I really dislike the man. Well, at least his public persona, though I would be extremely surprised if he happened to be in RL a nice guy and the last boy scout. Nevertheless, I like perfumes that this brand creates.
I drew the line and refused to condone two most recent juvenile naming games, though I wasn’t offended enough to completely boycott the brand. But other than these two cases, I tend to like Tom Ford’s creations and still get excited with each new release.
Whenever I see a release of series of perfumes, from any brand, my first thought is that while working on the next perfume, the stakeholders couldn’t agree on which mod to choose and decided to go with several to ensure they didn’t make a mistake and covered all the bases. Of course, I’m not being completely serious, but I’m protesting against the avalanche of new releases.
All that didn’t prevent me from trying four perfumes in Les Extraits Vert series soon after it was released in 2016. Vert Boheme, Vert d’Encense, Vert de Fleur and Vert des Bois were all not bad at first sniff, so I got samples (tricking a couple of SAs in different stores), planned to test them properly and completely forgot about them for a while.
Recently it felt like green perfume days, so I went through the samples and found my favorite.
Vert de Fleur starts with the most beautiful green accord – crisp, slightly bitter, slightly floral. Had it stayed in that phase for at least 20-30 minutes, I would have been telling you about a new bottle in my collection. But it doesn’t last settling into sweeter floral with undetectable to my nose individual notes – still very pleasant and refined but not as spectacular as I find it in the opening.
For a while I kept thinking of what other perfume I was reminded while wearing it, until suddenly I realized that it was very similar to my favorite Chanel No 19 but less austere than the EdT version… Think of No 19 EdP on a summer vacation on the Amalfi Coast.
Vert de Fleur is one of those perfumes that I like while I’m testing it but every time I ask myself whether I think I’d wear it often should I get it, my answer doesn’t sound convincing to me. So, for now I plan to see if I can finish the sample.
The other three perfumes in the line will probably get one more skin appearance and then will be passed on (if I can persuade myself to part with them: for some reason Tom Ford’s samples appeal to me even when perfume itself doesn’t). But if you were to try only one perfume from the series, try … all of them: unless you dislike the man even stronger than I do or avoid green perfumes altogether, most likely, one of the four will work for you.
Have you tried any of the perfumes in this series? Did you like any?
Image: my own
Undina's Looking Glass 
That’s a lovely image!
Actually that seems to be quite a pleasant perfume too. I probably have too much No 19 (edt and edp) to warrant buying something similar, but I am happy to think that “greens” are still being created, if not in huge numbers these days.
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Thank you, Jillie.
When you put it like that… I have both EdT and extrait… So I’m probably also all set in that area. But I still think Vert de Fleur is nice.
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Welcome back darling, I hope you enjoyed your vacation and that you plan on sharing some of it with us in near future via a post ;)
Regarding Tom Ford, I don’t like the brand in general and I think I’ve never seen or heart Tom Ford person with my eyes and ears. Not that it matters. I just perceive this brand as if they were thinking they are so much better than anyone else in the business. I call that a balloon syndrome – all pumped on the outside but empty inside – if you know what I mean.
So… that leads to saying I haven’t tried any of the Vert fragrances. In fact I only tried a few from their regular range available in perfumeries. Private Blends are less available to me, only know 3 or 4 but didn’t love any.
Sorry, not sorry :P
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Not only I came back from the vacation but I already forgot about that vacation. Well, almost. I made some notes about things from that vacation that I want to cover in a post or two – as soon as I can find time.
I’ve never heard Tom Ford in person. But some pieces I read and his marketing campaigns make me cringe. But I still like many of their perfumes.
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Hi Undina,
Is there something that Tom Ford has said or done that has rubbed you up the wrong way rather than just the brand’s decisions? I know little about him but his perfumes have never really appealed. I think it’s because they seem too status conscious – maybe it’s Lucas’s “balloon syndrome”. Having said that, I like the idea of No.19 visiting the Amalfi coast.
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Hi Tara. Stupid perfume names and misogynistic ad campaigns are my main grudges against Mr. Ford. But none of them has crossed the line for me to stop using perfumes from the brand that I like (for myself or my vSO) – and there are at least several of those in my collection.
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Hi Undina, I think that was just something as unusual as an Undina perfume review 😊 yay, they are good too.
But, alas, TF doesn’t do it for me. Those hideous ads, and the perfumes themselves, for my taste, are too one sided. There’s generally a lack of development, and those that do develope and which I could have liked (plum japonais, Cafe rose) end in white musk or something similarly boring and/or scrub worthy.
Having said all that, the two newest releases, called fougere platin and fougere d’argent, are well made and wearable. And even if fougeres, still feel fine to be worn by anyone. These slipped a little under the radar with all the lost cherry, FF mumbo jumbo, but since you generally like his stuff, you should try them.
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It was an “attempt at a review” – but thank you :) To tell the truth, originally it was supposed to be one of the “Second Sunday Samples” episodes, but I was busy this weekend and couldn’t finish it in time… so I decided to add a little more and make it into the regular post.
I got a sample of one of the two fougeres (not sure which one – I’ll check :) ) but haven’t tried it yet on skin. I will.
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Hi! Yes, I’ve tried all four Verts, thanks to the lovely samples at Nordstrom’s, which put them out on the counter when these launched, with a note saying “Take One, It’s Yours!” Of the four, I liked Vert de Fleur and Vert Boheme the most, though not enough to buy a bottle. I have Papillon Dryad and Chanel No. 19, as well as some other classic green-dominant scents (I do love green fragrances), so don’t feel compelled toward the Tom Fords. I’ve liked sampling some of his scents (the Portofino line is pretty, and I’ve liked White Suede), but I think the prices are just silly.
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Initially I thought that Vert Boheme was my favorite but over time Vert de Fleur took the first spot.
I wouldn’t pay full retail price for the most perfumes from this line, but luckily I can always get a reasonably-priced decant from one of the split groups on FB (those ginormous flacons come handy for decanting) or buy a discounted bottle online.
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The photo of the Tom Ford sample bottle against your succulent is quite striking, Undina!
I have tried very few of his fragrances and only have ever been super impressed with one: Black Orchid. Haven’t smelled it in years, but think about it from time to time.
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Thank you, Suzanne.
I took this picture at one of the wineries that we visited with you.
I used to like Black Orchid but never went for the bottle – and I think that it changed now.
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Hi Undina, Funny you should mention this one as I’ve toyed with buying it but never made the plunge. When they were originally introduced I liked the Boheme the best, but when I retried them recently I really liked this one. For me, it has a retro vibe. I bought Fleur de Chene several years ago and it was the same; made me feel it could have come from the 80s. Tom Ford in general annoys me, or at least his marketing does. The whole F–ing Fabulous thing; I just found it crass and stupid. I like my perfumes to be sophisticated or original, not pandering to 16 year old boys fantasies or whatever they were trying for. I guess I’m getting old, but I am just so over the whole direction our country is going in general as far as the loss of manners and civility. Don’t get me started. Back to Fleur, I actually got good mileage on it and it is one my buy list but that’s a rather long list!
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I so agree with you! Don’t get me started :) But I’ll still test and wear TF’s perfumes – just not those scandalous ones.
If you decide to buy it, check online: there are some very good prices on it now.
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I agree with everything you say from the “more aloof than aloof” Tom Ford to the drop dead gorgeous opening of Vert de Fleur. For weeks, maybe months, I would spritz myself whenever I walked by Sephora. VdF and Fleur de Positano (?). I find both beautiful and expensive. Your post has rekindled a forgotten love.
Great post!
Normand
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Thank you, Normand.
I don’t know if the sites will ship to where you live, but I recently saw really good prices for this perfume – so it’s worth checking if you feel like reliving those opening minutes more often then during Sephora visits.
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Also not a fan of Tom Ford. Their marketing ploys are at best, in poor taste and at worst, ridiculously juvenile. The prices are obscene, especially the Privé Line. There’s something insulting about the entire ethos behind this line. I’ve tried samples of three, purely by accident as they were given to me by my daughter. And they weren’t at all FF. Lavender Palm was very nice, but with seriously poor longevity. Tabac Vanille was alright. Jasmin Rouge was a loud, obnoxious brat that would not stop insisting that I pay attention to it. Sort of like Tom Ford.
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Love the snark :)
I have strong favorites from the line (Fleur de Chine is my only FB, but I own decants of Champaca Absolute, Amber Absolute, Arabian Wood and Black Violet that I’ve just thunked) and I love Tobacco Vanille, Tuscan Leather and Tobacco Oud on my vSO. But I could definitely do without brand’s marketing.
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I love Tom Ford’s makeup and many of his fragrances. The most offensive thing to me is the ridiculously high price point on all of his releases but I guess that’s the luxury market.
I loved the Vert collection when it was released. I should go back and revisit it now! I remember being a little disappointed with Vert de Fleur. I had heard it was similar to No. 19 and I think my expectations were too high when I originally smelled it. I might appreciate it more now. I appreciate new green scents and I hope the four from this collection don’t end up being discontinued!
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I like TF’s lipsticks but really dislike the prices :) Luckily, for perfumes split groups and discounters exist.
I almost never read about perfumes before I try them, so the No. 19 connection was my own discovery, which made Vert de Fleur rather more than less appealing.
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I either have decants or partial bottles of several in the line but they are in a bin that I have yet to sort through. As to Tom Ford, I have not spent one iota of my brain to love or hate the brand these past few years. I am, however, easily swayed if the notes sound good and do my best to get samples if I happen to be somewhere that carries the line.
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And I meant to mention that coincidentally, I booked a trip to the Amalfi Coast in May 2019! I will make sure to bring my No.19 EDP during this vacation.
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I love your plans! :)
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He hasn’t done anything grievous to put me off wearing their perfumes (there are several brands that have, and I’m not even looking at their perfumes), so while I criticise their marketing, I’m there trying whatever new is produced… (well, almost everything).
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I liked his two movies a lot. TF perfume? Nope. And I won‘t try it because everything about it is just – no. A few brands have that effect on me, TF is just one of them. Mwah. xxxxxx
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I haven’t seen movies. With the number of brands out there, we should probably develop even more strict criteria of discriminating against brands :)
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Trust me. I am the über-discriminator. 😆
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I have tried a few Tom Ford’s in passing or through samples gifted to me by kind perfumistas but I don’t seek them out because full bottles are pretty much out of my budget these days.
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There are so many great perfumes out there with regular prices that are lower than TF’s discounted ones, that there is no good reason to pursue this brand. If you find anything you really like, by chance, you’ll hunt down either a reasonably priced decant or a bottle, but otherwise – not a huge loss.
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I sniffed all four of them in the store, but only got a sample of one to try on skin: Vert d’encens. I really like it, with its honeyed greenness, but would never pay Private Blend prices for it. Most of the Private Blends seem pleasant, but wildly overpriced. A gently used, reasonably priced bottle of the lovely but discontinued Lys Fume is the only TF I own.
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FragranceNet has Vert d’Encens for $154 (just in case :) ).
This is my second favorite from the series. I might even wear it from the sample for a couple of times. But probably I’ll never go for more.
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Still a little out of my price range, but better. Thank you for letting me know.
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I had not heard of these new releases, but any perfume that is best illustrated by such a beautiful succulent has my vote.
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Thank you, Vanessa.
These days it’s surprising when we hear about any new releases, not the other way around.
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Interesting opening remarks about TF, Undina. He’s a supreme control freak, so maybe we’d be very surprised by what he’s actually like in RF. I haven’t tried any of these. Keen to try the Vert de Fleur now.
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Richard, if you see them in one of the stores around where you live, definitely give them a try: they are not groundbreaking but pleasant enough to warrant the testing.
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