Tsarina

What can I say about this enchanting scent that hasn't been said already ? This is my 3rd occassion of sampling and on the previous occassions I wore it in the daytime during the summer and it seemed nice enough but didn't seem to last that long, so it didn't make too much of an impact on me. However, tonight it's a different story. I'm home alone and it's in the autumn and it's nightime and there's no one here but me and the cat at to experience this. Tsarina-has revealed herself to be a beauty that will take your breath away. She is so well blended that I cannot fully identify a single note. As she is a closely guarded secret in a full, sweeping, gold embroided baroque dress and curled hair. I see emeralds and sapphires in her eyes, bosoms and auburn red hair. She is ravishing and exquisite and these notes caress her warm skin into a floriental treasure. And I am captivated by her beauty. So I must search her out in order to adorn myself with this mandarin, bergamot, coriander, cassis. Heart: hedione, freesia, jasmine sambac, iris, suede. Base: sandalwood, cedarwood, vanilla bean base, labdanum, musk pleasure !

I almost wrote about Tsarina years ago when I first received an Ormonde Jayne travel-size set, but I could never quite figure out how to describe it, so the thought remained unfinished. Revisiting it today, I finally understand what kept drawing me back. There is a faint connection to Qi , though mostly in the delicate tea-like nuance. At the same time, it also carries traces of the familiar Ormonde Jayne feminine base, especially that soft green-balsamic accord found in Ormonde Woman . What defines Tsarina to my nose, however, is a distinct green plum tea impression. It reminds me uncannily of a Chinese soft drink called green plum green tea by Daliyuan (达利园), which makes the fragrance unexpectedly nostalgic. Imagine a lightly sweetened plum-infused green tea layered over Ormonde Jayne’s familiar feminine base, with a thin veil of soft suede added on top. That suede note never dominates; it simply sits in the background, adding texture in exactly the right amount. Quietly unusual, and much more memorable than I expected. Rating: 7.5-8/10

Wow, I can't believe I have the privilege of writing the first review of Tsarina on Fragrantica. This really is a regal fragrance, as the description indicates. To my nose, the woods are distinct without rendering the fragrance too masculine, thanks to the jasmine and soft labdanum and iris notes. I don't often like powdery fragrances, but sometimes I want something a little more chic than a fruity floral or the fruitchoulis popular at the mall, and Tsarina fits the bill pretty nicely. I'm not sure I love it enough for a full bottle, since Ormonde Jayne is so expensive, but I've really enjoyed wearing my sample, and I've gotten compliments on it, too. Overall, I'd say this is a sophisticated and versatile niche fragrance that's really special without being too off the wall. I don't get a distinctly "Russian" vibe from Tsarina, but it is quite appropriate for cold weather, and I do feel a little superior when I wear it, like a princess draped in fur and icy diamonds.

Relaxed luxury. Luca Turin described luxury as comfortable and conformist. As opposed to chic, which has intellect and humor and is essentially non-conformist. Most of my perfume tastes lean towards the dramatic, thought-provoking, and down right weird. But I love having this sparkling, powdery, suede thing I can throw on and feel relaxed. Tsarina leaves a lovely scent trail which is always appropriate and smells decidedly expensive. Note: like all Ormonde Jayne perfumes, Tsarina is high in iso e super. This is a large molecule that cause temporary nose blindness. My experience with the aromachemical is similar to Chanel aldehydes. Over time my nose has adjusted to them and come to appreciate what they offer to a composition.

Lush, complex, larger than life. I love Ormonde Jayne because her perfumes do not play to the fads of the day. It is almost indescribable--the formal beauty of a Chanel, with the modern sensibility of an Amouage, the spice and bergamot, nearly camphorous opening of a vintage Guerlain, this beauty has the best of all worlds. I rarely splurge on a full bottle of anything (preferring decants so I can experience as much variety as possible), I actually ordered a whole bottle so I could savor Tsarina for a long time to come.

prominent OJ DNA, hints of vanille d'iris and OJ woman. a bit of pepper. also, kind of reminiscent of atelier materi's iris ebène. a bit resinous, dry resins for the most part but paired with vanilla. do i get something green? i already own vanille d'iris; is it redundant to own both? probably. i also get some kind of spice like cardamom or cinnamon. after letting it develop for hours, i think this smells like the baby of ysl vinyle and vanille d'iris.

Suede bomb. Love it! It's soft yet makes its presence known. It's one of those powdery scents without the dated powdery feels (think vintage Chanels). These two points are what stands out for me. Maybe not so apt for a formal occasion but very apt a casual, cosy occasion. Doesn't stand out but it gives me the feeling that I'm permanently clean and showered for as long as the perfume lasts, which it does. One to keep in my collection for me!

Gently spiced suede. Unfortunately the high concentration of iso e super in this fragrance makes it difficult to smell the beautiful notes fully. Overdosing on iso e super has a similar effect on my nose as overdosed aldehydes; i go temporarily nose blind. Kafkaesque has a very good description of iso e super on her blog. Montabaco apparently is another one to avoid in this line if you are sensitive.

5* for me, Reminds me of a scent from my childhood , Very luxurious; I try /apply and enjoy many times before I pulled the trigger and buy, Last an estimated 20 hours on skin and a week on clothing, Once again very luxurious. Best suited for a formal occasion / date scent. Scent 10/10 Silage 10/10 Long lasting 10/10 Thanks,

This shines in the freezing cold weather; lasts over 12 hours with sillage. It is definitely feminine. Any woman wearing this will feel like a queen. It's extremely sophisticated

If you are a fan of suede and fruits with some powder, like say Daim Blond, then you will likely enjoy Tsarina. Up close, Tsarina is like a luxury suede handbag that permanently smells like the wearer's signature fragrance from months and years of spraying herself and wearing the bag. The bag holds her lipstick & cosmetic compacts, along with her other necessities. There's a bit of something juicy and fresh that keeps it lifted, and faintly floral. Seeing freesia I can see that. There's a little sweetness and woodiness. It's a pleasant suede scent that's uber classy. I imagine an established woman who is more business than pleasure wearing it best. Here's the thing... It smells even better from a distance! It isn't the kind of scent I can't stop myself from inhaling at the wrist... It needs a little space to bloom and give you the whole picture. I find myself thinking, "WOW I smell amazing!!" every time it naturally graces my nose. The suede recedes a bit & the vanilla and Iris is impeccable from a distance. I get traces of Iris Ganache. I'd be all over a full bottle if A) I could justify it, or B) have the occasion to which I'd be inclined to wear it frequently enough. I'm a huge fan of suede Iris combinations, however they're not what I go for regularly. I have Bottega Veneta on deck for those suede moods, and currently it suffices (though Daim Blond would be an even better contender against this beauty).

I love Jayne Ormonde as a brand and I find her fragrances honestly and very well priced, compared to other niche brands. Her scents are extremely well blended and have a somewhat organic, holistic, aryuvedic, apothecary quality about them. And I mean that in the most flattering, luxurious and personal way. Actually, I find these products should be allocated on a 1 to 1 personal consultation, after a long massage or other beauty treatment. In the case of "Tsarina", I find this is more geared towards a woman. In fact I would call this the female version/ sister of "Homme" by Dior. It is so smooth and soft: a vanillic, musky suede with a full on Iris that gets a mandarine burst to start with. One of J.O.'s signatures in all her frags is that balsamic/cedar/fir note that makes her compositions so wholesome and natural. A beautiful composition for a beautiful woman, or a feminine man. Solid 7/10. Just not original enough as a concept, but very good execution.

My first sniffs of this are always reminiscent of coca-cola and vanilla. The powdery iris comes in and the scent of suede begins to develop. I find the sandalwood quite faint, but definitely there. Freesia sweetens and lightens everything. I don't really detect the coriander (for which I am thankful) and while the leather is the strongest note to me (iris a close second), the vanilla amps up her voice a few hours after being spritzed on. I merely generally liked this the first two times I wore it. I woke up this morning craving it though, and find it is gentling me further and further into the love zone.

I have now had my first test-drive of the Tsarina sample which arrived yesterday. My goodness, what a fragrance! There is hardly a single perfume-note which I did not encounter during some 5 hours of wearing it! There was the initial exciting opening notes, then quickly morphing into a heart note vibrating between suede-like or leathery personality, florals, woods, before settling into an elegant sweet drydown tempered with subtle modifiers I can't identify. I would be completely unable to put a label on this perfume. It's elegant, it's interesting, and it's multidimensional. I'm enjoying the ride!

Sample: bought this as a cheapish sample at random and did not realise the price of a FB (sample sites are odd like that). In comparison to the other samples I bought this smells *expensive* and very uncommon (I got some Hermes Jardin and Aramis Calligraphy in the same batch). It is a buttery, spicy scent to start, the coriander is almost peppery. There are hints of floral but on me they are not strong. The labdanum and leather are strong, this is not girlie in any way. Its very unusual to my nose, distinctive and regal but my GOD its way out of my budget.

Wow. This one needs cold weather and a cowl neck to protect the feint of heart in the periphery. Nevertheless, I like it. It smells like life in Imperial Russia. Very heavy, a little somber, and yet sophisticated. Leather and powder with a bit of vanilla spice. Not for everyday wear in my orbit but FB worthy for a special evening out or a snowy afternoon by the fire. NOTE: This reminds me of the discontinued Hervé Leger purple juice EDT. Very similar.

Tsarina reminded me of Daim Blond (Serge Lutens, more leathery and fruity) and Ambre Cashmere (Nicolai, more powdery and more amber). A very well blended perfume. Love to spray it on my skin before bed, gives me a very sweet dream.

Starts off very fruity w/ a heavy bergamot and cassis. As it progresses it becomes a very powdery and a dry powder suede and iris perfume. It smells like quite a few Chanel's I have sampled recently. It kind of gives me Chance vibes here w/out the pink pepper. And w/ a suede note. This is just an ok for me. I don't think this is very special. I have better fragrances w/ this same vibe in my collection. Tsarina gets better as it goes a long, like many Chanel fragrances you have to get through a tough opening. Same goes here as well. Nothing I would buy a full bottle of because for me to spend this kind of money I better like it from beginning, middle and end. Tough opening, becomes a classic suede/iris perfume w/ a Chanel vibe. Reminds me a bit of Chanel 1957 as well. Which I actually like better than Tsarina. IMO, a better more feminine version of this is JHG Citizen Queen. Tsarina and 1957 are much more unisex.

Kinda strange, dusty and powdery. I like powder, but this one smells "dry" and a bit austere. The suede here is a bit too "airy" to my nose and misses that slightly leathery-rubbery vibe I prefer - but it is interesting. Kind of reminds me of Athalia by PDM - and I didn't like that either. I'm a huge Chanel fangirl, but this doesn't smell like Chanel vibes to me (maybe only 1957 in that both of them have coriander, which renders the perfume this slightly astringent top-note in the opening).

This one makes me so sad because it’s the only leather note I’ve found that I really like (suede), but the cassis is overpowering on my skin and doesn’t fade.

The first time I tried this fragrance I found it only mildly unpleasant: the jasmine is incredibly fecal on me, or at least something is, and the suede has this real sweaty hind note. This morning, in the spring air - the second try of it - it actually sickened me, so strong was a note of urine. Now, I am able to take my animalic fragrances so I'm not sure what it is about this one I find so unappealing. Once it dries down it morphs into a rice-like version of Diesel's Loverdose (before you say I'm crazy, note the similar listed accords). The third try of this, now, and it's a bit better. There's more space between the notes (I think my dislike of it is the result of a clash happening in the top/middle, like a discordant refrain). As it dries down into Loverdose-lite-with-a-twist-of-Kenzo-Power I am also able to detect the ghost of Ormonde woman, which interestingly, sticks around despite a good wash. I'm afraid this all comes together in a definite dislike of Tsarina, which by all accounts seems well-mannered in it's presentation to others. Perhaps it's me.

Pleasant fragrance for about three seconds, and then it morphs into something awful to my nose. Must be that isoE super. It's a disgusting playdoh kind of smell. I don't usually read the description of a perfume as I want to experience it first without being told what it is supposed to represent, but I started to on this one until I got to "It demands furs..." As an animal lover and supporter of animal rights, I would never wear a perfume made by a house that makes a perfume that "demands furs." I assume that they are alluding to the quality of sophistication there back in 2012, but they chose a poor choice of words to describe this fragrance in my view.

Meh. This is a trick Geza Schoen has pulled of earlier for Escentric Molecules, I believe it's Escentric 02 or 03. These two are very similar, and not my cup of tea. A bit medicinal, plaster/bandage-like. Rubbery, musky, citrus. Very unisex. Not my favourite creation of Geza. 6/10

Decent opening but then goes downhill from there. Leans feminine in a leathery way. Became a skin scent after about 30 minutes. Sillage poor after opening.

Opens scratchy citrus than the drydown is bandaid. No longevity no sillage. Maybe l am nose blind. Big sad face.

Another Geza Shoen for Ormonde Jayne fragrance - another beautiful olfactory portrait painted on a canvas of isoE super. This time the portrait is of a classic leather/iris fragrance. Here the iris is classy, lipsticky and austere. The leather is light and dry and fades quickly after the first hour. The opening with the pepper reminded me of many other scents in the OJ line especially the Woman and Man fragrances. So overall it's a very nice, beautifully put together fragrance that I probably won't be wearing again because perfumes as heavy on IsoE super as this one are a pain for me to wear and they have to be really special (like Vanille d'Iris) for me to bother. IsoE Super has tremendous radiance and a beautiful velvety woody scent that makes high concentrations of it perfect if you're in the mood to collect compliments at a party. The difficulty with it is that it's a large molecule that can actually block your scent receptors at higher concentrations so the wearer and their intimates can't smell it at all. As someone who wears perfume only for myself and prefers to go unnoticed, this is less than ideal. Generally my strategy is to decant into a dabber and place small dabs on my legs or arms so there isn't so much that I can't smell it. For me, Cuir Fetiche accomplishes much of what Tsarina sets out to do without the hassle.

Beautiful fragrance, elegant in the grand old style yet modern in all its elements. It stands out. I say in the old style because so many niche perfumes these days try to put a dominant note or accord in front line, “rose XXX”, “oud YYY”, “leather ZXX”. But old fragrances were a blend of many accords of flowers, fruits and spices and woods that were just becoming something else, no longer identifiable as a whole. This is one of those. No note plays dominant and it evolves over time. It is very elegant, and it projects luxury and elegance. It is ylang, soft woods, sweet but not at all gourmand with a heart of iris and powder which is twisted and contained by blond woods. I am glad i received a sample of this. In the shop it did not attract me, so much, also because unfortunately the only thing I wish it was absent from their shop in London is the omnipresent smell of OJ Woman which seems to be diffused in the shop. So your nose is dead and saturated as you enter in the shop, hard to smell the perfumes properly or without having to to go out of the shop.

This is a ripp-off for one of the most sought after fragrances. Very Powdery, It took me an hour to work out then bang it hit me. This is an obsolete 1997 fragrance that cost £25 for 50ml and £49 for 100ml. I am going to let people ponder on this. I think however that Ormonde Jayne is charging nearly 300% more than the original creators. This is D&G BY for him, yet the D&G still has the slight edge for t is less powdery and has a better longevity. I can't believe the asking price of this fragrance. It is utter daylight robbery! I would rather search ebay and for about £200-£250 I would get the original and it is better than O.Js version. Umm O.J there seems to be a correlation of a miscarriage of justice. The justice here is is the smell is not original however, the price is criminal!

A really beautiful treatment of florals under the topnotes; lightly treated jasmine and cedar and sandalwood. While I am a believer that all scents are quintessentially unisex depending on one's unique body chemistry, on my skin it is very feminine, and even a little traditional. It avoids the iris powderiness that dates so many perfumes. It is chic but not modern, a grown up fragrance. I have only tried this once, but it seemed to 'thin' out really quickly and become pleasant but nondescript; But I am going to try it again, because it did have that exquisite sense of opulence suggested by its name.

A crowd pleaser. Soft, inviting, unisex leaning feminine. Cassis does not to my nose last long into the life of the fragrance, but there is a stage on me, shortly after the opening notes fade, when it is ammonia and off-putting. Ammonia does not last, but it retains just a hint of sharpness you can still pick up on. The overall feeling of the perfume is very soft. Powdery in a restrained way. Modest sillage, but it does grow and extend a bit with body heat. Delicious buttery dry-down. Out of my league, somewhat guarded. Beautiful.

I am so weak for cassis. That's the note that hooked me, then the suede in the dry down. It's a beautiful, soft, sweet fragrance, but to me, it smells like moneyed older woman. Like, really older - 60's 70's. It might be that the jasmine and sandalwood were too loud since it's mid summer. I like it so much I will keep the sample and try it again in November. Just for kicks though, since it's ridiculously overpriced. They're asking way to much for what it is.

To me it smells exactly like honeycomb.