Star Of The Season

I went to review this fragrance and was looking at the notes on this page and was puzzled because I smelled none of that. I saw in the reviews here that the notes are totally different. From the Orlov website: A woody oriental accord Top notes: Neroli, dates, plum Heart notes: White cedar wood, ambrette Base notes: Tonka bean absolute, vanilla, labdanum I think I am in love with neroli. I was not familiar with the smell until this perfume. The way they mixed this fragrance is beautiful. I love the spiciness balancing the sweetness of date/plum. And the wood is softly supporting underneath those notes. The ambrette and labdanum also help bolster the woody yet musky and lightly sweet profile. I think Star of the Season perfectly encapsulates what I love in perfumes, and I love that this could be good on a man or a woman. This reminds me of digging around in an old cedar chest, going through my keepsakes from years past. Cookies are being baked in the oven and a fresh pine Christmas tree is fragrant from nearby. Spiced oranges are being boiled on the stove in the kitchen. Maybe the notes aren't quite lining up, but that is just the scene I am creating in my mind. Because of that, I would tend to associate this scent with the Holidays and I think it would be a lovely fall/winter scent. But I would probably wear it any time anyway. I am absolutely going to use this entire sample quickly and probably order a full bottle. I love it so much.

The notes list surprised me. I have a travel spray from MaxAroma of Orlov Star of the Season. I really love it! It's a "dressy" sort of smell to me. Black velvet dresses and pearls for the symphony. Or maybe (and somewhat conversely) I am reminded of a professor I used to have in college who was always way too busy and smelled of sandalwood, papers, and something vaguely oily. For me the opening is so unique, it's powdery in a "papery" way, like opening a giant pack of printer paper, dry, but quickly something floral tickles my nose, probably violet. The dry down, on my skin is rich sandalwood and ice-creamy vanilla bean. There is a hint of saltiness I can't put my finger on. I don't smell patchouli or rose (I like patchouli but I don't care for rose too much). Overall I really love it. I actually found it sort of hard to describe, it doesn't really smell like anything else. I really like it and could see myself wearing it to a fancy restaurant after a night at the symphony. I wouldn't wear it early on a long hot summer day, as it could be cloying. Also projection and longevity are excellent. If it wasn't so expensive, I'd spring for a fb to wear on special occasions.

It's a powdery/iris vanilla sweetness, very much enjoyable. Like a bit toned down version of their Flame of Gold which is especially luxurious and even sweeter and better with an additional leather tone. Having smelt these two sweet scents by Orlov Paris it smells like they know how to do sweetness right. For comparison, Trussardi's Pure Jasmine was also incredibly sweet but unbearable to me and besides, with no jasmine. I've smelt other sweet scents too but none of those, not even Chanel's No. 5 (which is a bit different direction anyway but still sweet), compares to the perfect sweetness made by Orlov Paris. I could never really thought I'd ever like sweet scents but there you go, Guerlain's L'Homme Ideal (2014 original and some others of this line) being another such example.

My word! This stuff is absolutely stunning! Yes, it's feminine as it gets but still somehow palatable. The opening is a tropically sweet, exotic, fruit floral which mellows into more of a rounded vanilla as it settles. This has to be the conspiracy of orange blossom fruity and uplifting without the usual waxiness and the powder and character of delicate iris both of which are present. There's a hinted at chunkiness of patchouli too as it dries down but largely it's that vanilla and sandalwood and iris left at the base. It vaguely reminds me of a exotic, femme florientals the likes of a Black orchid but much softer, warmer and although sweet, still less cloying. It's honestly not for me to wear but I really enjoyed the sweet opening.

Oh my, this is a beauty right here. Perfect combination of the most delicate and delicious vanilla and sandalwood. I am very particular about vanilla fragrances and this is precisely the kind I like. It doesn't smell like Dries Van Noten but it is in the same ball park and that is one of my all time favorite vanilla fragrances. And I am now adding Star of the Season to the list. True beauty right here. Dominique Ropion got my attention when I heard he did this line. And even though this is the first fragrance from Orlov I have tried, my expectations have been met with this one for certain. I can't wait to try the others. 5 star vanilla fragrance for me!