Posted by Robin
on
21 November 2005
Osmanthe Yunnan is the fifth and most recent of the Hermessence series, which debuted in 2004 with four fragrances: Vetiver Tonka, Ambre Narguile, Rose Ikebana, and Poivre Samarcande. Like the others, it was created by Hermès house nose Jean Claude Ellena and is available exclusively in Hermès boutiques. The perfume notes are tea, orange, freesia, osmanthus and apricot.
Osmanthe Yunnan opens with sharp, dry citrus; as noted in the comments last week, it is somewhat reminiscent of another Jean Claude Ellena fragrance, Divine Bergamote by The Different Company. As it dries down, Osmanthe Yunnan veers off in another direction, starting with the lightly smoky scent of dried black tea leaves and gradually allowing more of the osmanthus to shine through…
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Posted by Robin
on
2 April 2005
Osmanthus is one of my favorite floral notes. It is a flowering tree native to China; a related variety is known as Tea Olive in the southern United States. It has a bright, fruity aroma, with hints of apricot. The notes for the Ormonde Jayne Osmanthus are pomello, davana (a sweet Egyptian herb), pimento, osmanthus, water lily, jasmine, cedar, labdanum, musk and vetiver.
Ormonde Jayne Osmanthus starts with a nice burst of citrus (allrecipes has an article on pomello), and light herbal notes. The osmanthus itself is simply radiant; I do not know of any other perfume that so perfectly catches the beauty of the flower. The water lily and jasmine are more muted, as is the cedar. It has a lovely smoky-resinous undertone from the labdanum that saves it from being too sweet and pretty…
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