By Dane
First off, let's clear one thing up - just because it has "woman" in the title, doesn't make it feminine. In fact, when comparing it to Ormonade Man, I would have guessed that Woman was the more masculine of the two.
Disclaimers aside, I wouldn't be trying to convince the male readers of the site to try this if it wasn't worth it. OW has become one of my all-time favourite scents (which says a lot), and will no doubt become classified with the likes of Shalimar, Mitsouko as nothing short of a masterpiece.
OW opens with exotic spices and an allegedly rare "black hemlock" note. I admit I had to look it up, so I'll save you the trouble and tell you that it's an evergreen. Your typical feminine fragrance wouldn't have the guts to open the show with such a pronounced, masculine note. The overall "woodsy" feeling remains throughout the life of the scent, but as the topnotes fade, a sweeter floral heart softens the edges before the ambery drydown. Little hints of OJ's signature pink pepper spices up the main notes and provides a bit of a kick to an otherwise warm scent.
OJ's website also claims to use violet absolute, which, if true, is one of the very few fragrances to use natural violet due to its astounding cost. What makes OW special is the attention to detail given to the ingredients. Perfumer Linda Pilkington goes into further detail on this topic in a wonderful interview with Helg of Perfume Shrine.
A future classic that is not to be missed.
Year: 2002
Perfumer: Linda Pilkington
Notes: Cardamom, Coriander, Grass Oil, Black hemlock, Violet and Jasmine Absolute, Vetiver, Cedar Wood, Amber and Sandalwood
I finally bought a sample of this after reading all the raves. It certainly sounded something I would like...green, spicy, grassy. But holy moly, I wasn't prepared for the sheer gorgeousness. It's not particularily masculine or feminine on my skin. I wore it every day on a recent camping trip (a little goes a long way)and I felt like I was sort of blending in with the spruce and pine forest. That really sounds hokey, but this fragrance definitely has a transporting, magical quality. All the raves are justified, I think.
ReplyDeleteKaren G.