WHAT I SMELL:   What a lovely way to start off the new year.  Tiare’s opening is wonderfully fresh with a luminescent orange met with a gorgeous and slightly sour orange blossom.  The perfume is citrus at first, but soon the rush of flowers come sweeping forward.  These flowers shine bright and sing in the softest way with ladylike joy wrapped in serenity.  The perfume is based on the tiare flower, but to me, the tiare does not stand out amongst the other floral in the composition.  Instead, the ylang-ylang is slightly more pronounced, but that’s ok because overall the perfume is divine.  A very light soapy note brushes the flowers, but not in a way to make the perfume soapy.  After quite some time, a mossy cedar note enters, giving a light dimension like that of pencil shavings and it’s the perfect base for the innocence of the flowers.  As the perfume settles, it retains this ethereal beauty that seems to dance upon the skin.  Tiare is not harsh, loud, nor groundbreakingly different.  What it is however, is beyond beautiful…a classic stunner.

From the Ormonde Jayne website:

Like precious jewels resting on dark green foliage, the unsurpassed beauty of the Tiare flower is hand-picked whilst still unopened and laid in oil for 15 days to extract the fragrance. Like the woman who wears Tiare, this is a perfume that totally ignores seasons and the time of day, a perfume so artfully blended and infinitely refined… but with a dash of scintillating appeal.

Top: Mandarin, Orange Flower and Sicilian Lime
Heart: Tiare, Freesia, Water Lilies, Jasmine, Orris and Ylang
Base: Cedar, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Moss and Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Feminine white.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE TIARE:  lyrical, serene, bewitching

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT TIARE:  Bois de Jasmin, Perfume Shrine, Fragrance Bouquet

BOTTOM LINE:  I’m a bit behind on my introduction to the Ormonde Jayne line of perfumes, but late is never too late to experience wonderful.  In fact, there are a few in the line that sing to me just as much as Tiare, which may just end up as part of my private collection.  I love beautiful, classic perfumes that elevate your mood to a special place; Tiare does just that and I’m in love.

• Bone Rating:  4.5 out of possible 5 bones
• Scent: Floral
• Nose:  Geza Schoen
• Classification: Lean’s feminine but a man could wear it.
• Expense:  $150 for 50 ml eau de parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary.