Perfume Review: Orris Noir by Ormonde Jayne
Orris Noir is the newest addition to the Ormonde Jayne line, created by its owner Linda Pilkington. Ormonde Jayne is a small niche perfumery located in London’s West End. I had an opportunity to visit the shop almost two years ago, and had a nice little chat with Linda who’s an absolute delight. I’m fascinated by her creations, Tolu and Ormonde being amongst my most favored ones but since the news spread about her latest one with such an intoxicating name, I was sure I was destined to love it. And love it I do.
While I adore the name, nothing about the scent strikes me as particularly black. When I see “noir” in a perfume name, I immediately envision some sort of a dark quality the perfume possesses - whether it’s the darkness of patchouli/oakmoss, incense or dry, heavy spices. I’m not sure what exactly is behind the name here but I’ll certainly try to find out (see above post). Orris Noir starts out with a very aromatic, almost minty smell. The pink pepper note that seems to permeate the scent throughout is very similar to that in Ta’if. Cardamom and coriander sort of tame the initial aromatic effect revealing an almost chypre-like accord which I’m interpreting as the iris and jasmine pairing. The iris here is quite ingenious. It’s unlike any other iris I’ve smelled, certainly not related to the iris in Hermes Hiris or Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. It’s a dry, spicy iris if that makes sense. While in top notes the scent produces more of a bright and verdant effect, the middle stage is a parade of spices and resins. This is also my favorite part, I think, as I’m particularly fascinated by how soft the spices/resins are - nothing too sharp or heavy. There’s something just a little Tolu-like in this stage, and I cannot figure out what exactly it is. I’m also getting just a touch of sweetness of myrrh on a very gentle woody base. Another scent it reminds me of purely in effect is Rosine Poussiere de Rose. Overall, it’s a complex yet very wearable spicy floral that will undoubtedly become very popular in no time.
Orris Noir is classified as a spicy oriental and features the notes of davana (aromatic Indian herb), pink pepper, cardamom, iris, sambac (Indian jasmine), coriander seed, bergamot, pimento, bay cinnamon, incense, myrrh, patchouli, Chinese cedar, saffron, civet, Gaiac wood.
The scent can be purchased directly from the Ormonde Jayne online shop. To my knowledge, the parfum version is available for sale now, and the eau de parfum concentration will be available in September.
Image source: www.ormondejayne.com
42 comments August 1st, 2006