TFPB – Black Violet and Noir de Noir

In the continuing series through the virtual perfume patch of the new Tom Ford Private Blends, we go meandering over to see…

Black Violet — Notes of citrus, pulpy fruit accord, black violet, woody notes, oakmoss.  Okay, I’ve been trying to think what this reminds me of, if anything, and I keep thinking it’s like Serge Lutens Bois de Violette and Tom Ford’s Black Orchid met on the downlow, had a brief, but passionate love affair, which ended horribly, and they no longer speak to or about each other, but but Ms. BdV was left impregnated with BO’s love child… Black Violet.  I put this on and at first think love…maybe, then not so much, then hate… then lust, followed by its best friend self-loathing for keeping my nose buried in it. I’ve put it on four separate times with the same result.  There is a BO’ish feel to it somewhere lolling around early on, but it never pops up enough to make my hate last.  And all the way through it is this slightly candied violet… that someone took to town and turned out in low-slung, but incredibly stylish daisy dukes and a halter midriff top, just a little too much makeup, and a lollipop jutting from her mouth to lure in the pervs.  Yeah, she’s a whore, but she’s a classy whore.  As much as you hate watching her denouement at the hands of Mr. Ford, her virtue shines through and makes you fall in love a little and then a lot.  Make sense? No, probably not, but this is the quintessential love/hate perfume for me, and while I fret over it, it just mesmerizes me and makes me laugh and curse — how dare Tom do this to my beloved violet!?  — though she is a lot more fun like this.  But wait, the drydown is exquisite — the saint/whore dance doesn’t last forever or sometimes not long enough, and then it is just beautiful violet standing in the woods with her eyes closed, and she has been disgraced, but her neck is unbowed.  I wish I could tell you what those who hated Black Orchid will think here, but I am bereft of an opinion on that since I never found anything to hate in Black Orchid, nor did I find anything to love.  Which makes Black Violet even weirder, I feel both, but land firmly on love. 

Noir de Noir — notes of saffron, black rose, black truffle, vanilla, patchouli, oud wood, tree moss. When I first saw the notes for this one, I was pretty sure it would not be one I would like.  That list of ingredients is my worst nightmare, except the oud wood.  This goes on soft with the notes of saffron and vanilla taking center stage on the open. It reminds me a little of Vetiver Tonka at this stage.  After the open, you can start to smell the rose and truffle, and it is held up with the base notes of patch, oud wood and tree moss.  I find this to be the most classically beautiful of the 12 scents.  It is soft and pretty, but the base notes keep it interesting on the drydown, though there is one phase that I’m not that fond of, it seems to carry too much patina? I don’t know how else to describe it.  Once that phase passes, I like it quite a lot. I could wear this one every single day.  It is smooth and elegant, but charming and interesting as you keep sniffing just a bit of skank beneath that polished surface. It is not my favorite  of the line or even in the top 6, but there is much to recommend it.