Love Osmanthus

Some people's chemistry and aesthetics gel with certain houses. It's safe to say I gel with Atelier Cologne, as I've liked and even loved several of their offerings: Oud Saphir (would repurchase), Orange Sanguine (would repurchase), Santal Carmin (would repurchase), Cafe Tuberosa, Clementine California, Vanille Insensee... One thing the house knows how to do very well is CITRUS, so when I read the description of "Love Osmanthus" I was very optimistic, and ultimately selected a sample with my Sephora order. This right here is the elusive fresh lemon scent. So if you're someone who loves the smell of actual lemons, but shudders at lemon fragrances from the memories of furniture polish, *this is for you*. Sillage / projection is practically nonexistent, this is a perfume solely for the wearer, but the first almost two hours are just a freshly cut and squeezed lemon, just gorgeous. Now, I have next to no experience with the osmanthus flower (or apricots really), but around the two-hour mark is when another note peeks above the lemon. It's almost like a peach, fleshy, but not syrupy. It's soft and utterly pleasant. The fragrance itself barely lasts past the three-hour mark, during which the faintest note of wood shavings surfaces with the osmanthus. This is the type of fragrance for which the travel size is perfect, so you can spritz on the go. Or, if you decide you really cannot live without this lemon, then you get the big bottle and invest in an atomizer (I recommend Juliette Has A Gun for that). Edit: On a second wearing, I noticed another stage between fresh lemon and lemon-tinged apricot: JELLY BEANS! After the first hour I smelled jelly beans when I sniffed my skin where I sprayed. If this is something I can expect from osmanthus, I'm going to start looking for this flower *everywhere*!

Atelier Cologne is one of my very favorite perfume houses, and I was extra excited about Love Osmanthus because, you've guessed it, I do love osmanthus. It's such a happy note, a sort of floral cross between a bag of candy and a powder puff, both concepts that I'm more than partial to in perfume. And as others have mentioned, Atelier Cologne is especially good at citruses, so I was counting on their ability to make the combination of that lovely sweet-powdery osmanthus note with bright sparkling lemon smell as enticing as it sounds. Having finally gotten my hands on a decant, I can happily confirm that it does! Or at least, straight from the bottle and in the opening, it smells exactly like I had hoped it would; I'm in candy-floral-powder-lemon heaven, feeling as sunny on this dark cloudy November lockdown day as I ever did at the height of summer. It's sweet and bright, but soft as well - very well balanced. The lemon note does smell a lot like the one in Light Blue, but I don't have a problem with that - I've always liked that part of Light Blue a lot, and unlike some other reviewers I think the addition of that wonderful osmanthus notes is enough to make this one stand out. Unfortunately, as is often the case with this house and hard to avoid with colognes in general, the drydown is less spectacular and less up my alley in general. That typical AC cedar base gets more and more present, and I've never really gotten along with it - too synthetic and too dominant for my taste. Still, I can always re-apply at this point (which only really starts to dominate several hours in anyway). With my huge (decant) collection I'm not sure if I'll ever get through my 10 ml, but I wouldn't be surprised if I do, and then a little bottle is definitely on the cards. Such a mood-lifter!

This is one of those scents that I didn’t care for when I first tried my sample. I tried it again though, some months later and kept thinking “what is that lovely scent?” It was THIS. I do also own Light Blue (original) and I get some of the same feel in this scent - I do understand the comparison - however, this is peach versus apple and - LASTS longer on my skin. I get comments on this scent at bedtime even if I can no longer smell it at all. For some reason it also feels more “natural” or, made of quality ingredients. I still love light blue - love that apple note - but when I am looking for longevity, I chose this one. Addressing the price comparison - if you get the large 6+ oz size - the price per ounce is not so high at all. Next time, I plan on purchasing this in the largest size available. I wear this with the pomelo paradise lotion - great combination. I do not pick up lemon in this scent as much as I get peach. The first time I tried it, I got none of that juicy sweet, happy sunshine...but now this is pure love. Refreshing, happy, summertime gorgeous scent that I really hope they keep a part of their line.

Lovely but fleeting, like most Atelier Colognes. But it’s a house I just love because they do everything so well, and Love Osmanthus is no exception. I get the blast of lemon at first, but it’s a sweeter lemon, not the bitter peel. At the heart I smell the fruity apricot/peach that must be the osmanthus. The cedar base is hard to catch because the scent is basically gone before you get to the base notes, but I did catch them at first, blended with the sweet lemon top note. I am going to experiment with layering this one with an orange scented body lotion and/or Molecule 01+Mandarin to see if I can get more wear time. But for now, it’s worth just carrying it around so I can reapply it. The perfect warm weather scent!

This scent is delicious! First spray, I got juicy and succulent fruits, Fragrantica says lemon, but it didn't read lemon to me. More like orange and apricot, which makes sense because osmanthus has an apricot-like scent to it. Love Osmanthus is delicious and addictive. I wish I had a 100 ml bottle and could indulge myself in this fragrance this summer. I will try not to ration my travel size, but it will be hard.