I had hoped to close out the year 2024 with a version of a perfume experiment featuring tuberose absolute, as I’d been playing with it since May, but several eliminations and substitutions of ingredients later, still no luck. My tuberose absolute smells nothing like the creamy, chewy white floral fragrance I’ve come to associate with scents based on the note. While on its own it is heady and narcotic, diluted it’s quite vegetal, and I still haven’t gotten to a harmonious blend with other ingredients.
My most-worn perfume this year was Heeley Note de Yuzu (28 times), motivated by wanting to use up my 50-mL bottle before the citrus and aldehyde notes fade—so far they’re still going strong—followed by Amouage Interlude 53 Man (17 times), all from a sample vial that I took on my travels… a little has gone a long way! I won’t be wearing either of those two over the next two weeks, so the count is final. As for variety, I still managed to wear 133 unique perfumes this year from 60 different brands, so it seems my pattern has been consistent with the last couple of years.
I did make it to a Sephora recently and get to smell some of the newer Tom Fords, including Vanilla Sex and Black Lacquer. Some of you have reviewed these in detail, which was a big driver of my curiosity in the first place. Black Lacquer was not as polarizing to me as I expected—given the notes (top: ink, vinyl, black pepper, and rum; middle: ebony wood, elemi, peony, and apricot; base: olibanum), I thought it would draw me in, but I suppose the dominating ink note didn’t really agree with me, although the drydown on the blotter has softened into more fruity and floral aspects.
Vanilla Sex immediately reminded me of something, but I couldn’t tell if it was something from the perfume or food world… perhaps as a major component of a traditional amber accord, or perhaps a textured dessert. Slightly boozy and faceted, it had me bringing the blotter to my nose again and again, and I found it paired well with the flavor of tonka crème brûlée. Both were complemented by an organic barbera (a red Italian wine) with notes of black plum, red currant, and cocoa. (The official suggested pairing for tonka crème brûlée is a white wine with notes of green fig, cantaloupe, and almond.)
It seems a bit early for a “holiday” post, but I’ll be otherwise occupied for the rest of the year, so taking the opportunity now to wish everyone a peaceful and joyful holiday season. See you in 2025!
Nose Prose 
Happy holidays, NP!
I enjoyed reading your stats. Especially since I’m not sure whether I will be able to do mine this year: I’m really behind recording my perfume wearing/testing to the database. I tried to keep records on my phone, but I am very slow with moving them to the “permanent” place, without which I can’t run my calculations.
I like the last two TF perfumes more than several before, but i still have a feeling that TF of 10 years ago was much better.
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Happy New Year, Undina! I followed in your footsteps in presenting end-of-year stats. 😉 If I had to rely on my phone, I probably wouldn’t be as organized either.
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Here’s to 2025. See you there too! I still need to try TF Black Lacquer. Many ingredients in their pure form are far away from how we experience them in frag form. Part of the intrigue.
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So true! Vetiver, osmanthus, tonka… can all be quite different in perfumes compared with how they are as raw materials. Many others, too, but these were the first that came to mind.
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Happy holidays to you too!
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Thank you! Hope you have a great one!
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Wishing you a cheerful holiday season, Nose Prose. I’m glad you had the chance to sample both Vanilla Sex and Black Lacquer, two of which I reviewed this year from Tom Ford. You already know my thoughts, and that I was not a fan of Vanilla Sex. You might try Black Lacquer on skin. The dry-down was nice. You reminded me to make use of Sephora more often. I just keep forgetting about it.
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Thank you, and you as well! I know you’ll smell fantastic. Now that I have an idea of Black Lacquer, I probably will try it on skin next time. I go to Sephora opportunistically to sniff new things, or when I need something else, like a new eyeliner. 😆
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Well done for the record keeping! I’ve tried so many times to keep spreadsheets of what I own, what I sell, what I wear & where the bottle is kept. Always failed as the spreadsheet sucked all the joy from my hobby. Now I use my Fragrantica & Basenotes wardrobes to keep track.
May you have a fabulous time over the holidays & a happy & health 2025
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Thanks! I get it, a hobby shouldn’t end up feeling like work.
Wishing you all the best for the holiday with your loved ones.
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All the best for the holiday season, Nose Prose! It’s good that you got to try the Tom Ford scents. I am a fan of the Black Lacquer, although essentially it’s a smoothed out version of CDG Black. I wasn’t a fan of Vanilla Sex, it reminded me of marzipan. I should do what you do and log my perfumes. Maybe something for 2025.
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Thank you, Daniel, and the same to you! I might try Black Lacquer again as one experience on a blotter probably didn’t capture it well enough.
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