WHAT I SMELL: Orlando, named after the title character from the Virginia Woolf novel of the same name opens with a combination of spicy orange and ginger. There’s almost a minty quality about the opening which quickly then moves into a mentholated stage as it’s deep and thick as you breath it in. I’ve never smelled camphoric patchouli like it is here. Amber is added to the progression, but it’s not warm and fuzzy, but instead is distant and at arm’s length. After around 20 minutes, Orlando becomes lighter and begins to even out with a woody consistency. There is a tang of sour from the gaiaic wood that comes to play and a musk creates a layer of haze over the composition. Around the 30 minute mark, out comes a urinous quality that doesn’t take away from the scent, but actually adds a bit of additional mystery. Orlando becomes lighter as it wears, but by no means does it disappear and it seems to rotate the notes each time you take a sniff; sometimes spicy, sometime musky, sometimes lighter, but never too wispy or demure.
From the Jardins d’Ecrivains website:
Jardins d’Ecrivains puts its own interpretation on the fascinating Virginia Woolf fantasy. An androgynous character with eternal youth, Lord Orlando in the Elizabethan era becomes Lady Orlando in the 18th century. Quirky blends with the eclectic and timeless in a spellbinding fragrance. Irrational dreams, an eastern monarchy and a sense of the divine linger in its wake. A unusual character comes through in the first notes, before the transcendent heart of the fragrance draws you in. And the warm, soft base notes convey its delicate spirit.
Olfactive pyramid:
Top notes : Orange – Pink peppercorn – Ginger
Middle Notes : Amber – Patchouly – Cloves
Base notes : Wood of Gaiac – Musk – Balsam of Peru
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Melancholy
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ORLANDO: mysterious, conflicted, emotional
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ORLANDO: Cafleurebon, BL’eauOG
BOTTOM LINE: Orlando is a strange perfume for me. It’s a fragrance that seems to draw some very primal emotions from inside me. It’s beautiful and pensive and is not something that I could ever wear on a daily basis. However, it’s the perfect fragrance for those quiet fall and winter days when you just want to retreat into your own private world. I was lucky enough to win a full bottle of Orlando from a draw on Cafleurebon, and its the first fragrance that I have ever tried from Jardins d’Ecrivains. If they are all this beautiful, I have to try the rest. Oh, and the bottle is perfection; simple, substantial and classic.
- Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
- Scent: Woody Spicy
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $110 for 100ml EdP, available at Beautyhabit.com
September 3, 2013 at 7:06 am
I’ll be trying it soon! Need to try George as well, I loved Wilde.
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September 3, 2013 at 7:06 pm
I can’t wait to test the others as this was interesting and different!
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September 3, 2013 at 7:14 pm
How lucky to not only win it but like it too! It does sound like a sad scent. I’m like you, I can’t wear those things every day but once in a while they’re just perfect.
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September 3, 2013 at 8:03 pm
I’m not usually affected by scents from an emotional standpoint, but this one threw me for a loop. I thought it might be a fluke, but the 2nd time I wore it, it did the same!
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September 3, 2013 at 11:39 pm
This sounded good until it hit “urinous”. That said, it’s nice you got the full bottle from a draw AND love the scent and the bottle – WIN WIN WIN for you.
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September 4, 2013 at 5:49 am
LOL. Actually, I love a little stank in my perfume, so it is a win-win for me all around!
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September 4, 2013 at 1:44 am
Congratulations on your winning!
This one doesn’t sound appealing to me (I don’t like the name and I don’t like the bottle) but if I ever come across it I’ll try it.
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September 4, 2013 at 5:50 am
It is so out of my comfort zone. That’s why I am so surprised that I like it!
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September 4, 2013 at 8:03 am
I’m bothered by the word “mentholated”. I absolutely hate somethin like mint in perfume. It reminds me of toothpaste.
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September 4, 2013 at 7:17 pm
Naw…this is not toothpaste like mentholated…maybe a better word would be “balmy”…maybe a bit balmy?
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September 10, 2013 at 10:22 am
I’m not satisfied with balmy neither ;-).
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September 10, 2013 at 9:45 pm
🙂
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September 4, 2013 at 2:39 pm
Wow kudos on the win Houndy! The words mentholated and urinous draw me in 😉 but the rest sounds not very “me”. Still, glad it’s working well for you, sounds like a gem in your collection!
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September 4, 2013 at 7:18 pm
I love free perfume, don’t you? This is not something that I would have picked up on my own. I am really surprised by the fact that I like it…but it’s not an every day scent and is far more suited for cooler weather.
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September 4, 2013 at 7:09 pm
Very intriguing, i love things a bit out of the ordinary. Thanks for the review.
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September 4, 2013 at 7:19 pm
Patricia – I love a good surprise too…and I like that fact that as “melancholy” as this is…it has a bit of funk to give it a twist 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
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