Actually, I didn't want to take the sample of Grey Vetiver at all; Tom Ford has never really been my thing, regardless of the line, and the prices are just a bit too extravagant for me. But the lady at Douglas handed it to me without asking... she probably thought that the perfume name would perfectly match my (now) gray-streaked hair @Sparwitzmoduswiederaus@;-)!
Grey Vetiver starts off very fresh... slightly sharp (ginger?)... not unpleasantly piercing... very green... my first thought was... it smells like opening a fresh Earl Grey tea tin... wonderful! For me, it’s definitely bergamot instead of grapefruit as stated. This wonderful introduction to the scent lasts about 10-15 minutes... then the fragrance becomes slightly salty... a bit spicier... and also a bit sweeter... even if that sounds somewhat contradictory to the saltiness. A slightly sweet vetiver, which is more aligned with the vetiver from Guerlain than with Lalique if we take the "similar smelling fragrances" as a comparison. Not scratchy or bulky... rather spicy-aromatic... I would have almost guessed that a softener like white musk is lurking in the background... but according to the pyramid, this doesn’t seem to be the case. So the main suspect would be the iris... most likely in the form of Bois d'Iris from TDC... not as benevolent as in the Dior fragrances... rather expressive and characteristic... slightly medicinally cutting. The sage is, for me, only hinted at and nowhere near as prominent as in Chergui... you really have to concentrate a bit on the note to pick it out. This zesty freshness unfortunately gets a bit lost... similar to Infusion d'Homme by Prada... initially very pure and fresh... and from the heart note slightly sweet... so it actually only fits perfectly in the transitional seasons... in summer it would be a bit too sweet for me. Although GV in the heart note gets this slight aftershave/barber note like in Prada's Amber Pour Homme... I really like this soapy note... now and until the end, the warm notes dominate... which is well described above as warm woods.
The only thing that bothers me a bit is that in the base, not much of the freshness remains... this sweetness in the drydown doesn’t quite appeal to me... because I really love this phase in fragrances... when the scent consists only of woody and musky remnants... here I would spontaneously re-spray to restore the perfect balance of freshness, sharpness, spiciness with the sweetness.
Longevity is okay at 6-7 hours and sufficient, sillage can be perceived for hours... noticeable but not overwhelming... therefore, the fragrance has almost unlimited usability. It could make it into my collection in spring!
Biker 10 years ago
