Ormonde Jayne Qi: fragrance review

The beauty of Qi by British niche perfume brand Ormonde Jayne lies in its tenacious subtlety; its low hum is heard and felt caressing the senses and enlivening any waking moment. Essentially a tea fragrance with a beautiful apricot-laced nuance of osmanthus blossom, it transports us to a serene scene featuring Lu Yu scribing what has become the cornerstone of the Chinese tea culture and ceremony.

The name, Qi, an ancient term evocative of the sacred breath of life, suggests the luminous and at the same time natural-feeling hues of a tableau vivant drenched in sunshine. The discreet character of Qi, with a bright green and delicately citrusy opening—reminiscent of the more chypre Tiare in the regular Ormonde Jayne collection—is simpatico to the sensibilities of the Far East where pleasure and joy is imparted through the most refined, the most subtle and sensitive evocations, like a softly scented breeze or an amazing dawn; but that doesn't stop a Westerner like myself from appreciating its grace.

Notes for Ormonde Jayne Qi:
top : green lemon blossom, neroli, freesia.
heart : tea notes, Osmanthus, violet, hedione, rose.
base : mate, benzoin, musk, moss, myrrh.

Available exclusively at the Ormonde Jayne boutiques in London.

The winners of the draw...

...for the Banana Republic perfumes are barbaraw and calliope458. Congrats! Please email me using Contact with your shipping data so I can arrange having this out in the mail for you soon.

Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!

The winners of the draw...

...for the Micallef minis set are:

NofixedStars
Patriacha
Michael Leong
Leathermountain
*JW*
CC
Matt
Kayceebee
Irina
spankysparkle

[If you haven't seen your username mentioned, do read on, as there's something for you too!]

Congratulations winners! Please email me using Contact with your shipping data (please include "Micallef minis winner" in the title for my ease!), so I can forward then to the distributor who will have your prize out in the mail for you soon.

In an unprecedented generous turn on the part of said distributor I have the joy to be able to say to ALL PARTICIPANTS that they can receive free sample vials in the mail to try out the two Rouge scents: all you have to do is email me using Contact (with "Micallef samples draw" in the title) with your shipping data and username and you will have a small surprise in the mail as well!

Thanks for playing everyone and don't forget to check back later on for the winners of the other ongoing perfume draw!

Ormonde Jayne Montabaco: fragrance review

Possibly the most "masculine" leaning of the otherwise aimed at both sexes new collection The Four Corners of the Earth, it being a fougere, Montabaco by Ormonde Jayne is a perfume to capture the essence of Latin America: leather, suede, wood and tobacco leaf repeated over and over again creating a suggestive sensuality and Latino temperament. Basically what the typical westerner dreams of smelling at Havana or any such exotic port of call. Does it deliver a poker hand worthy of a gambler the repute of Jack Weil? I say it does, though in a cleaned up fashion, just like Redford is a cleaned up version of a seedy gambler in the first place.

via pinterest

The floral presence of magnolia, jasmine and rose are meant to soften the toughness of those unashamedly seductive, classic masculine codes for "macho." You can almost see the beautiful face of a Latin analogue of Tyrone Power behind the smoky rings of the tobacco. In our day and age, this is the only acceptable way to get your tobacco fix (mon tabac, get it?), but what a great way it is, eh?
The aromatics in Montabaco are fusing into the woody-fern ambience, giving it an odd freshness. Last but not least, thanks to the unerring fondness of perfumer Geza Schoen for Iso E Super, a woody-hazy-musky component in the base of many of his compositions, Montabaco (an Iso-E Super beast if there's one) radiates friendly vibes in a radius of building blocks and lasts extremely well, even it is noticed more by those coming into contact with you than yourself on you at all times.

Notes for Ormonde Jayne Montabaco:
top : air note, orange absolute, bergamot, juniper, clary sage,cardamom.
heart : magnolia, hedione, rose, violet, tea notes.
base : tobacco leaf, iso e, suede, sandalwood, moss, tonka, ambergris.

Available exclusively at the Ormonde Jayne London boutiques.

Banana Republic Wildbloom Rouge & Wildblue Noir: win 2 new bottles of perfume

I'm overjoyed to be able to offer our readers a most generous giveaway today: two full bottles of the newly launched Wildbloom Rouge and Wildblue Noir by Banana Republic. The presentation is gorgeous, let me tell you (caught me by surprise!), and the scents are nice enough, so I'm sure you will be just as happy as I am.

I have decanted 5ml of each for reviewing purposes and the rest is up for grabs for all readers internationally who will comment till Thursday midnight. (please specify if you're interested in the feminine, the masculine or both fragrances). The 2 winners will be announced on Friday.

The two fragrances were developed for Banana Republic by Givaudan and Drom respectively and correspond well to what I think the brand stands for. As to the scents in more detail? Read on.

Following the successful launches of Wildbloom and Wildbloom Vert, Wildbloom Rouge embodies a youthful spirit with a sensual spark for the stylish woman. “The romance of a pink and orange painted sky while the sun sets on the ocean’s horizon was the inspiration behind Wildbloom Rouge,” says Banana Republic Creative Director & Executive Vice President, Simon Kneen. “This scent is for a sensual woman with a shimmering, chic personality.”
 What I can tell you is that it is a woody floral with clean notes of sparkling florals and some fruit (mostly sweet apple) which dries down into a soft woody musk, warmish and cuddly; certainly warmer and sweeter than the regular Wildbloom of which it is an extension. It's the type of scent that people tend to find pleasant and would compliment the wearer on, especially since its heart is a fresh white floral which is a very popular blend for women. It's advertised as a nighttime scent and I can see that the warmish notes of the base might make you think that it would be so, but, really, I see no problem with wearing it all day long. Why not?

“The captivating forces of the ocean waves crashing down under the evening sky inspired the feeling behind Wildblue Noir.” says Banana Republic Creative Director & Executive Vice President, Simon Kneen. “This scent is for the confident man, dressed and ready to head out into the night.”
 If I were French, I'd call it "sympa". It's an aromatic fougere with a sweetish hint in the drydown that recalls gourmand notes of coffee and chocolate (some patchouli) and has a nicely burnished patina about it, when it gets there. It's not very distinctive, but then I don't think the target audience is too bent on smelling exceedingly different anyway. For what it is, however, it's competent. In the night, all cats are black.

Both of the Banana Republic scents are available in the Banana Republic stores starting September 2013.