Oh, Tom Ford, you’ve given me so many fragrances to sniff. I either love them or hate them. Either way, I’m left with a strong opinion, something to write about, something to feel. That was until I sniffed Grey Vetiver. I love the icy, Deco bottle. I love the list of notes. But, something is wrong. I don’t love or hate the actual juice. Once my nose stops sniffing Tom Ford Grey Vetiver, I’m left with fragrance amnesia. I can only remember that it is a vetiver scent because of the name. Tom Ford Grey Vetiver is a clean but salty vetiver cologne with occasional, amiable but passing bursts of citrus.
Grey Vetiver opens up as citrus florals and something that reminds me of bottle rockets and vetiver. It’s smoky, strange. This smokiness doesn’t last forever and despite smelling like firework smoke, it never smells dirty. Soon, I get a salty and sweaty grapefruit. Think in the style of Annick Goutal Eau du Sud and Vetiver. It’s salty and like being by the sea. the dry-down is peppery woods and vetiver. Not a grassy fresh vetiver, but a salty and clean vetiver. How can something sound so dirty but be so clean? It’s all about the strength. Grey Vetiver is “thin” but this keeps it “classy”.
Notes listed include sage, warm wood, orange flower, grapefruit, orris, nutmeg, vetiver, amberwood, and oak moss.
Give Grey Vetiver a try if you like masculine fragrances. Seriously, I think all men should try this fragrance. Give it a try if you like fragrances like Annick Goutal Eau du Sud, Annick Goutal Vetiver, CB I Hate Perfume Mr. Hulot’s Holiday, Etat Libre d’Orange Fat Electrician, and/or Parfumerie Generale Bois Naufrage.
Prices of this perfume range from $85 to $110 depending on the size. Tom Ford Grey Vetiver is available at Sephora and at Selfrdige’s (UK). You can also find it at discounters like Lily Direct. and Fragrancenet.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Not a bad fragrance. It’s a salty, slightly limp and sodden vetiver, very sheer with interesting citrus. I think it’s a nice choice for a man and I think all men should try it. It isn’t a bad choice for a woman either. This isn’t easy for me to wear at all. Oh, well, I have many other vetivers in my repository that work for me. <sigh of relief>
Want more reviews? Try…
Katie Puckrick Smells (amusing Perfume Pen Pals)
Ok, I get what you call “fragrance amnesia”. It doesn’t seem… remarkable. But for some reason it is so comforting that I need to own a bottle of this. The blending is extremely balanced and the overall effect is (and I am really afraid to say this out loud) a good substitute for people who want to wear Guerlain Vetiver but find it too ___ (fill the blank with whatever adjective you want).
For some reason, I can’t remember it. But, when I’m smelling it, I really like it. When I smell it others, I like it even more. But, I can never “remember” it. This could be because it is “unremarkable” or…that it is seamless and balanced and it isn’t to think about in the classic perfume way: top, middle, base. It’s a swirl of vetiver, citrus, and smoke.
I’m with you. This is a good Guerlain Vetiver substitute for those that find the Guerlain difficult to wear.
I don’t remember if I ever smelled it… I think I did. I should have since I try everything from Tom Ford that I can. But I can’t remember 🙂
I enjoy listening to your reviews. Do you plan to make video for your vintage-look series at some point? Not the whole process, I realize that it would be almost impossible but just for the results?
Undina recently posted..Know-how: Storing Your Perfume Samples
Fake it. It’s vetiver 😉
I think about doing vintage look video tutorials but I’m still figuring out how to do it all. I get asked how to apply false lashes, etc. I may start with a series like that. And I get asked all the time about hair. May do a hair series since that is much easier to “see” than read.
[…] Extraordinaire a try if you are looking for an exceptional vetiver. Or if you like perfumes like Tom Ford Grey Vetiver, Phaedon Black Vetiver, Roja Dove Vetiver and/or Les Excusifs de Chanel Sycamore. Being a vetiver, […]