Ormonde Woman (2002)
by Ormonde Jayne

Smells wonderful but I can't wear it. My ears are aching & my skin is itching. Allergies! I suspect the grass oil. I frequently have trouble with jasmine too. The spices aren't helping any.

If you're like me, and you're sensitive and/or allergic to some things, definitely try before you buy this one!

29th December, 2011.

I definitely like this fragrance despite the fact that it smells slightly medicinal (to me) when I first put it on. I agree with everyone who says the name is misleading. This is not a feminine fragrance, it's unisex for sure. A man could easily wear this. On me, the top notes are very strong and smell very much like a man's cologne. It also has a smell that distinctly reminds me of Tea Tree Oil, as well as the wood in the Ikea warehouse. I really wasn't too sure if I liked this perfume at all when I first smelled it on my wrist. However, it definitely "softens" somewhat as it dries down. The heart notes and base come out smelling a little more sweet and flowery, and mixed with the top notes the smell is really nice. However, I probably wouldn't pay full price for a whole bottle of this. It's a good fragrance, but I think it is way overpriced. I would buy this if it was a fairly inexpensive cologne. Also, you can buy Tea Tree Oil soap that is really cheap.

26th August, 2011.

The signature Ormonde Jayne scents, the Adam and Eve of the Ormonde line, each tread their own paths through the same primeval forest. They're both green (vetiver) woody (cedar) marvels, refined and bewitching in equal measure.

Ormonde Man is more piquant and grassy than its earlier counterpart, and noticeably aromatic up top, with prominent coriander and pink pepper and a superlative cardamom note. It tapers to an astringent vetiver finish, akin to French Lover from Frederic Malle. Ormonde Woman is more cedar inclined, with a distinct sawdust vibe, along with a sandalwood creaminess and an ambery glow that feels like the golden pulp of sunlight being squeezed through silhouetted tree branches.

While Ormonde Man covers more ground – and although I miss its absent cardamom note – I undoubtedly prefer Ormonde Woman. Ormonde Man is a very good masculine fragrance; Ormonde Woman is boundlessly mysterious and is an exercise in pure magic.

16th May, 2011.

OJ Woman is a beautiful, green forest. Blended and smooth, never sharp. She opens with a green, creamy texture, even a hint of mint. Sappy almost. The wood floats in (hemlock from the notes, although I've never smelled this before), and if the scent never strayed from this smell, I'd swoon all the way through it. Truly gorgeous. This part is actually exactly what I've been looking for in a green fragrance, as most greens are just too sharp for me to enjoy. It is also softly powdery at this stage.
But then, the forest starts to burn - incense rises up. There is an acrid smell to this. I've taken motorcycle rides through forests recently burned by fire, and this was the smell. This was a little uncomfortable for me, as I wanted my green forest back. But it smoothes back out to finish softly green and woody again. This one is a shape shifter, with distinct phases, while at the same time transitioning so smoothly that the overall impression is one of a gentle jarring of the senses. Beauty.

1st April, 2011.

If you love green Chypres like I love green Chypres, run, don't walk, to try a sample of this. In a market where like-minded "meh" frangrances abound, here's onethat stands out. She's a lean, healthy, outdoorsy woman with flushed skin and hair that blows in the wind. She wears hiking boots and no makeup. She's not afraid to get caught out in the rain. This is ithe kind ow woman I want to be. Dominant notes smell like evergreen boughs; clean, fresh-chopped wood; dried grasses; bruised herbs; and the lovely jasmine and amber that transform it into a feminine perfume. I thought they quit making perfumes like this after they nerfed Miss Dior. What a relief to find something this new, this good.

14th January, 2011.

I ordered it from their website about 3 weeks ago after reading reviews and sampling it first.

I'm new to fragrances so I don't have the descriptive language down, but I can say this: its a fairly tame and comforting scent. I read other reviews from perfume blogs that made it sound all witchy and strange and exotic in a foresty way, - yet I get none of that.

To my untrained nose, I get a light woodsy marshmellow smell with slight pepper thing going on that all together is kind of powdery.

ETA: I've been wearing it often over the past month and a half and it has an interesting way of growing stronger throughout the day. It starts off comforting and kind of quiet, and a few hours later its grown stronger and louder. Lasts about 18 hours.

14th December, 2010. (Last Edited: 4th March, 2011.)