O de L'Orangerie

This is a nearly perfect perfume in my opinion. With that being said, I gravitate towards soapy, citrusy, clean, fresh, and green fragrances. This one checks all of those boxes. Sometimes I have a hard time properly describing a perfume. The name alone of this fragrance trips me up. Let me try to do it justice... O de L’orangerie is the quintessential embodiment of a spring fragrance for me. The crispness of the orange, bergamot, jasmine, and wood just comes together so perfectly. It fits the current vibe in my country right now when the haze of winter is finally relenting, daylight is lasting longer and nature is resuscitated back to life with vibrancy. So many people have reviewed that this performs even better in the heat. I can’t wait to wear this in the humidity. I have a feeling it’s going to be amazing. I have two other perfumes that are similar to L’orangerie currently in my collection. Those being Bottega Veneta’s Knot and Dior’s Pure Poison. More so Knot than Poison but they could all be in the same family. While I really love them all and I believe they are distinctive enough to justify owning all three, I think L’orangerie is the most beautiful. It’s a little lighter, sparklier, and lusher than the other two. I am really surprised to see that this one lacks neroli because I swear I can detect it. And yes, this one is SOAPY. To my nose, it’s like a female version of Irish Spring. Now, two things that irks me about this perfume and strips it of holy grail status: LONGEVITY: I was watching a YouTuber by the name of Shana J (who I absolutely love) and she did a video titled, “7 Awesome Fragrances That Don’t Last!” I had been putting off buying this perfume for a while and even though it was featured in this video, her reaction sold me! She smells it and goes nuts because it’s that stunning. However, she updated later in the comments section confirming that it doesn’t last. I have seen other reviews on here corroborating that. Now, this perfume is in no way the weakest by a long shot. It does have some longevity and it projects well. I can still smell it lingering four to six hours afterward. I went to run errands this morning and it was still there by the time I started cooking dinner. It could be entirely possible that I go anosmic after a while. That seems to happen with a lot of fragrances. Let’s be real, I don’t actually need this to last for 8+ hours. This is but a mere gripe. AVAILABILITY: Like I said, I waited a while to go ahead and purchase this one. This has been discontinued for years and it’s becoming nearly impossible to find a decently priced bottle. They are sold out everywhere. I should kick myself for not buying a 4.2 FL Oz off of Fragrancenet a year ago for $65. Now, even the 2.5 FL Oz’s are selling for upwards of $100. Also, make sure that if you are trying to buy this perfume that you don’t accidentally order the original O de Lancôme or the Azure version because all of the boxes look almost identical. It looks like we will be saying goodbye to this beauty forever soon. This is honestly a delightful composition. I really am sad to see that it’s going extinct. True, there are a multitude of other similar fragrances on the market but in the short time I have owned it, I reach for it constantly. I consider it the cream of the crop among all of the “freshies” I own. The bottle is BEAUTIFUL. It reminds me of my once much loved Oui. This is a flanker of Oui but actually, I prefer this one!!! I have been trying to cut down on buying more perfume but I had to buy a backup immediately. I really don’t want to run out of it. I really think anyone could wear this. There’s something timeless about it. It does lean more feminine but the ultimate destination here is clean. I feel like it’s unisex also. The dry down doesn’t scream, “I AM WEARING PERFUME, EVERYBODY!!!!!!” It just suggests that you had a productive day where you just did 6 loads of laundry and indulged in a bath where you scrubbed yourself from head to toe for an hour.

Released as another alternative (flanker) for the traditional fragrance Ô de Lancôme (1969), this creation was inspired on a spring afternoon inside the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. The orange flower is the true Queen of the composition, which gathers citrus accord, neroli and orange flower on top; Jasmine, in the body; Cedar and benzoin, in the base. The name has double meaning, since the reading suggests the word Eau (water, in French), indicating that it is a fresh scent. And it really is! Once applied on the skin, the citrus output indicates a more unisex fragrance. About 10 minutes later, the jasmine appears and gives a floral and more feminine content. Over time, the benzoin gives a feeling slightly sweetened, but very subtle, nothing that might compromise the light beauty of this creation. The projection is weak, or rather, discreet. I think this term fits better with the elegance of this fragrance. However, the lasting is very good and the evolution is linear and consistent. For about 5 hours, the aroma has remained constant on my skin, without losing force or change the smell. Only then, it began to lose power, bit by bit. This is a rare characteristic in a perfume of this kind, with soft and citric nuances. I know many women who would love to wear this perfume on their daily routines, especially in the hot climate of Brazil. It’s elegant, feminine, versatile and has quality. However, I can't say that I'll be shocked in discover that some men also wear it once in a while. After all, every scent changes according to the chemistry of the skin and, in general, do not have gender. Go discover!

This perfume is a refreshing combination of sweet and fresh. Usually fresh fragrances are a bit dry and faint but this one has the personality and joie de vivre of a tree in full bloom in spring. It's vibrant, refreshing, and just sweet enough to have a full body. The citrus notes the sweetness come together to form an almost gourmand impression. It's delicious and invigorating. It's a happy smell that keeps its character to the end. It never becomes flat like other citruses and the flowery note makes it unique. At the same time, it never becomes really sweet; it's perfectly balanced. The notes of orange blossom, bergamote, and benzoin blend wonderfully to create this romantic, dreamy fragrance. Jasmine and cedar are mostly there by filling the back of the stage. For an EDT, it's quite long lasting, especially if applied generously. The projection is quite good as well. It's never a risky fragrance even if you put on a lot. Some say that it smells like you're in an orange orchard. That is not so, the smell is much better. There is no prickly smell of orange peel and the sweeter, flowery notes remind of a perfume shop, maybe one that's on the coast of Italy. If you're wearing it in the summer, do so with a classic white dress with black dots, a silk scarf, and large sunglasses. Also drive a convertible if possible. If you're wearing it in the winter, it will surely remind you of the warmth of the Mediterranean sun, but the gentle one in May rather than the one at the heart of summer.

For weeks now I have been looking for a honeysuckle, Mediterranean scent to cheer me up through lockdown and transport me to the cobbled streets and shaded palms of Sicily on a hot sunny evening. Not that I ask for much. To my surprise, however, I blind-bought this perfume and it 100% delivered. My favourite place on the planet is Northern Italy, and one spritz of this scent instantly took me back to Lake Garda. It's as though Lancome bottled exactly what I smell when I am over there and take a deep inhale, wishing I lived there. The combination of orange and jasmine is prominent, both on the drydown and throughout the day. They combine to deliver the most delicious honeysuckle scent - it smells only like the type of flowers that open up on the hottest days of the year. The sillage is great without being overbearing, and it will last for a good seven hours. As the day/evening wears on, I noticed the perfume cools down a little - almost as though when the evening scent of Italy changes as it becomes night time. Just as pleasant, but slightly less sweet. Overall, this perfume is feminine, exotic, sophisticated and floral, without being cloying. I also think it's ageless; I'm 28 and adore it, but I can imagine this suits anybody of any age. I feel like a glamorous Mediterranean belle when I wear it - it pairs perfectly with an Aperol spritz in hand and a crisp white summer dress. I'm so glad I found this - what a score!

The first time I wore this I took a taxi and when I was about to leave the driver (a woman actually) turned around and said to me "I'm sorry, but I have to ask: what perfume are you wearing?". Yes pals, this baby is that beautiful (and that strong). I bought this one when it came out a few years ago and I still have a lot left. I love to wear this in spring and summer, although it is also great in the winter if you're feeling nostalgic about summertime. This is basically a floral fragance, which is not my favourite kind actually, because my skin tends to amplify strong floral notes, such as jasmine, and they usually feel too heavy to me. However, this perfume has the perfect combination of florals and freshness. It's heavily based around the orange flower so, even from the opening, you can feel it as the main player here. The opening has a dash of citruses and bergamot, and as they fade away you get a stronger orange flower, some orange and, of course, the jasmine. But again, the orange flower remains the main note throughout the entire experience. It lasts a really long time and it projects A LOT. I must say, I absolutely love this one. I grew up in the Mediterranean and it really smells like a summer night, it is such a realistic scent that I'm surprised this isn't a more popular perfume. If you're looking for something special and you like soft florals go for it, you won't regret it...