Why I'd be hunted like a witch if I wore Tom Ford's Black Orchid 500 years ago

Hello everyone!

I thought to myself, 'Why not take on the challenge of Tom Ford's luxurious Black Friday deal at L'Etual?' And I did!

✔️ Tom Ford Black Orchid.

The 30ml bottle cost me 5240 rubles. Considering Tom Ford's prices, you could say I got Black Orchid almost for free. Black Orchid was yet another blind purchase for me. My only idea about the fragrance came from the description, pyramid of notes, and other information. After getting to know Black Orchid, my verdict is clear: it's an expensive, status symbol, and serious fragrance. There's a lot to say about it – it's a grown-up, strict, heavy scent. It's complex, deep, and mysterious. If Black Orchid smelled like a medieval woman, all smoky and floral with a hint of dark forest melancholy, people would probably think she's a witch. She's not like any other fragrance. She's strange, beautiful, and mysterious.And that's not all: even if I had 300 perfume bottles, like I do now, Black Orchid would still stand out for its uniqueness. This one-of-a-kind scent is straight out of a Tom Ford playbook. He creates fragrances that should surprise you, but not repel you, and still manage to fly off the shelves. Black Orchid is a stunner in terms of packaging. Everything about it exudes quality, simplicity, and a sense of sophistication. The black bottle itself is mesmerizing and attention-grabbing. The rounded cap is smooth and securely fastens the bottle's spritzer. The bottle itself is compact and elegant, making it a joy to hold in your hand. The black bottle is balanced out by a couple of golden accents. That unique 'necklace' around the bottle's 'neck' with the brand logo is a nice touch. And the golden-metal-looking label with the perfume's name and 30ml volume is a great finishing touch.Tom Ford isn't limited by the standard 100ml bottle size. Their Black Orchid line starts at 30ml and goes all the way up to 150ml, with 50ml and 100ml options in between. To be honest, my 30ml bottle of Black Orchid will last me a while - this perfume is definitely not something I'd wear every day. And as for fans of the 150ml bottle, I'm not even sure I can imagine them. The new perfume packaging is sealed with a transparent plastic sheet, and the seams are smooth and even. I'm not worried about the authenticity of this perfume from L'Etual, so I'll keep this brief. The batch codes on the bottle and box match.The informative label has all the right markings: the EAC symbol required for certification in Russia, and the 'Honest Mark' label. Manufactured on 01.12.2024. Expiration date: 01.12.2027. Made in Switzerland.Black Orchid isn't an over-the-top scent that'll drown you from head to toe. Of course, you can try it if you want to. And it'll inevitably overwhelm everyone around you, but first, it'll suffocate its owner. So, the sprayer is designed to be super precise, with a dosage that's measured to the last drop.About BLACK ORCHID.This is a luxurious and sensual scent with rich, deep notes and a seductive trail of black orchid and spices.

I completely agree with the following description. Despite being created 20 years ago, Black Orchid doesn't feel like a retro scent from grandma's attic.

A modern scent that'll never go out of style.

The base note is the elusive essence of the black orchid, which TOM FORD calls the 'ideal flower - luxurious, elegant, pure, and refined'.

Artificial flowers are a source of inspiration for perfumers – take, for instance, tiger flowers in Thierry Mugler's Aura Sensuelle. While some say the black orchid is a legend, since there's no black pigment in the natural world, others create black orchids artificially. Tom Ford, however, draws inspiration from the legend and creates Black Orchid. He builds the fragrance from this pyramid of notes:

Top notes: Truffle, Gardenia, Blackcurrant, Ilang-Ilang, Jasmine, Bergamot, Mandarin, and Lemon.

Heart notes: Orchid, Spices, Gardenia, Fruity notes, Ilang-Ilang, Jasmine, and Lotus.

Base notes: Mexican Chocolate, Patchouli, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Vetiver, and White Musk.

Family and group of the fragrance: Oriental

Black Orchid is impressive with 23 notes – I'm not sure I can pick out each one and give it a rating. But overall, here's how I perceive the fragrance: My first encounter with Black Orchid left me underwhelmed. This bizarre, woody, and even melancholic scent just didn't fit in with my collection of uplifting fragrances. I even thought to myself, 'good thing I only have 30ml of this!' And then this movie title popped into my head: 'Black Rose - Emblem of Sorrow, Red Rose - Symbol of Love'. But it was the orchid, not the black rose, that was the source of my sorrow. Even after some time, Black Orchid still feels like a beautiful, but slightly melancholic scent to me, perfect for winter and autumn. I love the start of Black Orchid. It's thick and bitter from citrus peel. Here, expensive wood is mixed with amber resin and smoldered with warm spices. No raspberry is present with its distinct smell. There are a lot of flowers in the notes. Different ones. Simple ones, like jasmine, and strange and mysterious ones, like orchid. Their stems and stalks, growing in damp soil, pull along a part of the smell of fresh earthy dampness. In their blooms, there's no gentle floral softness. These flowers smell richly, with a sensual floral attack and a sweet, almost savage sweetness. For the noble base, they didn't skimp on notes. And here, they're used to the fullest. Vanilla is weak and just sweet. Musk is earthy, lingering on the skin until the end. It's similar to musks by N. Rodriguez. Montale Arabians Musk is a game-changer - it's like they've perfected the art of musk over the past 20 years or so. This stuff is ridiculously clean, sensual, and all-enveloping. But, if I'm being honest, the real star of the show is the pachouli and vetiver combo in Black Orchid. The pachouli just overpowers everything, making this dark forest even denser and earthier. Vetiver tried to balance out the weight, but added an unnecessary freshness, lightness, and on the end, Black Orchid turned into unisex. Pachouli in combination with vetiver are overwhelming my receptors and in the base of the fragrance, I feel them unnecessary. Although they are often used in base notes, after Black Orchid, I no longer buy perfumes with these notes in the base.

Longevity, sillage, who, where, and how muchBlack Orchid has excellent technical characteristics. It's super long-lasting and sillage-intensive. It stays on the skin and hair for more than a day. In warm clothing (hats/hats), the scent clings strongly and is ready to live on them for weeks. Black Orchid is an adult, serious, and even strict fragrance. For women over 30. It smells expensive and status-oriented. I can easily imagine it on a school principal or a modern female manager. It's a fragrance for a well-groomed woman, regardless of what she's wearing. Black Orchid is suitable for a classic wool coat and jeans to match. It's suitable for a festive evening where you can shine in Black Orchid without fear of other fragrances floating around. It's a fragrance for an Italian pensioner who spends her pension exclusively on herself, can afford a Dior handbag, so Black Orchid is suitable for her. The realities of Russian pensioners are different, so I imagine Black Orchid on them weakly. Although it won't make them look older, nor will it add an extra decade. Black Orchid is a scent that's perfect for a cool spring or autumn, but it might feel overwhelming during the summer heat. Black Orchid is a complex fragrance with a rich palette of notes that's difficult to capture with just a description or a list of its many notes. To truly understand it, you need to experience its mystique, uniqueness, and melancholy firsthand. I had an interesting and memorable encounter with Black Orchid, but in the perfumes I love, I prefer scents that evoke joy, sunshine, and a sense of life.

✔️Thanks for taking the time to read this review! ✔️If you're interested in perfumes, I'd be grateful if you checked out my other reviews on this topic.