Smoetn

Now I still hold it in my hands, this for me almost legendary fragrance of Tom Ford. But in turn...

For the first - and actually also the only time - I was allowed to smell this fragrance a good year ago in a perfumery. I immediately liked it extremely well and I thought to myself, what a great forest fragrance. The following week I wanted to show it to my wife, but - what a shock - I was told that this fragrance was no longer available and had been discontinued. Since then, however, this fragrance has lived on in my memories, put on a pedestal and tried again and again to relive it in my mind. Loosely based on Aristotle, I held this pleasant fragrance tightly in my memory.

Fast Forward by a Year. Here in the souk, a brand new bottle, still shrink-wrapped, is offered, and I get sweaty palms. Can this really be, should I dare? Now the pleasant in the form of hope set in. After a short and nice exchange with the corresponding Parfumo like-minded (thanks goes out), the bottle was also already on the way to me.

And now this one is - the moment of truth. Is the fragrance really as great as I remembered him or did I suffer from an acute case of memory distortion? Can the fragrance also convince in the present and my - now much more "experienced" nose - still so very flattering?

The fragrance
I fall equal times with the door in the house - Yes! The fragrance is as great as I remembered. It is really a great, authentic forest fragrance, as I have always wanted. But, of course, not all woods are the same. "Bracken Man | Amouage" for example is also a great and very very authentic fern scent, as you can also perceive in the forest. But "Vert d'Encens | Tom Ford" is completely different here. The fragrance is much darker, more opulent and also more resinous.

The fragrance starts relatively fresh with bergamot and lemon, intermixed with some lavender. This opening dissipates but relatively quickly and goes into a green, resinous-smoky heart note and thus makes here all honor to its name. You can now clearly smell the incense and fir. The fragrance immediately transports me to a beautiful autumn walk in the forest on a Sunday afternoon. Anyone who knows this beautiful, fresh, but also resinous forest air, can certainly understand what I'm talking about. The incense additionally gives a slightly sacral mood.

In the drydown, the fragrance, then becomes increasingly sweet and light chocolate and vanilla notes are still added, even if these are not listed. Here certainly shows the heliotrope responsible, which, as is well known, also contains a sweet almond note.

"Vert d'Encens | Tom Ford" is really an extraordinary fragrance. He is fascinating, peculiar, almost decadent (in the product description it says he would fit at the court of Louis XIV or Napoleon Bonaparte), growing and demanding, both for the wearer and for fellow men. Therefore, the fragrance is certainly not for perfume novices, but those who get involved with the fragrance will be rewarded with one of the most complete and refined fragrances of recent times.

Overall, it must be noted that it is a very typical, but at the same time atypical Tom Ford fragrance. Typical because of the really high perfume art and the almost uniqueness or daring of the fragrance, which can act quite polarizing. Untypical but because this fragrance is not so loud, not so "in your face" comes along, as other fragrances from the Tom Ford Private Blend series.

Rather, the scent is almost for oneself; another review wrote "contemplative", which I can definitely relate to. The fragrance isn't designed to go full on and make you feel elated about life; in fact, the opposite is true. The fragrance is suitable for "coming down", to reflect on oneself and one's environment and to simply let one's soul dangle. And what is better suited for this than a walk in the woods?

The fragrance is by no means quiet; the sillage is quite moderate and the fragrance can be perceived well. The durability is very good and the remains happy 7-8 hours on the skin. The fragrance fits nicely in autumn and winter, although spring is also quite feasible. Only in very hot temperatures, you should use the fragrance rather carefully. Even though the fragrance is marketed as unisex, I see it leaning in the masculine direction, but ultimately it really can be worn by anyone. For me, he has in the opening certain similarities with "London for Men (Eau de Toilette) | Burberry", although the Tom Ford is of course much more complex and higher quality, which is also reflected in sillage and durability.

All in all, I'm very glad to have been able to get hold of a bottle of this wonderful fragrance, even if I will certainly use it rather rarely and mainly for me at home.

Dante Alighieri wrote from 1307 to 1321 the Divina Commedia, the divine comedy, which is still considered a piece of world literature. The book describes Dante's journey from the dark horrors of the "Inferno", through the purifications of the "Purgatorio" to the light-filled beauty of the "Paradiso".

1472 is the earliest date in the "Histoires de Parfums" series and is all about the divine comedy, especially the contradictions described in the book - sin and virtue, faith and unbelief, good and evil. And it is precisely this tension, these contradictions and the struggle for the sovereign claim of life itself that this fragrance reflects in fact very beautiful.

Dante's work is inherent in a deep numerical meaning, especially the number 3 seems to have done it to Dante at the time. Thus, the whole work is divided into three parts (hell, purgatory, paradise) and especially hell is composed of 3x3 "circles". 33 years by the way also the age in which Jesus should have died...

A look at the notes in 1472 reveals amazing - 3 phases (head, heart, base) with 3 fragrances each. Coincidence?

But how does this tightrope walk between heaven and hell, between light and dark smell now?

Exactly, namely incredibly exciting with an interplay of different notes. The fragrance starts floral, bright and life-affirming. Especially the "solar note" is to evoke an uplifting, uplifting and sparkling mood, which together with Artemisia and Ylang-Ylang also succeeds relatively well. The fragrance journey thus starts not as with Dante with hell, but directly in paradise.

After a relatively short time, the very beautiful jasmine then comes to the fore and takes over the dominance for the time being. At this point, the fragrance then also briefly threatens to drift into a typical jasmine-tuberose summer fragrance. After another 15 minutes, however, purgatory breaks out in the form of cinnamon and incense, although I can perceive cinnamon only minimally. Here it then becomes a bit drier, darker and also more mysterious. The incense may be a portent of what then comes in the "hell" on one.

This awaits the inclined visitor then befitting with dark, woody-resinous and humid notes, which were selected by the prince of darkness determined himself. Dominant remain for me but jasmine and incense, which complement each other wonderfully. In the drydown, the fragrance is then very dry and woody and almost a little reminiscent of "Bois Marocain | Tom Ford" or "Black Calamus | Carner" .

Overall, the fragrance may not seem necessarily three-part, but it already goes through a decent transformation. All notes fight over dominance on the skin and it creates an interplay, as it could not have been described more beautifully by Dante. There is also no clear answer to the question of whether it is more of a masculine or feminine fragrance, as there is a battle of classically gendered notes here as well. Is the fragrance at first rather typically feminine, he then transforms in the further course more and more into at least a unisex fragrance.

The durability in the fragrance is with 7-8 hours in the midfield, and the sillage is also noticeable perceptible, but holds back as far as possible.

I think the fragrance is really successful and with the associated story of Dante an all-around great thing. However, he does not reinvent the wheel and is also not a masterpiece. Nevertheless - it is exciting and makes a really interesting transformation. So anyone who wants to accompany Dante on his way through hell to paradise (here, however, in reverse order) once, should definitely try this fragrance once. And the whole then best to read the "Divina Commedia".

I'm sitting in front of the fireplace in my favourite armchair and have a nice warm cup of tea in my hands. The fire in the fireplace crackles and crackles and through the window I can slowly see the snow falling in thick flakes. My wife is still asleep and my children are playing with the new toys, which they got for Christmas Eve yesterday.

I woke up early, lit the fireplace and then made my favorite tea. But before I sat down in the armchair, I sprayed on "Tobacco Vanilla (Eau de Parfum) | Tom Ford" and now let my soul dangle and enjoyed my tea in peace.

On the radio, "Let it snow" was playing softly in the background, which was nicely fitting since this was finally a white Christmas. The snow outside was at least two feet high and the houses and trees were all covered in a beautiful white blanket of snow.

There was a peaceful, almost picturesque idyllic atmosphere in the house and I was enjoying every moment. Outside it was slowly stopping snowing and the sun was now showing in the crystal blue sky. I put the cup to my mouth and was about to continue drinking my tea when I noticed that the cup was empty. And that's when I also noticed that something was missing; and it wasn't just the tea.

I must have dozed off too, as the fire in the fireplace had burned down to a small ember, and the scent of soot and some stuffy air now hung in the air. And that's when I knew what I was missing; fresh air. I looked outside and saw the snow glistening in the sun through the large windows. The ice crystals sparkled like a thousand stars and I could feel the crisp chill outside inside already.

I went to the big sliding patio door and opened it with a mighty swing. And there it was - that crisp, crystal-clear air, sweltering with the lightly thawed layer of freshly fallen snow. It was a freshness that was very rare; when everything was right and the conditions were just right. It was a freshness like you imagine and wish for in the Arctic when it's too hot again. I drew the air greedily into my lungs with big breaths and knew today was going to be a glorious day for a winter walk.

That, or something like that, is what "Soleil Neige (Eau de Parfum) | Tom Ford" smells like to me. It is not quite easy to describe this fragrance, at least not the feeling that this fragrance transports for me. Of course, you could break the fragrance down into its individual parts and write that it starts out fresh, then becomes more and more floral, and towards the end it gets a very nice sweet touch. But this would not do justice to the fragrance, therefore, in my opinion, you have to tell here with pictures, what pure text is not able.

But it is amazing how the individual fragrance notes in the interplay evoke exactly this feeling. For me, this Tom Ford is whole great perfume art and even somewhat undervalued in the Tom Ford universe. Of course, the marketing machine works here too, and the description of snow in the sun would possibly not even open up to you without this PR aid. But once you have this image in mind, fits the name of the fragrance like snow at Christmas.

At the same time, the fragrance also holds reasonably long on the skin and has for a kind of fresh fragrance also a decent sillage. The bottle looks very elegant and by the white it also fits perfectly to the fragrance. This is already quite large (head) cinema.

Now only remains the question of whether this fragrance is a summer or winter fragrance. I would say, neither nor, or both. I think you can wear this fragrance all year round; in winter, when you want to enhance the freshness from the snow, or in summer, when you long for winter. And when I write "one", I mean by all means also the version with two "n", since the fragrance comes across unisex for me, even if the floral notes, especially in the heart note, rather remind of a classic women's fragrance.

Overall, I can recommend this fragrance to anyone who likes the smell of fresh snow and would like to try a slightly different scent. And as the icing on the cake, it should be mentioned that this is at least not the most expensive among the Tom Fords.

No other fragrance embodies the person of Tom Ford as well as FF. Tom Ford polarizes, attracts, repels, is considered a sex symbol and is a true all-rounder. In addition to his main profession fashion designer, he is also a film director and of course perfume guru.

Among the best known and most popular fragrances Tom Ford classics such as "Oud Wood (Eau de Parfum) | Tom Ford" Wood or "Tobacco Vanilla (Eau de Parfum) | Tom Ford". However, many fragrances are also considered provocative, not least because of the horrendous prices that Tom Ford sometimes calls off. This also includes FF...

Fragrance
FF starts lovely tart and sweet. The lavender is well perceived and gives the fragrance a slight herbaceousness, which you have to process first. By the clary sage, the fragrance even gets an almost Fougere-like direction missed, which initially keeps the resonating sweetness wonderfully in check. The almond then rounds off the whole and lets the fragrance thereby become somewhat special.

And here I think the fragrance also polarizes the most. Personally, the fragrance DNA has also not really appealed to me at first, until it finally "zoomed" the 3rd time then (Thousand and one night...and it zoomed) and I have fallen in love with shock. So much so that I had to get my own bottle, which may have been a mistake, but more on that later. Back to the scent course...

After about 30-60 minutes, the fragrance then becomes increasingly sweet and the vanilla and tonka bean take command. A great leather note can also still be perceived and thus the fragrance is then for me fabulously famos, and so it remains until the end. But unfortunately, the fragrance is also terribly flawed...

The fragrance is namely only minimally noticeable on my skin and I have rarely experienced a worse durability in this price category. Already after half an hour, the scent becomes skin tight and after about 4 hours it is then completely gone with me. I have this also confirmed by friends and acquaintances who could not perceive the fragrance on me at all. On clothes, of course, the scent lasts a little longer, but even here he hardly radiates.

Overall, the durability & sillage is a huge disappointment and for the price of 4 € per ml. At the same time, I want to like Tom Ford so much and have even played with the idea to me a clear Private Blend collection; "Oud Wood (Eau de Parfum) | Tom Ford" , "Tobacco Vanilla (Eau de Parfum) | Tom Ford", "Mandarino di Amalfi Acqua | Tom Ford" I already have. And unfortunately, the performance of all of them is at most in the middle range, but what FF delivers really puts the crown on the whole thing. Whereby I must say that the fragrance, when I tested it in the perfumery, held a little better and radiated, but I refer here to the bottle, which I own (and which I have also purchased here in the Souk).

So the fragrance leaves me yet somewhat speechless and perplexed, because I love on the one hand the fragrance DNA insanely (just fabulously famos), but I can hardly enjoy the fragrance on the other hand, because I perceive him almost not (terribly flawed).

This is what finally made me order "F'ing Unbelievable | The Dua Brand / Dua Fragrances" from DUA. If the fragrance even comes close to the original, but delivers for it, I will already be very satisfied. As soon as I receive this, I will share my experiences then again.

So I'm left to mourn the great original fragrance DNA behind and hope that others do it better...

There are a few iconic pictures of George Clooney, but one keeps popping up. It shows him on (s)a boat on Lake Como, standing, one arm casually leaning over the windscreen of the boat, the other hand cool at the helm of the boat. If any image expresses nonchalance and elegance at the same time, it's probably this one. And what perfume might the good George be wearing here? For me, the answer is clear, like the water of Lake Como - "Mandarino di Amalfi Acqua | Tom Ford".

This fragrance indeed exudes a holiday feeling, as no other fragrance manages to do for me. This fresh tangerine, paired with an aquatic effervescence embodies the purest lightness of being. A few spritzes of this little water, close your eyes and you are right next to Clooney on his boat.

"Mandarino di Amalfi Acqua | Tom Ford" is clearly a summer fragrance, which also wants to evoke exactly these associations. And as a summer fragrance, you should not expect too much from the durability and sillage. Nevertheless, these go for an EdT quite okay, the fragrance holds with me but 4-5 hours and is also quite good to perceive in the first hour.

A comparison with the EdP version is certainly also appropriate here. "Mandarino di Amalfi (Eau de Parfum) | Tom Ford" is for me less summery and less tangy, but something deeper and fuller. The EdP is also not able to put me directly mentally in the holiday, rather it embodies for me a certain melancholy and heaviness, which but also have their charm. If you want, you could say, the EdT version fits more for the day and the beach and the EdP version is more the evening summer fragrance for an exclusive restaurant visit.
Of course, with "Mandarino di Amalfi (Eau de Parfum) | Tom Ford" therefore also the durability is somewhat better, but at the higher price this should also be expected.

Speaking of price - about this must be spoken. As my pre-reviewer already mentioned, the price-performance ratio in the Aqua version is absolutely top. On sale you can get hold of the 100ml bottle for 100€. That is 1€ per ml and thus "Mandarino di Amalfi Acqua | Tom Ford" is far below its big brother and must not hide from other prices.
Therefore, the Aqua is the lower durability gladly forgiven, it is but an easy here often times to re-spray, without directly a guilty conscience whether to get his wallet.

Incidentally, I find a low shelf life now and then also quite pleasant. With fragrances with "Beast mode" you put yourself virtually the whole day on a fragrance. But if you like, as I do, within a day to change the fragrance times, it is simply beneficial if you can put on after 4-5 hours simply times another perfume.

The bottle is of course beyond all doubt, even if the 100ml bottle is not quite as noble and stylish comes along, as its smaller brothers. Also bothers me with Tom Ford that the bottles look great, but on closer inspection a critical quality standards are not quite met. For example, the stickers on the bottles are really just stickers; I'd like something more solid there. Nevertheless, this bluish frosted glass is of course an eye-catcher and conveys exactly the same message that the fragrance exudes - nonchalance and elegance.

The overall conclusion is therefore also relatively clear. For me, "Mandarino di Amalfi Acqua | Tom Ford" is one, if not the best summer fragrance ever! I would also prefer this one over the EdP version, with said price difference anyway. Of course, I do not know which fragrance George Clooney really wears, but it would not surprise me if it should actually be "Mandarino di Amalfi Acqua | Tom Ford"