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Sahara Noir by Tom Ford

post #1 of 81
2/15/13 at 9:26am
Thread Starter 


Tom Ford does Amouage?

From The Moodie Report:

Quote:
The house of Tom Ford is targeting the Middle Eastern market with a new fragrance, Sahara Noir. It will be on-counter in selected travel doors across the region from March, and will roll out to the European market in May.

Sahara Noir is rich and exotic; it wraps the balsamic, incense-touched notes of frankincense in gold and honey-coloured light, noted Ford. Middle Eastern culture has an extraordinary appreciation for the luxurious, emotional and memorable qualities of fragrance; perfume is worn there in a way that feels very familiar to me. Sahara Noir is my interpretation of this heritage. It is a deep and substantial perfume that caresses the senses.

The oriental woody juice is crafted around a heart of frankincense. This key ingredient is complemented by top notes of cistus essence Orpur® (Orpur denotes a natural ingredient of exceptional quality and purity), bitter orange, Jordanian calamus an oasis sweet grass and Levantine cypress, famed for growing in the gardens of the 1001 Arabian Nights.

The heart blends frankincense essence Orpur® , cinnamon, cool papyrus extract, Egyptian jasmine templar and rose absolute from Morocco. A beeswax extraction from Burma lends body and a supple, honeyed-animalic richness.

The warm dry down is laced with amber. It is formed by a special blend of labdanum labdanum absolute and a rich natural fraction of labdanum known as ambreinol combined with benzoin, vanilla, cedar, frankincense resin, agarwood and balsam.

Sahara Noir is presented in a gold-coloured version of the Tom Ford signature fragrance bottle, made of metallised glass and finished with a golden name plaque. The flacon is packaged in a gold, fluted outer carton.

No prices yet...

It sounds like something I would like, but it looks like I'll have to wait several months before I can.
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post #2 of 81
2/15/13 at 9:49am
Hopefully,Sephora will carry it. If so, I will test it out there.
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post #3 of 81
2/15/13 at 11:48am
Estee Lauder appears to like using 'Noir' in TF's scent names.

I have yet to find a Noir scent that is actually Noir, by anybody. Wish they would just drop the Noir.
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post #4 of 81
2/15/13 at 11:52am
Sounds very intriguing, cant wait to give it a try.
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post #5 of 81
2/15/13 at 11:55am
When Acqua di Parma tried Oud - we got a disaster (IMO), wonder how TF will fare...
Why jump the ship when they make excellent parufms?
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post #6 of 81
2/15/13 at 12:51pm
I like his bottle presentation including this one. It's a shame I don't feel the same way for his compositions.
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post #7 of 81
2/15/13 at 6:28pm
they should have just called it "Sahara" , the noir is really pointless. His fragrances are hit and miss, of late, more misses.
I am looking forward to sampling this fragrance none the less.
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post #8 of 81
2/16/13 at 3:51am
Yeah, why "Sahara" and "noir"? Just doesn't make much sense. Judging by the notes, my bet is it'll be some sort of Amber Absolute light.
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post #9 of 81
2/16/13 at 8:41am
Thread Starter 
Octavian from the 1000 Fragrances blog talked about it in his posts, back in December 2012, here: http://1000fragrances.blogspot.com/2...fragrance.html
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post #10 of 81
3/13/13 at 12:23am
I thought WOW when I saw Sahara Noir today in Cairo Airport duty-free, gave it a good old spray on a clean back of hand and waited...

Big frankincense blast that lasts whole way though frag, amber comes in soon, with some other resins, and a vetiver type note later in progression. Good silage and longevity. It's listed as a feminine on BN, but is definitely one of the more masculine of the TF offerings, but still would work well on a woman.

But, surprisingly, didn't really do too much for me, and definitely prefer my bottle of Amber Absolute to this and when that runs out it'll be Ambre Sultan, not this)

Anyone else tried Sahara Noir, and would like to share your experiences?
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post #11 of 81
3/13/13 at 7:20am
Thread Starter 
The amber prominence in this is surprising - thanks Mick.
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post #12 of 81
3/13/13 at 8:30am
this is intriguing to me because i am actually one of the few who like his signature series. even though it is feminine, like mick trick said men could pull it off. a sampling will have to happen when i can find it
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post #13 of 81
4/5/13 at 3:02pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone else smell this?
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post #14 of 81
4/5/13 at 3:20pm
Mike, olibanum galore.
imagine bois d'encens but much more complex & the frankincense amplified.
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post #15 of 81
4/6/13 at 9:38pm
Thread Starter 
Sounds good hedonist222
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post #16 of 81
4/17/13 at 5:28am
I haven't given this a true testing but from the first few moments of smelling this at Niemans yesterday I was basically slapped in the face with frankincense. Bam! The amber reminded me of Halston Man Amber. But that was a quick sniff. Nice stuff though.
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post #17 of 81
4/17/13 at 5:43am
I saw it in Saks today, I will try it tomorrow. I am a big fan of Amouage so this might be next if along the same line.
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post #18 of 81
4/17/13 at 5:49am
why not..Sahara by Night????
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post #19 of 81
4/17/13 at 1:53pm
I noticed a 'burnt fart' note in there, anyone getting that? Apologies for crude description but the only way I could describe it.

Kind of nice frag, but ultimately meh for me... Much prefer Amber Absolute, which is also strong on the incense, but more resolved overall.
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post #20 of 81
4/17/13 at 2:04pm
I tried it on paper tester. Really nice. Incense and frankincense, smells opulent and definitely unisex. It is priced similar to the Amouage. I got a tester and will test it on skin tomorrow. If it delivers same as paper, then it will be on my buy list for sure.

- - - Updated - - -

I tried it on paper tester. Really nice. Incense and frankincense, smells opulent and definitely unisex. It is priced similar to the Amouage. I got a tester and will test it on skin tomorrow. If it delivers same as paper, then it will be on my buy list for sure.
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post #21 of 81
4/17/13 at 2:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mick_Trick View Post

I noticed a 'burnt fart' note in there, anyone getting that? Apologies for crude description but the only way I could describe it.

Kind of nice frag, but ultimately meh for me... Much prefer Amber Absolute, which is also strong on the incense, but more resolved overall.

Is it available in Dublin now?
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post #22 of 81
4/17/13 at 3:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riverwide View Post

Is it available in Dublin now?

Not sure? I tried it in Cairo in March.
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post #23 of 81
4/17/13 at 4:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mick_Trick View Post

Not sure? I tried it in Cairo in March.

Ah ok, sorry! I just saw the Irish flag in your profile and thought maybe you had sampled it in Dublin. I'll check out Brown Thomas tomorrow anyway!
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post #24 of 81
4/18/13 at 12:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riverwide View Post

Ah ok, sorry! I just saw the Irish flag in your profile and thought maybe you had sampled it in Dublin. I'll check out Brown Thomas tomorrow anyway!

Good guess, lol, I actually live in Dublin, was just on a trip to Cairo...


Off topic... Outside of Brown Thomas, House of Fraser and Harvey Nichols, do you know of anywhere that stocks interesting niche. Would love to be able to sample the likes of (MFK, Heeley, L'artisan, MpG, HdP, etc, etc) locally. It gets tedious having to order samples all the time...
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post #25 of 81
4/18/13 at 9:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mick_Trick View Post

I noticed a 'burnt fart' note in there, anyone getting that? Apologies for crude description but the only way I could describe it.

Kind of nice frag, but ultimately meh for me... Much prefer Amber Absolute, which is also strong on the incense, but more resolved overall.

I tried it out today, not a fan. The note you're talking about ruined it for me.
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post #26 of 81
4/18/13 at 9:42pm
In case you're interested, 10 ml $42 splits offered by PalmBeach right now. 3 spots left...
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post #27 of 81
4/19/13 at 4:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mick_Trick View Post

Good guess, lol, I actually live in Dublin, was just on a trip to Cairo...

Off topic... Outside of Brown Thomas, House of Fraser and Harvey Nichols, do you know of anywhere that stocks interesting niche. Would love to be able to sample the likes of (MFK, Heeley, L'artisan, MpG, HdP, etc, etc) locally. It gets tedious having to order samples all the time...

I'm afraid not! I'm in the same position as you and only know the ones you mentioned. Dublin really isn't a great city for the fragrance enthusiast, is it? *sigh*
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post #28 of 81
4/19/13 at 4:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riverwide View Post

I'm afraid not! I'm in the same position as you and only know the ones you mentioned. Dublin really isn't a great city for the fragrance enthusiast, is it? *sigh*

lol, you're right, I guess it could be worse... we could live in Limerick... now that would really limit sampling opportunities...
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post #29 of 81
4/19/13 at 8:56pm
Its shame the reviews of this don't seem too good, I love the name of this product, conjures up a lot of interest in my mind. Should have been a name used by Tauer in some concotion.
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post #30 of 81
4/20/13 at 12:00am
Armani Bois d'encens, Montale Full Incense... All I got was mostly Frankincense I didn't think it was good or anything special... meh!
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post #31 of 81
4/20/13 at 12:04am
What's especially heartbreaking is that is was fingered as being the potential replacement for Amber Absolute. Yet, those are some pretty huge boots to fill.

I'll still smell it whenever I see it, but I'm not holding my breath.
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post #32 of 81
4/20/13 at 12:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by deadidol View Post

What's especially heartbreaking is that is was fingered as being the potential replacement for Amber Absolute. Yet, those are some pretty huge boots to fill.

I'll still smell it whenever I see it, but I'm not holding my breath.

To be honest I did get an amber note from it at the dry down that reminded me of Amber Absolute. Now that I think about it I'll have to go back and try again and compare side by side with AA.
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post #33 of 81
4/20/13 at 12:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hawk View Post

To be honest I did get an amber note from it at the dry down that reminded me of Amber Absolute. Now that I think about it I'll have to go back and try again and compare side by side with AA.

The ingredients do sound good in this to me, but I trust a few of the folks here who know and love AA and don't think it holds up. I think many of us are in collective mourning over the loss of that fragrance.
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post #34 of 81
4/20/13 at 4:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hawk View Post

Armani Bois d'encens, Montale Full Incense... All I got was mostly Frankincense I didn't think it was good or anything special... meh!

I own and love Bd'E and own Full Intense. SN is much more complex, deeper and intense than those two. Clearly its composition is much more layered rendering a 3 dimensional effect.



Quote:
Originally Posted by deadidol View Post

What's especially heartbreaking is that is was fingered as being the potential replacement for Amber Absolute. Yet, those are some pretty huge boots to fill.

I'll still smell it whenever I see it, but I'm not holding my breath.

Who said it was supposed to replace AA?
That doesn't make sense. It'd be like saying a burger place wants to replace burgers with chicken broth.
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post #35 of 81
4/20/13 at 6:03am
I find it different than Amber absolute. For me this is much more incense. I need to wear it next to Full Incense since with both I got remarks that I smell like church incense.
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post #36 of 81
4/20/13 at 6:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hedonist222 View Post

Mike, olibanum galore.
imagine bois d'encens but much more complex & the frankincense amplified.

sound interesting, love bois d'encens, will certainly try SN
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post #37 of 81
4/20/13 at 8:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hedonist222 View Post

Who said it was supposed to replace AA?
That doesn't make sense. It'd be like saying a burger place wants to replace burgers with chicken broth.

Both the TF reps at the NY and LA stores. Granted, that was a while ago, and at that point they'd probably only heard rumors.
EDIT: I called the rep I'd been chatting with at TF in NYC and he said, "yeah, it doesn't smell as close to AA as I thought it would." Anyhoo, he's sending me a sample, so as soon as I get it I'll do a comparison also. AA is a favorite of mine, and I find it to be one of the best amber scents there is, but I'll keep my expectations in check and not let my bias sway my objectivity. The notes of Sahara Noir actually sound fantastic, so we shall see!
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post #38 of 81
4/20/13 at 12:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hedonist222 View Post

I own and love Bd'E and own Full Intense. SN is much more complex, deeper and intense than those two. Clearly its composition is much more layered rendering a 3 dimensional effect.

by 3 dimensional you mean you can actually smell the smoke from the incense surrounding you right?
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post #39 of 81
4/20/13 at 1:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hawk View Post

by 3 dimensional you mean you can actually smell the smoke from the incense surrounding you right?


I didn't get what you mean.
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post #40 of 81
4/20/13 at 1:25pm
I mean the frankincense here feels smokey (smells like the frankincense is burning) , with the other notes it creates an aura around you, it has depth and it's not as boring as Montale's Full Incense... is that what u meant by 3 dimensional ?
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post #41 of 81
4/20/13 at 5:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hedonist222 View Post

Mike, olibanum galore.
imagine bois d'encens but much more complex & the frankincense amplified.

Wow, it is hard to imagine amplified frankincense to Bois d'Encens. I wore Bois this week and one of my co-workers seemed repulsed by the church smell It looks like I need to try this one.
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post #42 of 81
4/21/13 at 9:46am
tried it again today and still wasn't too impressed, that frankincense can get really loud and harsh. It does have some amber but a replacement for Amber Absolute it is NOT!
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post #43 of 81
4/21/13 at 1:28pm
Agreed, the frankincense is pretty flamboyant.
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post #44 of 81
4/21/13 at 3:32pm
I'm wearing it right now, and so far so good! I'm not finding to be nearly as harsh as the CDG incense, and for a Tom Ford, it's actually somewhat understated. I need to wear it a little more before deciding whether or not it's FB worthy. It's nothing like Amber Absolute.

But speaking of AA, I just got totally hooked up by Saks. I found one of the last bottles of it online at a store 90 mins from me. Called them to confirm they had it this morning (they did). Offered to ship it to me, but also said if I were to drive out, they'd make it worth my while and told me to bring a glass bottle.

Drove out, bought the last 50ml ($200) and they gave me their 50ml tester as well (80% full), and dumped their decanter into the bottle I brought (which ended up being about 200ml). Free with purchase was a 20ml travel spray of my choice (I got Italian Cypress) and they also gave me a grip of 4ml bottles of the others. So stoked!

And back to the Sahara, if you dig resinous, heady incense, put it on your radar. To me, it sits somewhere between Avignon and Encre Noir. It's not as forceful as I expected, and it's "safer" in general in contrast to some of the incense scents I love. I'm not sure how it'll go over though among non-incense fans as it pretty much does one thing only.
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post #45 of 81
4/21/13 at 6:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by deadidol View Post

I'm wearing it right now, and so far so good! I'm not finding to be nearly as harsh as the CDG incense, and for a Tom Ford, it's actually somewhat understated. I need to wear it a little more before deciding whether or not it's FB worthy. It's nothing like Amber Absolute.

But speaking of AA, I just got totally hooked up by Saks. I found one of the last bottles of it online at a store 90 mins from me. Called them to confirm they had it this morning (they did). Offered to ship it to me, but also said if I were to drive out, they'd make it worth my while and told me to bring a glass bottle.

Drove out, bought the last 50ml ($200) and they gave me their 50ml tester as well (80% full), and dumped their decanter into the bottle I brought (which ended up being about 200ml). Free with purchase was a 20ml travel spray of my choice (I got Italian Cypress) and they also gave me a grip of 4ml bottles of the others. So stoked!

And back to the Sahara, if you dig resinous, heady incense, put it on your radar. To me, it sits somewhere between Avignon and Encre Noir. It's not as forceful as I expected, and it's "safer" in general in contrast to some of the incense scents I love. I'm not sure how it'll go over though among non-incense fans as it pretty much does one thing only.

Congrats man... that's a very good deal.
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post #46 of 81
4/21/13 at 8:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by deadidol View Post

I'm wearing it right now, and so far so good! I'm not finding to be nearly as harsh as the CDG incense, and for a Tom Ford, it's actually somewhat understated. I need to wear it a little more before deciding whether or not it's FB worthy. It's nothing like Amber Absolute.

But speaking of AA, I just got totally hooked up by Saks. I found one of the last bottles of it online at a store 90 mins from me. Called them to confirm they had it this morning (they did). Offered to ship it to me, but also said if I were to drive out, they'd make it worth my while and told me to bring a glass bottle.

Drove out, bought the last 50ml ($200) and they gave me their 50ml tester as well (80% full), and dumped their decanter into the bottle I brought (which ended up being about 200ml). Free with purchase was a 20ml travel spray of my choice (I got Italian Cypress) and they also gave me a grip of 4ml bottles of the others. So stoked!

And back to the Sahara, if you dig resinous, heady incense, put it on your radar. To me, it sits somewhere between Avignon and Encre Noir. It's not as forceful as I expected, and it's "safer" in general in contrast to some of the incense scents I love. I'm not sure how it'll go over though among non-incense fans as it pretty much does one thing only.

WOW!!! Congrats man. That's one of those once in a lifetime type deals.
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post #47 of 81
4/21/13 at 9:06pm
Label hores you are. There is amazing Indonesian Oud by Zegna but somehow it's not good enough. Why????
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post #48 of 81
4/21/13 at 9:24pm
Thanks, guys! I'm now swimming in AA and need to figure out a way to distribute as this is more than I'll ever need. Sorry to derail the thread from Sahara Noir.

Quote:
Originally Posted by outline View Post

Label hores you are. There is amazing Indonesian Oud by Zegna but somehow it's not good enough. Why????

Perhaps the reason why is because Sahara Noir isn't an Oud fragrance? So I'm assuming you posted this in the wrong thread?
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post #49 of 81
4/21/13 at 9:37pm
I think you are totally right, deadidol. Very sorry.
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post #50 of 81
4/21/13 at 9:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by outline View Post

I think you are totally right, deadidol. Very sorry.

I'm looking up your recommendation all the same! Always on the lookout for a nice Oud.
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post #51 of 81
4/21/13 at 9:47pm
Smells like Gucci Pour Homme 1 to me.

It's not very similar to Amber Absolute, AA has that touch of sweetness that can't be beaten.
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post #52 of 81
4/21/13 at 9:49pm
Zegna IO is rocking. I like it even better then MK Cashmere Oud that is absolute bliss. Honestly for $199 125ml Zegna Indonesian Oud is no brainer. Buy it and thank me later.

I liked OPUS VI also. Not an oud frag, but it is very special.

As much as I love Tom Fords suits, shoes and ties, I have yet to try anything from his perfume line I liked.
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post #53 of 81
4/21/13 at 9:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coolcicada View Post

It's not very similar to Amber Absolute, AA has that touch of sweetness that can't be beaten.

This is true. I'm digging it though. It seems like it's a good option for someone who likes the idea of the CDG line but doesn't want the theatricality of those scents. I'm going to wear it tomorrow and see how it does.
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post #54 of 81
4/21/13 at 10:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by deadidol View Post

This is true. I'm digging it though. It seems like it's a good option for someone who likes the idea of the CDG line but doesn't want the theatricality of those scents. I'm going to wear it tomorrow and see how it does.

Good to hear you're enjoying SN. It never romanced me when I first tried it, but will definitely give it a second sniff when at the TF counter.

Oh, and well done with you're haul of AA, that story made me laugh, you must still be grinning!
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post #55 of 81
4/21/13 at 11:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mick_Trick View Post

you must still be grinning!

And absolutely REEKING of amber
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post #56 of 81
4/22/13 at 4:57am
Amber 114 by Histoire is so much better then anything in TF I've tried
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post #57 of 81
4/22/13 at 7:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by outline View Post

In my opinion, Amber 114 by Histoire is so much better then anything in TF I've tried

Fixed that for you! I actually have that one, and I have to respectfully disagree. Although I'm actually not a TF fan in general (I like about 4 of his private blends) I personally find the entire Histoires house to be underwhelming except for Petroleum. But as you said you find it "so much better than anything in TF you've tried," given that the thread is specifically discussing the new Sahara Noir, I assume that you've sampled it extensively in order to make that comparison?

Otherwise you'd just be posting off-topic, ill-formed opinions that have little to do with the discussion -- and we'd hate to see that wouldn't we (cough, Zegna Oud, cough).

Given that your last "opinion" on this subject -- that people who like TF are "label hores" (sic) because they're not wearing the Indonesian Oud scent you want them to -- indicates that you actually aren't familiar with Sahara Noir as you'd know that that scent has no connection to oud whatsoever, and that it's an incense fragrance primarily.

So, it seems that you've given your opinion -- twice -- on a fragrance you haven't tried, and have done so by invoking other fragrances (an oud fragrance, and a dry amber fragrance) that have no connection whatsoever with the fragrance being discussed.

What you might want to do is try the fragrance you're commenting on before commenting on them, otherwise you run the risk of coming across like a trololololololololol....

Be well!
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post #58 of 81
4/22/13 at 9:38am
I tried this from a tester bottle, and I enjoyed it. A frankincense fragrance all the way with hints of MFK's Absolue pour le soir. Projection is ok, longevity is great. I only like 4 of Tom Ford's scents ( Oud Wood, Santal Blush, Black Orchid and this one) but I think his fragrances are well crafted and appeal to a variety of tastes. Sahara Noir is a great addition to anyone who enjoys Incense fragrances.
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post #59 of 81
4/22/13 at 11:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by deadidol View Post

Fixed that for you! I actually have that one, and I have to respectfully disagree. Although I'm actually not a TF fan in general (I like about 4 of his private blends) I personally find the entire Histoires house to be underwhelming except for Petroleum. But as you said you find it "so much better than anything in TF you've tried," given that the thread is specifically discussing the new Sahara Noir, I assume that you've sampled it extensively in order to make that comparison?

Otherwise you'd just be posting off-topic, ill-formed opinions that have little to do with the discussion -- and we'd hate to see that wouldn't we (cough, Zegna Oud, cough).

Given that your last "opinion" on this subject -- that people who like TF are "label hores" (sic) because they're not wearing the Indonesian Oud scent you want them to -- indicates that you actually aren't familiar with Sahara Noir as you'd know that that scent has no connection to oud whatsoever, and that it's an incense fragrance primarily.

So, it seems that you've given your opinion -- twice -- on a fragrance you haven't tried, and have done so by invoking other fragrances (an oud fragrance, and a dry amber fragrance) that have no connection whatsoever with the fragrance being discussed.

What you might want to do is try the fragrance you're commenting on before commenting on them, otherwise you run the risk of coming across like a trololololololololol....

Be well!

Glad you spoke up.

It seems as though the poster likes Zegna Oud, which is all well and good. Maybe start a thread to discuss Zegna Oud.
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post #60 of 81
4/23/13 at 3:01am
Not similar to Amber Absolute? Amber Absolute was the first thing that came to my mind when I smelled Sahara Noir.
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