Reviews of Ormonde Woman (2002)
by Ormonde Jayne

I agree wholeheartedly with Tigrushka's review, so will say no more by way of description.

Just to add, I have owned almost all of the OJs at one point in time, and normally find little difference between the EDP and parfum (the EDP has a whopping 25% jus and the parfum only a bit more at 30%, so the EDPs are great value for money in this line), but with Ormonde Woman, I have found the parfum to be softer and smoother, without the peppery bite of the EDP. I much prefer it.

Not really a perfume but more of an impression, Ormonde Woman is the clearing in a dense forest and the bubbling spring in that clearing. It is fresh and green without a hint of bitterness. It is as transparent as air. It astonishes me. I am smarter for the experience. Yet, I probably will never make a purchase, because the impression is too fleeting. To get any longevity would diminish the beauty. A truly amazing, but impracticable beauty!

Ormonde Woman goes on with peppery green citrus top notes that are tangy, moist, and pleasantly bitter all at once. The citrus note bows out even more quickly than most to leave a refreshing peppery, herbaceous accord. The heart is all herbaceous, violet-seasoned woods in the manner of (believe it or not,) Geoffrey Beane’s Grey Flannel, though much lighter, sharper, and more transparent. In fact, so clear and simple is the texture that it can be compared with the most minimalist of Jean-Claude Ellena’s compositions. (Un Jardin en Mediterranée comes to mind.)

With time the herbal elements dissipate, leaving a very dry, clear cedar and moss base. Ormonde Woman is an extremely understated and transparent scent that does not project far from the skin and leaves no sillage to speak of. It’s not terribly long lasting either, so you’re likely to go through that expensive bottle very quickly if you wear it at all often. On the plus side, Ormonde Woman is a very sophisticated fragrance and belongs to a rare genus of dry, green woody scents aimed at women. It’s also perfectly suited for use by men – certainly better than the dull, monochromatic Ormonde Man. Even so, price and poor lasting power work against Ormonde Woman, and I’ll go so far as suggest the ladies try a light spritz of Grey Flannel before splurging on a bottle of this! (Revised to a reluctant "thumbs up" for originality, and because it's actually far more effective on my wife than on me.)

Grass oil and cedar are the two most prominent notes. I wish the jasmine and violet had a stronger presence, or any presence at all. I'm just "meh" about this one. Gets on my nerves, kind of boring as it wears on...I really don't find it to be anything special.

My 6th grade class toured a huge Everett, Washington sawmill back in the 1950s, and I had forgotten it completely until it was brought vividly to mind by a sample of this scent.The massive stripped trees, the huge machinery in every direction thrashing and cutting and buzzing, the infernal noise, the pungent scent of the slashed, raw wood, the dark vats of chemicals for dipping the wood into. It was an interesting memory, but I would not want to wear this as a scent. I smell nothing in it, sadly, but devastated evergreen forests.

A perfume of contradictions! Is it transparent, or completely and mysteriously opaque? Is it familiar and comforting or strange and unique? Yes. and Yes.
It is transparent, a la Ellena, with a fresh herbal/piney layer, but look (sniff) closer and that surface clarity reveals the dark, enticing undercurrent of a sweet and mysterious floral oriental. Similarly, though I feel the fragrance is familiar, it is more the familiarity of a recurring dream, or a distant pleasant memory. Not comforting, but not unsettling either. It is both provocative and calming. A masterpiece of perfumery IMHO. Get thee a sample, and try it for yourself!

This is the smell of Twin Peaks, my favorite TV show. Walking in the woods at midnight, to the eerie themes of Angelo Badalamenti. When I go to visit my relatives in the Pacific Northwest, I get this strong smell of clean, clean air with the pine woods all around. Violet weaves in and out of Ormonde Woman (and I am no violet lover, but it is not candied or sweet in this fragrance.) The drydown is a soft amber, not terribly interesting, but I will still give it a thumbs up, because no other perfume I have tried has reproduced the "head-space" of the Northwest like this. It is rather addictive.

Ormonde Jayne has a lovely sample kit that they will ship anywhere in the world for free. It comes in a beautiful presentation box. A class act all around.

"If you go out in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise..."

I love how this one smells like faint crushed pine needles ay first then settles into a soft sweetish amber. I sprayed it in my shirt first then 2 hours later on the outside of my shirt, waited a few moment then smelled inside my shirt. The notes blending were incredibleI could bathe in this.

This reminds me of Chanel's No 19 - not because it smells like it (it doesn't) - but because, like No 19, I can immediate appreciate how expertly blended and well made this is. The notes just seem to naturally fit together, creating a shimmering, coherent perfume that is a work of art and genius, and very individual. And yet I don't actually like it, and wouldn't want to wear it. I certainly don't find it unpleasant, or overpowering, or cloying - it doesn't make me sneeze or my eyes run - it just doesn't appeal to me and it is not the way I want to smell. Try before you buy, because it is expensive.

I experienced Ormonde Woman not so much in terms of notes (which are unusual to my nose, and I can't identify them individually), but rather in terms of similarity to other fragrances. The opening is *exactly* like The Body Shop's discontinued Pink Pepper/Poivre Rouge, my autumn/winter staple. It progresses somewhat differently, though: it takes on a faint similarity to a refreshing sweet scent overlaid on that dark oriental base, reminding me of perhaps a Ralph Lauren or Tommy Hilfiger scent for a few minutes. The drydown is lovely, warm but not too sweet - and although still very like my Pink Pepper, it sits quieter and lasts longer.

This is a fragrance that has captivated me with its golden warmth. Its blend of woody notes is pleasing, it is warm and sensual without being at all heavy. It smells like love. It is impossible to wear this and not feel your heart opening.

This scent on me and to me is like a purple velvet cloak - there's a slumbrous, heavy lidded richness that has a sinister quality - a sweet floral undercurrent that may put you in a trance. You've read the notes and as others have said - it's unique. I love it.

Spicy, sweet, resinous, green, purple, yet glowing with an golden amberous light. This reminds me of the sunlight that glows through beautiful cathedral glass.

This is quite a surprise. It starts off with a foresty black hemlock note (which is also apparent in the masculine version of the scent). However, this is no usual woody scent. In fact, it is a mysterious and subtle violet scent!
The violets here are very dark, as if hidden in the shades of the forest. The final drydown is quite sweet - almost like an oriental.
An interesting and versatile fragrance that can be very individual when it finds its match!

Top notes: Cardamom, Coriander, Grass Oil
Heart notes: Black Hemlock, Violet, Jasmine Absolute
Base notes: Vetiver, Cedar Wood, Amber, Sandalwood

Ormonde is very much a scent of its own, I know no smell-a-likes. This is probably due to the use of black hemlock, a note no other fragrance has.

Ormonde is a cool, wet, mysterious dark fragrance with grass oil, alluring jasmine and a velvety touch of violets. If it were a colour, it would be either almost black green or almost black violet.

Ormonde reminds me of a nightime forest or a swamp, the mood is one out of a Gothic fairytale. The drydown is an unforgettable mixture of murky green vetiver, cedar and sandalwood notes melting into smoothest amber.