Private Blend

Vanilla Sex
Vanilla
Tom Ford 2023

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6.7 / 10 279 Ratings

A new perfume by Tom Ford for women and men, released in 2023. The scent is sweet-creamy. It is being marketed by Estēe Lauder Companies.
Pronunciation

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Main accords

Sweet

Creamy

Gourmand

Powdery

Synthetic

Fragrance Notes

Bitter almond

Ultravanil®

Vanilla CO2

Vanilla absolute

Blossoms

Indian vanilla

Tonka bean absolute

Sandalwood

Perfumers

Nathalie Gracia-Cetto, Givaudan

Videos

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Ratings

Scent

6.7279 Ratings

Longevity

6.9234 Ratings

Sillage

6.6233 Ratings

Bottle

8.2238 Ratings

Value for money

4.1224 Ratings

Submitted by Spl3xx, last update on 25.04.2024.

Interesting Facts

In some countries, the fragrance is only marketed as "Vanilla". The reason for this is apparently the name, which is considered offensive.

The fragrance is part of the "Private Blend" collection.

Reviews

28 in-depth fragrance descriptions

01/28/2024

2
Pricing 10
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 8.5
Scent

Nutmeg
18 Reviews

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Nutmeg

Helpful Review 61

Missionary position would have been an even more stupid name or marketing is not an easy job either

In fact, I was already gleefully anticipating some kind of vanilla waterloo.

Baking vanilla, castoreum and jasmine and the masterpiece is ready.
I would have bet on it.
And don't ask me why jasmine of all things.

But it's actually good.
I don't mean "it doesn't cause migraines or nausea" - good but "for a civilized price I would buy it" - good.

Finally, for a long time, a Tom Ford fragrance with a certain unique selling point. I can't think of another that captures this vibe like this.

As the name suggests, there is vanilla in every form. Vanilla pods, vanilla sugar, vanilla scent trees. Baking vanilla. Vanilla vanilla vanilla. Surprisingly, it never becomes too much and the carpet of flowers and almond sprinkles make it a very wearable and interesting fragrance.
Even the performance is more than okay. If you're not a fan of hygiene, you'll probably still be smelling the fragrance on your clothes in ten years' time.

Oh, the sex. I have no idea where it is. I don't notice animalic at all.

It must have gone something like this when the marketing department was brainstorming:

- How about vanilla sex. That's flat enough to attract attention. And at the same time, customers suspect an erotic component. An erotic effect always works.

- Gni Hi Hi.
He said sex. Pffffft.

- Hubert, pull yourself together. Have you finally thought about a price.

- Um. Twelve hundred gold ducats?

- Yes, that's very well calculated. Ford has always charged far too little. Artists, what can you expect.

And that brings us back to the much-vaunted pricing policy.
In my opinion, it has no place in reviews. Unless it's the only reason not to buy the perfume.

It's the only reason not to buy the perfume.

01/20/2024

6
Bottle 8
Sillage 7
Longevity 7
Scent

loewenherz
56 Reviews

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loewenherz

Top Review 45

The one whose name shall not be mentioned

If we are honest, the fragrances from the house of Ford were New Money from the very beginning and an expression of a consumption of prestige that cannot be described as understated. Tom Ford has always been loud. However, consistently developing and expanding this as a brand image is a statement that has found its place and its fans, and since the products have long been academically interesting, implemented to a high standard and carefully curated as an overall portfolio - who cares?
But now - which may or may not coincide with the takeover by Estée Lauder, my guess is the latter - the fragrances from Ford are no longer 'just' New Money, but increasingly influencer, oligarch or player women. At the same time, originality, craftsmanship and curation have suffered greatly, and I feel a pang in my chest that the Tom Ford label could lose me as a fan in the foreseeable future.

My central regret is the lack of originality - most recently, the cherry theme picked up on a trend that was still as innovative at the time as a stripped-down circus horse - as well as the outrageous decline in the quality of craftsmanship. The private blends of the first generation offered complex fragrance journeys that followed an almost unanticipated development over several hours. In contrast, the fragrances of the present day are little more than the infamous chamber note A.

I am almost as bored by the overly forced and bold provocation of the chosen names. Yes, slippery and ambiguous - *chuckle* - we get it! Word games like Lost Cherry and Rose Prick may make teenagers in Texas blush with embarrassment, but they are not Ford's target group. And I actually wonder if at least the gambler's wife with the (tasteful!) nude egg photos still finds something like 'vanilla sex' funny.

Explanation for the very innocent here: 'Vanilla sex' in English refers to the standard version of togetherness: lights off, get naked, oral foreplay, up on the mommy, lights back on and that's it. Anything that requires additional accessories, spanking or similar is no longer vanilla. Of course, the name could also be interpreted as a highly sexualized version of the vanilla fragrance chord - so much for Tom Ford's raunchy and creative play on words. Funny.

Vanilla Sex - I find it almost a little difficult to write down the dreadful name - is actually not a bad fragrance. To my nose, it's more bitter almond than vanilla, but not a one-dimensional turbo gourmand for those who like this kind of sugary scent. No comparison, of course, to greats such as Guerlain's Spiritueuse Double Vanille (which Tom Ford has already 'borrowed' with Vanille Fatale), but it is on a par with Heliotrope by Etro, for example, which I own, appreciate and sometimes still wear. Its sweetness is nowhere near as artificial as the ingredients listed suggest, which - when viewed in the light of day - are almost all just bastards of vanilla. And yet 'Vanilla Sex' is now simply one silly, puerile perfume name too many.

Conclusion: we are slowly losing sight of each other, the perfume brand Tom Ford and me. Which is also, but not only, due to the fact that I'm no good as a player's wife.

03/05/2024

7
Pricing 9
Bottle 7
Sillage 7
Longevity 9.5
Scent

Schnüfflerin
27 Reviews

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Schnüfflerin

Top Review 26

What's going on with the ratings?

Vanilla sex. A perfume whose name plays on the idea of having normal, standard sex. Of course I had to test it. Slightly put off by the reviews, but still curious, I made my way to KaDeWe. Meandering around the Tom Ford stand. Anyone who's been there knows that it's one of the most unpleasant stands in the store. The consultants are difficult to say the least. Finally plucked up the courage, a pfffft and in 7th heaven. A dream of a vanilla fragrance. I was immediately blown away. How sexy can a vanilla smell? Not at all well-behaved, but rather slightly dirty. The almond gives the fragrance a wicked touch and the scent lasts. For a Tom Ford, it even lasts extremely well. I have to keep sniffing my arm like a madwoman. I feel like an addict and it was clear that I had to get a bottle. If it wasn't for the price. Yes, yes, the fragrance is expensive. But by now I've already gone through my 5th bottle. It's simply unbelievably delicious, even if it's not edible. "Vanilla Sex | Tom Ford" is an absolute compliment magnet for me. For my boyfriend, the fragrance is "sex in a bottle". For me, it's one of my absolute favorite fragrances and it would have been such a shame if I had missed it because of this Tom Ford bashing. I can only advise everyone to give the fragrance a chance at least once.

01/08/2024

7
Pricing 8
Bottle 9
Sillage 9
Longevity 10
Scent

Happyher
1 Review

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Happyher

Vanilla fluff

Quickly up front:
I haven't had the fragrance for long, so this is a first impression!
When spraying it alone, I only get slightly vanilla notes at first, but I wouldn't necessarily call them vanilla.

Sprayed on the skin, I immediately get bitter almond and personally smell more like a marzipan potato with vanilla-sweet notes.

This impression fades after max. 2 min. and the top note is rather woody for me, perhaps this is also the described animalic or very dry sandalwood.
As it develops, the woody note is increasingly interrupted by a sweet vanilla note.

As it progresses, more and more sweetness and a powdery note emerge, which reminds me of baby powder or something similar. Further paired with a vanilla note and light floral notes.
All in all, the fragrance reminds me of a real vanilla flower at this point (transition from top to heart note/heart note), like when its scent rises to your nose on a summer's day on the balcony and says a pleasant hello, only a little stronger and sweeter.
Although I don't find the scent itself super sweet.

In the drydown, the fragrance becomes nuttier, smokier with a very dark vanilla. Above all, smoky is very good here, but not in an unpleasant way, but still very cozy, cuddly.

For me personally, the fragrance is very potent and has a very good projection with a medium to good sillage.
But this needs to be tested further.

Briefly about this:
The vanilla in this fragrance is not comparable to a Guerlain vanilla, for example, but it is also far from being comparable to designer fragrances or other more vanilla-like fragrances such as Fire at Will by Jovoy for me.
It plays more in a Liega like the Vanilla Love by Jimmy Choo from the Seduction Collection although it does not resemble it at all.

Conclusion:
Very well made, very beautiful fragrance and for everyone who loves vanilla at least a must-try

01/26/2024

8
Pricing 10
Bottle 7
Sillage 7
Longevity 10
Scent

Panacea
32 Reviews

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Panacea

Top Review 10

Vanilla cuddly scent

Now it's here, the much-discussed, much-ridiculed, long-announced...Tom Ford's Vanilla Sex. The name had already caused quite a stir (hello and welcome to the year 2024), as did the fact that vanilla is/will be en vogue everywhere and anyway.
Well, vanilla has always been around, I just remember the great perfumes of the 80s and 90s, when vanilla was available in all doses and this time produced many classics, so it is not surprising that the tart-sweet pod is making a hyped comeback.
I personally love vanilla and so my curiosity about the new Tom Ford was aroused and huge from the first rumors to this day.
The already vanilla-colored packaging is typical of the Tom Ford range, a high-quality cardboard box with a pleasant texture. The bottle itself is also familiar from Tobacco Vanille Eau de Parfum or Soleil Blanc Eau de Parfum this time in a matching creamy vanilla beige.
The fragrance itself is really beautiful. It's more subtle than I thought, I was expecting an almost syrupy sticky vanilla sauce and was surprised by the actual delicacy of the fragrance.
The opening is slightly "animalic" as often mentioned, I understand what is meant, but I can't explain it any further. The vanilla is there right from the start, along with a pleasant marzipan-like almond note. The vanilla is by no means artificial, it reminds me of deep black bourbon vanilla freshly scraped out of the pod, shiny and natural. The sweetness isn't cheap refined sugar either, it's high quality brown sugar, molasses/caramel-like, but well measured. The fragrance has a delicate sillage, which experienced noses will certainly perceive as a perfume, less affine ones would perhaps think of a body lotion. The shelf life is close to 6-7 hours
Conclusion: "Vanilla Sex | Tom Ford" isn't a big hit, it doesn't have the "beast mode" that people like to talk about at the moment. It is a fine, elegant cuddly fragrance for gourmets.
However, everyone should decide for themselves whether the price is justified. I really enjoy the fragrance on the shelf.

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