Ormonde Jayne Tolu & a prize draw

By Marina Tolu by Ormonde Jayne is a surprising fragrance. Described as a rich, sensual oriental built around the heavenly trinity of Tolu balm, frankincense and myrrh, it smells...almost nothing like that on me. Or on a blotter. Which is fine with me. Tolu balm has always seemed to me to have a fairly prominent floral quality. Its floralcy reminds me of one of those orchids, which have a touch of spice, even a hint of incense in their velvety, blossoming sweetness. Orchid is, in fact, declared as one of the notes in OJ Tolu, along with several other floral accords, orange blossom, rose and lily of the valley. What suprises me is that, of all flowers, it is the latter that is the dominant note on my skin. What's more, the presens of juniperry berry and clary sage in the top, makes the verdancy of the muguet even stronger. As a result, the composition is rather green, to my nose, with herbs and lily of the valley leading and the resins being in the supporting roles. Which, again, is fine with me. Rich orientals are not exactly few and far between. The drier, more understated ones are somewhat harder to find. And as the weather gets warmer, a perfume like Tolu would wear beautifully, its comparatively subdued character making it wonderfully versatile- an appropriate choice both for an office and for a dressed up evening out. Available at Ormonde Jayne website, £56.00-£214.00. If you would like to try it, along with other OJ scents, let me know in your comment what is your favorite oriental fragrance to wear in warm weather. One person will be randomly chosen to receive a Discovery Set of 12 x 2ml mini sprays of eau de perfume.

Perfume Review: Ormonde Jayne Ormonde Woman

If perfumes were being categorized in some sort of Synesthesiac's Guide to Fragrances, Ormonde Woman would represent color Dark-Green. Black-Green even. It is the deepest green imaginable, the color of ancient trees in a witchy forest, on the darkest night of the year. It is not a feminine perfume, at least not feminine in a sweet and dainty or come-hither and vixenish, obvious, way. I imagine Lilith, "the witch Adam loved before the gift of Eve", smelling like this, dangerous and disturbing and strangely, insinuatingly sensual. Famously featuring a black hemlock note, Ormonde Woman has the kind of meaty green earthiness that I usually associate with immortelle. The oily powderiness -yes, I know, sounds bizarre, but this is a bizarre scent- of violet in the heart contributes to that fleshy, robust feel. Compared to an immortelle-heavy scent like Dior' s Eau Noire, however, Ormonde Woman is spicier, sharper, with cardamom and especially coriander being very prominent. In fact, it, to me, smells more masculine than the very unisex Eau Noire and certainly more masculine than the sweet Ormonde Man. Having said that, I feel uncomfortable using words like "masculine" or "feminine" when describing this perfume. It is beyond definitions like that. Like Lilith, this perfume is not human and requires a whole other vocabulary. My synesthesia is not enough to write a better review of Ormonde Woman. I need the gift of xenolalia. Ormonde Woman is available at Ormonde Jayne online boutique, £58.00-£112.00.