The headline says it all. It is light and summery and very nice but really soapy when you put it on.
So - I went out and bought the soap! Which is actually rather nice.
Whereas the Body Oil - I even wrote to Tom Ford customer service about it - no reply of course - because whilst it is a nice oil that has some pleasing elements - it is entirely ruined by a kind of mildew smell. Perhaps it is the way it reacts to me - but the mildew aroma is so pronounced I was wondering if somehow my wardrobe had got damp.
So - perfume ok, soap good, body oil diasastrous. On with the orange blossom search.
Pros: Soapy at first and then disappears too early once the soapiness goes
Cons: It is the closest I have come to Orangle Blossom"
I really like this stuff. I really do. Wish I could wear it all the time; but sadly, this is NOT(can't stress that enough) for everyday use. I wore this on the night I was married and I can't really think of any other place where a scent like this is appropriate. It gives me that floating through the Mediterranean vibe. This is a spring/summer type of fragrance. If worn on a cold day, it feels like you are being tackled by a 240lb linebacker with 'Neroli' written on the back of his jersey...all day long.
Pros: Longevity, good for switching it up every once in a while.
Cons: Almost too classy. If you wear this in the winter, you're gonna have a bad time. "
It starts off with a very sharp citrus note. That note picks up in intensity for a few minutes, and after about an hour fades into a more soft, delicious, richly complex citrus fruit-bowl. Something a little darker and more substantial in is there too, but just a bit. Really great stuff, safe for the harshness in of the opening. It is one that I would very much like to get in a split.
Tom Ford's Neroli Portofino is an exceptional adaptation of the note neroli (and an exceptional adaption of racy advertising). In addition to neroli, there is a light amount of orange, mandarin, lavendar. This makes it a fresh-floral fragrance without becoming too complex and muddled (as many florals do) or too generic (as fresh fragrances often do).
Neroli Portofino is not just another typical fresh soapy fragrance at a niche price, like Atelier's Grand Neroli (and even Jardin D'Amalfi's neroli note suffers from this flaw). Many people on here have smelled the neroli-based Mugler Cologne, but this is not just an incremental upgrade. This is a wonderful fragrance of it's own right that is miles better than Mugler Cologne. The soapy shrill and loud citrus-like neroli (redolent of bandages and alcohol) is replaced by a gentle, delicate, natural and smooth neroli. Think of how Encre Noire's shrill vetiver compares to Sycomore's smooth vetiver. If you removed the vetiver and replaced it with some fruit, comparing Neroli Portofino's floral vibe to Sycomore's wouldn't be entirely out of the question either.
Versatility is where Neroli Portofino shines. This is truly unisex, rather than just labeled such, equally acceptable for both men and women to wear. Age is no issue either, as it's modern enough for any young person to wear with ease, but still sophisticated enough for an older person to wear. This is surely meant for the summer and spring, but don't count out Fall either. This fragrance projects well and has very good longevity compared to most summer fragrances.
What this scent truly reminds me of is business. It's the perfect professional fragrance, as it safe to wear, but also unique. This fragrance is a clean-cut business man, sharp, good-looking, well dressed, both alert and vibrant but also calm and collected. It will last you throughout the day and you will be noticed, but it's never too strong or flamboyant.
This is not a groundbreaking or revolutionary fragrance in any way, but it does take what some fragrances have been trying to do and simply does it better. It is a dependable one suited for daily wear if you choose, one which might have you moving closer to smell it on various occasion. The progression is a bit linear, but it's good that it largely preserves it's wonderful opening rather than forgoing it. The price is not cheap, but it is well worth it's price of admission.
For those who do like fresh, clean fragrances with a little bit of a floral undertone, I cannot urge you enough to try this. Easily one of the best, if not THE best of the Tom Ford line, even giving competition to Tobacco Vanille. As a summer fragrance, it's easily one of my top choices and I know when my decant runs out, I am going to end up with a full bottle of this in my collection very soon.
Do try this one.
4.5/5
The price discussion. I face it with all the Fords as well as many other costly perfumes. Will you pay, for example, $250 for a quality perfume when there are other comparable perfumes at a fraction of the cost? There is a market for costly perfumes, and if people are willing to spend big bucks, more power to them. So I don't forget the cost of the Ford line, but I try also to consider the perfumes independent of price. I'll admit, it's an odd little dance in my head.
Neroli Portofino is a pretty neroli cologne. "Pretty" is really tossing it a bone. It's certainly not ravishing, it's nothing new, and it doesn't seem like a particularly fine iteration of what it purports to be: a lasting, concentrated Eau de Cologne (edc) made with the finest materials to be found.
For a cologne to be successful, it must offer one of two things: faultless quality or an interesting variation. Cologne is certainly nothing new, and because of the simplicity of its componentry (search for the recipe and you'll find it easily) it's not hard to find excellent and inexpensive versions. Interesting alternative colognes are not hard to find either. Examples: CdG Vettiveru, Atelier Cologne’s Rose Anonyme and Trefle Pur, Maison Francis Kurkdjian Cologne pour le Soir.
A neroli cologne isn’t new, so Ford isn’t attempting the inventive variation. As for quality, Neroli Portofino falls a bit flat to my nose. The emphasis on bright florals, with a grounding in a sweet musk, gives a fairly two-dimensional impression of neroli. EDC is meant to be a brief, invigorating experience. Neroli Portofino abides by the former principle, but neglects the latter. Neroli Portofino misses the point that cologne’s success comes from simplicity, not refinement. Refinement looks like overbreeding when the mark is missed, and Neroli reads like the shivering, overgroomed teacup poodle of the edc set. (For a different take on a neroli cologne at 1/5 the price, try Comme des Garcons Anbar.)
The ad photos for Neroli Portofino capture what find least appealing about Ford-world. It purports to be racy and shocking. To me it reads as contrived and tired. Over-styled, sexless nudity might capture the Ford esthetic for his fans, but it just looks like those ridiculous laughy-smily Bijan ads from the 80s-90s to me.
from scent hurdle.com
Imagine a world-class chef making a Big Mac using Kobe beef, artisan cheddar, a fresh-baked bun, organic LTO, and a McD's secret sauce using homemade mayo and ketchup. On one level, it'd be amazing, but on another...well, it's a little overkill for a Big Mac.
That's what Tom Ford Neroli Portofino is...it's a top-tier take on the classic German cologne, which most of us know through 4711. While 4711 has no staying power, TFNP will often last 12hr+. While 4711 has distinctly chemical undertones, TFNP smells all-natural. TFNP is distinctly more refined, higher quality, and all-around better than 4711. In the end, though, it's a single-note neroli cologne. If that's what you're looking for, TFNP will give you the best neroli cologne you've ever had (and it's honestly one of my favorite scents for that reason). If you're looking for something complex and intriguing, TFNP will disappoint. Remember...you're not paying top dollar for a prime steak, just a world-class Big Mac.
Pros: Great neroli note, *amazing* longevity
Cons: Single-note, expensive
bought this to go on family holiday early May 1st night out asked Mam if she'd pinched my aftershave Tom Ford as i was wearing Aventus No she said im wearing Avon forever Salma Hayek 14 quid a bottle. I couldnt tell the difference. TRUE !!
Pros: Longevity
Cons: to expensive
First wear test of Neroli Portofino today. Wore it to work with 4 sprays. It was slighltly sharp right out of the gate, so I'm glad I applied at home just before making my drive, as that gave it time to settle before arriving.
I get a super fresh, clean, soapy and slightly floral set of notes. That's pretty much it, very simple to my nose, but effective. Drydown didn't change a huge amount, just that some of the top notes obviously receded, but it stayed fairly linear.
The earlier references I've seen to Mugler Cologne seem to hold up. I happen to have my bottle of MC in my desk drawer, and I took a couple of spot checks to compare the two today. Open wasn't identical - although both are very nice - but as they each dry down, I swear the gap closes to almost nothing. Don't ask me to explain it, they just come across as very similar to me.
As for reports of short longevity, I can report that this wearing lasted me the whole business day, PLUS. I'd brought a sample of Creed's Himalaya, with the intent of applying it sometime in the afternoon to get 2 wearings in today. At 5:00pm, I literally had to wash the Neroli Portofino off before I could apply the Himalaya. It was close to my skin, but still hanging on very admirably, and staying composed at that point. That's an 9.5hr day, at the point I washed it off. I believe it would've made 10+ hours no problems, and it was strong enough that the girlfriend would've definitely noticed it.
So, net-net, I really enjoyed Neroli Portofino. Would I buy a FB based on this wearing? No. Mugler Cologne is so much less expensive and yet so good in comparison, it'd be hard to justify. However, I would like to get another larger decant to continue trying NP against some of the other similar frags: Atelier's Grand Neroli, and Creed's Neroli Savauge being the ones that jump off the page as requiring a comparison.
I'll update as I get more intel.
Pros: Super fresh/clean, long-lasting
Cons: Price point, not complex