Oriental Flowers

Softly Spicy BALMSAMIC YLANG is the star of the show here, so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife. This vintage-y balsamic scent opens with a burst of ylang and rose supported by multi-faceted bergamot, that continues throughout the orris root & jasmine heart onto a balmy amber base. Overall I get a balsamic ylang scent with fruity, powdery, citrus, sweet & oriental facets that seems to continue throughout the life of the scent and has an undercurrent of a gingerale-like note. With a slightly yellow caste, this oily beauty is best on the skin as it can stain clothing. Contrast to Matsuri Annayake: These aren't identical, but this is the closest scent I've smelt to Oriental Flowers. Both have well above average performance, but Montale delivers its characteristic beast mode performance. Contrast to Anonimo Veneziano Nobile 1952: These are different, but there is a very similar forward balsamic-ylang. AV is more similar to Coco EDT Chanel or falls somewhere in between Oriental Flowers & Coco EDT. Both have well above average performance, but Montale outperforms. Contrast to Coco EDT Chanel: These are very different, although I get a gingerale vibe in the base of Coco EDT as well. Coco EDT is spicier than Oriental Flowers. Both have well above average performance but Montale outperforms. Contrast to Dolce Vita Dior: These are different but there are some similarities with both being a spicy yellow floral. I personally find the performance of Dolce Vita underwhelming and Oriental Flowers has beast mode performance. Contrast to Kenzo Jungle L'Elephant: These are different but there is a similar undercurrent of gingerale. KJL is a terrifyingly beautiful cardamom bomb however. Roughly equivalent performance. Overall: beast mode performance and great for layering or on its own, the beauty has nods to many classics. It's a love for me. Enjoy!

It may be surprising to some but this is the only Montale that I own and I was actually gifted it by a dear friend. Montale's that I've bought myself were samples and this was actually one of them. At the time when I first smelled and tested the sample I was only just diving into the seemingly endless sea of perfumes so I was shocked at the presence of the scent, it was almost tactile, so thick and also not what I expected at all. I was imagining something a lot more familiar and floral. In retrospect though Orientals are a broader family than I first believed, my limited experience of the world of perfumery included stereotypical Orientals e.g. Shalimar and Opium. And as far as ''Florientals'' were concerned the bar was set high for me with my ultimate perfume i.e. Poison. I realise my expectations were my first mistake and my inexperience my second. I did not like Oriental flowers because it did not fit into the mold, it was overbearingly woody and powdery, not floral or sweet enough for my fledgling tastes however over time my perceptions have changed and I am more open to interpretation now. Now this perfume is more than perfume it is, was, my introduction to the Middle Eastern style of perfumery and it reminds me of my Instagram friend Cecilia and I realise that it is exactly what an Oriental Flower should smell like; unapologetic, unadulterated and unchartered- beyond what normal standards dictate. I would recommend trying again with understanding if it didn't take your fancy the first time and if you're new to this try smelling Oriental Flowers after you've smelled at least the top 100 recommended perfumes and you'll appreciate this scent more than if you hadn't.

To my surprise, Montale ORIENTAL FLOWERS lists no patchouli among its notes, although it was the first thing I thought that I smelled upon application. I'm rather baffled by this, to be honest. One hypothesis I came up with is that when my box of samples arrived and a couple of them had come loose from their cards, perhaps I reaffixed them to the wrong cards. I had compared the colors of the strays side-by-side with another set I had received earlier since there were some helpful overlaps. I think that I won't really believe that this is ORIENTAL FLOWERS until I test another vial attached to a different card. For now, let me simply say that peru balsam plus orris appears to impart an earthy quality bearing serious similarities to patchouli. In fact, the huge sillage and potency of ORIENTAL FLOWERS even reminded me a bit of Juliette Has A Gun VENGEANCE EXTREME--and that's saying a lot since I only wear that perfume at home and have also discovered that it is quite effective at covering up any lingering traces of nearly any perfume which I've tested and do not like. My preference in such a situation is to take a long dip in a hot bath, but on occasion that is not feasible, which is fine since I always know that I can count on VENGEANCE EXTREME instead. Back to ORIENTAL FLOWERS: this smells really wonderful. Very rich with an oozing golden balsam quality. The oriental facet definitely outweighs the floral aspect of this composition, so I find it quite unisex although I suppose that the sillage is going to be too overwhelming for a lot of people--guys and gals alike. This is an example of a perfume which wears you, so don't expect to be able to devote your full attention to anything since it is impossible not to notice the tent of scent which ORIENTAL FLOWERS generates. That's a good thing in this case, in my view, because the notes blend together perfectly, but this is a textbook example of a try-before-you-buy perfume! ------------------- Update: I tested a second sample and still smelled patchouli! Perhaps it's an olfactory illusion, or perhaps there really is patchouli in this perfume!

Exceptional lasting power. It’s not the nicest smell, but it’s a great perfume. Does that make any sense? Hmm, I think it smells like toilet spray... strong and could overpower the smell of just about anything!

I have Miller Harris Rose en Noir and Im puzzled that someone can see a similarity. Its a very faint one if at all. On my skin this is very heavy on the Peru Balsam with just a bit of rose and ylang. Very disappointing. There is at least a decent amount of rose in Miller Harriss creation. This is heavy to the point of being unctuous. Its obvious why it has just long longevity but whats the point if it smells so icky. Its also like many other Montales very chemically smelling. Ive tried pretty much all the fragrances apart from a couple of oud ones and they all smell very chemically.

Wow, this was sharp on me. Not to be argumentative, but very few Montales work on my skin and rather than getting an elegant blend of flowers over a warm vanillic balsam base, I got sharpness and something suspiciously like aoud. I like aoud, but it must be balanced and this one never balanced out on me. Screaming loud sharp notes the whole time. Try before purchasing. If you like aouds, I DO recommend trying this line: There are many variations and some of them are truly intriguing. Oriental Flowers isn't one I liked, however.

Received a sample of this today in a package I received from Arcane Incantation (on Ebay)--forgot the decant I ordered of Guerlain Duet Rose & Patchouli once I had dabbed this on my wrists!!! omg, talk about sillage, talk about longevity--talk about an absolutely gorgeous fragrance!!! My very first Montale purchase, and will be doing some serious research on this House. Highly recommend!

Very lovely, mellow floral with oriental notes. Going on my "must possess" list! All the Montales have exceptional lasting power. Once you have worn these, it is hard to go back to Department store brands, not trying to be snobby, I have a whole closet full, but can only bring myself to wear the MOntales now.

received mine today ,a lovely oriental but does not go with my skin type, on me its spicy maybe oud i dont know .if anyone is interested in a new full bottle please pm me,on the right person this is a gem.

At the beginning its a bit offensive but only like 1 minute, then it has a pleasant oriental flower smell for like 1-2 hours but its not very longlasting

This smells super gourman to me - very almondy for some reason! Oriental gourman to me. Love it!