By Dane
Osmanthe Yunnan is part of Hermes' upscale Hermessence collection, and Jean-Claude Ellena's second osmanthus-based fragrance (Osmanthus by The Different Company being the first). While one would assume that the price of the fragrances in this collection would infer superior quality and costly ingredients, I find most of them to not smell all that luxurious or expensive (which doesn't necessarily mean they don't smell good). In comparison, upscale lines from competitors (ie. Chanel) reek of everything I expect when dropping major cash on a fragrance.
Osmanthus is a fascinating ingredient in perfumery. It gives a wonderful, fruity aroma with a floral undertone. When not used as the main player of a fragrance, osmanthus gives a pleasant richness that almost makes any composition brighter and fresher. Osmanthus Yunnan mixes it with a tea accord, not unlike Mr. Ellena's The Vert accord for Bvlgari. The opening is laced with citrus before the fruity tea makes itself present, and the effect is both mouthwatering and beautiful. My problem with OY is the drydown...a dead ringer for the tart & tangy Eau de Cartier. While that isn't necessarily a bad attribute, I don't find most of the fragrance to have much to do with osmanthus at all.
A decent, well composed scent, but if you want osmanthus - my preference is for The Different Company's peachy rendition.
Year: 2005
Perfumer: Jean-Claude Ellena
Notes: Orange, Tea, Freesia, Osmanthus, Apricot
Dear Dane,
ReplyDeleteI am reading this at 1:40 am and now I won´t be able to sleep...
I am sooo curious about this one.
I have an Ellena Syndrome...
I am so crazy about this man and his creations.
Some are just concept fragrances that I would never wear. But this one...
I am not sure we will have it in Brazil :-(
I don't think there's an Hermes boutique in Brazil, but I did visit one in Buenos Aires, if you ever happen to pop down there. ;)
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