Osmanthus

It's so pretty, oh so pretty ... spanking-fresh and surprisingly tenacious citrus surrounding a beautiful flowery accord, giving an aura of cool, gentle, unisex-to-femme command which lasts a whole day. Might be my favourite of the OJ light florals; it's got a lot in common with the more lemony, flowery aspects of OJ Qi and Montabaco, so you'll recognise echoes of those if you already have or have tried them. It's a scent analogue to a fresh, crisp, well-ironed linen shirt, simply the perfect thing to make you feel poised and neat and cool-headed. Still floral and sweet enough not to feel chilly or alienating, and with something this appealing, you could throw 'seasonal scenting' out of the window and make it work all year round, even on colder days. Definitely not just a hot-weather refresher, though to my nose that's where its closest fragrance siblings lie - things like SL Fleurs de Citronnier, MFK Aqua Universalis, Memo Inle, Nishane Wulong Cha, all that jazz. (And the intimidatingly high quality of that company of friends tells you, again, just how good this really is.) It is completely un-cloying even through it's unexpectedly strong, never girly even though it's pretty feminine, and clean-yet-classy enough to dodge all the 'summer freshie' cliches. Yet ANOTHER example of OJ making something I love in a genre I don't even usually like. This house must have some magic dust in the mix. I am no osmanthus-purist or osmanthus-gardener so I can't say how true to the real life flower it is; all I know is that in a bottle it really is scarily close to perfect. Deeply impressive.

Osmanthus flower plays an important role in Chinese culture. Osmanthus has the same pronunciation as word "honor" in chinese, so people thought it stands for wealth and rank. In old days, almost every high society family would have this plant in their gardens. As the osmanthus flower has the honey-ish sweet smell, chinese people love to use it to flavor food. The local shops also have monothemed osmanthus fragrances sold on their shelvs. This love for osmanthus made me quite exciting when I got a small sample of this scent, I expected a realistic osmanthus smell. But it turned into a little bit disappointment after trying it on: OJ's Osmanthus is not what I expected, it not at all resemble to the real flower. It has juicy pomelo in the openning, very fresh, then some sweet notes here and there, not floral nor fruity, something light and between. This is the only thing that I could link the scent with the real osmanthus flower, it's like a faint image you get from a sketch. Despite the disappointment, I can't deny its lovely aspects. This is the most cheerful scent I got so far. Smell of spring! It's simple, linear(it doesn't change much, only less citrusy and more softer), but it does the trick. If you expect a "real" osmanthus scent as I did, then don't bother to try, it won't satisfy you. But if you are finding something up-lifting, lovely with a hint of osmanthus feel but not overwhelming, OJ's Osmanthus would be what you're looking for.

Today is the day I have fully finished my 120ml bottle of Osmanthus. I noticed that for 10 years since I have worn this I have never felt the need to write a review, so I guess it is time. In all honesty I will miss this, I have nothing like Osmanthus in my collection. It opens bright, citrusy and absolutely stunning with white flowers, summer breeze and feminine fruitiness. It truly is a stunner, I get compliments every single time I wear it. It stays on my skin for 7+ hours projecting nicely and never turns in to a very intimate skin scent which I enjoy, I don't like to struggle to feel my scent. The drydown is also truly magical - woody yet fresh and citrus/floral notes still are very present which I feel does not happen very often. I struggle with musk often, but here i would not say it is very present and suffocating (which is my usual issue). Truly a gem! I have so many more fragrances to enjoy of what I own, to try which I have not tried and to be fair I am also not in a habit of repurchasing, but if I would be a person who enjoys just few bottles and has their signature/seasonal fragrances, I would give this a spot as my summer scent with 0 doubts. This is the scent that made me want to try every single thing by Ormonde Jayne and it brings a smile to my face when I get to wear this all day long. Goodbye, Osmanthus, what a happiness it has been to wear you!

Freshy with character... This is special, also taking into account its fresh nature and simplicity of its components.... but the blending here is fantastic, which I find is the main Ormande Jayne's signature in all of their offerings.... the focus on their compositions, the end result. It is citrusy and floral, with 2 of my favorites notes in perfumery (jasmine and osmanthus), and all of this spiced up by pimento pepper and extended trough a comforting vetiver, makes this juice a perfect signature scent, not only for summer and completely unisex. Very elegant. In fact, I think this would also appeal to men that do not see themselves with flowers, so I think this could be the beginning for them. Uniqueness: medium Scent: 7/10 Performance: medium-high (high for a freshy...) Would I buy it: Yes (already in my collection)

I did not expect to like this fragrance, as I usually find "warm and sunny" citrus-based fragrances problematic for me. I think what really makes this special is the addition of beautiful floral and musk notes that keep this from seeming to "sparkling" to me. I find this scent stays more linear throught it's wear, which is unlike so many of the Ormonde fragrances that really bloom and change over time. The dry down smells much like the opening, just less citrus. This has turned out to be one of my favorite scents from the line, it is just perfect for warm weather when one wants something with a little impact without being overly heavy. I just adore this fragrance and it ended up being one of my first full bottle purchases from this line.