Reviews of Orchid Soleil by Tom Ford
A floral storm opens this experience: A rich, heavy, moderately indolic and waxy tuberose, with touches of white pepper and a discreetly woodsy background - a but cypress is just traceable.
In the drydown it develops more floral notes, white floral mainly, with a sweet red spider lily as well as the orchid; the latter is endowed with a slightly dirty characteristic at times.
The base adds a mix of vanilla paste and, accompanying as a sidekick, a chestnut cream impression; the latter dyad is quite intriguing, albeit fading with time. a very faint, soft and quite bright patchouli prevents the sweetness from becoming too cloying.
I get moderate sillage, very good projection, and eight hours of longevity on my skin.
To me this spring scent is a bit of a misnomer, as the tuberose is the most prominent component on me. It has a few original twists built into its development, but whilst initially a rich and intense floral creation, the second half's ingredients as a bit anaemic on my skin. The performance is good. 3/5
In the drydown it develops more floral notes, white floral mainly, with a sweet red spider lily as well as the orchid; the latter is endowed with a slightly dirty characteristic at times.
The base adds a mix of vanilla paste and, accompanying as a sidekick, a chestnut cream impression; the latter dyad is quite intriguing, albeit fading with time. a very faint, soft and quite bright patchouli prevents the sweetness from becoming too cloying.
I get moderate sillage, very good projection, and eight hours of longevity on my skin.
To me this spring scent is a bit of a misnomer, as the tuberose is the most prominent component on me. It has a few original twists built into its development, but whilst initially a rich and intense floral creation, the second half's ingredients as a bit anaemic on my skin. The performance is good. 3/5
I wish I could give this five stars, because it smells absolutely gorgeous. Tuberose, pepper... creamy, nutty, with a skanky white floral backdrop that only smells sexier and more indisputably feminine the hotter and sweatier the wearer gets.
But, it needs to last a whole lot longer. I feel the need to carry this about and reapply, which for the price (and it being a TF) is mightily annoying.
I sprayed this in a store more than a year ago and was immediately transfixed. My fume-virgin partner was equally impressed. When I found I was still thinking about it a year later, I finally got a bottle. I know I'm going to be repurchasing this one every summer.
Layer with Guerlain Terracotta, to brighten. On hot days, it's Terracotta by day, and Orchid Soleil by night.
But, it needs to last a whole lot longer. I feel the need to carry this about and reapply, which for the price (and it being a TF) is mightily annoying.
I sprayed this in a store more than a year ago and was immediately transfixed. My fume-virgin partner was equally impressed. When I found I was still thinking about it a year later, I finally got a bottle. I know I'm going to be repurchasing this one every summer.
Layer with Guerlain Terracotta, to brighten. On hot days, it's Terracotta by day, and Orchid Soleil by night.
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Oh so good. I sprayed it randomly when I went through a duty free shop and I was wearing Tubéreuse Couture by Parfumerie Générale, which is one of my favorite fragrances. This one is sweeter. It has less tuberose, although it is well present. I love it even better than this favorite of mine.
Buttery, nutty, creamy. Not quite a floral. Almost gourmand. Too sweet for a woody scent. It's perfectly mysterious and quirky. Massive tuberose.
Indelicate, inapposite white floral. Full-figured tuberose is as enticing as ever. Normally the appeal of an overpowering composition is that it blankets you with its thick, impenetrable veil. Verges on the sensation of a physical unguent, slathered across your person. Inside the indolic haze, you feel as if you've been scouted out and marked by some base animal.
Orchid Soleil is somewhat true to this sensation of oppressive luxury, yet remains oddly light on its feet. The standard plushness has been set aflame, vaporized into a thousand fine motes, suspended across a glittering satin curtain. Its showiness has worn itself out on me, admittedly, but there's something fascinating going on here that someone else might just choose to adopt as a mainstay.
*After repeated wears, I have become aware of a deeply unpleasant plastic note that almost wholly negates my heaping praise. To most, it probably appears a minor misstep, but nevertheless one I can't abide. Consider the vision of a wedding dress maculated by a few material defects. The fantasy either coheres, or doesn't. Orchid Soleil's joyeuse is starting to look a little shabby around the edges, so I must be scrupulous if schizoid and downgrade my rating to neutral.*
Orchid Soleil is somewhat true to this sensation of oppressive luxury, yet remains oddly light on its feet. The standard plushness has been set aflame, vaporized into a thousand fine motes, suspended across a glittering satin curtain. Its showiness has worn itself out on me, admittedly, but there's something fascinating going on here that someone else might just choose to adopt as a mainstay.
*After repeated wears, I have become aware of a deeply unpleasant plastic note that almost wholly negates my heaping praise. To most, it probably appears a minor misstep, but nevertheless one I can't abide. Consider the vision of a wedding dress maculated by a few material defects. The fantasy either coheres, or doesn't. Orchid Soleil's joyeuse is starting to look a little shabby around the edges, so I must be scrupulous if schizoid and downgrade my rating to neutral.*
This was very much not for me- it's just so huge and opulent. I think it was nicely done, if a little overdone to my nose- the lush, slightly overripe white floral is intense in the metallic open and doesn't settle down for ages.
At no time should a fragrance smell like plastic. Initial opening is plastic mixed with some floral which the plastic scent is giving me a headache. Other Tom Ford frag like cafe rose, jasmin rouge and square bottles etc are amazing, but the ones that are similar to this bottle just isn't working.
Time tested: winter
Point: 2/10 (the 2 points are for creativity and the courage to market plastic scent).
Time tested: winter
Point: 2/10 (the 2 points are for creativity and the courage to market plastic scent).
Orchid Soleil by Tom Ford is a pleasant surprise and proves that risk taking can still happen once in a while in the mainstream fragrance world. The end result is a plastic-y white floral that is creamy, yet slightly salty; just weird. There is a warm sweetness, but not in a typically vanilla-candy-mainstream way. I'm convinced that Orchid Soleil was designed for androids on tropical vacation. We should start taking bets–when will OS be discontinued?
4/5
4/5
A drier, pepper-forward take on oldies like Shalimar or Emeraude, Orchid Soleil boasts less of a rich Oriental nature and more of a nutty, creamy version of the traditional ambery base. I associate it more with honeysuckle than orchid, but that's probably the interplay of notes at work. This might turn some off because OS smells a little like rice wraps or some sort of cornmeal, but the floral nature is quite pleasant enough to counter this association (for me). It's just a light and happy creamy white floral. It seems like Tom Ford took a stab at making an Etat Libre d'Orange fragrance, sort of in the vein of Fat Electrician made prettier. It really is quite interesting.
Can't handle this one.....Way too indolic on my skin. I'm getting moth balls, and they are loud! LOL Oh well, plenty of other Tom Fords that I do like! This one is a stinker on me!
This one is very different from both Velvet Orchid & Black Orchid. I've seen it described as a "tuberose bomb", but I don't get tuberose here at all. For me it's mainly lily & vanilla, & it's very soft; nowhere near as loud as Black Orchid. A few moments in, the pink pepper & patchouli produce a little spice, making it just as suitable for the cooler months as for the summer, I think. It doesn't come over as particularly "beachy" for me. Thirty minutes in, the "chestnut cream" accord has begun to develop, & at the two-hour stage I get delicious wafts of creamy nuttiness. There's no further development, & five hours in it's just a skin scent, although I can still detect it after thirteen hours.
I enjoy the drydown of this one, & I'd really love to see that gorgeous rose gold bottle next to my bottles of Black Orchid & Velvet Orchid, but I'd need it to project a lot more to justify buying it.
I enjoy the drydown of this one, & I'd really love to see that gorgeous rose gold bottle next to my bottles of Black Orchid & Velvet Orchid, but I'd need it to project a lot more to justify buying it.
Orange and vanilla with a floral cake batter vibe. I now that doesn't make sense, but that's the first thing that comes to mind. Too feminine for me, but something the ladies should check out.
While searching for a deep, dark, sexy oriental I wandered over to the Tom Ford counter to try Black Orchid, and picked up this baby. I'd say it's only vaguely reminiscent of BO, and it's certainly not what I came for, but it is brilliant!
I'd say this is a warm, creamy floral, with some of the gourmand sweetness of its mother. It starts unexpectedly with a combination of freshness (citrus peel like) and sharpness (the pepper I presume) in combination with the heady, dirty sweetness of white flowers. You really get both scents rather loudly at the same time, which is a strange combination and made me jerk my head back from my arm for a moment, because I was expecting something syrupy sweet like BO.
The flower scent quickly drew me back in though. I got intense jasmine from it, like walking past a garden full of the stuff on an early September evening in some Mediterranean country. It had that moist, dirty undertone of decay that I hate in lilies, but love in jasmine. As the scent developed I felt like I was rolling in a jasmine bush and the exuberance of it made me so happy!
Looking at the fragrance notes, it's probably tuberose/lily that I'm smelling here, rather than jasmine. Heaving never smelled tuberose in the flesh, I can't say for sure, but I'll make it a point to smell one soon, because I have the sneaking suspicion that I'll love that note (someone described it as badly behaved jasmine on steroids, sounds right up my ally!).
The fresh/sharp top notes do not linger long, but they do provide a lightness that make this scent summery, rather than oppressive or heavy.
After two hours or so, the scent calmed down a little, and creamy edible notes (nuts and vanilla) started to come through. It also became less projected and lingered closer to my skin. I wish it didn't, because I kind of liked the explosiveness of the beginning.
Unfortunately, after 3 hours the jasmine slowly died, leaving a soft, demure scent, like a dainty vanilla custard cake. It's pleasant and warm, but it lacks the power and flowery goodness that made me so happy.
Still, I think this is a really delicious floral (I don't get the oriental much, unless it's the vanilla note), with enough going on to make it interesting. I have a sample and will see if and how I can make it last longer. If I can increase the longevity I'll definitely buy this!
Projection: starts powerful but quickly withdraws
Lasts frustratingly short.
I'd say this is a warm, creamy floral, with some of the gourmand sweetness of its mother. It starts unexpectedly with a combination of freshness (citrus peel like) and sharpness (the pepper I presume) in combination with the heady, dirty sweetness of white flowers. You really get both scents rather loudly at the same time, which is a strange combination and made me jerk my head back from my arm for a moment, because I was expecting something syrupy sweet like BO.
The flower scent quickly drew me back in though. I got intense jasmine from it, like walking past a garden full of the stuff on an early September evening in some Mediterranean country. It had that moist, dirty undertone of decay that I hate in lilies, but love in jasmine. As the scent developed I felt like I was rolling in a jasmine bush and the exuberance of it made me so happy!
Looking at the fragrance notes, it's probably tuberose/lily that I'm smelling here, rather than jasmine. Heaving never smelled tuberose in the flesh, I can't say for sure, but I'll make it a point to smell one soon, because I have the sneaking suspicion that I'll love that note (someone described it as badly behaved jasmine on steroids, sounds right up my ally!).
The fresh/sharp top notes do not linger long, but they do provide a lightness that make this scent summery, rather than oppressive or heavy.
After two hours or so, the scent calmed down a little, and creamy edible notes (nuts and vanilla) started to come through. It also became less projected and lingered closer to my skin. I wish it didn't, because I kind of liked the explosiveness of the beginning.
Unfortunately, after 3 hours the jasmine slowly died, leaving a soft, demure scent, like a dainty vanilla custard cake. It's pleasant and warm, but it lacks the power and flowery goodness that made me so happy.
Still, I think this is a really delicious floral (I don't get the oriental much, unless it's the vanilla note), with enough going on to make it interesting. I have a sample and will see if and how I can make it last longer. If I can increase the longevity I'll definitely buy this!
Projection: starts powerful but quickly withdraws
Lasts frustratingly short.
It starts out peppery and something I couldn't identify at first, but after a couple sniffs I've identified as rubber and leather - think tire section and leather work gloves or new work boots. It's actually a scent I craved when I was pregnant, so this is actually a plus for me.
That fairly, quickly fades to a nice sweet creamy tuberose. Someone else mentioned oriental lily, and it's possibly but that note is more understated on my cream loving skin. I should mention that I have worked as a floral designer and am used to smelling a flower shop. However, I just get a burst of tuberose tempered by cypress and something slightly sharp but enough of a background note to be intriguing and highlight the green. The cypress leaves me wishing for more and by the end of the first hour it fades to a lovely sweet, delicious vanilla with an occasional bit of nuttiness. It is a pleasant scent, but does leave me missing the interest of the first few moments. It's lasting for 8+ hours, but in a subdued form.
The scent has enough intriguing things happening to wake me up and remind me why I like perfumes.
That fairly, quickly fades to a nice sweet creamy tuberose. Someone else mentioned oriental lily, and it's possibly but that note is more understated on my cream loving skin. I should mention that I have worked as a floral designer and am used to smelling a flower shop. However, I just get a burst of tuberose tempered by cypress and something slightly sharp but enough of a background note to be intriguing and highlight the green. The cypress leaves me wishing for more and by the end of the first hour it fades to a lovely sweet, delicious vanilla with an occasional bit of nuttiness. It is a pleasant scent, but does leave me missing the interest of the first few moments. It's lasting for 8+ hours, but in a subdued form.
The scent has enough intriguing things happening to wake me up and remind me why I like perfumes.
Extremely polarizing scent.
I think people will either love it or hate it. The opening is SO jarring, if I hadn't been in Neiman Marcus I'd have thrown my arms in the air & run screaming from the floor.
(I can be a drama queen.)
Fast forward an hour, give or take.
"What is that?"
Sniff.....sniff....sniff....
"Why, tis I."
This is a schizo b*tch of a scent that dries down to very sexy skin with incredible longevity. The base notes MAKE this fragrance IMO.
Too bad the opening is such a beast.
Bottom line: DO NOT buy blind.
I think people will either love it or hate it. The opening is SO jarring, if I hadn't been in Neiman Marcus I'd have thrown my arms in the air & run screaming from the floor.
(I can be a drama queen.)
Fast forward an hour, give or take.
"What is that?"
Sniff.....sniff....sniff....
"Why, tis I."
This is a schizo b*tch of a scent that dries down to very sexy skin with incredible longevity. The base notes MAKE this fragrance IMO.
Too bad the opening is such a beast.
Bottom line: DO NOT buy blind.
Orchid Soleil goes on as an explosively skanky floral - mostly just filthy indoles spewing out over tuberose. It's a shocking intro, especially for a mass-market scent, with its loud buttery dead flowers and sickly corpse odors.
However, given about a half an hour, a big creamy ylang note comes in and the whole thing becomes hauntingly beautiful. The skank settles into a woody undertone, and the tuberose and ylang mix with that pink jasmine that smells like banana to create a rather stunning tropical floral, while a subtle vanilla mixes with hints of chocolate milk to form a deliciously creamy base.
Honestly, I think the topnotes will scare a LOT of people away from Orchid Soleil, but I rather like their insanity, and the sunny floral over creamy notes that follows is really well done. I'm voting thumbs up, but with the caveat that this is not likely to be a crowd pleaser.
However, given about a half an hour, a big creamy ylang note comes in and the whole thing becomes hauntingly beautiful. The skank settles into a woody undertone, and the tuberose and ylang mix with that pink jasmine that smells like banana to create a rather stunning tropical floral, while a subtle vanilla mixes with hints of chocolate milk to form a deliciously creamy base.
Honestly, I think the topnotes will scare a LOT of people away from Orchid Soleil, but I rather like their insanity, and the sunny floral over creamy notes that follows is really well done. I'm voting thumbs up, but with the caveat that this is not likely to be a crowd pleaser.
I would describe Orchid Soleil as a oriental floral scent. The opening introduced both spicy and herbal elements which consist of the pink pepper and cypress notes respectively. The sharp opening quickly mellows out as the prominent note of the scent, the tuberose, comes to the forefront. The tuberose is accompanied by vanilla which sweetens the scent considerably. As the scent progressed the tuberose weakens slightly allowing for the lily and orchid notes to be slightly noticeable. Finally, the sweat/creamy floral composition is met with a chestnut note that gives a partially gourmand feel to the scent during the drydown. I got strong longevity and silage from Orchid Soleil. On me the scent remained strong the first 3-4 hours before staying closer to the skin which approximately lasted another 4-6 hours. The best time to wear this scent I believe would be in the spring or fall as this scent wouldn't work be great in either very warm or very cold weather conditions. Nothing to impressive with Orchid Soleil. It's a decent scent from Tom Ford but it's not something that jumps out at me to want to wear nor purchase
Somewhat sweet, but that is to be expected in a floral marketed with a pink-gold colour. Fairly significant amounts of the tuberose and lily note -- a bit like a florist shop or funeral parlour. These are realistic notes, and well done in the initial stage. The scent is rich. It is a formidable floral cloud, make no mistake. The chestnut cream -- what an intriguing concept! Well, there is a slight nutty/creamy aspect, and it works well with the floral notes.
Not at all my style, but worth checking out. Ultimately I don't care for tuberose -- I find it to be a heavy, dense and somewhat fleshy note. l will keep the rating as neutral but I had to scrub it off eventually, finding it tiresome and heavy in the dry-down.
Not at all my style, but worth checking out. Ultimately I don't care for tuberose -- I find it to be a heavy, dense and somewhat fleshy note. l will keep the rating as neutral but I had to scrub it off eventually, finding it tiresome and heavy in the dry-down.