I'm a die hard lover of Black Orchid. But I love dark, rich and complex perfumes, so I'm a bit bias. I feel Velvet is a bit more tamed and brighter than BO, not necessarily my style but still a stunningly beautiful perfume. Great review!
I do really like this one too but not at first, after about 10 minutes, but I too love Black Orchid more. Black Orchid and Oud Wood were my first TF fragrances and I adore both very much. You really do need both. I actually mixed Black Orchid and layered Velvet Orchid on top and WOW I had ppl stop me on the street to ask what I’m wearing coz they can’t stop smelling me. One guy followed me coz I smelled so good. A woman said she can tell it’s TF but can’t tell which one....lol I didn’t tell her.
For me the dry down happens in 8-9 hrs and it smells like Clinique aromatic elixir and it's so beautiful and intoxicating. I can't smell it on me but if I hang my clothes after I get back home and I pass by them I can smell the amazing dry down. The whole room smells like a dark fantasy. It makes me wanna stop and just drown in that smell. It's hypnotic to me. The opening is rough in texture, yup. I get more sweet (honey) and something sharp and old too but great and daring and strong. No citrus! My winter signature scent. In fact today I changed at work in a big room and left it. 15 mins later my assistant came and said: I was in the other room just now and I realized you've come to work before I saw you cuz i smelled your perfume there! 😅
Haha great! I actually recently bought this one and have been enjoying it a whole lot more. It's so beautiful really. The next one on my list is Orchid Soleil. I'll be reviewing that one really soon too. I have a lovely big decant of it so, need to give it a few good wearings. :)
His private blend line is consider Niche while the black orchid shaped bottles are his designer fragrances. I'm so glad I smelled Velvet Orchid I absolutely fell in love. Sadly Black orchid smells too dirty not in a good way on my skin, but Velvet orchid is just perfect. Great review as usual! :)
MARLA ALEJANDRA It is? Hmm I would probably still consider the private blends Designer as they have a designer name on them. The prices are certainly niche though haha!!! :) Thanks for the comment. :)
It's funny, because I was wearing my sample of VO this week, and I thought of you! I think it's because it reminds me a lot of the bigger 90s perfumes you like, except with the edges rounded and softened to make it more modern. I find it a lot more accessible than Black Orchid. I admire Black Orchid, because I think it was very bold to give it that disturbing truffle note; plus, it lasts like a BEAST. But VO has all the glamour of Black Orchid, only dialed back a notch. Like wearing red lipstick rather than black! I like a scent that announces I'm an adult, and this is definitely good for that.
Delondra Williams You thought of me? Awwww. Yes you are absolutely right. It's still very bold, but with the edges softened. I like that description. I do love a LOUD perfume. I think I need to get this soon. Is it a limited edition???
I don't think so. I want a bottle, too, and put it on my wishlist. Tom Fords are so pricey! The other one of his I lust after is Neroli Portifino. At first sniff, I was like, "$200 for an orange blossom cologne? Nice try, Tom." But then I wore my sample for a while and realized that it was the only orange blossom cologne I'd ever worn that stayed true and strong all day. Most of them just disappear or turn all watery. So, once again Tom Ford was right. Still can't afford it, though.
beautiful and strange for a floral the warmer elements: VANILLA/RUM/SANDALWOOD/MYRRH really make it work for me Im happy! thanks as always for a fab review JIM from MIAMI BEACH
I just smelled this fragrance last night for the first time, and so far I love it! I sprayed it today and received compliments. I also liked the smell better as it dried down. As soon as you said that, I knew we probably had the same taste in fragrance. Love the review and how detailed you were. I could actually visualize what you were saying. Subscribed!
Very interesting! I kinda liked Black Orhid , but it felt a tiny bit more masculine than i'd like...i don't know how to describe it. My reaction when i tried it was "Whoah whoah, calm down what the fuck, too much information" hahahaha! I appreciated it , but It wasn't a fragrance i "fell in love with", . This one sounds like it has a similar complex "feel" but more feminine/sweet or, as the name suggests, more velvety. I'll definitely give it a snif! I love the way you describe perfumes, as always!
:) Thanks Princess!!! Yes you are right. This has a similar loud feel as Black Orchid..but wait until you get to heart notes. Gorgeous! I'm not sure if it's a limited edition or not.
Oh my goodness I can actually smell the rum, after about 5 minutes. It’s very nice. There’s a lot going on in this scent and I sometimes can pick out an ingredient . And it’s so nice when that happens.
just got this complex floral frag wow RUM/HONEY - yum VANILLA/MYRRH is delicious I smell the BLACK ORCHID connection - which I actually prefer beautiful WARM/FUZZY drydown thanks for a terrific review JIM from MIAMI BEACH
I'm just wearing my sample today! Love your description, spot on I would say. I keep sniffing myself to get the changes. So exiting. Much better in my opinion than black orchid, that one is a punch in the face, this is much softer I like it!! 💚
thanks for the thorough review, just found your channel, and I am glad I did :) this one is probably my favourite TF scent, its sister, black orchid, is wonderful in its own way, but this one opens much better on my skin
I agree . I'm a bloke and although they say it's a female scent... I had to have it after smelling it on a woman, on a date. I love intoxicating scents
Where did i put my big bottle of Black Orchid? Ughhh this always happens when I move. Things just disappear. Oh well I’m just glad I didn’t lose my velvet orchid. It IS much better than Black Orchid.....Shhhh don’t tell anyone
Is there are difference in terms of quality of ingredients used in cheaper perfumes or is the difference about the notes and complexity of ingredients? Do you know whether there are high end perfumes which use essential oils? Thank-you!
The difference in quality depends on who made the fragrance, where the ingredients are sourced and how the fragrance was made. With a lot of designer fragrances there won't be a high concentration of natural ingredients, if you buy Niche fragrances there is "usually" a higher level of natural stuff. Some companies ONLY use natural stuff too like April Aromatics. Cheaper doesn't really have anything to do with quality in the grand scheme of things. Prices fluctuate all the time and are all over the place. Complexity is also down to the person who created the fragrance. Take Alien by Thierry Mugler as an example, it only has 3 notes yet is incredibly complex. :) More expensive fragrance don't always have more ingredients or more complex structures, they usually have better ingredients though. There aren't any set rules though, it's all kind of general. :)
Annie J Chanel pure Parfume smell expensive, you only get 7.5 ml or 15 ml but you dab them so they last ages’, I can tell the ingredient are top notch.
So true! I think smells have textures too. My brother used to wear Burberry London limited edition and I always describe the smell as sparkly! I don't know but my nose feels it that way! Lol. There's a reason behind it, I'm sure
Can u please review Velvet Gardenia, if u have it. I bought a full bottle after getting a 20mil sample and fell in love with this scent. I couldn’t stop smelling my wrist. It’s easily one of TF best perfumes.
I’m confused is the velvet one for men or for women or is it a unisex fragrance? My buddies bought it and it smells really good but I did some research saying it’s for women and they’re complaining it’s for men so idk what gender fragrance it’s for?
This was the elegant sophisticated one, black orchid is the vampy loud dark one. This is much more feminine and smooth, out of this, B.O and orchid soliel this was by far my favorite and most wearable
Oh, I love Velvet and Black! When I wear either I get so many men saying they love it. I usually get compliments form mainly woman on fragrance but these two seem to be loved my men as well. These two scents are insurmountable compared to other scents and I have alot of loves. These just stand apart, definitely expensive smelling fragrances and that they are, there's no getting these on sale! Need to catch up on your videos, been so busy! How was your trip, did you do an update video that I've missed? :)
The trip was amazing. Very busy and very exhausting but still totally amazing. I didn't record any while I was there because I literally didn't have time. I did put up some videos of the fireworks though! YAY.
Hello! If you go to my Black Orchid video here, and read the comments in the top "pinned" comment. Someone posted a VERY helpful link how to tell if your Tom Ford is fake or not. :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mOFt2aa5tm0.html
Great review as always. I absolutely Love this perfume. I am in heaven. Do you know who the perfumer is who made it? Does Tom Ford make his own perfumes or does he have perfumers make them? I just made a review on it on my channel and what I smell is orchid, violet, oatmeal, honeysuckle, lily of the valley, vanilla, cherry blossom, orange blossom, peony, apple blossom, strawberry, different lotus flowers and I smelled some Amber which is the labdanum. To me it smells similar to Escada women and Flowerbomb by Viktor and Rolf. I love all three of them they are all related. After reading your list of ingredients I agree that there must be some mandarine and lemon in it and suede. Absolutely mouth watering.
Thank you!!! Well Tom Ford is not the perfumer, he is the clothes designer. Actually FOUR perfumers worked on this one so it was a collaboration. Tom Ford is a good visionary though so it always comes together well. It's not often that a fashion designer is also the perfumer. :)
I've been trying a sample of this.... love it! I really prefer it to Black Orchid, which was way too 'busy' for me. Excellent review! I neeeeeeed this bottle!
Haha Black Orchid is not for everyone's taste for sure, I think this one is a much more wearable fragrance from TF. Softer, more floral and more fuzzy. It's very beautiful, but still edgy.
It's not necessarily sweeter, it's just softer. It's like it's more fuzzy around the edges and much more friendly. It's definitely very cool if Black Orchid is a bit too aggressive for you. It's more floral but still has a cool thing going on.
As someone who appreciates but isn't in love with black orchid, you've convinced me to try this one. Have you ever tried Frederic Malle's fragrances? I would love a review of portrait of a lady. Pretty simple composition, but oh so lovely.
:) Yes! At least give it a try. I have tried a few but do not own any. I have a sample of Musc Ravageur but am yet to review it. (It will be soon for sure!) I also sprayed Portrait of a lady on my skin once and wasn't totally overwhelmed. It does get A LOT of high praise on the internet though so, I need to properly test it again. I just remember a beautiful..kind of regal rose smell. Frederic Malle is a brand I really need to try the whole line! :)
im a dude im wearing this. not sure if I smell like a women. as its drying down it smells more powdery than I first noticed. I hope ppl at work don't think I smell gay
i don't really like black orchid, but this one sound like i wanted black orchid to be... and if we talk about vanilla, what do you think about diptyqe eau duelle?
I so agree, I never care about who says it male or female. I adore v. O. I brought it after being on a date with a lady who was wearing it 😂😂 Enjoy it honey. Thanks for the great review too
I ordered it today and found it to be toooo masculine! Just like my Black Orchid I think my hubby is getting lucky again as I think ill have to gift it to him 😃 nice review btw 😊
+Mark Kirkham This one feels more feminine, but..I reckon if you've got black orchid? You'll rock this too hehe. Black Orchid is enough for me, i'm sticking to that. As I said in the review, the drydown of this comes a bit too quickly, and it's not nearly as interesting as Black Orchid. :)
Thank God the vanilla doesn't come out as much for me, especially regarding it going ice creamy. On me it stays more complex, also during the drydown. Not a vanilla fan. I tried Acqua di Parmas Mandorlo di Sicilia the other day, and it smelt like a vanilla scented candle on me. Not my style. :-D
I get what you mean though, my skin seems to do something similar with rose - Florabotanica (Balenciaga) smells like granny on me, and Narciso EDT (Narciso Rodriguez) gives me a headache.
My husband bought this for me and I'm sorry to say that I just don't know what the big deal is! I find it to be one of the worst smelling perfumes that I've EVER, EVER, EVER smelled!! I got a headache within minutes after spraying it on. It smells almost like bug spray but stronger. To each their own though. I will say that it's very, very strong because after washing it off, the smell lingered for hours after. I really wanted to like it because I've wanted it for so long. I'll wind up giving it away or throwing it out because I never, ever want to smell this again in life.
Oh gosh!!! Different horses for different courses I suppose. I personally love it, it makes me feel warm. Have you tried Black Orchid? It's wayyy more crazy than this one.
ouch110 Fragrance Reviews lol no, not yet. There are many smells that will trigger a headache for me, not sure why. I had the same reaction to Lancôme Trésor, I have a big bottle of it just sitting there collecting dust. What can you say when they're gifts?? Still, I love love love perfume and love collecting them. Mostly I like a woodsy fragrance. Could you recommend a nice, romantic, soft, and a tiny bit exotic perfume? A different kind of scent that I could wear everyday...something with maybe lily of the valley?
Oh gosh that's a horrible learning curve to have to deal with. Tell me some of the frags that give you an instant headache and I'll see if there's a prevailing matching note which might be the trigger, it might help ya in future. Romantic, soft and woody. Hmm have you tried Sensuous by Estee Lauder? :) It's like a subtle-ish lovely sandalwood that's slight romantic. :) Ooooh or Iris Prima by Penhaligons?
ouch110 Fragrance Reviews I will definitely be trying your suggestions, thank you!!! Lancôme La Vie Est Belle L'Eau, Black Opium and Chanel Coco Mademoiselle are ones that give me headaches, I do well with Lancôme Hypnose, Korres Velvet Orris Violet and White Pepper, most of the Juicey Couture line, SensualAmber by Marilyn Miglin, I even love Banana Republic (the original)
I'm waiting for this one and Villoresi Sandalo in the mail, so, tell me something good. ;) ... and, you did. yay! It's a blind buy for me. I'm not a fan of Black Orchid ... didn't woo me. Ok, riht, really looking forward to receiving it: you've likely had your bottle for years, now. :)
This smells weird to me. Basically it smells like a really classy church lady. Smells odd to me, def. Not a youthful smell.! It is better than Black Orchid though. Still to me, not worth the hype or money.
I bought this perfume on a blind buy, but regretted it. On me, it's very bland. You can't pick out any one note, which is annoying. I didn't realize until after I'd placed the order that this is supposed to be a gender-neutral scent, which explains a lot. I tried to give it to my 20-year-old daughter, but she said it smells "grandmotherly." I lost $50 on this buy.
Oh noooo! Sometimes not being able to pick out a note is a good thing though, because then you just experience the perfume for what it us. I kinda like that. :)
It is more feminine than Black Orchid yes. In my opinion a guy can rock whatever he wants regardless of what's on the label. It's all about confidence really. Black Orchid is meant for women too ya know! Still I know many males that wear it. :)
+ouch110 Fragrance Reviews thanks for the prompt response, i do wear black orchid but didnt know it was a womans scent until i read a review, ill have to check it out thanks, ill be subbin.
I tried 3 of these perfumes today: Tom Ford Velvet Orchid: I was appalled by it, it smelt like your Middle eastern/eastern European grandma's basement closet and Lots OF It. Horrible. Lancome La Vie Est Belle L'eclat: was cheap smelling and too sweet. Mac Jacobs Decadence: just fell short. Expected a spicier, woodsier perfume, but it didn't leave a 'Buy Me' impression. Cheers.
