Despite being a trending topic for over a decade, fragrance hasn’t been talked about enough. Tom Ford’s Black Orchid is one of the most popular fragrances.
You’re likely to have come across this legendary scent since it was released in 2006, and I realized that even after all these years, it’s still going strong. Even though Velvet Orchid was on a good road to beat it, Black Orchid never gave up the race – it’s still people’s favorite.
It had an ultra-unique aroma, especially at the time it was released, created by 23 nuances. As time went on, many houses came up with their black orchid-inspired scents, but Tom Ford’s was the best.
Although Black Orchid is described as a women’s perfume, nowadays it’s considered a unisex scent and it’s gender-neutral.
Tom Ford’s most popular creation is the subject of today’s post. Whether Black Orchid is the perfect liquid for you, or if it’s everything you’d never buy, I’ll tell you all about it.
Black Orchid: What Does It Smell Like?
Tom Ford’s Black Orchid is an ambery-floral scent with patchouli and woods. There’s a touch of Mexican chocolate and truffle in this sweet, earthy, spicy scent. I love how sweet and sensual it smells.
Tom Ford invests in its high-quality scents with high-quality, professionally blended compositions.
Top Notes:
- The truffle
- The gardenia
- The black currant
- The “Ylang-Ylang”
- The jasmine smell
- The bergamot
- SMALL Mandarin Oranges
- Lemons from Amalfi
Middle Notes:
- The orchid
- The spices
- The gardenia
- It’s got fruity notes
- The ylang-ylang
- There’s jasmine
- Lotsa Lotuses
Bottom Notes:
- Chocolate from Mexico
- Aromatic patchouli
- The vanilla bean
- Aromatic incense
- The amber color
- A sandalwood scent
- The vetiver
- The scent of white musk
In reading all the nuances that Black Orchid is composed of, you have no idea what to expect from the scent, and that is exactly how this perfume unfolds – unexpectedly beautiful.
The first spray gives you a fruity-floral and earthy blend of several different notes that are hard to distinguish individually. In terms of unconventionality, it is a strong, bold opening that is very prominent.
Despite its somewhat untypical opening, this fragrance isn’t a mass-appealing, ultra-lovable scent that everyone would enjoy. Contrary to what you might expect.
A lot is evolving at the same time in Black Orchid, and the perfume goes through several phases as it evolves. There are many phases in life, and you may like some of them, hate them all, or love them all.
Dry-down begins with a fruity cocktail – a warm spicy effect along with the florals from the opening.
As there is a lot going on during the middle dry-down, it may be the most “weird” of them all. It tastes sweet, spicy, and jammy almost.
Many people also detected the truffle (mushroom) note, which has a musky, ambery, animalic scent, and even though my nose didn’t detect it, it seems yours won’t either.
As Black Orchid contains some gourmand notes like truffle and Mexican chocolate, it’s also a gourmand scent.
There’s no smell to orchid, so you won’t be able to detect it, it’s a fantasy note that fragrance makers make out of other synthetic notes.
Definitely the best part of Black Orchid is the dry-down; the vanilla note becomes more prominent, the woodiness, darkness, and muskiness start coming through, and patchouli dominates. It’s at that point that the scent becomes dark, rich, sexy, addicting, and you’ll experience a totally new side of Black Orchid, the dark side that made it so seductive.
As I mentioned, this fragrance isn’t for everyone. This masterpiece is for people that like to bring something different to their environment, who aren’t afraid of being stared at.
Black Orchid is a male or female perfume?
The original Black Orchid by Tom Ford was for women. As it fits perfectly and dries differently on men and women, its scent leans more towards the unisex fragrance type.
Many will enjoy this amazing perfume’s versatility, but some won’t.
What’s the life expectancy of black orchids?
The scent of Black Orchid by Tom Ford can last for 8+ hours, depending on how your skin takes to it. During the first two to three hours, the projection is amazing, and the sillage can reach several feet.
When it comes to this beast, you don’t have to worry about its performance. You don’t have to worry about the scent fading away before dinner once you apply it in the morning.
As for the projection, it evolves beautifully around you in the first 2 to 3 hours, and since the silage is strong, people a few feet away will have no problem noticing it.
There are over 10 ways to boost your fragrance’s performance, so if you want to get the most out of it, try a few of them.
What’s the best time to wear black orchid?
Black Orchid by Tom Ford is a warm scent for cooler weather. If you’re in a crowded place, this scent works especially well for evening occasions.
This isn’t a year-round scent or a signature scent that you would wear regularly. Due to its warm, sweet, woody scent, Black Orchid is versatile for lower temperatures, but it’s not for hot seasons.
It’s a great accompaniment to a romantic but luxurious dinner date or even to a club or bar where the party is. Rich and sexy, it has a dark aura that works best for night occasions, but it would also work for formal occasions.
This isn’t a scent I’d recommend for the gym or casual walks in the park, it’s more of a tuxedo, boss-inspired scent.
Is it enough to spray black orchid?
You only need a few sprays of Black Orchid to get optimal results. There’s a strong-concentrated scent with great quality, so spray 2 to 3 times on your pulse point.
People use numerous sprays of perfume thinking it will make the scent last longer and project louder. The number of sprays required for a fragrance to open properly and perform its best varies from scent to scent.
You don’t need 7 unnecessary sprays of Black Orchid to ruin a fragrance composition, you just need the right spots.
If you’re applying fragrance, make sure to spray it on your pulse points. Apply two sprays behind your ears and one at the dip of your collarbone. Check out our guide here to learn how to spray the fragrance for maximum performance.
Don’t overdo the spraying – this is a robust scent – overdoing it will turn this stunning creation into an aggressive, overwhelming scent that will make people uncomfortable.
The Best Way To Spot a Fake Black Orchid?
Like many Tom Ford products, Black Orchid is prone to fake production, which is why you need to be extra careful where you buy it.
Here are some major differences between original and fake batches that will help you make sure you’re buying the real thing.
The packaging is bumpy and unpolished, almost like second-hand packaging from a previous owner. Although it’s goldish with Tom Ford initials on the top, it’s visibly, poorly replicated with no attention to detail.
There’s a serial number on both boxes, but on the original, you can see the batch code engraved on the box, but the fake doesn’t have one.
At the back, the original one has the fragrance ingredient list, while the fake one has some strange, cautious text.
Inside the original box, the fragrance sits in a black, classy, higher-quality, ribbed plastic wrapper; it fits well and is smooth. Unlike the real thing, the fake one comes in a white, low-paid, and destitute plastic wrapper; it’s hard to take out and fragrance can leak out.
The bottle has a golden tile with the fragrance and brand name, along with the sizing, and it’s in an elegant, black, ribbed bottle. On the other hand, the fake bottle looks bumpy and poorly designed. As well as being black, it’s ribbed, but the ribs are too smooth and shiny.
Compared to the fake one, which has a pale and rustic design, the original one’s atomizer is shinier, more goldish.
At the bottom, on the original, you can see some fragrance information written in goldish color, along with the batch code. There are those fragrance details on the fake one, but they’re written in white.
It’s pretty easy to spot the difference, but if you ordered your fragrance online without seeing the original bottle then you could be fooled.
Make sure your bottle has all the details that the original one should have if you got it from some “strange” website!
Also, you can check the originality of your flanker by watching these two YouTube videos (video 1 and video 2).
Black Orchid by Tom Ford: Where To Buy?
You should buy Black Orchid by Tom Ford at a local perfumery that is an authorized Tom Ford reseller. Amazon and Sephora are the best places to buy the fragrance online.
Black Orchid is unique and not so conventional, so I wouldn’t recommend blind-buying it since you might hate it.
So I recommend trying Black Orchid in a local perfumery first, and if you fall in love with it, like I did, you can buy it there or online.
Either way, you need to make sure you’re getting your bottle from a reputable source. Online shopping platforms like Amazon and Sephora are safe to use if you want to buy fragrances without worrying if they’re originals.
Don’t forget that fake liquids aren’t FDA approved and aren’t tested on humans, so they can cause serious side effects.
Packing
The bottle for Black Orchid is elegant, dark, and luxurious, with golden decorations and a nice atomizer.
With its minimalistic yet mysterious appearance, the whole thing screams luxury, boss vibes – it’ll look great on your bedroom shelf.
Four sizes to choose from:
- A 10ml travel spray of EDP (0.33 oz)
- 1 oz (30ml)
- 1.7 oz (50 ml)
- (3.4 oz) 100ml)
How does Tom Ford’s Black Orchid compare?
It’s hard to talk about a fragrance that’s not everybody’s cup of tea. Black Orchid isn’t like Dior Sauvage or One Million by Paco Rabanne, which are easy to recommend and safe blind-buys.
Those who like their fragrance to be unique and warm, who don’t mind wearing a mixture of fruity, floral, and woody notes that combined to bring a new era to the fragrance industry, will probably love Black Orchid.
Whatever you want from your perfume, that’s what matters. It will give you outstanding performance, make you stand out from the crowd full of different scents, and it has an amazing quality.
As for the price, having Tom Ford’s Black Orchid in your collection or as a regular fragrance is definitely worth it, as it represents a true master perfumery and it’s one of the most iconic scents ever.
The perfect winter fragrance for women and men who love challenges, daring scents, and who want to be innovative, alluring, and sexy.
While I am passionate about perfume, I live in a rural area of the Bronx, New York, far from any perfume stores that are close by. It is straightforward: I do not have any credentials to provide as the author of this blog. I just love perfume, that’s all I have to offer.
In addition to wearing male, female, and unisex fragrances, I also enjoy wearing perfumes containing woods, incense, citrus, flowers, spices, vetiver, and green notes. As well as chypre perfumes, I enjoy fragrances with oakmoss, especially chypres. Patchouli and amber are not particularly appealing to me, and with some notable exceptions, perfumes that smell very clean, oceanic, or are too sweet are not particularly appealing to me.
I also have an addiction to expensive chocolates and teas, and I spend a great deal of time browsing the Internet, reading blogs primarily written by others.