40 Days and 40 Nights of beauty Brand Reviews

Day 29, Ormonde Jayne Fragrances


" A woman of character requires a perfume with personality and individuality. She spends a great deal of time and thought on her wardrobe, jewellery and beauty treatments and will settle only for an original scent." (Linda Pilkington, the creator of Ormonde Jayne)


I am doing the Ormonde Jayne review solo today. I could gush about Linda Pilkington and the fragrance house for hours. I fell in love with them in late 2003. A makeupalley member posted on the board about a perfume shoppe that she stumbled across in London. She mesmerized the fragrance board audience with her descriptions of the scents. As she was raving, I was googling the site and requesting samples. Luckily a few of us smart cookies got our requests in before the rush started. When the sample sprays arrived I was captivated by the juice inside. These were quite possible the most amazing and interesting perfumes I had ever tried. I fell hard for Frangipani, Ormonde and Champaca.
My love for Tolu came much later.

I will review my personal favorite and secret weapon first. Ormonde is the fragrance I reach for when I need to feel exquisite and vavoom-ish. This perfume has always brought me luck so to speak. It stops the male species in it's tracks. I always joke that it must be the black hemlock.
I have read countless articles that state that vanilla is the note that makes men sit up and take notice.
I respectfully disagree.
Men do not want something that smells like a cake.
They want mystery, smoke and a touch of danger.
Ormonde's notes are cardamom, coriander, grass oil, black hemlock, violet, jasmine absolute, vetiver, cedar, amber and sandalwood.


Champaca is a comfort scent. The basmati rice note envelops you and feels as cozy as a cashmere blanket. The green tea note gives it a springtime freshness. In fact it is my tradition to wear this scent on the first spring-like day. There is just something about this fragrance that makes you think of that first whiff of spring air.
The notes are neroli, pink pepper, bamboo,champaca, freesia absolutes, basmati notes, myrrh, green tea notes and musk.

Frangipani absolute was one of the first plumeria based scents I ever tried. It was my first love when it came to tropical scents. I still have a fond place for it in my heart.

It is beyond lovely.

The notes are linden blossom, magnolia flower, lime peel with heart notes of white frangipani, jasmine, rose and tuberose absolutes, water lilies, plum,and green orchid oil. The base notes are amber, musk, cedar and french vanilla absolute.


My love for Tolu came late. I dismissed it when I first received my sample pack. I am not sure why I never gave it any proper attention. I am a fan of strong incense based fragrances.
The day I fell for it's charms was a typical freezing Ohio day. The streets were snow covered and the air was just thick with that ozone-ish scent that comes from too much cold and ice. It is a hard scent to describe.
Anyway...I grabbed my Tolu sample because I was tired of the rest of my perfume collection and hated the fact that it was going to waste in my sample box. It was a risky move since there is nothing worse than wearing a fragrance you dislike all day.
The moment I went outside and the fragrance hit the cold frigid air, I was beyond smitten. That air made that fragrance holy grail for me. Something about blistering air and golden frankincense can bring me to my knees. It is a gorgeous and hidden gem among the Ormonde line. The notes are juniper berry, orange blossom, clary sage, orchid, moroccan rose, muguet,tolu(a tree resin), tonka bean, golden frankincense and amber.


Osmanthus is a very crisp, clean scent. It does not smell like fresh linens or spring breezes but more like a lovely white floral bouquet with ripe peaches and fresh cut greens. It is like a more subtle version of my beloved La Base fragrance.

The notes are pomelo(mild grapefruit scent), davana (sweet Egyptian herb), pimento, osmanthus absolute, water lily and sambac (Indian jasmine), cedarwood, labdanum resin, musk and vetivert.

The description of Ta'if from the Ormonde Jayne is perfect.
Ta´if by Ormonde Jayne is an intoxicating and audacious rose scent. This perfume dislikes daylight preferring dusk, the night, parties, promises and assignations. It is an opulent composition which makes a bold entrance and is confident enough to sweep everyone else to one side - a real belle of the ball. Ta´if is flamboyant but also sophisticated, a torrid blend of saffron, pink pepper, rose, dark sappy tree resins and broom - it is dynamic, daring and madly in love with life.

It really does smell like a dark sultry rose with dashes of spices and smoke.
The notes are pink pepper, saffron, dates, orange flower absolute, white peach, Ta'if roses, freesia, lily of the valley, jasmine, amber, musk, tonka bean,broom and vanilla absolute.

What are your favorite Ormonde Jayne fragrances? Let me know in the comments!

Photos: Blogdorf Goodman and Wikipedia(photo of a champaca flower)

Visit the website to see the entire Ormonde Jayne collection http://www.ormondejayne.com/

There is a sample set available. The price might seem high but you can get several testings out of each vial. It is a great way to explore the line before you make a purchase.

Disclosure: The products were purchased by the reviewer.