasts all day. Most importantly, the dry down is outstanding, and has such an interesting development throughout. Even with ingredients that I’m usually not a fan of, it makes me enjoy wearing and smelling the fragrance.

That’s a pretty high complement in itself. Is it remarkably better? No, but I can get a similar experience with Ombre Leather or Godolphin, as I can with Tuscan Leather. I cannot say the same about Noir.

Winner: Noir de Noir

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.