Tom Ford Violet Blonde

I am still working through my stash of perfume samples and today we are going to look at the one that is my current favorite.  I originally tried this fragrance several months ago at Sephora and later added it to my Most Wanted list, I haven't bought it yet since I have no room on my dresser for anything new (and I still have bottles of perfume that I have never opened).  I decided to put it off for several months when I saw it available as one of the samples that I could order from Sephora.  I originally thought that this was the best course of action, I have some room for samples and I could at least use it a few times.  The downside to this is now I have used it a few times, my sample is nearly finished and I am more in love with the fragrance every single time that I use and I must own a full bottle very soon.

I hadn't owned many violet fragrances before I tried a sample of this one, violets sometimes smell too much like powder for me and I need to have this note well mixed with others in order for it to work with my skin chemistry.  This fragrance mixes the violet with rose, jasmine, and vetiver in order for it to become a more complex and beautiful fragrance.  As I said earlier, I didn't know what to expect when I first tried out a violet-based fragrance but I love this fragrance and continue to use it several times a week.

I found this fragrance one the Sephora website and I believe that this is one of the major retailers for the Ton Ford fragrance line (at least one of the easier places to find this line if you don't live in New York City) and this is where I will end up buying the fragrance when I can find a place to put it.  Sephora states the following in an overall fragrance description.  "A stunning scent for a new era of feminine glamour, Tom Ford Violet Blonde is an opulent, dressed-up fragrance that reveals a stunning new facet of violet with a ravishing, intriguing elegance. Made with some of the most precious ingredients in the world, it is crafted accordingly to the finest traditions of European perfumery."

The notes of Violet Blonde are: Violet Leaf Absolute, Italian Mandarin, Baie Rose, Tuscan Orris Absolute, Tuscan Orris Butter, Jasmin Sambac, Sampaquita, Benzoin, Cedarwood, Vetiver Absolute, Musk, Soft Suede.

This fragrance starts out smelling very earthy, it reminds me of when some people insist that the violet note can almost smell like "dirt".  I wasn't a fan of the fragrance when I first tried and I still dislike what my skin smells like in the first few minutes of wearing this fragrance, it is very earthy and not what I normally prefer from a fragrance.  This fragrance then develops into a subtle, heady floral fragrance that lasts on my skin for the next five or six hours.  The drydown of this fragrance still has a strong floral mix but the vetiver and cedarwood notes mix in, making the lasting impression on my skin.

I love Tom Ford fragrances and now this is another one that I must add to my collection.  My sample made me happy for a few days but now I am more determined than ever to buy a huge bottle of this to wear for the rest of the fall and winter.  This fragrance is too strong to wear in the spring and summer so I will need to buy this fragrance soon or wait until next September for it.  This is unique fragrance and a true stunner from Tom Ford!

photo courtesy of Sephora

Tom Ford Black Orchid

Since I still love Tom Ford but not White Patchouli, I decided to give a test run to his other (slightly older) fragrance, Black Orchid. On first whiff, I knew that this one would be much better for me than White Patchouli. It is much darker and more sophisticated and is somehow unlike anything other fragrance that I currently own. I don’t even know how that is possible since I really thought that I owned everything on the market today. Need I even mention that this turned into a huge obsession for me?

This fragrance falls into the woody oriental group. The orchid flower itself is one of the heart notes of this fragrance and is hard to both grow and find. That might be the key right there as to why I own nothing like this already. The woods and the fruit notes in it help to both bring out the orchid notes and the make the fragrance unique on everyone’s skin. Unique is a huge deal for me with this fragrance because I hate walking into a party and having three other people wearing the exact same fragrance (Marc Jacobs Daisy is a huge offender in this situation).

The notes are: bergamot, mandarin, black gardenia, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lotus wood, orchid, spicy floral accord, orchid (Tom Ford Black Orchid accord), patchouli, sandalwood, incense, vanilla. Definitely not a fragrance for the faint of heart!

Why are orchids so rare? They can be grown all over the world in every different climate, so it made little sense to me as to why they are said to be rare and fetch a very high price in the perfume market. This is why - orchids have developed high specialized pollination systems and therefore pollination is very rare. The plant will die without spreading any of its seeds around and no more will grow. Many of the flowers can only be pollinated by male bees and some are only able to self-pollinate. That’s the key to the rarity of these flowers.

I picture this fragrance with a black dress and great heels to be worn when enjoying the fabulous life in Manhattan. Think Samantha Jones dressed up to go out when you smell this fragrance. She is the first thing that popped into my head when I first smelled this fragrance. Hopefully this little treasure of a fragrance will be joining my collection ever so soon.

photo courtesy of Sephora

Tom Ford White Patchouli

Tom Ford has been one of my loves ever since I first heard of him when he started designing for Gucci (that was years ago) so I had to smell his new scent White Patchouli. Thoughts of patchouli make me think of head shops and dirty hippies, so I really wasn’t all that interested in this scent but I heard many good things about it on other blogs and on Makeup Alley. In other words, I was told that it didn’t smell like the traditional patchouli and was very well imagined by Ford. So with trepidation, I decided to give it a try at Sephora.

My first thought was that it is really light when applied and the reviews were correct in that it didn’t smell like a strong whiff of head shop. It smelled semi floral but even I was not that into the scent of it and normally, I love anything floral. I was just rather “meh” on the scent but I was happy that it didn’t reek of hippies.

I couldn’t really get many of the individual notes out of this when I tried it on so I decided to get on the Sephora site later on and see what they said about it. Here is their description, “With it sensuous core of patchouli, Tom Ford White Patchouli perfectly captures the myth of its generation. Sleek woods blend with the essence of elegant white flowers to create this modern retro-class fragrance that embodies a sophisticated interpretation of bohemian chic. Citrus and coriander top notes capture attention with their sleek freshness and unfold into a floral trio, revealing intoxicating jasmine, refined muguet, and sensual rose absolute. An alluring base of patchouli oprur delivers rich depth and mingles with tempering sandalwood, rich incense, and golden amber for a compelling, seductive appeal.” To follow this up, here are the notes also - peony, mandarin, bergamot, jasmine, rose absolute, coriander, amberette seed, sandalwood, incense, golden amber.

I am rather surprised to see rose listed as one of the notes in this fragrance because I normally love rose fragrances and they are strong smelling on my skin. But it also is not a dominant note in this fragrance and the patchouli and incense seem to take over for me. Also, I am not bohemian chic in any way, shape, or form. This may just not be a fragrance for me. However, this did make me smell Black Orchid at the same time to compare them and we may have a winner with that scent…

photo courtesy of Sephora