Osmanthus (2003)
by Ormonde Jayne

This is a lovely sparkling osmanthus edp with a fizzy lime opener! Wonderfully bright with a luscious floral heart, and effervescent feminine power. Unique, and satisfying. I bought the set of 4 x 10ml travel sprays, and I keep one in my bag because this scent is so uplifting. One or two sprays on the way home from work is both energizing and relaxing. This is pretty and fun and wonderful. Big thumbs up!

24th June, 2011.

This scent is delightful indeed...

True sensuality in liquid form...

It starts very subtle and citrusy, then the water lily and jasmine sambac reveal themselves...after an hour or so, it starts to settle into a gentle and sophisticated cedar and animalic musk...which is sensual and erotic...

Great longevity and sillage...

Big thumbs up...!!!

1st April, 2011.

I'm not sure how much this has to do with osmanthus - at least with the osmanthus that grows in profusion in my neighborhood. On me, Ormonde Jayne's Osmanthus is a thick, heady, indolic white flower composition in the same raunchy vein as Mona di Orio's Nuit Noire and Etat Libre d'Orange's Charogne, if not quite as overtly erotic as either. Nonetheless, Osmanthus makes a strong statement, and that statement is suggestive. I attribute the hard-hitting indoles to the jasmine sambac in the pyramid, and I'm sure the leathery labdanum contributes to the scent's animalic nature. The drydown, which comes surprisingly soon on my skin, is mostly about cedar, complimented by a warm animalic musk.

I've begun to wonder if scents like Nuit Noire, Charogne, and Osmanthus represent a manifesto of rebellion against the spare, minimalist compositions that populate so many niche perfume lines. At any rate I see Osmanthus as a nice, lush "bedroom scent," but not something I'd wear to the office.

12nd December, 2009.

The osmanthus is a remarkable flower. It is about a one-centimeter wide trumpet shaped white flower that grows on the dark green (usually trimmed) bushes -- often trimmed to become hedges. These hedges are planted abundantly in the parks, around the temples, and other planted areas in East Asian cities and countryside. The flowers are tiny but their scent output is huge. It’s near unbelievable how these tiny flowers can produce such massive scent. When the hedges are in full bloom, the wonderful odors permeate entire neighborhoods of the cities.

I was so looking forward to smelling osmanthus again since it’s been months since I was there walking among the hedges. I guess I have to keep waiting, because there’s not very much osmanthus in this Osmanthus; in fact, if I hadn’t seen the name, I never would have suspected it being here. This Osmanthus is a very nice, very safe woody / floral with some nice safe fruity notes to support the florals. The quality of materials used is excellent. The fragrance is nicely composed, but it lacks identity. It provides ambiance without direction. Its background aura reminds me more of other Ormande Jayne fragrances than it does of the wonderful aromas of osmanthus.

1st November, 2009.

Sprayed some on, walked outside and compared it with my little osmanthus in the back, and while not exactly alike, they're very similar, and I'll gladly wear the OJ when the blossoms aren't readily available. LIke the other OJs, great drydown and base...couldn't stop sniffing my arm.

30th October, 2009.

I honestly don’t have anything special to say about this fragrance. It is very subtle, sort of pretty scent that is unfortunately very vague too; very boring I should say. And after all it doesn’t even smell that good as I don’t enjoy the thin and bitter green/animalic undertone it possesses; a prominent phase that kicks in soon after those pretty top notes have faded away.

There are just so many more compelling fragrances available for the price including some wonderful osmanthus creations.

30th July, 2009.