Vert d'Encens Tom Ford 2016

After reading through the inspiration for the fragrance, which was meant to capture the coasts of Corsica (also known as the perfumed island), so the interplay of sea, rocks and forests, I was excited to test the scent.

I was expecting a lighter or fresher oud mineralé with green tones. With anticipation, I held my nose to my wrist and... wait what?! A slightly sweet Christmas tree with incense?! Confused, I wrinkled my nose and at first didn't know how to judge the situation, was it me or the scent? My first impression: complete miss of the theme of the fragrance, but still positively surprised by the naturalness of the fir note, as well as the pleasant scent progression, but with an island has nothing to do, I thought, for now.

But then the olfactory enlightenment! After several days of testing and repeated smelling (and of course with the knowledge of the inspiration behind the fragrance), I can already slowly imagine the previously mentioned island. On closer smelling, the dominant mix of fir, pine, incense and sweetness has something slightly salty about it, which is probably caused by the citrus notes. An image of a cliff separating sea and forest now settles in my mind. It's 6am in July, the waves bring a cool breeze that blows over the rocks. The sun begins to shine through between the trees and the mist settles. It's not obvious, however, whether this is taking place on real ground or a surreal dream island. But that's what makes the fragrance so special for me, it brings something artistic and magical with it.

Every time I spray the scent on I see this exact scenario and it just feels calming and, oddly enough, somehow refreshing despite the sweetness.

However, the question arises whether my environment has the same image in my head when it smells the fragrance (and it certainly will with this enormous durability and sillage). I doubt it but strongly and it will probably remain at the well-scented Christmas tree, but so be it as long as it smells good!