It seems like some people’s lives revolve around gourmands, I am not one of those people, however there are a select few gourmand scents that speak to me; Noir Extreme is one of them. This has always been one of, if not my favourite Tom Ford fragrance. The best word to describe it is addicting. The scent is dominated by this supposed kulfi accord, a dessert which I have never eaten personally, but I definitely get the association. An indulgent creamy, vanillic sweetness with a slight nutty facet to it, balanced beautifully by a hefty amount of cardamom and lots of vanilla. It just smells absolutely delicious, and there’s also nothing else on the market that smells like it. This is the sort of thing which made people love Tom Ford; imaginative and unique scent profiles which are still easy to like. I don’t care how popular this gets, this will always be a firm favourite for me and among the greatest gourmands ever made in my opinion.
For nearly 200 euros, I'd expect some performance, even just moderate performance, but this is truly non-existant. Several sprays and no scent bubble, no projection, no sillage, nothing. What a con! It's a shame because the fleeting scent is exquisite, but it's gone within 10 minutes maximum.
When I read the notes on the news page I was excited at the prospect, now I'm looking here and there seems to be quite a bit of white florals going on...neroli, orange blossom and jasmine. This is obviously not going to be a true reflection of the fragrance, these notes could be minimized and I kinda hope they are. The kulfi comparison is intriguing, I hope this one will be a delight...I have a good feeling about it already...roll on May!
As many have mentioned it's not even remotely like Noir, which I had already guessed months before it's release due to the COMPLETELY different notes. Many don't like Noir personally I'm a fan but I was even more tantalized by the prospect of Noir Extreme and some super sounding notes. Frankly I'm a bit disappointed after all that waiting...here's why. The opening spray evoked an instant 'quality' and EDP sensation that you get with something of real potency and I have to say I was impressed. A luxurious blast of almost leathered, gourmand and spicy creamy, rich earth from saffron and cardamom. I'd say the nutty kulfi, vanilla and nutmeg are instant crowd pleasers...was for me anyway and I could of knee jerked and bought this one. I'm glad I allowed it to develop though before committing to that decision. I don't what Tom Ford does in terms of briefing a perfumer but he loves to build up a dense complex base with florals poking through the mid in total opposition to the over all creaminess of the fragrance. It's actually quite clever to be fair and Noir Extreme exhibits this quality in abundance...think black orchid. There's a sweet tropically exotic note of orchids and jasmine which (as much as I love it) makes the whole composition a pretty feminine affair. I don't think Noir Extreme is overtly feminine and due to it's gourmand quality, just on the cusp of wear-ability for me. I'm telling you guys there's a reason women will be keen on this fragrance, it won't be because they find you irresistibly macho it's probably because they aspire to smell Noir Extreme and will steal it from your wardrobe given the opportunity. It's unisex at best and this is coming from a guy who wore black orchid unashamedly for a long time. The drydown is very vanillary, it lasts and projects little poofs of fruity flowers at you from time to time. The more I sniff at the drydown I can still get the nuttiness, spices and sandalwood which works with my skin incredibly well. I said I was disappointed at the beginning of the review and I still am but have to confess, I actually love the smell of Noir Extreme but I know that similarly with Black Orchid I will tire of it quickly. Perfume to me is about making a challenging fragrance with depth which is reminiscent and familiar but throws in a few surprises along the way aswell. In fairness Noir Extreme does that...it's just not for me. I would ADORE it on a woman. update: Had this on for 10 hours now and it lasts well although very faint but hasn't disappeared at least. The saffron has really come out to play in the deep deep drydown transforming this fragrance yet into another dimension and one I have to say I love. It smells very much like My beloved Versace Man now creamy but Earthy and close to the skin, Noir just playing an extra warm cozy trick before it dies a death entirely. I'm going to sample this again and wear it more extensively before I absolutely make up my mind. Tom Ford's normal or designer range of fragrances tend to be more interesting than the private blend which process undeniable strength and quality but tend to rely on fewer notes, whereas the likes of Noir and for Men (also a host of ladies frags) have a symphony on notes and truly complex compositions.
