Noob take on Tom Ford Black Orchid

[Old Factory]

Very very interesting fragrance. I don't know how to describe it... At some points I think Gourmand, others I find it somewhat outputting in a slightly feminine way, but then there's a maybe woody base that "man's it up" just enough to enjoy and wear. I guess I'm still on the fence with this one, not sure it's worth the price tag, which is probably why I should immediately determine that, for me, it's not, but there's a quality to it that I really like. Maybe a good bed time fragrance?

Today I wore it to work and 1 hour in am starting to regret it. I feel like this one is more of a date night kind of juice, not a work appropriate thing. Either way it definitely gives me reason to consider TF products in the future. After my severe disappointment with the highly touted Grey Vetiver I was thinking I'd steer clear in the future. Now I can't wait to try the Neroli sample I have ordered.

[dougczar]

One of my most regretted blind buys. Wife also asked me never to wear it again. I believe she said I smelled like her grandmother. She was right. I got rid of it shortly after.

I really wouldn't enjoy smelling it on a woman either to be honest.

[hednic]

I really wouldn't enjoy smelling it on a woman either to be honest.

Not my favorite to smell on a woman either.

[PrinceRF]

Personally found it quite feminine and didn't care for it.

[RawMia]

When I first tried this many years ago I was intrigued by it, but felt it leaned feminine & was unsure if I could pull it off.
Wore it any way & fell in love with the scent & didn't care how it came across.

I've had the opposite reaction from women when I wore it, received many compliments, I've even had a past female boss of mine follow my scent trail just to find out who in her words "smelled so amazing"?

[Ken_Russell]

When I first tried this many years ago I was intrigued by it, but felt it leaned feminine & was unsure if I could pull it off.
Wore it any way & fell in love with the scent & didn't care how it came across.

I've had the opposite reaction from women when I wore it, received many compliments, I've even had a past female boss of mine follow my scent trail just to find out who in her words "smelled so amazing"?

Almost same here.

Although the compliments/positive feedback were (personally speaking) were not the main reason for enjoying this, somehow always perceived Black Orchid as quite unisex appropriate, at least to certain extents.

Especially in EDP or above concentrations, maybe less in the EDT version.

[FISS80]

One of my most complimented fragrances by the opposite sex. It never fails to get me a compliment when I wear it. One of my favorites from the regular TF line as well.

[RawMia]

Almost same here.

Although the compliments/positive feedback were (personally speaking) were not the main reason for enjoying this, somehow always perceived Black Orchid as quite unisex appropriate, at least to certain extents.

Especially in EDP or above concentrations, maybe less in the EDT version.

The compliment factor was not the main reason for me as well, nor has it been for any fragrance, just stated it to show I've had a different experience than the others in the thread.

[The_Cologneist]

It's nice if you wanna smell like a woman.

[deltasun]

Two strikes on this one for me - smells very feminine and I just didn't like the smell. I keep testing it out when I walk by the TF counter, but cannot understand the love for it. But hey, scents are subjective so I get it.

[Darjeeling]

This was a scrubber for me. Maybe the base is more attractive, but I couldn't put up with it that long.

[rynegne]

It's one of my worst blind buys as well. Absolutely horrible.

One of my most regretted blind buys. Wife also asked me never to wear it again. I believe she said I smelled like her grandmother. She was right. I got rid of it shortly after.

I really wouldn't enjoy smelling it on a woman either to be honest.

[Mr.T]

My favorite scent and gets as many compliments From ladies as the rest of mine apart from the the designer ones nobody wants to admit getting the best reactions it’s also my favorite scent on a woman, but I think it takes a certain character to pull it off for both men and women.. if you don’t project a confident aura, the fragrance won’t have the same effect

[Twilight99]

One of my favourite fragrances, but it is definitely not work safe. It's an evening scent, and it is wonderful on both men and woman. Some people are just hung up on what is feminine and masculine. Forget all that and just enjoy the scent.

[L'Homme Blanc Individuel]

Today I wore it to work

Black Orchid is not a work scent unless you work in a strip club or perhaps a boudoir boutique, but I'm guessing you recoiled at the word 'boudoir' (and probably also 'boutique' as they're not lumberjack-masculine vocabulary).

Black Orchid is a boisterous, playful, and even naughty, night-on-the-town type of scent. I think it's a masterpiece, but it doesn't suit me, so I rarely wear it (I have a few ml, which is plenty for how rarely I wear it).

[jkonick]

I’ve gotten two samples of this now and I want to like it, but don’t. The notes seem promising, but to me it feels closer to Eau de Macy’s Counter than something from Tom Ford. It just has that nondescript sweet warm base that seems like the feminine equivalent of ambroxan in men’s frags.

[sjg3839]

Potent and more on the feminine side.

[Old Factory]

I'm not at all a fan of feminine scents, but the right woody base gives it that manly twinge that allowed me to like it. Once you get past the opening feminine top notes it's still quite feminine, but not too much so for me. It is rather juvenile in a way also, which usually I detest, but again, something about the mixture in this one kept me intrigued. I'm fairly certain I won't be buying a full bottle or even another sample of it, I'm just pleasantly surprised that I kind of like it and wouldn't consider this something I'd try to avoid, like so many other fragrances out there.

[ionone]

I don't find it really feminine
and based on the number of men who wear it I think a lot of people agree with me

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

It's okay nothing amazing to my nose.

[Old Factory]

I don't find it really feminine
and based on the number of men who wear it I think a lot of people agree with me

It's just individual taste based on individual sense of smell. There's no accounting for it, it's not a mathematical equation, and that's what's kind of cool about perfumery to me. You and I can smell the exact same fragrance and yet smell two or more completely different things in it, having polar opposite feelings about it. It's really quite cool and a conundrum to me, but not a problem to solve, nor an offense to take when someone else's senses aren't attracted to something I really like. I don't wear, say or do anything for anyone else. Everything I do, I do for me, and that's how I ensure self satisfaction and happiness.

It's kind of like when you see this pictures going around on Facebook or whatever, of the dress or shoe that is a certain color, but for some reason half the people who see it see a completely different color in them. I think it was a gold dress that some people saw as blue or something like that... Does that ring a bell? Anyway, I found the opening feminine and the middle and base very unisex. Either way, I determined it just wasn't quite masculine enough for me to truly enjoy so I gave it to my fiance and she loves it! And I'll love it on her! Win win situation right there!

[Old Factory]

Now I've given Grey Vetiver another shot and still there's this rubbery almost earthy undertone to it that just doesn't cut it for me. I like earthy tasting beers and wines, but not earthy smelling fragrances. It's the reason I've scraped many popular and highly recommended fragrances in the past, like Hermes. I can see why some might like it though, it's not your standard run of the mill kind of Vetiver scent, like the Encre Noire and guerlain, which almost all smell the same to me. It's more matured maybe? Just not what I'm looking for sadly.

[Rüssel]

It's quite nice, wore it a few times as an ex owned it, but also quite loud* and recognisable. The same ex also wore Angel.

*works very well if you ever have to deal with a smelly fridge.

[Emanuel76]

I really liked Black Orchid. An acquaintance had it and wore it often. It was so powerful, exotic and, yeah, easily recognizable.
But when I first wore it, it became very cloying and monotonous - the same and the same odor for hours.

The same thing happened to me with Tobacco Vanille.