Orson

Orson Welles and hawthorn blossoms—could this be heaven? I immediately fell in love with Orson when I recently watched the Third Man, which nearly coincided with Carine Roitfeld Orson showing up at my door. Part of her '7 Lovers' series of perfumes, 'A collection made of seven captivating fragrances personifying seven unforgettable lovers in seven iconic cities' according to the website, Orson is as bewildering floral as Welles was as a man—at once seeming magnanimous and vulnerable, then at another point belligerent and fierce. Its circuitous development begins with a fanfare of anisaldehyde-via-dirty-almond hawthorn blossoms (a favorite accord!)—at times reminiscent of pungently animalic, honeyed alyssum flowers. However, Orson quickly reveals that it is not dense (surely not!), as a cool camphor-cineole cream of tuberose follows not far behind, laid before the wearer, almost as en elegy, garnished judiciously with some ylang. The sillage carries air and indoles, pepper and opoponax, the olfactory equivalent of slowly rustling trees on a breezy day. It all feels as if it is coming downwind rather than radiating off my skin, whispering a multitude of expressions, both profane and gentle. It is an Apres L'Ondee for stoics—beautiful, yet ever traveling the mortal coil. Memories fade and so will we, so why not enjoy the ever living daylights out of perfume?

Initially Orson renders an unfamiliar, though fascinating floral note (hawthorn blossom?) with it’s brief hints of funky animalic shades quickly fading. Evolving with gentle whispers of almond undertones into rather lovely almost ethereal waves of tuberose (despite several attempts, my first real appreciation of this note, blended with such skill) into a beautiful warm tonka and sandalwood dry down. Intriguing.

Here I immediately had to think of 'Après l'Ondée' - the hawthorn! What a wonderful smell! Accented by some tuberose, it exudes its dry floral aroma like after a summer thunderstorm in sultry air. A frivolous, but incredibly attractive indolic note with a discreetly urinous facet provides for underground eroticism and sexiness, which will certainly not please everyone. I like it all the more!

Love it. Not a loud perfume: discreet but not tame. Cannot smell anything fecal. Or urine. This is warm, and sexy, classy. And fits in well with the “7 Lovers” set. Totally unisex (All of her perfumes are)

I've worn this a couple of times and not really paid attention to it, but today I did. I think this is the oddest fragrance in the "7 lovers" collection and as non-linear a scent as I've tried. An unusually savoury beginning gives way, disconcertingly, to a faecal whiff reminiscent of a filled nappy (maybe this lover was a single dad?). Thankfully, this subsides into soft marshmallowy sweetness, and by the time I left work I thought I could detect something minty there. Longevity in the sweet, minty phase is pretty good (thankfully not the baby poo indoles). Given the above, you'd be right in thinking I'm not planning to buy a full bottle (and it's rather expensive)! Definitely not one for a blind buy (my sample was in a mini set).

This is one of those perfumes that I find difficult to describe in terms of notes, but seeing as there are no reviews yet and people might be curious about it, this is my overall impression: unisex, herbal, airy/transparent, a little spicy and resinous, and with a background note that is nose-clearing, almost like eucalyptus. It's interesting in the sense that it keeps me coming back for another sniff to try to figure it out. I pick up different things with each sniff - sometimes it's more woody, other times more herbal, sometimes more resinous, and occasionally an elusive rogue note pops up like a chlorinated pool or even bubble gum - so there is some interesting complexity. I don't detect any florals as listed in the notes.

It immediately reminded me of those warm, spicy cinnamon red gums or those fiery cinnamon candies. Yet, it’s much more complex. I almost imagined patchouli being in there, too. But —there’s neither cinnamon nor patchouli. It’s some other intricate blend of notes that creates this vivid, spicy-sweet illusion, leaving me with a sense of something familiar yet elusive. It’s definitely an intriguing scent—spicy, warm, and layered with complexity. But for me, it’s not something I’d want to wear—or smell on others, for that matter. If I’m after a scent profile like this, I’ll reach for 1888 from Xerjoff—that one nails it perfectly.

Another boozy opening from this line, this time sweeter. The rest is a resinous, tuberose-tinged drydown. A bit like the smell of a homeless person, but not as repulsive.

This probably won’t be liked by anyone younger than 50, but I really like it. Vintage vibe, a floral amber with a honey like animalic tone to it. I caught something like carnation in the opening- is that the hawthorn? It’s spicy and deep. Reminds me of PR Fiore d’Ambre. Not suitable to wear in heat.