Zizan (2008)
by Ormonde Jayne

i am, in fact, quite wild over zizan. after shopping around london last week, this was one of my most rewarding purchases (along with coromandel & leather oud). how can you go wrong with an all-season, macho green citrus bonded to a sturdy, focused vetiver heart?
sure it's redolent of other frags, but has strictly its own identity. great longevity and an ebullient, if moderate sillage. a very upbeat & well-constructed MAN'S frag (really didn't jive with OJ isfarkand, even less so with OJ man. tolu was inneresting...)
zizan deserves more love! 8/10

note: just tried out ellena's sel de vetiver and its drydown is virtually identical to zizan's. ie. very masculine, bright, exuberant vetiver (unlike, say vetiver extraordinaire or encre noir's earthier take on it) it's all good!

25th October, 2011. (Last Edited: 1st November, 2011.)

I'm not wild about this.

There's a nice bit of lime upfront in the first few minutes before it settles down to fairly boring, sedate floral middle accord of jasmine and violet. The savory base is very light and hardly worth mentioning. It's all pepped up with the obligatory sprinkling of pepper (which seems to be the Ormande Jayne house style as far as the masculines are concerned).

I don't think men are going to form a queue to buy this one.

12nd April, 2011.

For me, this has both good points and things which give me pause. On the plus side, it has marvelous green notes: they are herbaceous, leafy-stalky and vital. Much is due to the clary sage and bay leaf. The scent gets big and spicy, in a 1980's macho style... still OK. The violet leaf adds a bright fresh note, and I'm neutral on violet leaf. It also develops a fresh-synthetic note that seems at odds with what has come before. It reminds me of laundry detergent and seems ozonic. Here is where I lose interest. The 'freshy' quality abates in the dry-down but never quite goes away.

1st January, 2011.

I love it right away too. It's a lemony vetiver..somewhat exuberant but also all under control. The notes don't go to crazy town...there is a clarity and purity to the mix. There is also somehow a warmth and comfort to this. It's great!

14th May, 2010.

For me this was love at first whiff and I would say that TPer, said it best: this is definitely nostalgic comfort food. Yes, this somehow feels to me like the best of the 80s -- strong, clear, masculine, elegance, all somehow wrapped in a translucent warmth. I haven't reached for any other bottle since mine arrived a few weeks ago. Good sillage, but as this is Ormonde Jayne, one still feels that it could project a bit further. If I learned to like Vetiver thanks to Lalique's Encre Noir, Zizan has taught me to love it.

I have to take issue with Trebor about Isfarkand. I still think this is one of the most interesting and compelling and likable fragrances ever: it's as sparkling and wonderful and addictive as they warned.

17th February, 2009.

I think this is a poor showing from Ormonde Jayne. Nothing outstanding which I expect. This has a similar quality to Rochas Lui with a peppery citrus and cedarwoods. Sometimes it goes into a fruity cedarwoods. Ormonde Man and Isfarkand were very good fragrances but Zizan just doesn't cut it.

18th January, 2009.