Hove Tea Olive
 The subconscious power of words! I see the word, "olive", and although I know that tea olive is a species of osmanthus, my nose smells something oily. Good oily, comforting oily. Perhaps, "creamy" would be an even better word. Literally creamy- like the scent of the facial cream my grandma used to put on at night. Did it have olive oil base? Perhaps.Tea olive is supposed to have an apricot-like quality, but to my nose, Hove's version does not. After the first brightly floral burst, even the flowery characteristic becomes subdued, and I find it difficult to tell any notes whatsoever. It is all quiet, languid, dreamy creaminess. I don't miss apricots and flowers and I have no desire to investigate the actual notes. A great olfactory miracle happened here, the one that happens once in a while, when a fragrance or a certain aspect of it touches something in your soul and the strings of your heart start playing the song you thought you have forgotten. Hove's Tea Olive transferred me to my happy place, where I am a small child, loved and protected, dosing off, over-excited, on the eve of something festive and gift-ful. Happy holidays, everybody, whichever ones you choose to celebrate! Image source, Frеd St.Jоhn, pbаse.com. |
posted by Marina |
12:00 AM
20 Comments:
This has been a favorite of my mother's for 40 years. Every trip she takes to the Big Easy, she buys this in quantity. They have a nice solid version, too, which is great for travel. So glad you discovered one of our family's favorite houses!
Best,
Marla
Marla,
I keep forgetting that it is a fairly old house. I need to discover more of their scents.
I like their Rue Royale, Vetivert, and Limes des Buras. Their scents are good for Southern climates, they are mostly light, but long-lasting. It's one of my fave places in the French Quarter.
-Marla
Tea olive= osmanthus!
I want to try this one, sounds like it might make me forget winter, a bit...
"when a fragrance or a certain aspect of it touches something in your soul and the strings of your heart start playing the song you thought you have forgotten".
I love this image- so poignant- sad an exhilarating at the same time. And now that the song is remembered- what will the future hold?
Marla,
On my to try list they go!
Sybil,
There is certainly something tropical in it...escapist.
I got some of this when I visited N.O. long ago. I liked it very much too. It made me also feel lazy and languid.
Definitely a delightfully creamy scent. Sadly, still not the osmanthus holy grail I remain searching for, but lovely in its own right.
Happy holidays!! :-)
Beautiful post. I lived in New Orleans for five years, and sweet olive (local term) lined the streets in my Uptown neighborhood. I've never found anything similar in perfumery, but I would love to try this. Thank you!
Oooh. I've had a sample of this waiting around forever for me to try it. Isn't it funny--I couldn't get past the name! Even though I, too, knew it meant Osmanthus, I kept thinking of Tea Tree Oil.
We are creatures of the word...
The perfume of the tea olive tree is probably the most evocative scent of my life, for both good and bad memories. I have been a Hove customer off and on for 30 years, and have wanted to try this but was almost afraid of unleashing all those memories again. Perhaps I'll try a small sample and see how it goes . . . .
I just know I would like this one. I have heard of the house but for some reason I do not recall ever seeing any of their products on the shelves. Where did you find it?
Anonymous,
It's a great feeling, right?
L,
Which scent came the closest to the osmanthus HG status?
L,
I can't even imagine how amazing it would smell lining the street like that...
Alyssa,
Creatures of the word...Love it :-)
Koki,
I hope it will bring only lovely memories!
Donna,
A lovely friend, a source of many of my discoveries sent a sample. I *think* that Hove might sell samples, no?
Great post, warm & natural.
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