Noir by Tom Ford

I just sprayed a bit and noticed a lot of nutmeg, but not like in Cacharel Pour Homme. I love nutmeg, but in perfumes of this type, it doesn’t suit me. I’ve tried incorporating it into many compositions, and it always smells like playdough to me, and here it did the same. I’m not saying it’s hard to handle, just that I only like it in fresh fragrances.

I tried the EDT long ago and it didn’t fit my tastes; I found it too sweet. Recently I tried this one, and things changed; although it also has sweetness, it’s a different kind, drier and more ambered. It seems like a darker scent, my style, and yes, it lives up to the name ‘Noir’. It opens with a sharp violet, quite challenging if you’re not used to that note. The dry-down is quite prominent in patchouli to my nose. It seemed very similar in dry-down to Davidoff’s Zino. Regarding bottle quality, I agree with what was said below: it leaves much to be desired (this and the entire Noir line); even the cap doesn’t hold the bottle securely.

Okay… I won’t go into my opinion on evolution, trail, or projection because that would be disastrous. I’ll just say it’s a delicious fragrance but it deceives you: it lasts at most half an hour (I exaggerate) and then disappears; you have to search your wrist to find it. Seriously, what a scam, no matter how much Tom Ford it is.

The worst fragrance I’ve ever smelled. Horrible smell, unbearable. It gives me a headache.

It’s like a child of Shalimar after a wild night with Habit Rouge. Absolute class and elegance! A 10.

Tom Ford Noir. First time testing it on skin. The first impression is its extreme longevity: I wore it last night, showered, and I can still smell it. It’s dense, mysterious, and dark, stepping away from current perfumery trends. It’s bold and different, with floral, earthy nuances, and a salty twist. Then vanilla appears, adding sweetness. That’s Tom Ford: elegant and sophisticated. Brutal. Totally recommended.

Very good proposal, it just lacks longevity and projection.

It smells very similar to Prada Amber Intense, although this Tom Ford one is more expensive and complex, with similar longevity and sillage. I love this from the house; its evolution is changing and less soapy. Both are good, but if you want something more exotic, go for Noir. Prada is more powdery but doesn’t lose elegance. Based on price, I was leaning towards Amber Intense. I give it 9/10. My only gripe is that it’s not as versatile, and I feel it’s more intrusive than the Amber Homme Intense. But whatever, you wear both whenever you feel like it.

I liked Tom Ford Noir. There is a scent that perfectly defines the term ‘Noir’, and in my opinion, it is this one. It has a vintage style that catches the eye, and watch out, I’ve never been a huge rose fan. When you step out, it opens powdery and spicy; the flowers take the stage quickly with that violet and iris, but not in the Dior style, it goes another route. Then comes a very subtle rose that flows in harmony. The powdery phase is maintained and blends with vanilla and patchouli until the dry down. Obviously there are more accords, but I’d define it as a floral, sweet, and powdery scent. Tom Ford Noir is complex, dark, nocturnal. Extremely elegant, gothic, nostalgic. I love its nuances. Women like it, and I understand why, because in some facets it reaches unisex territory. I also say that not everyone will appreciate it, which I like even more. Its performance is standout, about 10 hours, projecting well for the first two or three hours. Its seasons are autumn and winter, even cool spring nights. To dress formally, it goes perfectly with a black suit. Good quality/price ratio. Generates good comments.

What nonsense. At first, it reminded me of Narciso For Him with that cold, musty, shady forest feeling. The punch, however, isn’t as intense in this Noir by Tom Ford. But it does have an air, at least on my clumsy nose. Anyway, I don’t smell any resemblance to Dior. Not even half. I know they all carry iris, but nothing to do with the Dior Homme. Noir starts masculine and cold, a lot. Cutting, sharp, hard as a stone. So much so that at first I thought I couldn’t repeat and wear it, due to such force. However, the ‘shock’ lasts little, it softens in its development, making it warmer and androgynous (not much, right?). I think this is due to the powdery and dusty sensation that I usually like. There are floral tones of rose and an amber that gives warmth, but it doesn’t cloy. It stops being the patchouli bomb and that violet from the start that reminds me of Narciso. This one seems, within its strength, more versatile and elegant, not suffocating. It’s formal, serious, very serious, but you don’t turn into a werewolf after the third spray, it’s not that dark. They say that despite the youth of their fragrances, Tom Ford has already reformulated their perfumes, decaffeinating them a lot. If that’s the case, I don’t know what the original version of this Noir would be like, but I do say this one is totally wearable in formal situations and with a decent dress for dinner, for example, and with cool or cold weather. I liked it a lot, unlike Tobacco Vanille, which I can’t say the same about (pleasant, linear, and gourmand, like ‘rice pudding’). This one is much more complex and adult. I’d change the names: for Noir, pitch black like coal, Narciso Rodríguez.

It smells very similar to Heritage EDP, except for a super powdery opening and a rose that feels very artificial. It reminded me of my grandma’s soap that left the whole house smelling repulsive. Although reading other reviews, it might suit my skin, but the bottle stays at the bottom of my closet as a mere relic of my collection.

Decadent, over-the-top, gothic, sinister, sharp, and narcissistic. If it were a person, they’d be unreliable; if it were a paranormal entity, a lamia or a Persian/Greek demon disguised as normal. It starts with a smoky hit of herbaceous patchouli with memories of cooking and potions, a patchouli that drives you crazy and dizzy, shaped like a Chinese sorcerer’s fingernails. This patchouli, which could be a dragon’s breath, combines with a mercurial amber that burns your eyes, reminiscent of the 70s’ poisonous uranite-flavored amber. It’s a terrifying, dangerous, and uncomfortable combo; you don’t know if it smells like herb vapors or keratin. It has something of a dry, damp tomb, moldy, where time doesn’t pass, full of living and dead matter, a perfect mix of morbid and aged notes with what comes next: seductive resins and cold, velvety flowers that lift your spirit. At first, over the patchouli/amber, there’s a balsamic background of pine needles, rosemary, and apothecary, something acrid, refreshing, and woody with a fougère barbershop aftertaste, which fades as it evolves into the middle phase, which is a shame because I love it. In the heart, the tone of the first shot prevails, accompanied by cold, smooth, and morbid flowers with a texture of alabaster and truffle. Noir doesn’t smell like truffle, but it has that tactile feel on the nose of a piece of truffle or a hashish cone crumbling between your fingers, something floral-spicy, orgasmic, and delicate that twists your eyes. In the dry-down, I dislike it the least; it gets too sweetened; it’s not a gourmand sweetness, but balsamic and spicy, like white chocolate with floral brandy and wood, similar to Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl (minus the bottle and name, it’s decent). Noir seemed like a marvel to me; the fewer perfumes I try, the more surprised I am, and this one did it, although due to its heavy and sinister body, I don’t want it for myself (I lean more towards soft formulas, maybe I’m getting old and zen). Fragrantica categorizes it as aromatic spicy, but for sure, this is a bookish Oriental Fougère, a demonic and educated thing, contradictory, like the perfume of a well-dressed 70s doctor who suddenly takes off his clothes, paints a pentagram on you, and performs a satanic ritual. Half baroque fougère, half acrid, half sober eastern pagan rites, excellent quality and without that plastic aftertaste of some Tom Fords. PD: My review is of a 7ml mini gifted at launch, first formula. PD II: The opening is very masculine, not serene or formal, but a muddled masculinity with sharp edges. In the middle phase, it becomes more androgynous, and the dry-down is unisex. Yes, at first it might air with Prada Amber Intense pour homme; in fact, smelling the cap, I thought it had myrrh, but as it takes its path, it moves away from Prada, which is flatter; Noir has countless nuances, although you might not feel comfortable with it. PD III: I don’t believe in perfumes for seduction; in the end, it’s about the person and their vibe. But this Noir was created to go out with one single intention: to return home accompanied. *Edit: The perfume I tested doesn’t resemble Dior Homme at all; the iris adds only a cold, waxy floral tone in the heart.

A fucking work of art!

If the EDT has quite a bit in common with Habit Rouge, this one, taking many elements as is logical from the EDT, gets closer to Heritage by adding a strong patchouli and amber charge, which is what I smell the most. It was just one spray on the nape (we’ll skip the jokes, it lasts longer on hair, lol), so I didn’t pay excessive attention, but I felt it was good, seems to perform well… what I didn’t notice at first was powdery violet or iris cream.

Tom Ford Noir is my first review on this author, courtesy of Jerry Drake. We’re talking about a mysterious gentleman who emerges on the Night of the Venetian Carnival, ready to amaze us with his changes of appearance. It begins with a wonderful incense-drenched oriental accord. The structural composition is worthy of the best perfumers of my native Cordoba. With mastery, the balsamic and incense-drenched exudation of benzoin blends with the sensual and disturbing sweetness of amber and vanilla, and the irresistible floral embrace of a dense rose and concentrated iris. There is a slight memory of Encre Noir motivated by that unmistakable presence of Iso E-Super, a mix of vetiver and violet that I personally love. Just with this aromatic accord, Noir by Tom Ford would already have me irresistibly in its arms. This series of olfactory notes intoxicates my senses, clouds my mind, and transports my consciousness to distant places where silks and taffetas, spices and censors blend with every cell of my body in a communion that goes beyond space and time. But the mysterious gentleman changes his oriental mask for an acrid and bitter one, which could well be a reinterpretation of a fougère with oriental hints. Caraway appears in this phase, with its aniseed air; a root vetiver, stuck to the earth; spicy and mentholated clary sage; the citrus touch of citron, which this time is more bitter. And again, the black gentleman returns to the oriental mask to which he adds leathery and slightly animal adornments. The intervention of galbanum is very contained, and both it and the leather do not contribute animal aggression but majesty and depth. With a natural and discreet gesture, the gentleman alternates these masks so quickly that we barely distinguish the different chords, and a complex, very complex but compact aura takes over the scene. At this point in my test with Tom Ford Noir, I am ecstatic. It is a mysterious, dense, velvety, oriental perfume, with a masterful composition of animal and herbaceous elements of very difficult balance. Highly recommended for lovers of warmer and sensual oriental perfumes. If it weren’t so expensive, I would wear it daily, although it’s more recommended for night outings. It’s potent and long-lasting. What a pity it’s a niche and that its cost matches it!