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Ormonde Jayne Ormonde Woman
This is my default ‘not-sure-what-to-wear, pick-this’ scent. It has the Ormonde Jayne trademark slightly dusty note to it that I love, and I find it distinctive without being brash or obtrusive (it’s a great work scent for me.) Ormonde Woman is built around a heart of black hemlock, violet and jasmine, with a grass and coriander top note, and a soft woody base. The smell reminds me of walking in Friston Forest in late summer after rain, and the emerald green colour of the fragrance in the bottle adds to the almost potion-like quality of this scent. (I’m not sure if it is coloured green any more; the picture on the website doesn’t suggest it still is, which would be a shame.)
Jo Malone Red Roses
An atypically girly one for me, but still a favourite. This was my first ever Jo Malone, purchased when Miss London was still a very tiny thing and I was surfing a wave of maternal hormones and Boden floral skirts.
Red Roses has quite a crisp, clean feel to it for a rose scent; it isn’t overly heavy or heady, due to the citrus and hint of mint in the blend. I wear this mostly in the spring and summer, but it works beautifully combined with Jo Malone Nutmeg & Ginger or Pomegranate Noir in colder months too. The Red Roses bath oil is particularly lovely, and makes the whole house smell wonderful when you use it.
Serge Lutens 5 O’Clock au Gingembre
Serge Lutens is remarkably good at taking you on a journey with his fragrances. Often I’m not sure if it’s somewhere I want to go (e.g. the rampaging armpit of Koublai Khan) but 5 O’Clock au Gingembre is one of his more restrained offerings; an afternoon tea of lapsang souchong and honeyed ginger cake, taken in front of a log fire. I love this scent in autumn particularly.
Annick Goutal Eau D’Hadrien
A sunny, fizzy citrus that instantly uplifts my mood. I wear this when the weather is wiltingly humid, as I find it very refreshing; it’s a grapefruit, lemon and cypress blend that works well on both men and women. I like that this smells very natural, and doesn’t have the ozone-type note that a lot of fragrance houses seem to use since the 1990s to denote freshness (to my nose that note smells like washing powder.)
Strange Invisible Perfumes Magazine Street
A recent discovery for me, Strange Invisible Perfumes use only botanical extracts in their fragrances, and no artificial or animal-derived ingredients. If you find that you are sensitive to most mainstream perfumes, it’s worth having a sniff of a sample or two from Strange Invisible to see if it is the chemical additives in other scents that bother you. Magazine Street is a glorious tribute to the city of New Orleans; it’s a magnolia/vetiver/vanilla/musk blend that is warm, fresh and sensual. I like that it’s quite an intimate perfume too; although I can still catch wafts of it on myself through the day anybody else has to be quite close to smell it on me.
2 Lovely comments:
I *love* OJOJ-- it's so strange and just travels forever in my mind. And, while rose is not my fav flower in perfume, I do Like Jo's take a whole lot. The other two I don't know, but will have to go find.
A very nice post. I love Jo Malone Red Roses. I will try the bath oil, it sounds lovely.
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