Ormonde Woman Ormonde Jayne for women

Dried & spicy blades of grass; as it dries down, gets more herbaceous and powdery and a touch creamy, gets a touch bitter as the vetiver makes itself known.
Definitely not for the faint of heart, feels like wearing the air of a burnt forest clearing on your skin, but a day or so after the actual flames have cleared.
Best in cool weather, I'd wager spring & autumn.
No more than arms' length projection.

If I had to choose what I wanted to smell like for the rest of my life, this would be it.

Based on the note pyramid alone, I thought I was gonna love this fragrance - I'm a big fan of green and woody scents. And I did love the grassy & spicy opening...but when this dries down on me it smells cloyingly powdery and musky in an old-lady-perfume kind of way. 🤭 How unfortunate!

This is such an evocative scent. I am transported to my childhood to deciduous forest where I used to spend my summers foraging for berries and mushrooms. Definitely hammock, bitter herbs warmed by the sun. It also reminds me of the perfume I owned as a teenager Only by Givenchy that was discontinued and I truly missed it. What a pleasant discovery.

If I was a witch living in the forest, a real no nonsense witch with sturdy wicked witch of the west pointed toe boots (none of this fluffy-fairy--pixie-weezie bat type of witch), this is what I would smell like. Or maybe I'm just too suggestible and assume something as mysterious as "hemlock" could only come from a poisonous medicinal brew cooked up in a cauldron at midnight.
I certainly glide around in head to toe black floofy lace like Stevie Nicks anytime I wear this.

This is an extremely classy scent. There's nothing juvenile here. You walk by and men will straighten up their posture, it's just that demanding..silently. This is a long lasting scent however that means on skin in general, not in terms of sillage or projection. It's sillage is intimate for the most part as it starts out with some presence but becomes more intimate quite quickly, my only con as such a gorgeous scent should be PRESENT for longer imo. It's a dark green scent, spicy, with a good punch of cardamom and cedar. You can also make out the amber and violet

It truly is a beautiful fragrance. Would be a really good signature scent especially for work since it's not very loud/beast mode. It is also one that could be worn in cozy initimate situation. Either way you will know you are in the presence of a Woman who has her wits about her.

It is a silent scent, with low projection but good lasting power. I Like the spicy green start and the violety woody middle where it also reminds me very slightly of Armani night which i love. I am not in love with the drydown though, It gets a bit sour or pungent for a while with a waxy herbal or medicinal tone and feels like it never actually opens up the way i want it to

Not what I was hoping for. In the bottle and initially, you can definitely get the hemlock. It’s almost like that cypress/rosemary kind of note. However this dried down very quickly and VERY powder on skin. There’s this combo with the violet and cedar that overpowers all of the “green” notes in this fragrance. Very similar to the violet and cedar combo in Eau Noire by Dior, which was also too powder for me. However if you like one of these and how powdery it is you’ll likely enjoy the other because of the similarities there.

A very special, somewhat masculine and bold perfume. Not anything light or sweet. Bestows upon some dark and strange power of standing on your own two feet as soon as you spray it! As if it erases the fear of being alone or misunderstood or ''too strong for a woman''. Instantly loved it and wore it for 2 years.

I can see why someone would feel that the iso e super aroma is very noticeable. I sense it but for me it goes really well with the notes of vetiver, coriander, cedar and hemlock. It makes them a bit aquatic rather than straight up dry and makes the scent last long, on clothes at least. When I say it leans aquatic I mean that it smells like a forest after rain. That is how I would summarize what I get from this scent.

I think Ormonde Jayne is a master in creating sophisticated fragrances that are never overpowering - not these edp ones that I have sampled at least. This one, too, is sophisticated and gentle. I was looking for a good office scent and this hits the jackpot there without being a depressing citrus or a floral. I like that it’s labeled for women but they still made it very unisex. Not everything feminine always needs to be a boring old floral or something numbingly sweet, so other brands could really take note here.

My only criticism is towards pricing. As mentioned, these are pretty intimate and gentle concoctions, so unless I find any OJs on a discount it’s a pass. They do alledgedly use high quality ingredients so in that sense higher prices can be justified, but in this one for example one key ingredient is the aroma chemical. I got a 50ml on a discount and was happy with that.

Shapeshifting, subtle. Loner scent. Romantic without sex. Starts off in a warm kitchen, then it hops out the open window into soft snow pillows and pine needles. Traipsing through a big forest with nobody else around for miles. Flashes of something very addictive (the vetiver and cardamom?) peek through every few minutes, then they dissolve back into the trees. Ends with dark wood, tea, flowers. Kiki's Delivery Service of perfumes.

I was expecting something more ambery and spicy since several reviews gave me the impression that, that was to be expected. It is a lot greener then I imagined and it's done so well. It reminds of of Chanel's no 19 except it's not as bitter and more natural smelling. It's woody and a tad spicy but in a spiced green sort of way i had not experienced before. I took a walk outside today after i sprayed Ormonde Woman for the very first time. Each time i inhaled i noticed that the trees and other vegetation smelled exceptionally good that time of day. Turns out, it was me! It's a very natural scent that turns more powdery the longer you wear it. The fact that this does not smell perfumey but more like something you'd pick up on in your environment is the reason that this fragrance does not scream: I AM HERE! People will know it's you when they get within hand shaking distance for the first couple of hours before it turns more intimate.
Looking forward to wear this in spring. And ofcourse to try more ormonde jayne fragrances. This is my second purchase after Tolu and they do not dissapoint so far. I am usually more into bombastic type of fragrances. I like it when they are noticed. But Iove how both Tolu and Ormonde woman have this silent presence about them.

This is a really fresh, sweet and musky scent. I don't get 'grass' or 'cardamom' from this scent. It actually reminds me of Creed Millesime Imperial which I wasn't expecting.
It's a very fresh scent that would be great in summer/spring.
I thought it would be more unique, but I find it's a bit unremarkable.

Bourgeoisie. Smells like spices, silk and amber that merchants bring from the east. I'm a proud member of the proletariat but even I approve this fragrance.

Edit: After wearing Tolu, Black Gold and this one for 10 days I'm comfortable enough to say that any aromatic and woody fragrance Geza makes, he makes it so amazingly Schön(*). I was pining over Sensuous Noir, a-now-discontinued-foresty-brilliance, and then I found this. Also, Ormonde Woman is even better than Sensuous Noir; more piney, foresty and well-rounded.

(*) Pun indeed intended.

Smells exactly like dried autumn crushed up sugar maple (liquid amber) leaves in a good way. Very autumnal, amber and vanilla base was coming through for me. Wouldn't wear it every day in Australia as i think it would be too sweet, not good for hot weather 4.5/5

Currently testing this. It's a very unique scent, not overly fruity or floral but undeniably feminine. The sample came in a beginner's perfume discovery scent, and I can understand why- it's the perfect bridge for someone like me who's branching out from sweet, warm perfumes. The florals and the woodiness combine perfectly. Other reviews are right about the initial pine impression, but it's deepening into a warm, lush, slightly citrusy green profile. Ormonde Woman feels like Lira Casamorati's mysterious older sister with its fresh spices. The two would be amazing layered.

It's so nice at first, but then it just disappears and it's a weird chemical smell that's left that doesn't have any depth or anything interesting

While many perfumes are some mix of natural and synthetic materials, it seems the house of Ormonde Jayne is well-known for its mixing of large amounts of high-quality, unusual natural oils (black hemlock) with airy, elusive, shape-shifting, borderline-irritating (depending on who you are) synthetics like Iso E Super. In short, a sort of juxtaposition of seeming "opposites."

Ormonde Woman is written about with such love, such mystery, and so many mentions of "witchiness" (which I think probably all started with the Turin/Sanchez review and spread like wildfire?), that I thought this would be the dark forest scent par excellence! But upon first trying it, I couldn't believe how atmospherically, persistently, monstrously SWEET this fragrance is! I love the opening -- sweet, herbal, and woodsy with a touch of floralcy -- unlike anything I've ever tried! Fresh-cut grass mixed with the epitome of a soft-spicy accord! But after maybe 5 minutes, the sweet, creamy, porridge-like woods dry down into bitter, crackly, synthetic woods and hang there stagnantly and persistently, yet with close projection, for many hours.

I'm left with the smell of fragrant campfire smoke lingering on hair and clothes -- as if only cedar had been burnt -- along with that hazy sweetness of Iso E Super. Synthetic. Flat, yet scratchy. And at first I thought it was the alcohol drying down that was stinging my nostrils a bit, but no, I think it's the Iso E Super again, leaving a nose-tickling, slightly allergic-feeling whiff that really balloons into the sinuses in an uncomfortable way. Strangely, I'm drawn to other fragrances chock-full of the same aromachemical, like Terre d'Hermes, but here it doesn't work for me.

Many have said this fragrance/house has changed for the worse -- perhaps I should have raised an eyebrow at the gigantic 4oz bottles now available for around $100 on the grey market: something had to give. There is a vintage 50ml bottle on one of the popular selling apps right now, and I'm almost tempted to go for it in hopes of experiencing what others raved about years ago, but probably won't for fear it will be another letdown.

Of all the wonderful, enchanting, enthusiastic writing on this website that makes the world of perfume so exciting, this is the fragrance whose reviews I most hoped would live up to the hype!

I smelled that one 2 years ago but never decided to purchase it. I remembered how nice it was ... I recently found my sample. Tested it again and bought a bottle. Yes it does smell a bit like a northern forest on a spicy background but it always remains soft and delicate. No "in your face notes". It's a dark green perfumes for occasions where you don't want to smell like a walking tree. I'm fine with smelling like a tree but it is not for every occasions. On the dry-down I mostly get slightly sweet cardamom, coriander and some distant pine notes. This is fine because I like these spices. You must like coriander to appreciate this one though.

I actually bought a bottle because I was looking for a : non girly, soft, different but discrete fragrance to wear to the office. I mostly own oddball scents and most of them can be challenging for some people. This one will be perfect to wear anytime anywhere next Fall/Winter. Only downside : it is not long lasting on my skin. It's better when sprayed in my hair.

WOW. Sexy, oddly narcotic, green woody vaguely herbaceous scent. Absolutely phenomenal on a blotter in the store and loved it at first spray. On my skin, it loses a little bit of that narcotic quality and is more green and woody. I bought a full 120 ml bottle at full price within the hour. At home, I think my bottle needs to age a little more, it’s not as strong/potent as I recall, but it’s still gorgeous. I’ll leave it to macerate a while.
I think some consider this a little masculine, I don’t quite agree. It’s unisex to me, incredibly intoxicating and sexy without being sweet at all. I absolutely LOVE that OJ is willing to make a women's perfume that has such unique qualities. You’d expect a perfume named “(insert niche brand name here) Woman” to be sweet, spicy, boozy, or floral to really emphasise that “feminine” ideal. This is none of those - it’s so lush and natural-smelling, absolutely signature scent worthy and very appropriate for many occasions. I could wax poetic about this forever.
It’s a very cool, elegant, self-assured classy scent. I’m in my late 20s and while I do feel this might suit someone in their 30s a little more, this is amazing and I don’t regret this purchase.

Oh why, oh why can’t the opening just stick around!? It was the closest thing to real life botany I’d ever experienced. And it was glorious.
A half an hour later, it’s gone; sacrificed to the “Vapor Gods”, and leaving behind an entirely different composition.

Ormonde Jayne Woman used to be my signature scent back around 2008, but it has obviously been reformulated for the worse. I recently purchased the orange boxed discovery set from a reputable fragrance seller and compared it to the old samples I have saved all these years, as well as a small bottle of the original edp with the clear top that I still have a partial bottle of. The new fragrance is definitely weaker and more artificial-smelling now: basic with a more linear, fake cedar-pine tree note with little else to my nose. Very green, but not the dark, mossy,
interesting, complex green of the original stuff. It's alright and certainly not a scrubber or weakened to the point of being one of those watered down popular "freshies" that all fragrances seem to be turning into these days upon reformulation/flankerization, but nothing that would ever have drawn me into buying a full bottle back in the day. There used to be a magical quality to Woman and a depth that's difficult to describe just how amazing it was in its original form. And it lasted FOREVER. God, I loved it so much.

Back when I was working toward my doctorate and teaching university courses, I'll never forget a colleague getting a whiff, grabbing my arm (we were not *that* friendly, and she was definitely not a touchy type of person - LOL - I'm still surprised thinking about it to this day), going, "Ohhhh you smell so good! I could eat you up!" It really was a compliment getter and mood booster, lending a sense of the other-worldliness of fairy tales and forest magic. I miss the mossy earthiness and the sweet hint of something almost fruity, like a dark berry, but not really? Again: super difficult to pinpoint what exactly made the old stuff so dark, interesting, and forest fairy-like, especially compared to the current formulation. Thankfully I've got a rather large rollerball decant of the original Woman in the pure perfume form that is no longer available at all (such a shame!), but I'd sell whatever soul I have left for a large bottle of the original edp so I can spray with abandon without worry that I'll use up the remnants of my last bottle of edp and the pure perfume decant rollerball and never get to experience the magic again. : (

Unfortunately, the same sort of reformulation has happened across the board at Ormonde Jayne, it seems, because I'm now anosmic to several of the fragrances that I used to enjoy from the old black boxed discovery set. For example, I can't smell my Ta'if sample from the new orange box discovery set for the first 15 minutes or so, and then it kicks in but is still much weaker and kinda blah. Really weird! And Tolu isn't nearly as rich and "oriental" as it once was, sadly. I do wish Ormonde Jayne would re-release some of the recent "Intensivo" versions of these reformulated fragrances. Ta'if Intensivo was really, really good but is now impossible to find.

This smells like a botanist goes golfing!! I love it.

Smelling this on the blotter I didn't think it was for me, but I am enjoying it on the skin. Very woodsy fragrance - it was a pine tree scent that hit me first when I smelled it. I'm really enjoying it, and it's unlike any other perfume in my collection (even if it's just a 5ml vial).

Not ready to review yet, but a word of warning: this perfume has an extremely oily consistency, so beware of where you spray it. I never rub perfume in after spraying it, but I have to dab, wipe, or rub this just to spread out some of the oil. I don't find this perfume to be particularly strong-smelling, but the oiliness is intense.

When I smelled this on paper, I though it was old fashioned and overly perfume-y. When first sprayed on skin I get that same scent. The opening is dated florals. As it settles on the skin it improves considerably. It becomes fresh, green, aromatic and woody and the florals fade far into the background. For the first 30 minutes the florals are still very present in the sillage but have disappeared from the skin. The florals start to fade from the sillage and are mostly gone by an hour.

Although this fragrance is names Ormonde Jayne Woman and is marketed as a woman's fragrance, I find it very unisex. The first hour of wear the florals lead this to smell, mature woman. But once those florals disappear the scent is very unisex and could be as easy for a man to wear as a woman. This feels like a year round fragrance. The florals make it a little iffy as a work friendly scent. If they stick around on your skin, they are the type that many people find off-putting and obnoxious.

Ormonde Jayne Woman feels classy and elegant, but it also feels a little dated and mature (even for this middle aged woman). I was a young woman when this fragrance was introduced and I would have found it too mature for me even then. I imagine someone a little older and more serious than me wearing this. It is something I can picture smelling beautiful on my mother.

The performance is solid. It lasts 8+ hours with a light to moderate projection.

I found the opeing pretty off putting, so I don't imagine trying to find a bottle of this fragrance. It's pretty expensive to have to suffer through an opening that I don't like and a drydown that is pleasant, but a little boring and mature for my taste.

I love this interpretation of a woman who is mysterious yet enticing, akin to a nymphe du bois, without anything cloying or sweet, nor is it too amber-y: instead this plethora of intriguing notes boasts poison hemlock, herbal spices and chypre as its weaponizing mystique. It's green in a way I had never imagined would "work" on me but does... Many perfumes fail to capture what this palette has achieved. Certainly for those who want to leave a captivating impression of simultaneous freshness, earthiness and muskiness in a surprisingly feminine way.

+ OWoman is like smelling nature in the most elegant way. It's a perfect everyday scent for an outdoorsy lady due to its woody, fresh and spicy evergreen scent. Definitely my vibe.

Druidess of the HEMLOCK TREE, this witchy women scent is also a shape-shifting gender bender that could easily be worn by anyone. Opens with a burst of grassy green spiced with coriander & cardamom that deepens into a tsuga-violet-jasmine heart, resting on a tree-sap base of cedar-sandalwood, vetiver and amber. One part vintage oriental chypre, one part green vanilla and one part amber-spicy. To my nose this falls somewhere between the soft presence of Gypsy Water Byredo, the amber spiciness of Mania Armani 1999 & the green & sweet tree scent of Un Jardin En Mediterranee Hermes.

My first impression a year ago was that this is a 'Chanel-styled' chypre, opening with faint spicy notes. However, just when you feel you're about to deep-dive into a warm spicy pool, you instead skate gracefully around the pool's infinity edge and back again, leaving a trail that wafts gentle spices that dissolve into powder. I had initially got this about a year ago because it was reviewed as similar to Mania Armani 1999. Back in the day I had a sample of Mania Armani 1999 but when I went to purchase it, it had already been discontinued. For those looking to replace a long lost favourite, Ormonde Woman may not provide a satisfying experience of this nature. Before I got a vintage bottle of Mania Armani 1999 I didn't think these were similar, but now when I compare it to the vintage they are quite similar. AM has a bolder approach but there are similarities with coriander & resins.

A year later, my bottle has had time to mature, and I've come to appreciate this scent more. This remains a present but understated scent to my nose, in the manner of scents like Gypsy Water Byredo, although with a different profile. The opening burst of grass & spices overlaying the tsuga-violet-jasmine heart reminds me of a green, leafy fig and the opening of Un Jardin En Mediterranee Hermes. The drydowns are different however, with UJEM getting a sweeter ripening fig, while Ormonde Woman has some sweetness but goes in more of a tree-sap direction with cedar-sandalwood, vetiver & amber. Both have a faintly soapy note within the green tones.

Overall: This is a versatile & beautiful, well-balanced scent with good longevity & a quiet projection. Perfect scent to wear for channelling the Tuatha de Danann. it's a love for me. Enjoy!

Lovely chypre in the manner of great classical scents but modernized. I loved it so much that I bought 5×8ml set from OJ. One day certain idea dawned on me when I sprayed Lancome Magie Noire(vintage) and went about the day not thinking much. Its drydown was very reminiscent of OJ Woman! Since both of them are floral green chypre, they might share some similarities. Due to Magic Noire's rather animalic opening, this was unexpectedly surprising.

I enjoy its mysterious foresty green, little floral, spicy aroma down to the beautiful sandalwood. A bit of powdery touch add softness overall.

So soft and creamy yet still woodsy dewy coniferous forest witch magic. Incredibly well blended, high quality materials. Very spa like w/o being a boring light tea scent. There’s nothing peppery or musky or sharp about this really, it’s just clear and clean and anything in that lane seems to come entirely from the woods. If you’ve ever been in a sandy-earth forest full of hemlocks and cedar and pitch pines on the east coast of the USA, on a sunny, warm, crisp day (not in snowy winter) there is something spellbinding that is really well represented here. I instantly feel more calm and peaceful and elegant when i spray this. Would be hard pressed to imagine an occasion, season etc where it would feel inappropriate. You could definitely get away with wearing this to the office no problem, and would still smell unique. It’s pretty linear in that the way it smells when I fist spray it is how it stays throughout its life, but I like that about it - it’s so perfectly well-blended that I wouldn’t want it to change or do anything differently. And it will certainly last longer w/o change to its character if sprayed on clothes. This has swiftly become my new signature scent after years and years without one. At first I thought this was a femme-leaning unisex but my bf disagreed, once I smelled Ormonde Man, I agree, that’s certainly much more masculine and by comparison Woman smells soo much more femme to me. Had to buy a full bottle of each so we could both have our own

This is so unique and addictive. I get a sweet, fir tree. Warm woods, but so natural and enveloping. Cardamom and sandalwood warm the fragrance up. It’s really just so beautiful. I love this house and everything Linda stands for. I feel lucky to have this in my collection.

It should be called "Ormonde Man Version 2". Tsuga is even louder here. It smells like Russian Banya and birch branches again. I love it!

My youtube chanel has a video comparing Ormonde Man and Ormonde Woman size by side.

DinaFrance

This is a very lovely scent!
BUT it turns into a skinscent very fast. Shame...


Edit: I think this will open up and project a little more in warmer weather. The scent really is stunning!

a masterpiece....Pencil shavings, never smelled so good, as it does in this stuff.

Love at first smell. It instantly reminded me of Christmas because of the hemlock. I love the coriander along with the cedar, but the cedar doesn't smell the same as in Light Blue (which I love) I'm a sucker for spicy perfumes if they're done right and this is done exceptionally well. No hidden cumin or oud either!

I got this as a sample and it's not really my type of perfume or something I'd wear on my skin, but it's nice for a purely unisex fragrance both a man or a woman could wear. It definitely doesn't smell like a woman's fragrance like the name suggests.

I get the coriander and cardamom notes the most, giving it a sweet and spicy character with a hint of bitterness. Also a tiny bit peppery. I can also smell the green grass note. The base notes also come through quite strongly, with the sandalwood and the amber being most prominent to me. The cedar and vetiver I just get a touch of. The violet in the heart notes I just get a small whiff of, giving it a slight airiness and powderiness. I don't really smell the jasmine though and I have no idea what hemlock smells like?

I'd say this perfume is definitely on the slightly stronger side and it has slightly prolonged longevity of around 7 hours. It's definitely a scent for me to consider buying as a gift for a more gender neutral man or woman in regards to their tastes.

Every time I wear this, I get that "I smell great" feeling all day long. Wafts of it drift up to me and put me in an incredible mood. I wore it for a work presentation today. My normal go-to for a confident work scent is Chanel Cristalle EDT, but today was dark and rainy so I wanted something more substantial.

I love that the green scent is somewhere in the middle between meadow and forest. I love a good witchy scent, but many of them are not wearable for days with office hours and client meetings. This one is. It doesn't have a soil tincture, or petrichor, or anything metallic. It also has evergreen without pine-sol. It's just a beautiful soft foresty green. I am so glad I bought a full bottle because out of my whole collection I wear it the most.

This scent has good presence without shouting. It is unique but not weird. Although IMO it's most suited for fall and spring, you really could use it anytime. It's the only one in my collection that doesn't get put away seasonally.

In the opening I got vetiver, cedar and cardamom, and I could swear that there was patchouli, even though it's not listed. The coriander and black hemlock began to emerge after a few minutes, and hours later that wonderfully treacly black hemlock still lingers as a skin scent, offset by a slightly soapy violet.

Unfortunately, the sillage (to my nose) is an overload of Iso E Super. This gives it a dated late nineties-early aughts vibe, even though it's almost certainly been reformulated since its release. I generally don't mind the presence of Iso E Super, but feel that this amount cheapens the composition instead of enhancing it.

In conclusion, I think this perfume smells how I imagine my mom to smell - in both a good way and bad way.

This basically smells like powdery cardamom and herbs. There's additional spices, pine and woods to add complexity. This is a delicate perfume that is very natural and not too sweet. So it could work as a unisex scent, though I think it leans a bit feminine. It's something I would imagine finding in a mountain country store by the handmade herbal soaps and essential oils. Ormonde Man is very similar but more woody and less powdery. The powderiness though detracts from the freshness of the smell and makes it a bit dull.

Smell: 6 out of 10
Longevity: 7 out of 10

For reference, I'm female.

This is a good one. Woody and feminine at the same time which often contradictory. I'm surprised there's no elemi, or any kind of incense to be honest as I feel it constantly on the background and there's definitely a bit of incense sweetness, violet and jasmine are somehow prominent on my skin but well supported by amber, vetiver and cedar. It's a masterful blend and nothing sticks out - it's really well rounded scent. Overall it's beautiful, but nothing spectacular, I'm questioning still grabbing a full bottle.

Opens very green and dries down to a very sensual, creamy amber scent. The hemlock note is interesting - I don't know if I could pick it out from other types of woods, but it gives a nice woodiness to this perfume without being overwhelming. I think this is an intriguing, balanced scent that is versatile but not boring.

I bought a decant of this months ago, and I got obsessed with the drydown, I put it on my wrist almost every day and just sniffed it whenever I had the chance. It has such a mysterious aura, it's dark but in a classy way. I bought a full bottle last week.
Highly recommend for those looking for a classy but mysterious vibe fragrance. It suits most seasons and occasions, very versatile. Longevity and sillage is moderate on me. The opening is very green, almost too green for my liking, but the drydown is heavenly.

Very nice refreshing green scent. Has tremendous similarity to Ormonde Jayne Prive’ which I enjoy. Not enough distinction to make me want a bottle of OJWoman while I still have Prive’
This is an everyday appropriate wear.

Fell in love with this as soon as it hit drydown and immediately bought a full bottle after trying a sample. This is so masterfully blended, and fills the hole in my heart left by the discontinuation of D&G’s L’Amoureux. It gives me the same fresh, clean, slightly sweet, woody/junipery, creamy scent that I missed. I think if you’re a lover of Byredo’s G Water or L’Amoureux, then I think you’d probably enjoy this, too, since they’re in the same ballpark.

It has been three years since I got it. I still don't get the hype.

Ormonde Woman is quite a linear scent. It's resinous, and dark, with an incense yet synthetic touch. A green note is sure there, but not in a good way. The scent is a little bit dull to my taste. I see no comparison with Memoir by Amouage.

Smells very familiar somehow. Maybe similar to some essential oils or oil perfumes typically sold at a gift shop. Quite aromatic and unisex.

I'm so glad to finally have my hands on a decant of this. Ormonde Jayne was the first house to use black hemlock in perfumery, and did it ever turn out amazing. Pine without the car freshener vibes, freshness without sharp citrus, an undercurrent of resinous amber, and an ever-so-quiet dance between violet and jasmine. I get the oily aspect that others mention, and I love it. It feels natural. This just makes me want to go on a hike and find a meadow in a forest clearing to lay in!! Absolutely wonderful, wearable, and unique

Ho.leee.cow. Late to the party on this. I’m declaring my love. It’s the uniqueness for me. I had no expectations when I ordered this decant; I was just trying to meet the free shipping amount. 😂 But this is a breath of fresh air!

This fragrance is an enigma. It’s fresh (but not a freshie). No citrus. That’s a welcome change! It’s aromatic, but not barbershop. It’s coniferous, but not a cleaning product.

The florals provide hardly any sweetness. Coriander slightly outweighs the cardamom, but they’re extremely balanced and “one” with each other. I find it a little bitter (in a great way.) Violet is powdery, but not toooo much.

The whole composition is dry to me, almost arid, even. But I’m the odd woman out in this perception. Others find it damp like a “forrest floor.” So I’d put more stock in their judgment since I’m the Lone Ranger on that. The ambery base smells like warm, clean, skin (like when you lick it. 😇 )

The sandalwood is soft, and a little creamy, like in Pure Poison. NO other similarity, just describing the feeling of the sandalwood. The initial grass reminds me of Jardin Sur le Toit. Again, NOT similar, just comparing the grass note. Speaking of comparisons, it reminds me of Cashmere Mist, in a way. Does NOT smell like it, but they both lack sweetness, to me.

This is confident and takes no prisoners, yet it’s very endearing. Could make signature for a confident lady (or gentleman, IMO.) My mind’s eye sees a boss-lady, 30+.

Strong, with nice projection.

This is a very classic style chypre in the same lines as Aromatics Elixer by Clinique and other powerful chypres from the past. It kind of reminds me of JD Jeffery Dame Duality in a way as well but it's not a dupe for that perfume. Very aromatic, fresh, green, fresh spicy, woody. I like this a lot, but it isn't my style. My husband actually enjoys this for himself, he is fond of black hemlock as a perfume note and here it is very strong for both of us. I will be giving the sample to him. If you like strong aromatic chypres from yesteryear and think they don't make them, anymore give Woman a try, this is very boss lady in a bottle.

Edit: Woman in the dry down finally reveals the violet. This is a violet fragrance for a man. An aromatic, woody violet chypre. I do like it but for my husband.

Edit 11/10/22 I find that in the very, very last dry down of this perfume it reveals its feminine heart. It becomes less woody, in fact no woods at all and the softest violet shimmers on clothes, skin etc.... I love this part of the perfume best and wish at least for me it was like this throughout but stronger. I think I will have to procure more samples of this because I want to test it more. This is my first experience w/ this brand and I have to say I am intrigued.

Edit 12/31/22 My husband wore this sample yesterday and the sillage is amazing. I have to upgrade this to a love, and I put it on my want list. This is another perfume that was a like then it seduces me into loving it. I've had that happen w/ a few fragrances. D&G Red cap, Forever Joy, and now Woman. It is a bottle we both can share. The photorealistic quality of this perfume makes me want to explore this brand more. Just an outstanding perfume.

While I like the most of this composition, the base/dry down is turning me off. It almost feels like a high quality, sharp smelling olive oil mixed with some piney essence. Instantly made me think of Escentric 05 which I loathe with a passion. Was expecting something more exciting.

Versatile and wearable niche fragrance with good quality ingredients! It does remind me of Gypsy Water slightly. Ormonde Woman is spicier, greener, and more solar with no musk or vanilla compared to Gypsy Water. I find the drydown quite soapy. I imagine this fragrance more in an office environment than on a romantic date. Esp. a boss lady who embraces her femininity and soft leadership. It's a refreshing scent. For me personally, this fragrance doesn't have the scent profile or the oompf that I'm looking for for a romantic encounter.

In the past couple of months, I have ordered 10+ discovery sets from different niche perfume houses, and this house does stand out along with L'orchestre parfum in terms of their effort into customer experience and packaging, even though these two have very opposing aesthetics and brand philosophy. I'm looking forward to testing out the rest of the discovery sets from Ormonde Jayne!

Powder and a hint of dirt I can’t get on board with. Kind of nice but nothing I’d ever reach for.

I tried this several times, but I don't really love the aromatic woody scents apparently. To me, this smells like an old church lady Karen bickering to you that you need a bra. Even though, you are just now developing into a woman, and don't feel yet comfortable wearing one just yet. The grass note is also strong in here, and this fragrance doesn't have notes that take center stage. Rather, this fragrance smells like a muddled hotchpotch of chemicals that don't have any descript meaning.

On first test on paper it seemed generically fresh and clean, but didn't jump out at me with any particular personality. In fact, I thought it disappeared, but I decided to give it another test on skin a few weeks later, and it really bloomed on my skin. Someone else emphasized the softness and that's the only way I can explain it. It's a lot of fresh notes that are often portrayed in a sharp way, but here they are softened like petals.

Very soft juniper berries, not punchy and overly astringent as they normally are presented. If there is jasmine in this, then it stays pleasant throughout and never turns to a dirty scent as often happens. My nose loves it and after the 2nd test, I immediately started hunting for a bottle. Fresh yet pretty unisex scent for daily use.

Edit: I realized sometimes this becomes overly sweet on my extremities, so I found I like it better as an under the shirt on the chest spray (I also like Beau de Jour and Fahrenheit in this way) or on a fluffy wool sweater.

I have Colette by Tocca and I would say this fragrance is like a parent to that one. It's the more sophisticated version. The scent profile is similar but this one is definitely more refined. If you like Byredo Gypsy Water or Tocca's Colette, you will probably really like this one.

Bought a sample thanks to the Luca Turin review. By the way the ‘hemlock’ is the American evergreen of the Pacific North West not the poisonous plant. So it has a piney cut grass feel with a woody base. Gave me Badedas vibes. I imagined something out of this World and mystical which it was not. I mean it’s nice but over hyped and not my thing

I have wanted to try Ormonde Woman and Ormonde Man for a long time, ever since I read the glowing reviews for them both in Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez's infamous Perfumes: The Guide. As a lover of chypres and green scents, I felt that this foresty chypre scent would be right up my street. Indeed, it is a very nicely composed, green-woody-mossy-amber scent with hints of spice and a nice violet note. What is significant about these scents - Ormonde Man and Woman - is the use of black hemlock absolute - a plant I was previously familiar with only because of its reputation as a poison. It adds a mossy, pine-like edge to this scent (and obviously, the poisonous part of the plan isn't used here!) The chypre part of OW is inky-dark, which gives a slightly witchy edge to this scent - a notion enhanced by the traditionally poisonous nature of hemlock.

OW opens with hazy green notes, given a hint of a peppery lift by the coriander. There is a balsamic amber accord in the background from the beginning, which adds a smooth, sweet undertone to this scent. As it develops, the greenness becomes more pine-like as the hemlock comes to the fore. The soft woody notes in the background really bring the forest image to life. The violet note emerges momentarily, in all its delicate, melancholic beauty. It is like the olfactory equivalent of a coming upon a lone violet growing in the woods.

The balsamic amber remains as it dries down, complementing the mossy chypre accord that develops in the base. Dark oakmoss and dry vetiver form the crux of the earthy chypre base, rounded out by soft woody notes. It fades to an ambery skin scent with hints of the chypre accord. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting.

Unisex despite the name, OW is indeed a foresty chypre, mesmerising and ethereal, yet rooted in the grounding, natural, earthy setting of a forest, making this scent somewhat restorative as a result. Nicely done. 4/5.

I adore this! Did not expect that, for some reason i was expecting a perfume named "woman" to be full of florals, maybe jasmine based, but this is as unisex as they come in my opinion. More on the balsamic side, which I love, not really piney or coniferous but softly woodsy, and to me it's resinous there could be an amber in here. But also very soft in it's presentation, creamy almost, really really nice. I think I will be hunting for a partial of this one. The grass and coriander aren't dominant either it's not really "green" or "spicy". Just a nice big soft fluffy blend of unique woodsiness and balsamic aspects. Fair amount of sandalwood too so I get the santal 33 associations. I think this is my fave so far of the 48 piece travelling sample box I am making my way through!

On my skin it's more woody-floral, sandalwood and violet are felt strongly after top notes. Ormonde Woman has kind of modern Balmain creamy vibe on my skin, green notes are very soft. Ultrafeminine imo. Balsamic is a good word in description.

I was really intrigued by the notes here. Despite smelling fresh green, to me it smells a little musty. I was looking for a fresh rainy forest and got damp librarian. Maybe I'll like it more in winter.

8 ml atomizer from Scentbox:

I do get a freshly cut grassy incense opening---then the ice cream truck pulls up and they only have vanilla/orange dreamsickles. I really cannot stop smelling my hand. The amber does seem of a higher quality.

As a guy, I would not wear this though.

love, smells like a spa i visited in sedona growing up. perfect incensey/herbal blend

Unbelievably elegant! This is the epitome of chic and understated class. Definitely signature worthy but I am too fickle to remain with one every day. Best suited to over 35s who favour silk shirts, vintage Chanel and holidays in European cities.

first of all this smells soooo familiar, i just haven't figured out what it reminds me of. i feel like it might be a chanel, or something in this reminds me of and accord that chanel uses frequently. secondly, i loved it the first time i smelled it, but then i started getting this weird "olive oil" note, i kid u not, and i cannot unsmell it now. I have a love hate relationship with this, it's definitely balanced and an everyday all year round type of scent.

Wholly pleasant. I wish that this fragrance conjured images of mystic forests and dew-soaked meadows for me, but rather, this is a simple, clean, and put together fragrance for a well-groomed person. I'm surprised to see coriander and cardamom listed here; they are hardly detectable to my nose in this composition. The grass, hemlock, violet, and vetiver make a beautiful harmony, but a magical one? I wish.

I love it. I just got a decant and almost wish I had gotten a larger one! To me it shares the similar violet note of Serge Lutens' De Profundis but then it almost has a savory note (maybe the coriander?). The conifer is beautiful and very realistic to my nose, but is sweetened and softened by amber & sandalwood. The dry down has some similarities to Oud Satin Mood.

I've been ordering sample bundles online just to encounter compositions or brands I wouldn't usually think to try. Ormonde Woman is one such serendipitous fragrance!
The word that comes to mind is NICE. This scent is just very well-balanced & pleasant. I can clock the main accords (which are not ones I usually seek out!) and every note is used in just the right concentration. It would be the ideal laid-back & friendly fragrance for holiday family gatherings. I can't imagine a person who can't pull this off.

In my estimation Ormonde Woman is less-gendered than its name gives it credit for. I like it a lot!

Ormonde Woman by Ormonde Jayne is a very original scent, with a natural and comforting feel that's fresh without being clinical and powder-soft without smelling like cosmetics or plastic. There's nothing else like it. It's a fascinating mix of fresh and powdery notes that comes off as soft and poised, intellectual but gentle. Don't be mistaken, though: Ormonde Woman's soft-spoken composure contains a deep well of strength, run through with mystery, wisdom, and witchcraft. Ormonde Woman knows she doesn't have to be loud or boisterous to be self-assured; her power is apparent when she enters the room.

The first thing I can smell in the opening is that delicious freshly-cut grass, surrounded by hints of warm spice that feel comforting and kind. The grass is fresh, green, and ephemeral, disappearing almost entirely within the first thirty minutes, but it's a suitable note to open Ormonde Woman: it is witty and refreshing, but not too snappy, with a natural, gentle authenticity that matches the soft timbre of the rest of the scent. This is no harsh, abrasive, masculine vetiver-lite sun-dried grass note; this is the mouthwatering vegetal scent of wet, succulent, dew-soaked bright green grass, with thick chartreuse stalks at the base and rich minerals in the dark, damp earth.

At no point does any of this freshness feel like cheap cucumber-melon calones: the grass has real dimension and depth, with wetness and green facets beyond simple concentrated freshness. This refreshing burst of green is balanced with the powder, warm spice, and woodiness of the rest of the scent, creating a first impression that is a fascinating melange of wildly different accords combined skillfully with a light hand.

The body of Ormond Woman is largely made up of a powdery violet. This is not an artificial, plastic tile powder note, nor is it a makeup powder note of a compact or a lipstick. It feels very faintly floral, but not overwhelmingly so: I only sense a faint floral nuance when I go searching for jasmine in Ormonde Woman, finding none and coming away with the very faint natural scent of a delicate, light-colored violet. The powder here is difficult to describe, but above all it feels gentle and natural, soft and yet with some genuine heft and weight to it, like a heavy grain finely ground to a dust.

In fact, something about this powder most prominently reminds me of oatmeal -- perhaps not literally, but in the heft, substance, and moderate sweetness of the powder, with a hint of warm spice, this smells a little like the way colloid oatmeal adds a gentle weight to the scent of shampoos and lotions when it is added for its hydration benefits. The cardamom and coriander add a delectable warm spice and tiny touch of sweetness to the mixture, enhancing the oatmeal illusion. This is not a cinnamon-sweet snickerdoodle, but a wholesome and nutritious warm breakfast cooling by a windowsill. The scent of porridge and spices wafts out and mixes with the early morning smells of dew on grass, tiny wild violets, and black hemlock growing in the distance. This is a quiet summer morning, contemplative and cool and soaked in fine mist, with the sun just beginning to come up.

The nature of the powder in Ormonde Woman depends largely on temperature. In a house that is a few degrees too warm, it feels plastic and stifling. In a slightly chilly home where stingy energy-conservers guard the thermostat in winter, however, Ormonde Woman is a natural wonder, a reminder of fresh summer mornings, a perfect bowl of warm oatmeal, characterized by woody and resinous warm spices first, and gentle, weighty powder afterwards.

I smell something like tea in this phase as well, which may be another trick of the warm spices reminding me of spiced chai, but there really is something with the faint, delectable warm bitterness of earl grey tea here, with a hint of juicy bergamot and a swirl of dark and smoky flavor. The dark smoke here is probably that of the black hemlock, with a texture that really is similar to black tea to me. There is also something damp, refreshing and woody to the black hemlock, blending together with the dewy grass in the opening. The cool freshness is a bit like a hint of spruce. I get the impression of a tall, dark, strong and powerful tree standing in the distance if our delicate summer cottage surrounded by wet grass and tiny wild violets. It is quiet and contemplative, a gentle giant soaking up the morning sun, a friend and protector to the kind and clever witch that lives in the cottage.

Along with this touch of stoic, cool spruce-like wood, there is a significant streak of warm woodiness running through the heart of the gentle and wise Ormonde Woman, opening with the more wooden facets of coriander and slowly revealing a comforting mix of woods mildly sweetened by amber. The warmth and gentle spice of sandalwood is most prominent, while perhaps the vetiver and cedar sing along with the fresh accord of grass above them in sympathetic resonance.

This is a largely linear scent, becoming fainter, softer, and gentler with time without much evolution of the notes. The freshness of grass is mostly gone within the first hour. About five hours in, a lovely honeyed sandalwood becomes more prominent in the base, lit up by amber the color of glowing orange Christmas lights. The warm spices and black hemlock become progressively more and more faint, while the powdery violet becomes a softer, lighter, gentler powder by the hour. By and large, though, Ormonde Woman is recognizable as the same scent from beginning to end.

Ormonde Woman lasts a respectable about six hours, with strong but not overwhelming projection. Hints and whispers of the scent linger for up to twelve hours afterward, floating up past your face in a faint puff of powder when you least expect them. This impressive longevity is paired with fairly strong performance, with just a tiny hint of Ormonde Woman detectable from several feet away for at least the first few hours.

Although she fascinates me, Ormonde Woman is ultimately too powdery for me to wear right now. I am gifting her to my mother, who loves her. Nonetheless, I'm sad to let her go, and know that I will revisit Ormonde Woman in time as I develop my palate and my ability to enjoy fine powdery scents, because there is no question in my mind that she is the very best. Even if you can't stand powdery scents generally -- as I do -- this is one that just might expand your horizons.

If you aren't afraid of a little natural powderiness and enjoy the quiet, contemplative imagery I've outlined above, of dewy summer mornings in a small cottage surrounded by violets, with a strong black hemlock tree and a kind yet clever witch, Ormonde Woman is for you. Her still and silent early-morning strength will find the right wearer. You will feel extraordinarily lucky if that wearer is you.

Soft vetiver, bright grass; I can’t speak to the smell of hemlock but the rest of the notes ring true but not wild or bombastic.

Green and woody and fresh. Effortless. Easy.

Must be smelled on skin. Not particularly challenging but still unique and worth the price.

I really really like this. It has a very green and sharp forestry opening that lasts just a few minutes but when it dries down, it reminds me very strongly of J’Adore L’Or (current version) by Dior. It must be the same amber base that is doing this. It is super similar both on a card and also on my skin in the dry down. For this reason I would not purchase but hopefully this encourages more people to try the L’Or as it is different from the rest of the J’Adore line to me. This is more niche in quality due to the opening and the dramatic shift it takes in just a few minutes. It’s a complete transformation to me.

It's finally turning into Guerlan's angelique noire on my skin

A sweet, damp, aromatic mystic forest. One of my all time favorites. Wicked witchcraft.

I love it!!! But I get Rush by Gucci on my skin 🧐

This is a hard one to review. I've tested this several times and on me it's mostly cardamom, coriander, violet (I want to know if there's also violet leaf in this too because I get something that reminds me a lot of violet leaf), and vetiver. I think this is quite beautiful, but also there's something almost intellectual about this fragrance? I was mainly drawn to this fragrance because of all the descriptions of forests that people make when describing this fragrance. It may be because I have a dabber sample from Lucky Scent, but I'm not getting a forest-y vibe from this. I feel like I'm back in undergrad, in the library doing reading for my philosophy classes. Truly though, this is beautifully sweet in a green way without being too sweet while still being wholly unexpected and different from the majority of what's out there. I get why people praise this one. It's art that still feels wearable.

It just makes me wanna get rid of all perfumes I have and use OJ woman till the end of my life. That's how crazy I feel about it. Can't put in into words, just can not.

A beautiful and well balanced fragrance. Top notes are green and floral, which gives way to the amber, powdery and sandalwod accords. It kind of loses the green and floral after an hour, I wish it stayed. Still very good and I would wear this often if I was so lucky to own a full bottle. Longevity is better than OJ Champaca, which vanishes quickly.

With this, you get the whole forest, in a deep glen, the forest floor next to a clearing with a dewy field of grass, complete with budding sweet clovers. Fir, pine give way to wet grass, green cardamom, the vague sweet dust hint from coriander, and amber woods. If Norne were a complete, full, and polished perfume—and I love Norne—it would smell like this.

As it is, OW is such a bracing yet calming breath, and a perfectly unisex one at that. Feels Heath-giving. You’ve smelled it before if you’ve ever been to and breathed the air in an untouched glen, as when humans were new in an ancient wood.

The grass and balsamic hemlock are icy and melting, and interminable. Hours and hours later on skin and forever on fabric, there remains a glow, as if fire were green. There's a wet cedar steaming in the green fire, and the spices and tangy violets render an almost edible amberesque taste in the air. This is as much winter melting into spring as it is spring giving way to a hot summer and mild fall then a snap freeze that traps the green resins till they melt again. I’ve never known such a cyclical, hence fully rounded, fragrance.

This is a signature juice for someone...it has a presence. It "announces" itself before it enters a room. If you wear this, you know EXACTLY who you are. Its green, like many green frags...but different. Its mossy, like several frags...but a different mossy. And that near-creamy wood base isn't unheard of...but once again, its different, in this. I also get a bit of a pencil-shaving thingamajiggy, happening...but (you got it!)...its different. They should call this "Different" by Ormonde Jayne.

First accord that came out was green. It reminds me of a vegetable garden, kind of like when you pick tomatoes. Faded a lot within 30 minutes. It got less tomato grassy and more of the warm base notes came out.

I feel like this is the fragrance that might jolt me out of my basic B love of floral scent comfort zone that I’ve bee in for so long. This was not love at first sniff but love at probably the 20th sniff and actually like any long lasting romance it will probably endure for a lifetime because I took the time to get to know it. Also, Ormonde Jayne has a habit of creating fragrances with notes the immediately make me want to retreat back to my white florals. The notes in this fragrance are not something I would ever be drawn to but OJ can work miracles with notes in that regard. I was looking for something different and where else to look except the exquisite house of Ormonde Jayne? This scent is impeccably done. It’s a gorgeous storybook fantasy of beautiful, long, musky haired, witchy women gathering by the groaning trees and hemlock bushes at midnight in flowing black dresses covered in fir needles of a deep vast forest. The balance of notes is done by a concert pianist with a backbone of mildly sweet amber, vetiver, and cedar. There is a hint of grass and just a pinch of powdery violet flowers and spice in this magic potion lending a softness to the whole effect. I feel the hemlock, vetiver, grass, and amber the most. The projection of this witchy brew is monsterous. The vetiver in this reminds me of the vetiver in Wood Sage and Sea Salt by Jo Malone. In fact where WSSS conjures up the sea shore this takes me to the forest in a similar way. This fragrance strikes me as absolutely unisex despite the name woman. A man could absolutely pull this off. It’s Absolutely gorgeous.

I bought it just in time for Halloween where I usually dress like a witch. 🎃 🧙🧹

This is one I’d really love to try. The notes sound reminiscent of Jolie Madame which I loved fifty years ago

I often pause and meditate on how evocative writing can influence our perceptions and sucker us into buying things. But also, how those perceptions can change as we change and grow. I'm looking at you Ormonde Jayne Woman, with your notes of hemlock and violet and all your talk hypnotic, mysterious potions! In Perfumes, the A-Z Guide, Tania Sanchez describes it in terms of haunting witchiness and tall trees in the night and when I read those sentiments over a decade ago, I couldn't get my hands on a bottle fast enough. At that time, what I got from it was corporate executive realness with a weird green twist, or if Day-to-Night Barbie was changing into Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West costume instead of the pink sparkly disco outfit that came in the box alongside her no-nonsense pink girl-boss suit. I haven't worn this Ormonde Jayne Woman since I got it, but today I *get* it. Initially, there's still that whiff of generic woody-green sophistication, but as it lingers I catch glimpses of shadowed forest paths lined with sweet, purple aromatic woodland blooms, leading one to the door of an enchanted sugarplum storybook cottage. The witch may or may not be in.

I blind bought a full bottle when I saw a fellow Fragrantican offering her barely loved 120 mL for less than the price of a 50 mL on Ebay. I still don’t completely understand how or why she would do that, but I’m not one to look gift horses in the mouth, and damn, do I love this scent.

Thank you, @Linaskye, for mentioning both Tea Escape and Mémoire d’une Odeur in your review as a point of reference. I am intimately familiar with both of these scents, and I love them both. Ormonde Woman has certain facets/nods of the other two, but is still distinctly different enough to warrant owning all three. As much as I love and constantly rave about Mémoire, Ormonde Woman is a strong contender that might just take one of those coveted top 5 spots one of these days.

I can’t even pinpoint what exactly it is about this scent that I love so much--I’m familiar with just about every note listed, with the exception of black hemlock (tsuga). I wonder if it is this note (or maybe the amber?) that adds just a touch of beautiful sweetness in an otherwise very herbal/grassy fragrance. The coriander and cardamom--two spices I use often in my kitchen that can make or break a fragrance--are done exceptionally well here.

I got a hell of a deal on my larger bottle, but if/when I run out, I could see myself paying full retail to replace it--it’s that good.

Reading the notes for this one I would normally have avoided it. When I read coriander, cardamom (or clove), and cedar I typically prep myself for one of those things completely overwhelming everything else. I don't know if they're difficult to balance or if I'm just overly sensitive. Fortunately a couple of months ago I got a sample of Ormonde Woman and gave it a try.

The opening and first few minutes are just amazing. I get all shades of green, light and dark, with a bit of floral and a bit of spicy powder. There's a gentle woodiness here too. It smells a little different each time I spray it. I wish that could last forever. I have a bottle now and have been using this quite a bit. The opening and first half hour are still my favorite. Later I get drier wood, or maybe it's something still powdery, some warmth (amber?), and then maybe something vaguely floral, but it comes and goes. I can spray some on my hand/wrist and nearly the entire workday, every time I smell my wrist it's a little different. I get the comparison to a walking through a magical verdant forest. I can't totally figure this one out. And I'm completely in love.

Lightly spicy, lightly sweet, lightly woody. Definitely getting the vetiver and hints of cedar. I was wondering why this smelled vaguely food-like.. it's the coriander, for sure. (I've recently been using it more in cooking). On paper, much more woody and cooler than on my skin. I like it as it develops; the amber really starts to come through. It's very interesting, sure, but it's not quite there for me in terms of purchasing.

Oh, Ormonde Jayne is really a great, sophisticated line. I like it as all their creations are top notch, made with the finest ingredients.
Woman is a lovely, gently warm, round yet earthy fragrance.
I get mostlly a creamy cedar, together with some juniper berries and coriander - i get a lot of similarities with PG Cadjmeré - but these notes (that are typically used in masculine fragrance) are nothing loud or dry; on the contrary, they are round and natural, and evoke a natural femininity, not the one belonging a "perfumed" woman, but rather a natural scent of a woman. It smells like clean, warm skin, feminine but not loud.
A powdery violet emerges from the base notes.
A very interesting perfume, very well made and I truly like it. Unfortunately the performance is low (not more than 2 hours, on me).

-Starts off as a really nice grassy chypre scent that’s wearable for someone who dislikes smelling like a walking forest.
-It's what I wanted Chanel-Chance Eau Fraiche to be.
-Might be a more casual version of Chanel-Coromandel?
-Dries down sour on my skin. (Similar to the way Chanel- Sycomore did.)
-Could there be cypress notes in this causing this unwelcome effect?
-Not fbw. (-)

Woody aromatic. Smells grown-up. It's not exactly grassy but its conjures images of living in a house surrounded by forests. I'm not mature enough for this one, so nfbw for me but I appreciate the blend. -

A wonderful friend who knows I’m going through a lot gifted me a sample trio of “grass/hay” note fragrances in the hopes I would find a replacement for my beloved signature, Grass by The Gap. Two of the three scents were not for me, and then there was Ormonde Woman. While it smells almost nothing like Grass, the sensibility is extremely similar. There’s this kick of fresh, damp, sweet grass in the top that gracefully melts into a warm but soft woodsy sweet tea vibe as the juice settles into the skin. I don’t get anything too dry or pungent or bitter or smoky here; there is only freshness, warmth, and dew on leaves. It is similar to Replica’s Tea Escape and Gucci’s Memoire D’une Odeur in terms of “fresh green” at first, but to me, Tea Escape has a much drier, more powdered matcha finish, and Memoire is a little sweeter and more floral on me. Ormonde Woman is warmer, smoother, and more inviting, yet it somehow manages to avoid hitting a masculine or heavy note. It is a versatile, clean, soft, and yet not boring scent, and although it is not a powerful blast of fragrance by any means, I get a waft of it here and there for hours whenever I wear it. I believe almost any age group could wear this well, although it feels “grown up” to me.

I have said about a million times that I might have a new signature scent with this perfume or that one, but this IS my new signature. I feel beautiful and intriguing and warm whenever I wear it, yet it never feels like I’m trying too hard to be different OR to fit in. I just somehow feel like me but better, and that’s the best kind of signature to leave.

Now all I have to do is get a full bottle.

This smells very mature....not sexy. My son turned disapproved (as well) and without me prompting him. E asked me to scrub it off, even. I will layer something
Overtop. Perhaps, I don't like the Black Hemlock note and the powdery iris. Not my thing. I am passing the rest of my sample to my mom. She may enjoy it. It does have that baby wipes vibe. I agree. Sorry. It's my honest opinion.

This is probably my favorite green fragrance that I’ve tried. It’s really different than any others I’ve tried. It’s so pleasant, fresh, aromatic, and natural. The pepper isn’t overwhelming and only makes it a bit zingy. I don’t really notice the violets, the way it is blended makes it hard to tell apart the notes. It smells like freshly chopped herbs or walking through a damp field full of some kind of aromatic plants. I can’t imagine anyone hating the smell of this. I wish it was made as a candle or diffuser, too. I just love this. Probably my favorite that I’ve tried from Ormonde Jayne along with Ta’if.

Dark green perfume.Is heard Rare black hemlock to do the core, with a little bit of violet, I think that it is not a forest, but a mountain. solid, reassuring. Smell good, it can be a female, can also be men. It is worth buying, Ormonde Jayne has always been stable,One of the best is a woman.

I have never worn a fragrance quite like this. It has a different smell close to the skin and in the general sillage area. Outside it is lovely and light, all violets and temerity. Up close, though, the hemlock is dirty and dark. To me this is a masterpiece but it really wouldn't be for everyone I don't think.

No matter what anyone says, both Ormonde man and woman are amazing perfumes. They are quite atmospheric and mystical like an aura that surrounds around you. Big love!

You know how Dolce & Gabanna have The One and The Only One? While there will never been an "Only One" in the fragrance world for me, this is The One for me. I could wear this in every season on every occasion and feel confident, refined, and beautiful. It's incredibly sexy and unique in a way that isn't just amateurish and paying lip service to niche fragrance. It's truly a masterpiece.

The notes will listed will never aid your imagination in conjuring this up (even though you can smell every one of them), you just have to do yourself the favor of smelling it.

This perfume must have a large amount of an aroma chemical I am anosmic and sensitive to, assuming Iso e super or similar molecule from reading about the subject.

I was really excited to smell this alongside others from this house and got a discovery set of samples. However for me, they all have a common alcohol smell through which I can faintly perceive the notes as if drowned by the cloud of alcohol. Hurts my throat, gives me a headache (and I almost never have headaches) and makes me queasy, need to scrub off. Really odd. I wonder if it happens to anybody else. I tried the perfumes also in the displays and the same thing happened so it’s not the samples.

Well, this is the 2nd time I've tested Ormonde Woman. It's nice but a bit meh for me.
On paper I should love this!
It's a nice aromatic wood scent. Quite well blended and a bit flat. It doesn't develop much.
I've smelt a lot of similar scents and many are much more interesting. AG Nuit Etoilee is on paper a similar aromatic scent and blows this one out of the water.
I can see it was one of the earlier creations and I think it's safe to say their perfumes have improved since this was created.
If you like an inoffensive soft green/wood scent for everyday wear then this is worth a sniff. I don't know why I don't detect much spice.
The sillage and longevity is moderate at a stretch in this cold room.

Heavenly, extremely unique, woody, green, spicy, somewhat 'oriental woody', may I say. It starts with the strong pine-grass-sandalwood combo, the drydown is similar yet slightly different, the pine isn't as strong, the whole scent is a balanced blend of sandalwood, cedar, pine, spices and white flowers. I usually wear it on warmer days, and when I wear green/go out to the green, this one is a must! My brother-in-law adores this perfume, so it might work well on a date as well.
The performance is above average, good sillage, and I can smell it on my clothes even after I wash them.
I love Ormonde Man as well, I highly recommend it to males.

Beautiful airy spice, wood, herbs, clean, fresh and smokey. Could easily be a signature scent, worn all year round - just about fresh enough for high heat (used with restraint) and plenty of punch for colder months. Universal yet personal and just challenging enough to have some character and bite.

A brilliant fragrance for a man too I feel. They missed a trick here with the marketing. If it had been called ‘Hemlock’ (or something more creative), and marketed as unisex, I really think there would be a lot more tries and takers.

25 year old male from the UK

My first disappointment from Ormonde. Something is not agreeing with my chemistry and I’m picking up plastic and a synthetic baby wipes note, as others have observed. I think that’s a combination of iso e super and powder, bummer. I had high hopes after reading all the positive reviews elsewhere.

i already knew i loved ormonde man, so i was excited to try ormonde woman - it’s the feeling of a well dressed woman, alone, at dusk, wandering the streets of a city she barely knows, admiring the mysterious pines, their shadows. while i enjoyed falling under its spell, it doesn't feel quite right for me -- it needs attention to bloom, feel somber and contemplative - when you're not paying it much attention, it doesn't ask for it and can fade into the background. while it's beautifully composed, it's not a scent i find myself longing to wear.

I'll be brief. Aroma is very beautiful - green tart freshness, something melissa beautiful (approximately like Herbal fresco gerlen) is only much deeper. But I'm not talking about that. I do not know whether this is a pleasant surprise or not, but after about 20 minutes there was no trace of grass and greenery, all this charm hung with a cloud of powder! (tested in GUM) on my skin is a unique powder .. Of course, an unexpected twist to the opening of the fragrance, so that the green in the powder ?? I haven't had that yet. Resilience is decent, the train, too, - this fragrance interrupted Kilian. Still, I will test once again on the subject of the transition to powder ... In general, I really liked this brand! What is not a scent is lovely! All are different, but each is beautiful in its own way.

This perfume is so lovely. It makes me feel like I'm in a sun-dappled mossy forest on a warm day. It has a fairy or fantasy like quality to it as well, but is still elegant and refined. It is light and airy while also maintaining a deep woodsy feel with a little spice. The performance is good too. Nicely done!

4/10

I do dislike it. I think it would smell better on a man. Enjoying the powdery dry down. Very green. Smells like a men's aftershave. It is nothing special. Very unoriginal scent. Could easily be found in men's cologne at ulta.

I have a sample set of OJ perfumes, and some have been nice but none of them have struck me as full bottle worthy or a must-have to add to my collection. I totally agree with the baby wipes reference of another reviewer of this particular fragrance. I usually love green notes and woodsy scents, and I had hoped to love this due to all the wonderful notes, but this has a powder element which is a deal breaker to me, and I suspect that powder element is causing the association with baby wipes. As a side note, the Ormonde Man is better and doesn't have that powder note.

At the opening I found grass and flowers and I really enjoyed it. I'm on the hunt for a "perfect" grass scent at the moment.

Its quite nice but on the drydown I found whiffs of baby/wet wipes which I don't find that pleasant. Maybe I just have access to fancy baby wipes haha (jk). Overall its not bad but that association kind of ruined it for me.

I'd be willing to try it again in the future and see if my associations have changed - its worth testing for sure.

In the opening I get mint and dewy grass and slightly tangy granny smith apple skins. And something like pine mixed with juniper, which may be the hemlock. Very green, but not sharp at all. There is a floral sweetness under the green, but it doesn't smell like violet or jasmine really on me - more like a soft, light yellow smelling hawthorne or honeysuckle scent. Smells like there could be a touch of resins. I don't get any of the spicy notes, and cardamom and coriander usually show up well on my skin. Overall, Ormond Jayne Woman is refined, elegant and mysterious. Reminds me a lot of Memoir Woman, which has the same dark green / apple and incense thing going on. Projection is close, longevity is medium. Wish it were stronger. Like/love.

i just got a sample of this and it is super nice , very wearable woody sillage is ok i got the cardamom at the drydown.

i like maybe a bit heavy for me but is lovely

I remember smelling the tester in store, it has a somewhat sweet green grass note on top. Not as ethereal as Apsu, and sometimes I can't perceive it at all.

Back home, it then fell to the very peppery woody heart (black hemlock?). Except that, it has an oily facet. If you've smelled violet leaf essential oil, you'll know what I'm talking about. Sometimes it has a dry-tea leaves scent.

The opening sweetness didn't disappear completely, it's lurking somewhere in the background. In the meantime, the main note is still a bit sour and astringent, as you can imagine from a dry cedar base. It even turns to the slightly bitter side after dry-down.

A throwback to the great classical perfumery of the 20th century: Guerlain, Chanel, Dior et al. Superbly complex and intricately thought-out. A vintage score without the search. I think the theme of let-down running through the comments comes from expecting something cutting edge sci-fi. It is that too but mainly because the black hemlock is so novel. The Best of Everything.

I am adding this review not because I can improve on the evocative descriptions given in some of the many rave reviews for Ormonde Woman already posted here but because I think some of those posting these quick, tried it, meh, reviews should consider that their perceptions of its intensity and silage might be strictly personal. They are not some sort of universal truth. I love the EdP and on me it is long-lasting. It is also quite intense, just not in a constant sort of way. It is something that you notice afresh when going back into a room, or just moving around. It can suddenly intensify to a startling degree.
In fact, I just got a decant of the 50% level parfum or extrait and I love this as well. It is a little different. It feels a lot softer and deeper. It is more tenacious and the sandalwood note is even richer but it is also very much more muted, an intense, warm but much more personal, echo of its glorious EdP self.

This is a review in Defence of the Ormonde Jayne line, in particular OJ Woman which is in my opinion a sensitively and well crafted perfume.

There's a legend about a Uighur princess who became the Qing dynasty Emperor Qianlong's concubine. It is said that when she was born, a mysterious fragrance emanated from her skin; a kind of natural skin scent that exuded from her pores. Such a cultural treasure was the princess that she was given to Qianlong in a political marriage, where she earned the title of "Xiang Fei" - the fragrant concubine. She is an actual historical figure, one can visit her mausoleum today, though whether her skin gave off an organic aroma is another matter.

When I wear OJ perfumes, this is exactly what I'm reminded of. The nose behind this perfume is Geza Schoen, the perfumer who made Molecule 01. If one takes into account OJW as part of the oeuvre of Schoen, it's much easier to understand why the sillage is so soft, why people are generally underwhelmed by its effect. As with Molecule 01, I believe the philosophy behind OJW (and some of the other soliflores in the collection) is that perfume should be conceived as another layer in one's personal Aura. This is perfume as aura, not perfume as perfume. This perfume will not announce your presence even before you step into the room. This perfume will not be so distracting you feel like you're talking to the perfume rather than to the person wearing it. This perfume is not a presence on par to its wearer, like a disembodied being following its wearer around. Rather, it extends your presence, adds another sheath to your aura, rainbow-fying you, sprinkles a bit of gold dust to make you shimmer. A close skin scent that you detect only when engaged in a personal face to face conversation. It makes you go, "This Person smells wonderful", rather than "This perfume smells wonderful". It's a very subtle but important difference.

Hence, I can see a special spot for OJW (also Tiare, Champaca, etc) in any perfumista's collection. Even though this is not my favourite perfume house, there is definitely a place in my heart I can find for it.

(A spritz of OJW survived a 40 minute walk in tropical weather, followed by a strenuous and extremely sweaty power yoga class.)

I just sample this fragrance today. I really love the woody/ powdery scent. Howrver, the projection is quite weak and sillage very soft. This is a skin scent, not a powerhouse. Meant for ladies who prefer a soft, natural and unassuming scent.

...mi ritrovai per una selva oscura... questa è l'impressione ai primissimi spruzzi: si tratta di note verdi di bosco, pino fra tutti, ma anche, a poco a poco vetiver e cedro. la fase da foresta rimane come delizioso sottofondo anche man mano che il profumo si trasforma, lasciando il passo a sensazioni orientali e leggermente talcate, date dalla contemporanea presenza di violetta e ambra. persistente, sofisticato, profondamente femminile ma, stranamente, adatto anche agli uomini. altissima profumeria! ottimo.

Its definitely a walk in the woods. Woody and very aromatic but not as much as AG Etoilee Nuit. There is no harshness, just the sweet verdant smell of a forest. The tsuga, grass and coriander arevery evident from the start and work really well together to conjure up the vision of a woodland. Lots of cedar with the cardamom, vetiver and violet acting like accent to notes. The tsuga and grass fade all too quickly on me with the cedar and amber at the end. Very pleasant but I wouldnt by a bottle. Definitely unisex.

Oh dear. Is this it?

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad perfume. But it is the front runner for biggest let-down of the year for me. All the perfume blogs I read waxed orgasmic about Ormonde Jayne Woman. "The primal essence of a woman." A soul-shaker. A fairy tale. The most bewitching, heartbreakingly beautiful perfume they'd smelled in ages. A true life changer. Having finally obtained my sample, I'm left wondering what the fuss is all about.

Cardamom is my favorite note in perfumery and I'm just not getting it here. What I smell is a decent piney wood, but it's only decent and definitely not amazingly unique. It doesn't envelop me or make me feel like I've stepped into a forest, enchanted or otherwise. I wanted mind-blowing and I got meh

Awesome scent. Green at the very first minutes, then turns to woody, amber-incensed notes. Several hours later develops into an stunning, warm, peacefull but powerful scent. I am not able to identify most prominent note/s a few hours later. Is it amber? Could someone help me to identify it/them? Thanks!

this is an interesting perfume and the reviews from Sherapop and Woodland Walk, are closest to my experience of Ormonde Woman.

i was expecting woodland: peat, smoke, moss, green, pine, florals (where is the floral?)...but what i get on my skin is a very sweet cedar, almost viscous scent. this sweetness, i understand to be iso-E-super, is just not for me. it completely envelops the composition, so that my nose can barely smell the other notes.

i love Tolu and expected to find this equally as appealing, but they do not compare. they indeed smell like the same perfumer, but Tolu works on me, is beautiful and balanced.

i am not averse to sweetness, or thickness...but i don't associate (and am unable to appreciate) this treacley thing, in what otherwise might be a lovely green woody floral scent.

i have tested and tested and tested, and despite loving the black hemlock and the vetiver in this composition, i can't get past the overwhelming jarring (thank you Sherapop, "sinus-clearing") iso-E super.

Ordered a sample after reading other reviews here and considering notes listed. I expected an earthy, woody, complex forest-floor type scent. ...hmm. I'm disappointed. I'm not sure if what I got was a fake, or something, but my OJ Woman smells, on me, like liquid smoke mixed with J-Lo's Glowing. I.E., a "skanky" drug-store-esque spicy smoke bomb. I can't differentiate between any of the proffered notes. After dry down this smells, (again, *on me*) like a sticky, synthetic web of industrial chemicals. The image it brought to my mind, was Great Expectations' Miss Havisham burning-- not in a wedding gown, but in a fur coat. Looking to trade mine, unfortunately :(

Based on the notes alone, I fully expected to love this perfume. Couple that with rave reviews from some of my favorite perfume bloggers, and I nearly bought this unsniffed. I am so glad I didn't! Violet is my favorite note, and I love forest-y scents--I was so excited to smell this. Unfortunately, after giving it 4 different wearings over the course of a few months, all I get is grass at first, which quickly fades into something that smells just like lemongrass on me. My chemistry kills what must be a lovely perfume on others.

This is great stuff! I've had a bottle for almost a year now and I'm none the wiser as to how to describe it. I don't generally like strong woods, which this is; I don't like vetiver which this is laden with; I'm opposed to iso e super, which this is stuffed with, and yet, it manages to remain one of my favorites. Somehow, despite the predominance of woods, it's quite sweet and creamy and I think this might be the secret to it's success, creamy sweet wood and the very original black hemlock note. It's strange that this is called "Woman" when if anything it's slightly more masculine than the more demure "Man" version, which I also like very much.
To me this is what the sniffing life is all about, finding beautiful, original scents that defy our expectations and expand our cramped notions of what it is that we enjoy.

There's a 1/4 mile stretch of highway here in SoCal, on the 405 northbound just before it merges with the 210 East; it only lasts a few seconds but you can catch a whiff of a green indistinct conifer, woodsy and clean, juicy...then it's gone. Ormonde Jayne Woman captures this in a bottle! For years I had been wracking my brain trying to figure out what gave off that elusive fragrance, was it eucalyptus? Sage? I still don't know what makes that place smell like that, I haven't stopped to investigate for obvious reasons, but now I don't need to, OW is that scent encapsulated to enjoy safely, and just like that scent in a busy highway, it lasts only enough to arouse your senses and then it's gone. Pity, because it is just beautiful.

The smell of a whimsical, summer forest. Truly beautiful and unusual. I love green fragrances and it's hard to find a good one. Would like to add this fragrance to my collection.

Registers in my mind as a sweet light gray perfume, coniferous wood, powdery with a little pong, sweetly musky, the vetiver coming through clearly but gently as a something's-burning smell. Light and lovely and complex, but poor longevity on my skin.

Very unusual smelling perfume. The initial hemlock and grass scents are so abrupt and masculine, almost Pine-Solish, and then the midnotes and drydown are extremely sweet floral and creamy and vanilla. I discovered the same thing with Ormonde Frangipani. Hugely citric topnotes, then getting into the attempted frangipani fragrance. After reading Luca Turin's rave I wanted to try it, but as usual I find that he and I have very different tastes in perfumes. Seems like the more I get into perfume I realize that, unlike wine, there is no "good" and "bad." It's all too randomly subjective.

If you enjoy a perfume with hugely varying top and midnotes and are looking for something different from the average perfume wearer or a desire to expand your perfume collection to include the atypical and surprising, go for this. No blind buys on this!

Disappointing!

I'm getting the vetiver, coriander, cardamom and sandalwood, definitely, but the problem is a chemically note which must be some sort of sickly sweet musk or perfume enhancer which gives this an almost oily, pervasive quality that messes with my nostrils.

Sherapop (post below) mentions Iso E Super, I've no idea how that smells but maybe it's the culprit. I feel somehow that it's similar to somehing in Allure, Coco Mademoiselle and other perfumes. (I know there are loads of synthetics in perfumes - and each of us is sensitive to different types, so other people might not mind this at all)

I had high hopes for this, because I'm very much a lover of green, outdoorsy perfumes, but this is nowhere near as enchanting as, for example Diorella, Ninfeo Mio or even Chanel's Cristale or No. 19 which have lovely mossy qualitys. I'm just not getting green!

I get no forest floor or lovely moss from this, and I'd recognise those notes having spent many holidays in the wild forests and coasts of Scotland.

Oh how this made me wish to be transported there to smell peat-smoke in the air, the earthy tangy-ness of moss and the scent of sun-warmed tree-bark!

The one positive I can say is that I like the vetiver and coriander treatment here. Without the nasty musk or whatever it is, I'd have enjoyed that, and it reminds me a little of the drydown of Arpege (minus all its aldehyhes)

Oh well, next...

Well, this is a mysterious smell…
Very, very intriguing – all the OJ line is intriguing, but smelling OJ W you recognize an undercurrent that here is strong, but it can be found more or less in all of the fragrances in the line.
I have no idea how Black Hemlock in reality smells.
I am a very little bit bothered by the slightly herborist’s shop smell and by the same sweet note (like smelling honey in a jar), that is there in more of the OJ perfumes.
This is a very original perfume and makes me think and dream. Lovely and unique.

I can se myself wearing this on any day that is calm and sunless. Today is actually one of those days. This perfume is like a magic therapy to my souls, so relaxing. Cardamom is the most prominent note on my skin.

Not usually a fan of things that smell like pine and only really like vetiver in small quantities, this one is kind cool.

The hemlock gives that pine needle tingle and the grass together with the vetiver makes this almost masculine smelling. I'm finding with Ormonde Jayne that they all (apart from "Tolu" so far)have this refined "spring like" feel to them. Quite elegant and fresh.

I think the green notes in this are done very nicely, they are there, but they are supported by a spicy tone.

The Hemlock is perfect in this but unfortunately there's juuuuuuuust a bit too much vetiver for me, and does start to rear it's head during dry down. It's bearable though because it's kept quite crisp by the other notes. It almost smells like there's a tinge of geranium in here too even though it's not listed.

I really can appreciate this for what it is but on the whole I haven't been blown away by Ormonde Jayne yet. The sillage and longevity of pretty much all of them I've tried so far has been disappointing. :(

ORMONDE JAYNE WOMAN posesses classic qualities while having a modern edge. The scent brings the image of a mature but playful female figure.

Before smelling the perfume, I was expecting a Shalimar or Feminie du bois kind of fragrance, but WOMAN has taken me by surprise.

Openning with bubblegum and fizzy peach, infused with spicy cardamom and nutmeg. After the initial blast I smell spiced cotton candy and sweet flowers.

This stage left me curious about what's to come next... well, I get sweet stevia (i mean conceptually, like a low calorie powdered sugar smell) dusted musk sticks. I also sensed a fuzzy cinnamon jasmine combo, reminding me of LUBIN BLACK JADE, together with that oddball stevia note.

The dry down is milky pencil shaving, sweet nondescript flowers, Amber and stevia.

ORMONDE JAYNE WOMAN has that x-factor about it. While personally I can't see myself wearing it, I would definitely appreciate it on others. Especially on a confident woman, I would find her irresistably attractive.

Does anyone find this fragrance similar to Donna Karan's Black Cashmere?? Or is it just me....

Frustration: I want to love this, but all I'm getting is pine air-freshener. Maybe it's just the way it reacts with my skin, or maybe this is just the wrong time of year and I'll love it to pieces in January (I'll certainly be giving it another go then, because such an icon deserves as many chances as I can get out of a 1 ml vial). I've spent a lot of time in wet moss-carpeted hemlock forests though, and this - this is not that smell. It lasts remarkably well and I've been resisting the urge to scrub my wrist all day.

I used to think of Ormonde Woman as a Winter fragrance. But it actually smells like the little wooden changing room bench of my favourite summer lake bathing spot. Blended with smells of the lake and trees and the summer evening air. What Rem or Bronze Goddess are to my beach days, Ormonde Woman is to my evenings at the lake, back in my landlocked country.

From spicy green topnotes to a dry floral to its soft woody base, this entire composition sends me into swoons of delight. I have found "It"--the scent that is me from beginning to end, and every time I smell it, I feel like a child again, opening my eyes in wonder at the treasures of the world.

My signature scent. Kudos to Linda Pilkington for creating a scent that flaunts the current trend of fruityfloralgourmands and breaks new ground with this spicy hemlock concoction. Dry, but not masculine, I feel utterly feminine in it. Have I mentioned, I'm in love?

What a shame that Ormonde Jayne Woman has absolutely zero sillage and longevity. I (twice) slathered myself and could literally smell nothing unless I put my nose directly to my arm...and even then, it was faint.

Upon first application, there is a lovely waft of woods, then, almost immediately, it fades into a watery violet and vanilla scent. About an hour into wear, all that is left is a hint of sweetness and a sour vetiver note.

I had high expectations for this one, but it left me unmoved and underwhelmed.

Let me haunt your dark forest, Ormonde Woman. I'd gladly be your representative nymph. Hemlock, natural bark scents, crisp air, elegance, darkness and crunching leaves, evil trees. Love it.

After the initial, pleasing spicy-citrusy notes subside, all I can smell is screeching sandalwood and a touch of vanilla, with something sour. It reminds me of a reserved woman, who, when she finally speaks, sounds awkward, harsh, and a bit dull.

I realize that my reaction is different from other reviewers here. I'd almost suspect a mislabeled sample; however, I just got this one from the Ormond Jayne boutique in Bond Street. Perhaps it's my nose? I will smell again in a few weeks, and will update this review if there is any change.

There seems to be a tendency these days--or is it just a short-lived trend?--to name unisex perfumes "Woman". Ormonde Jayne ORMONDE WOMAN may have started it all back in 2002, but Banana Republic W and DKNY WOMAN seem equally unisex to me. We've entered the age of androgyny at last, or it seems. To be honest, this creation reminds me of some of the masculine Amouage perfumes.

The reputation of ORMONDE WOMAN precedes it, with lots of people lauding this perfume as a masterpiece. I don't really pay attention to those proclamations, so I'm not that disappointed to discover that ORMONDE WOMAN does not live up to the hype. It's fine, no doubt, but there's too much "radiance" going on here for me. I believe that somewhere in The Holey[sic] Book Luca Turin describes iso-E-super as a perfumer's "wet dream". Huh. Okay, whatever. To me, it's just a sinus-clearing aromachemical being used far too much and at far too high a concentration in most of the perfumes in which it figures these days.

ORMONDE WOMAN offers a pleasing blend of grasses and woods, and not a lot of florality. I would have liked this better with less "perfumer's wet dream" and more of the green and floral notes. This is a perfectly respectable composition, but I do not find it as compelling as the gorgeous floral green chypres of the Lancôme La Collection. To me, ORMONDE WOMAN is like taking a smidgeon of one of those elixirs and diluting it in the proverbial "perfumer's wet dream".

Another huge fan here.
I've been searching for something like this for years since a small independent perfume maker I knew vanished along with his individual but exquisite range.
There was one full of wood and green with similar elusive deep rich soft hints of spice and early violets in damp moss.
I wore it exclusively for a number of years and was furious that I had not even kept a copy of the notes but at last I've found something which takes me right there again.
Very similar apart from the Jasmine but that's light not heavy and obviously of the very best.

I'd never heard of black Hemlock before but now I'm on a mission to get some and start mixing.
I do agree with alfarom's earlier review that there's probably Iso E super in it but so what? It works. It weaves magic. I don't get any Vanilla or Tonka which for me is great as I find them sickly on me.
This isn't a cheapie and it's obvious why. First rate ingredients mixed and bridged with skill.
Just fabulous.

The opening reminds me of the spicy/woody jasmine that I smell in Tom Ford's Black Orchid Voile de Fleur and Bvlgari's Jasmine Noir. Then OJ Woman settles into a peppery amber on me that seems related to Rochas Absolu and Guerlain Samsara - other favorites of mine. Lovely and warm, OJW is a delightful cool-weather fragrance! Moderate-strength scent with average sillage.

(from a sample)

Lordy, this is some kind of perfume. It's what I picture Catherine Deneuve would wear on a stroll through one of the Paris flea markets. It's a lilting but sharp scent that screams "I'm hard on the outside, but molten on the inside." I wore it to bed the same day I got the precious little sample vial. I had some wicked pleasant dreams. It's really special. I really need it.

Another top class delivery from Ormonde Jayne. Ormonde Woman opens with an extremely green/dark green accord that immediately brings to mind of a wet forest in the morning while subtle spicy notes add an extra oomph to the general outdoorsy vibe. Links to Ormonde Man are unquestionable but where the masculine version of this masterpiece turns into a cedarwood-vetiver-black hemlock drydown, Ormonde Woman pairs all of the above to a terrific amber-incense base of immense beauty. Intensely woody, thick but never overwhelming, elegant yet not too mannered. Pure perfection.

The woody-resiny element may lead to suspect the presence of Iso E Super but, even if so, the fragrance is so well balanced and orchestrated to result incredibly pleasant and, somewhat, novel. By all means, a masterpiece.

Boys, don't let the name mislead you, Ormonde Woman makes a terrific masculine.

Rating: 9/10

Ormonde Jayne Woman is the only perfume I've ever encountered that contains black hemlock absolute; an ingredient so obscure that it isn't even included in Fragrantica's directory of notes. I associate hemlock with poison, so it falls into the same intriguing category of peculiar notes as datura and belladonna. Why more perfumers don't use this note is a mystery to me, since black hemlock gives OJW a bright airy whiff of pine that is vastly superior to that heavy, oily Pine Sol aroma that tends to ruin other "forest" fragrances.

I'll admit that I'm thrown off by the name of this perfume, because OJW is about as unisex as it gets, and could be worn just as wonderfully by men. However, if this fragrance was created to appeal to a specific type of woman, she would be cerebral and independent. This isn't the sort of fragrance that seeks attention with tons of vanilla or in your face white flowers; rather, it is beautifully subtle, whispering dark green spells. OJW would perfectly suit a woman who doesn't need a man in her life, but nevertheless attracts them like flies. I don't always agree with Turin and Sanchez, but they got it right when they gave this unique creation five stars.

i cannot understand these positive comments, i am looking for a niche perfume and have been sending for various samples recommended in the perfume bible and the ormonde fragrances are just so weak smelling,in the last few weeks i have had amouage, serge,and histoires samples of some which i love and will be buying,so very disappointed in these as they smell very commercial.

I'm only just learning about the unusual behaviour of some perfumes. This one was a discovery for me.

When I put it on, my first thought was, "This is nice", nothing special but nice. Chocolate with a hint of leather and some nice amber. (Yes, I know there's no chocolate or leather in it, but that's what it smelled like to me.)

About half an hour later I was minding my own business and suddenly thought, "Where's that lovely fruity smell coming from?" Then I realised it was me! (Yeah, I know, no fruit either.) I sniffed my wrists - definitely not there - but it was in the air around me.

Two hours in and the scent on my wrists finally released the promised florals.

A very strange but immensely pleasant experience. I'm looking forward to wearing Ormonde Woman again. I'm having a grand time trying different perfumes. The good ones evolve and you never know what's going to happen. ;-)

I first tried this fragrance in the Summer and found it a little syrupy but interesting. I had never smelled anything quite like it but wasn't quite in love yet. However, now that it is Winter, Ormonde Woman has come alive and is truly captivating. It is woody and green with a hint of sweetness but with something narcotic and mysterious hanging like a low mist amongst the tree branches. The most special thing about this perfume is the illusion of space between the top, middle and bottom notes. It is as if there are clearly defined layers of scent, as I stoop low to experience the mossy roots, straighten up to inhale a handful of leaves and twigs crushed between my fingers, then stand on tiptoe to capture something elusive on the wind.

The first thing I smell is sandalwood - a lot of sandalwood- along with some light flowers, vanilla, and a sour-smelling orris/violet, but not the powdery kind. I think part of the light, bright note in the beginning is due to the “black hemlock” (or is it black spruce?) listed in the OJ website notes. However, there’s so much sandalwood that it pretty much drowns out anything else.

The jasmine-orris-sandalwood combo has strong to moderate sillage and lasts for at least 6-8 hours on skin. I like this scent, but am not sure it’s something that I’d want to wear often simply because the Australian-type sandalwood and sour orris notes are so overpowering.

So many spectacular reviews on this!! And she deserves every one.... This is a potion, a dusky green beauty that conjures up the feeling of wood nymphs,fantasy, and things from an enchanted forest..

This has an extraordinary resonance that's weighted so perfectly. It captures the air without holding it captive. As everyone before me has mentioned it's definately green and woodsy, but the spices are done quite brilliantly. They weave in and out playing hide and seek with the amber. None of it stands up and says, "Pay attention to me!!!!!" Instead every ingrediant knows it's role and plays it exactly as written. This perfume is choreographed by a master.

Definately for fall winter, Ormonde Woman is sophisticated, sexy, mysterious, and compelling. I hope she never stops making it!

I am going to start by saying that nobody does forests better than Monsieur Lutens, referring to his Bois line! With this one I get green grassy oil initially drying to a darker, transparent, woody, and slightly powdery- flowery base, ladylike and a bit sweet, but also a bit "common" on my skin. I don't quite get any "dangerous" but so sought after witchiness out of it, and although I like it best of all the line, I will not purchase a full bottle. But I will keep my sample, so that in a future revisit, I might estimate it better.

If there were a fragrance category called Fairytale Chypre, Ormonde Woman would be the ur-example. It's very green and woodsy, yes, but with an underlying sweetness due to the jasmine, violet, and amber. I don't see it as dark and smoldering as Linda Pilkington intended it to be. More like Disney's Beauty and the Beast than an unabridged Brothers Grimm fairy tale. But even the disneyfied Beauty and the Beast had its dark, scary moments and themes. And whatever your personal opinion of Disney may be, you can hardly deny the beauty of that film's animation. Where was I going with this? Oh yes: Ormonde Woman is a wonderful perfume and the wait for my bottle to arrive from England will make for a long week indeed!

I've tried very hard to like this fragrance, and while it is a beautiful composition that agrees with my skin, it just isn't for me. It starts out very strong on the coriander for me, a fragrance note I usually enjoy, but something about the cold surroundings make the coriander feel too much for me. After wearing for about an hour or so I really start to get a STRONG woody note, I'm assuming this might be the black hemlock, although I could also see it being cedar (it has a bit of that hamster cage feel to it, very woody). The dry down is a bit less probelmatic for me, but I still get the strong woody base and it just makes this cold feeling in my opinion, even with the addition of amber which is quite a "warm" note and something I usually love. I wish I could smell more of the floral notes. I definitely get some of the violet, but nothing of the jasmine on my skin.

Someone in their review mentioned that it smells alot like Dior Addict, which I personally can't agree with. I own and enjoy Addict, and it is a very sweet fragrance dripping with vanilla and tonka notes with something fruity behind it, and nothing sharp or woody at all. However, there is something similar in the dry-down and I can almost see where they are coming from. I definitely don't smell any vanilla or tonka in this though.

I find the wear time on this one a bit shorter than some of the other Ormonde frgrances I have tried. All in all a brilliantly composed fragrance (like so many of the Ormonde Jayne scents), but it isn't something I would wear often.

It's like deep dark woods with violets( not the sweet kind)- very unique and i think it could be unisex..not something i would buy a fb of just because of personal preferences but it's certainly pleasant.

I've been wanting to try this for a long time, both because of it's good reviews and because of i'ts chypre status, which I must try :-)

After three wearings I can say this is one I could have passed on. Initially I thought it interesting, but (and this is my comment for all of her perfumes), the vetiver in the drydown is just too stinky.

I'll put up wiht a little stink if I get a good middle act, but I don't here. Jasmine to my nose rises or falls based on the supporting cast, which is just too heavy in this one.

I ended up getting frustrated and set this aside.

This scent consists of green and burnt woods—there are NO powders, musks, florals, fruits, or spices. This is a demanding and austere fragrance.

Think Anna Wintour. This is most likely what she smells like. Somehow, I mean it in a nice way.

I adore this fragrance because it is so unique. I do wish it had a bit more staying power, but that won't keep me from buying a bottle.

Wish I could agree with all the positive reviews but I do not feel the same way about this fragrance. It is a stinker to me. The top notes are overpowering and the rest of the dry down becomes a bit rank on my skin. I would suggest testing this before purchase. It can be definitely a scent that needs the right chemistry to wear it.

Ormonde Woman goes on a bit soft and needs a little time to reveal itself on your skin. How do I know this? I applied, couldn't smell it, reapplied, still couldn't smell it and applied some more. About 30 minutes later, whoosh! There it was, in spades!

Fortunately, it's a beautiful and delicate scent and I suspect it would be difficult to over-apply it.

I have tried Ta'if and Woman and I must say, Woman agrees with me much better. I'm not a huge fan of the Floral Woody Musk category but this perfume is breathtaking. Grassy green, with soft woods and fragile flowers. In spite of its subtlety, it has great persistance. I applied it almost 12 hours ago and I can still smell it on my wrist. It's one of the nicest scents I've had the opportunity to try this year.

It's just Impossible not to respect this perfume, very unconventional particularly as women's signature scent. The anther one that I tried properly is Tolu, and I like Ormonde Woman much more I think.
Very green scent, grass is particularly detectable in first notes, almost oily, than later on I don't feel it. In general it is very woody green smell, very dry with bitter spices. When wearing it I feel myself close to the nature, or walking in evergreen forest on a cold day.

Starts with a lovely piney and grass top notes that fade back for a more heavy oriental. It's just too heavy in the end for me, but I wish those opening notes would linger because they're lovely.

Oh yes, I agree with you, Leesee, unusual and remarkable, spicy-woody-fresh and warm at the same time. Dreamy, like a romantic walk in the woods.

It's woody-green for me, juicy and spicy at the beginning, but freshness doesn't leave you, it combines with such delicate airy floral which are not explicit, but like a fresh dewy grass and tiny flowers in it.
A wonderful scent I do wish to be mine.

To describe this fragrance adequately is akin to the act of not dying but going to heaven anyway. It is nigh impossible! From the initial cool, sylvan mist that rises up when you apply the scent to the warm and satiny woody-floral drydown, this fragrance performs the nearly impossible feat of being comforting, exhilarating, and alluring all at once. I have many great scents and love them all dearly but this is the one scent I own of which I am actually a little in awe.