Gerasim Gatchinskii

Gerasim Gatchinskii

Feb. 15, 2026

3/5

3

I heard many call Sahara a 'mono-fragrance of frankincense and church'. I approached this scent intending to compare it with my beloved Etro Messe. Frankincense is my favorite in perfumery, and I was curious what kind of frankincense Ford would offer. If Midnight Mass for me is associated with the warmth and joy of a holiday, then Zagorsk and Avignon from CdG seem evil and unfriendly, and Gates of Hell are sad and transparent. A Girl in Pine Needles, in turn, is gothic and natural. But here Ford presented a completely unique oriental take on this originally oriental note. For me, Sahara Noir is a church in the desert. No minarets, no desert ships, or carved palaces. Frankincense for a Russian person is a classic church, and it's hard for me to detach from that. And should I even try? Frankincense and sand - these are the two main accords that resonate in the fragrance. Sun-scorched, they absorb all the modest scents of the desert: herbs, echoes of spices from an oriental bazaar, honeyed flowers (where do *they* come from in the sands?) But still, frankincense and sand dominate. The longevity is simply amazing! At DLT, they wrapped my box in black parchment paper embossed with Tom Ford, generously soaked with the tester's scent, put it in a branded bag, added a blotter, and tied it with a black bow. I brought it home and left it unopened overnight. In the morning, the whole room smelled of Sahara! Just a reminder - only from the paper and blotter. I've only seen such longevity and sillage with Laylati Sospiro. Dark Sahara for me is a new, dare I say, Great Fragrance after Black Orchid. It seems Tom Ford just doesn't know how to make anything mediocre or bad