I have a very good friend who is a journalist and one of her many skills is research, so when she finds anything of interest regarding perfume – an article, an interview, etc. – she sends it along to me. I can’t tell you how often I have benefited from her efforts, like the time she discovered that Ormonde Jayne, the niche fragrance brand founded by Linda Pilkington in the 2000’s, was offering free shipping worldwide. I wasted no time ordering Orris Noir.
I’ve been a fan of the line for years and own many of their fragrances and for good reason. Ms. Pilkington is known for her commitment to using unusual high-quality materials seldom used in perfumery. You can smell the quality in each one. And her collaboration with nose Geza Schoen has produced some of my favourite fragrances: Ormonde Woman, Ormonde Man and Black Gold. He’s also the nose behind Orris Noir.
Ormonde Jayne scents always have a seductive edge to them, and Orris Noir is no exception.
The Ormonde Jayne website describes Orris Noir as “so haunting, it almost defies description. The Black Iris flower is the Royal symbol of the Kings of Jordan and thrives in a landscape of ample sun. This dark, spicy Oriental scent with notes of pimento, bay and patchouli is for those who want to leave their mark. A spellbinding perfume, Orris Noir is a rich, seductive aria of unmistakable individuality, not for shrinking violets.”
It opens with drama: a peppery spritz, edged with the faint fruity strawberry-sweet of davana, the limey citrus of bergamot, and spiced fragrance of coriander. Strong in the first moments, it transforms as a note soft iris comes up with dry powdery wood and incense, making the scent seem almost sheer, translucent as it moves into the heart, the iris perceived as through a haze of thin smoke. At the heart, jasmine blooms quickly adding a lush feminine fullness, along with sweet myrrh, and in the base, patchouli has a green–edged vegetal aroma that mixes with the resins of the woods, cedar and guaiac wood to create dusky smooth accord. The long dry-down of Orris Noir is absolutely gorgeous - warm and velvety, with echoes of spice, and subtle whiffs of soft iris and ashy incense.
There are a lot of heavy, dark notes in Orris Noir, but his EdP is all about an elegantly beautiful and seductive iris note, highlighted with white jasmine blooms, resting on dark notes that are as weightless as silk and gives it a spellbinding beauty.
Orris Noir is listed in our Decant Store. Decants are $6.00.
Submitted by Gwen on Thu, 03/24/2022 - 14:34