Black Lacquer by Tom Ford

An exquisite perfume 😍😋, a rich and rare aroma blending strong spices and dry wood. I don’t recommend buying it blindly; you need to give it time to settle. In its dry down, it’s very similar to Azzaro Forever Wanted. 🕉️

Smoky dark woods. Reminds me a lot of Bentley Absolute, but less smoky and more incense-like; Black Lacquer feels more refined. Even though it’s a dark scent, it’s soft and not overpowering. The performance is disappointing—it’s very skin-scent.

Well, yesterday I was in Madrid at the Corte Inglés on Serrano to try it out. I was hyped, and luckily the Tom Ford guy wasn’t there, so I could test it comfortably. Right after spraying, you enjoy the vinyl and darkness notes more, thinking ‘ooo, this promises something’. When the fragrance starts to fade after 5 minutes, it develops an aroma that turns out strangely familiar. I’d heard on YouTube it was similar to Ébène Fumé, but that familiarity doesn’t come from Tom Ford; it comes from somewhere else. I forgot and kept testing, but this one was already a ‘take-home’ scent. As time passed, by the hour, the smell cleared up, and I was more certain I knew it. I think it was around two hours when a fragrance reveals what it really is: if you spent the money, it’s no trick or cardboard. That’s when I saw it: it’s Amouage, that specific accord found in some of their fragrances. Which one does it remind me of? Opus XIV – Royal Tobacco. I was left speechless; I didn’t imagine a Tom Ford perfume and a 30 ml bottle at €215 would be a copy or inspiration of another brand. The resemblance is total, but with fewer ingredients; it lacks licorice and star anise and is missing things, but the core spine of Amouage is this perfume almost without variations. It smells like a blatant copy. In warm weather, it’s inferior to Opus—not bad, but nothing compared to Amouage. The Tom Ford version is less complex and just kept the darkness of Opus. Longevity was average, nothing beastly, just a normal perfume. I’ve completely discarded it; if I could ever choose Royal Tobacco, I wouldn’t hesitate. I didn’t buy it due to the price and because a 100 ml bottle feels difficult for me; I see it as a scent only for special moments, very formal and elegant. An incredible scent that I love, but for now, I only have decants for my personal delight. The Tom Ford one is somewhat disappointing overall; they marketed it so well I didn’t expect this surprise, haha. Hope this helps someone. Hugs 😘

Basically, it’s incense; this note runs through the entire life of the fragrance. In the dry down, there’s an explosion of fruity notes that quickly give way to florals and slightly alcoholic tones, creating a varnish-like smell. In the dry down (which is fast), it shifts toward resins, dark spices, and incense with a faint burnt smell that comes and goes. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t seem like a particularly relevant launch or one that will linger in olfactory memory. Also, its performance is poor; after a few hours, maybe 4-5, there’s no trace left, not even on skin.

Considering I’ve been into perfumery for a year and clarifying my obsession with Tom Ford, I’d say this is one of the most personality-filled perfumes I’ve smelled to date. Sprayed on skin, it’s a dark, dense scent that makes me say it’s the male version of Black Orchid; I feel both are heading down the same path with different notes. Looking at the accurate notes in Black Lacquer, you can either break them down or settle for a placebo effect; it gives similarity to Ébène Fumé but is more resinous. It’s beastly in longevity: I applied it on skin 20 hours ago and still perceive it without issue. To conclude, I clarify that personally I wouldn’t buy it, as it felt like a ‘stuffy’ perfume to me, and I see it for special occasions. The price alone is enough; you know everything coming out of Private Blend by TF is colossal.

Masculine, I’d say Victorian—dark yet fresh. I don’t really detect the rum note, but honestly, I don’t think it needs it. Is it totally masculine? Yes, can a woman wear it too? Also, regarding scent preferences: I don’t perceive anything new in this release, but it’s interesting that they’re exploring rarer and synthetic notes to darken the fragrance even more.

Masculine with that Victorian touch—dark yet fresh. I don’t really detect the rum, but I think the fragrance doesn’t need it. Is it totally masculine? Yes, though a woman could wear it too. Just a matter of personal taste. I don’t see anything new in this launch, but it would be interesting if they tried rarer or synthetic notes to darken the scent even more.