Fresh, invigorating and more complex than the original, Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Forte and Acqua are the summer-fuelled scents we can’t get enough of. Here’s why
“What IS that?” collectively exclaimed an entranced Glossy Posse when this GTG writer first spritzed Tom Ford’s latest launches one overcast spring’s day. Beaming in their aqua-coloured bottles like a beacon signaling sunnier climes ahead, suffice to say Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Forte and Neroli Portofino Acqua are the high end perfume power players that have provided a much-needed glimpse of summer dreaming in the depths of a much chillier reality.
The ideal pairing for either a fragrance switch up or for something a little special for the most memorable of occasions, the range’s trademark citrus and amber signature still remains at each launch's core, both being given a distinctive interpretation to appeal to a variety of different perfume penchants. First up, Neroli Portofino Acqua – Tom Ford’s reinvention of a classic Eau de Cologne. Inspired by the cool breezes, sparkling waters and lush foliage of Portofino in Italy, its combination of neroli oil from the region’s bitter orange tree, Sicilian lemon, mandarin and bergamot make for one addictive floral fragrance that instantly transports you there and provides a lighter alternative to its more full-bodied older sibling, Neroli Portofino Forte.
More intense and multifaceted than its more playful sibling, Forte takes a more complex approach to cologne thanks to its double concentration of its floral core and introduction of coastal Italian woods and smooth leather. Also incorporating essences of blood orange, fresh lavender, basil, musks and wooden notes for an extra dimension in a wonderfully subtle way, it makes for the more interesting of the two in terms of note combinations and intricacy.
Refreshing and crisp, balancing light and dark perfectly, if you didn’t believe in the transportive powers of perfume before, these new designer scents are guaranteed to change your mind for good.
Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Acqua, £95. Buy online .
Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Forte, £195. Buy online .
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