Description
Created in 2004 by Jean-Claude Ellena, Hermessence is a collection of unique
fragrances conceived as olfactory poems using perfuming’s most exclusive
elements. As sober and intense as Japanese haiku, they reinvent a nature that is
as precious as it is unusual, as if rendered by the inspired writing of a composer
in search of the new.
Enriched each time the perfumer discovers a new country, a language,
a culture or simply extraordinary new ingredients, as of today the line
consists of eight fragrances, exclusively available in Hermès stores.
Osmanthe Yunnan: conceived after a visit to the Forbidden City of Beijing, this
is a silky alchemy of osmanthus petals and Chinese tea whose flowers release
facets of freesia and dried apricot.The delicate aromas of tea “lead us by the nose
to the Imperial Palace…” Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan was launched in 2005.
kyriakos – :
As stated below: jelly beans and tea. It dries down to a very beautiful floral which stays close to this skin for 8+ hours. Genuinely adore this one. Just wish I could own it.
Duatods – :
This opens on a beautiful, juicy, sour-sweet, sort of boozy orange that almost smells Grand Marnier-inspired. The tea is quick to appear: it’s herbal and light, and it takes this perfume into a more refreshing direction. The soft leather and jammy apricot round it up and warm it up slightly, so this isn’t just another easy-wear summer scent. In my opinion it’s that added body that gives the scent its true character. I can’t smell freesia or osmanthus specifically, just rich floral notes not unlike what you get in high-quality white teas (which, now that I think of it, also frequently feature apricot in their bouquet).
As usual with Ellena, this is a sheer, sparkling scent with a good dose of poise and class. It skews a bit more casual than some of his other perfumes but it’s still elegant and refined. This scent won’t wear you, but it will make you want to spend these extra ten minutes in front of the mirror so you look as crisp as it smells.
sharky2806 – :
I love the brilliant and talented Jean Claude, and this is a beautiful apricot tea scent. But it’s gone in 25 minutes. Boo.
koss041972 – :
The nice lady at the Hermes boutique in Short Hills graciously loaded me up with samples to try. Sprayed this on (four sprays from the factory vial) after a brisk shower and was rewarded with bright orange over a floral mist that I’m guessing would have to be Osmanthe. Before I could put the vial down, the scent was gone. Just…gone. I tried spraying some more including on my shirt. Nope! Gone in 60 seconds. I thought it might be me being nose blind to this fragrance so I asked my wife to borrow her nose. Same result. Nothing. Nada. Nyet. Giving up on this one. Maybe there is something wrong with the sample, but if there is even a one percent chance that the entire fragrance in a two hundred plus dollar bottle could just disappear, count me out!
I have too much respect for Hermes to rate this a deserved 0 out of 5, so I’m giving this the benefit of every doubt and calling it a defective sample.
loppol – :
Subtle and gorgeous. Deeply comforting tea, stewed fruit, and light floral smell. Probably 10% too feminine for my personal tastes, but I think about this one a lot, and sometimes bop into the Hermes store specifically to smell it. One of the very best in the line, IMHO, with JCE’s intentionally light touch.
Mega_F1 – :
Classic Jean Claude Ellena’s scam : beautiful yet so transparent it’s non existent which is a shame for a product from the higher end Hermessence line (and price).
My opinion mirrors what mister_chaz and Buysblind said below.
Thank God, I only tried a sample.
UPDATE 2018-09:
Well I proceeded with further try outs with my little 5ml decant. I tried it with a variety of climate and I must confess that I may have been too severe with this Hermessence (and JCE). It’s definitely a VERY subtle scent, totally different from those fog horn scents à la TOM FORD, you know the louder is better, keep it coming, massive bombastic sillage type of thing. No. This is a very subtle perfume if there ever was one. It creates a sort of smooth osmanthus aura floating delicately all around and following you. The right time for it is when the temp is ~ 19 °C I’d say. It’s certainly pretty and not as fleeting as I made it sound earlier. It’s there with you with a delicate and not overbearing presence, like a shy yet intensely lovely little babe: it hides when it doesn’t know you, and you need to gently tame it over time. Don’t rush it. Give it time, the right time. Only then it may eat in your own hand and reveal its glory. This is for real connoisseur for sure. Almost a contemplative esthetic experience.
goryainov-1986 – :
Since I started to have a interest in perfumes, I knew Hermès was my favorite house. I love the Jardin line and many others. There is something enigmatic about each of their creations, and even the perfumes I would never wear or buy, I somehow admire. But I’m a person who unfortunately get sick of perfumes very easily, so it’s hard for me to finish a bottle (I always buy the 30ml size, but still). Also, I don’t like perfumes with sillage, I tend to prefer colognes and edt’s and like easy going perfumes. They can be green, citrus, florals, even woody and vanilla I love. I would say I like all “families” of perfumes. BUT I like very, VERY few perfumes. I’m the kind of person who can NEVER blind buy.
So I decided to buy a box from Hermès with 4x15ml, from any scent of the brand. I picked up Sur le Toit, Monsieur Li, Jour d’Hermès and… I could not decide for the last one! Then I decided to get one from the Hermessence line, but I didn’t like any of them enough to buy. Until Osmanthe Yunnan!
I’m in love with this scent. I cannot describe it in notes, but I get the floral, the fruit and the green and the same time. It has a green roughness that I love, but it’s still delicate. It’s floral, but not in a vintage way. It’s fruity, but not sweet. Yet, it has so much PERSONALITY! I’ve never smelled anything like it, so it’s very distinctive. It’s not a scent that could be anything, any brand. Yet it’s not invasive, not intoxicating, it could be wore by all ages, I believe, but it tends to the feminine side in my opinion. I would also wear it the whole year, it has freshness for summer and depth for winter. Would not recommend blind buying.
kartel_ – :
This is the first Jean Claude Ellena scent for Hermes that I feel like I get. It’s a very nice tea scent with leather and apricot. It’s beautiful and interesting and I enjoyed the different phases for the few hours that it lasted.
Still, it didn’t exactly rock my world. It’s quite fleeting as others have noted, lasting maybe four hours on me. Also, it was disappointing not to be able to detect osmanthus. I was so excited to try this after reading Luca Turin comparing it favorably to the different company’s Osmanthus, a new love, but it was far more tea than osmanthus. Sometimes I think people vote for notes based on what they think they are supposed to smell rather than what’s there.
torshentsev – :
Not sure if I like this or not. On one hand, it’s a gorgeous green apricot scent, clean, non-artificial, feminine, almost angelic. On the other hand – my god it’s WEAK! Maybe one has to shower in this or something, but it has almost zero projection. Unless I press my nose onto my skin, it remains almost undetected. Too bad, because the scent is truly beautiful…
skyliner – :
I know how you feel Buysblind. The same thing happened to me after reading Luca Turins book saying this was one of the top 50 fragrances ever made. And I love tea fragrances. I was so mad at it’s projection and longevity. I couldn’t even sell it to anyone afterwards so I would just bathe in it, spraying 9 to 10 times each wearing to just get some kind of smell from it until I had finally used it up. I regret not getting Guerlain’s Les Voyages Olfactifs Tokyo, which has sadly been discontinued. Guerlain’s Tokyo was a much more beautiful tea scent with lasting power and you got more for your money. It originally came in a 6.7oz bottle. I am still mad about my decision to buy the Hermes.
chasop2002 – :
I have to put my foot down here and call a spade a spade as I just wasted $250 on a blind buy of Osmanthe Yunnan. First of all, take all the high praise this has received and push it to the side, because none of it matters when YOU CAN’T EVEN SMELL THE SCENT 10 MINUTES AFTER APPLYING IT! This is one of the worst examples “transparency” I’ve come across in perfumery. It is so light as to basically be imperceptible. Even as a skin scent it is extremely light. And it’s BORING. It’s highlight is a 2 minute flash of a juicy orange and apricot smell, and that’s the extent of anything remotely interesting about this scent. The juicy orange quickly dies down, and now, barely breathing, emanating about 1 millimeter off of your skin you may smell a vague, floral apricot smell. It gets even quieter and then Osmanthe Yunnan turns into what smells like a dull piece of suede leather or very bland, unremarkable “tea.” As I’ve mentioned, all of this occurs on the skin, but not a millimeter beyond it. Well, it’s a personal scent. NO, It’s not. I can’t even smell it for my own personal enjoyment. And when I can smell it it’s all so unremarkable. Really, this was a huge let down. If you absolutely need to get your nose on this, make sure to sample it. It is not a safe blind buy. I’ve heard so many euphemisms used to describe OY: ‘sheer,’ ‘transparent,’ ‘gossamer,’ ‘like silk’ and I have to shake my head and ask “why?” Just be honest with yourselves and the public–this stuff is WEAK. No way around it. Thumbs down.
Domeorido – :
Now, I can start this off by saying that I truly don’t know what osmanthus is or what it smells like. I will attempt to review this from what I know, and only that – no pretension.
Firstly, what I smell is peach jelly beans. What this does is transport me back to my childhood where I would eat only the peach and black jelly beans. It’s really quite remarkable.
Secondly, this lasts longer than all the Hermessence range. The sales associate at Hermes gave me samples of each of their range, and I decided I had to have this (along with Brin des Reglisse, Cuir d’Ange, Paprika Brasil and Rose Ikabana)
It stays very close to the skin, but it’s such a joy to sniff every once in a while.
Quite beautiful
kolyan.vinogradovvvv – :
This is heartbreakingly gorgeous, and the tea is so genuine, so photorealistic, it feels like I’m cradling a hot cup of golden tip yunnan under an apricot tree. Serene, balanced, inviting, warm – osmanthus blossoms floating in fragrant steam for teatime of the soul. I can honestly forgive the price tag for this one, and I’m planning on saving for the largest bottle I can get my hands on, it’s that glorious. Osmanthus/apricot opening, underscored by golden-black swirls of rich, malty black tea, dancing and softening and weaving in and out of perception like sunlight playing on the surface of warm dark wood. Aaron H’s comment about tea houses is so spot-on! This perfume really does transport you.
The main complaint I see here is regarding longevity and sillage, and to that I say pish posh! I think Osmanthe Yunnan is necessarily intimate and close to the skin. Sometimes it’s not about ostentatious fragrance clouds. Although, if that’s what you prefer, stick to Tom Ford, and take a gander at THOSE price tags. To each their own!
Osmanthe Yunnan is ultimately very refined and tremendously personal, in the same way a cup of tea can be used to enhance one’s solitude. Meditative, soft, beyond beautiful. Peace and contentment in a bottle.
dagi05 – :
This is so, so good. I agree with previous reviewers – probably the best tea fragrance out there. It is an intimate scent; it stays close to the skin and is best worn to please oneself, rather than to impress.
joq555JeomiWogkig – :
Heavenly Attraction by Farshchian
baglai7 – :
This is one of the best, if not THE best tea based fragrance I have ever smelled. So clean and refreshing, floral and green. The tea wakes it up a bit, but in a clear-eyed, calming way, and beautifully balanced.
I agree with a previous reviewer who described this as a 10/10 fragrance with a 1/10 performance. It’s such a shame. If it weren’t so expensive, I’d buy it anyway. Performance doesn’t matter much to me – but when it’s a skin scent within 10 minutes of putting it on… that’s a problem I can’t really get past.
As far as fragrance vs performance, the winner for the Hermessence line is still Ambre Narguile.
dmitrii_serg – :
This is very beautiful, crystal clear but without the clang. More like clear water, cool and limpid. Tea and a wonderful floral, but with neither sharpness nor sweetness. Unfortunately, it’s just too quiet a fragrance for me. I can smell it on purpose, as an experiential indulgence and pleasure (like one does with a tester) but I can’t wear it, it’s not there enough.
mil_war – :
My joy, my goddess, my forever beloved!!! My love and devotion to you shall never die!!
zerg – :
One more great frag of JC Ellena.
Like the Guerlain frags Paris-Tokyo and Neroli Outrenoir, the tea notes come first for quite a while, and then leave the scene for fantastic floral & fruity scents. I really like this kind of sequences.
Regarding the question of the price addressed here by many contributors, I think that this frag qualifies for something between upscale EDTs and EDPs, so a house like Hermes looks like being kind of “in the money” (at least for the 15 ml carry around bag flacon or the 200 ml bottle).
RADARR – :
The opening of this perfume alone is worth the price of admission. A few years ago, I first met real osmanthus in Japan in late spring, and was driven half mad running around trying to find the source of the amazing smell. Well, it has been captured in this bottle, although it will disappear in as little as 20 seconds.
The rest of the fragrance is a relatively wearable peach and white tea accord, very soft and quite pleasant, even as it dries down. Like a bottled up Hermes silk square.
sidjakoff – :
Now I know what it’s like to be anosmic! Never thought I would completely miss the entire fragrance, like almost every single note of it. After heavy application I am still trying hard to catch the smell of Osmanthe Yunnan, barely recognizing a fading scent of overripe fallen apricots with ants around and nothing, nothing else.
Pereheels – :
Yunnan :A province in Southwest China,the ”Kingdom of plants”.A region where Yunnan Imperial tea is produced.Osmanthus is a bush bearing small flowers with an unforgettable scent (apricot scent).Tea,flowers and fruits…seductive!
QWERT1978 – :
I bought a bottle of this for my vacation in Hawaii and have been wearing it daily now for a week or so. It is a perfect summer or tropical vacation scent. The first note one smells is orange/tangerine which quickly morphs into an effervescent floral tea note which is quite green, not in any way white floral. I sniff my wrist repeatedly after application because it is so beautiful. For a brief moment I considered the possibility that I was sniffing away the whole fragrance – sucking it up into oblivion because it just was not lasting on my skin. I had to reapply repeatedly throughout the day. I am now halfway done the bottle. The performance is more in keeping with that expected of a Jo Malone fragrance. Beautiful but short-lived and no sillage. Projection is non-existent. This is a 10/10 fragrance with 1/10 performance.
drnikol1 – :
Exploring my sample of Osmanthe Yunnan for the second time around and I must admit my first attempt at this got an immediate NO WAY and thumbs down. It smelled green and vegetal with a bit of weird citrus zest. It just didn’t seem cohesive. I love real osmanthus (my massage spa keeps them in a bowl) Several months later Im trying it again and at first sniff I was still not feeling it but within short order I got this fresh orange zest, not juicy or edible. Next the lovely sweet osmanthus petals appear, quite realistic I might add, sending the orange into the background but not gone. OY continues to evolve and finally the gourmet tea leaves brings it all together into this lovely sweet uniquely fruity-floral tea delight. I dont’ get any noticeable leather or freesia. This is not at all like the typical fruity-florals we’ve all come to expect and many cases enjoy. I can’t believe I didn’t experience this the first time around but I’m glad I gave it another chance. It now is a LOVE and on my “must have” list.
frank001 – :
I like the strong orange opening, but for some reason, the combination of osmanthus and tea in this reminds me of walking down the aisles of the home goods section at Marshall’s. What can you do about olfactory associations? Nothing. And this smells smack of scented candles and disinfectant to me.
That’s too bad because it’s delicate, and I can see this working for someone, but not for me. Or at that price, perhaps it’s not so bad at all.
sablinoleg – :
The opening is a mist of sweet orange (the best orange note in perfumery in my experience) and dry, almost dusty osmanthus tea. Unlike many “refreshing” tea scents, this is not iced green with a sprig of mint, this is a steaming pot of golden yunnan whose scent rises in curls from the cup.
In the heat it retains more of the juiciness from the orange and apricot notes, while in cold weather it projects more leather and black tea. I actually find it lingers well on clothing, especially on sweaters. It’s also a very versatile, quiet, almost introspective scent- great for warm sunny days, comforting on rainy days, and excellent for museums, outdoor walks, or any time you want a calming, earthy scent.
While many say this vanishes instantly, I find that it doesn’t disappear entirely…rather it fades and then wafts in and out unexpectedly, more like hearing a song in your head than carrying a boombox on your shoulder.
Cewsmunse – :
‘Osmanthe Yunnan’ captures the many nuances and facets of the osmanthus blossoms’ scent with its stunning citrus-floral fragrance. It opens to a delicious unification of mellow orange and delicate tea notes. This orange is subtle and provides a gentle sweet citrus note. The tea note is beautifully rendered with vegetal and subtle smokey facets. Osmanthus blossom can be noticed next within the floral heart. Ellena has amplified upon the scent of the osmanthus flower which carries with it hints of freesia and dried apricot. It is a very sweet, floral odor with honeyed and milky facets. The included apricot note further heightens this, imparting a succulent, juicy quality. Freesia, another highly fragrant flower, is added to compliment the osmanthus scent profile. The overall character is clean with a degree of soapy facets. A faint hint of leather is included in the base to help ground all the effervescent notes. The animalic leather is perfectly paired to the osmanthus’s indolic qualities, rendering a suede-like texture to the scent. (Re-review)
See my more in depth review at my personal blog:
Fragranceemergency.blogspot.com
LuckyStrike – :
Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan opens to me with it’s soft and a bit dry apricot basenote. Then there is very shortlived but exiting dance with milky chinese jasmin the’ and something fresher and a bit suprising I just can’t figure out.
This fragrance has a vintage vibe to it. My imagination takes me to a garden. A mature lady. Her honey blond hair in fingerwaves. She is dressed i flowery chiffong dress in a nude blush colour. Arranging flowers. Contemplating. There is no rush. Her presence is not of a expressive sort, she is a caregiver with a soft voice and dry hands, she is a introvert but not shy, a person who likes to have her time and space to herself. Every Hermes scent I have tried has a very luxe feeling to it. That is also the case with Osmanthe Yunnan.The longevity is very poor. I think a perfume must preform better if you want to invest in a full size bottle.
I think this scent is suitable for daytime spring and autum wear.
Therceecofe – :
After a brief citrus opening, Hermès Osmanthe Yunnan soon settles into a black tea fragrance on me. The tea here is relatively dry, slightly smokey and a bit peppery at times, and it feels quite realistic with its leafy texture. I also get a vague floral nuance from time to time, which makes it a nice cup of flower tea.
In contrast, the osmanthus is not very pronounced on my skin. It’s not the intoxicating scent of a whole street of blooming osmanthus bushes to begin with. When I make a tea from dried osmanthus flowers, it emits a sort of non-sweet jelly-like aroma, and I only get glimpse of it at times in Osmanthe Yunnan.
The black tea starts to fade after about 4 hours, which leaves more space for other notes to play. I can’t particularly discern the leather and the apricot, but I do get the sort of dried apricot skin effect.
The sillage is soft and the longevity is around 7 hours. I approached Osmanthe Yunnan for my osmanthus craving and was unfortunately disappointed by its lack of the namesake flower. However, once I regard it as a black tea fragrance, it’s actually well executed and very charming. I’d recommend it as a natural black tea fragrance.
andrey535911 – :
one of the best scent for woman in the summer
zesty, fruity (the osmanthus, the real, recalls the apricot aromas) and balsamic
the silage isn’t great but this one of the signatures of Ellena
janik88 – :
HEAVEN, but only for an hour. Opens with wonderful grapefruit (notes list orange, but to me it was grapefruity), then has a beautiful apricot phase that is above all others, then high-end black tea. So gorgeous, but could only buy a FB if money was no object I could spritz with abandon.
edik9114 – :
very light , is very light i can’t emphasize that enough zero sillage , it is lovely and there is something that reminds me of bvlgari green tea , the nose is the same but osmanthe is more grown up than green tea , is nice i just wish the sillage was better
sergo555 – :
I would probably never buy this perfume for myself. Or at least that’s what I would have said based on these reviews. First off it isn’t a perfume that I like note wise. I’m more into woody, deep, rich scents. Also I like perfumes that project and hang around. Once again looking at these reviews, this isn’t one of those.
Let this be an example to me of changing my mind
I was going through a wardrobe and found a big sample of this and another from the collection called santal massoie or something like that…I read about both here, thinking to myself, well this isn’t something I’ll like, but I’ll give it a try.
Boy was I wrong…
I love this light, bouncy, cheerful tea smell. It’s made for either men or woman, and this really seems to go between the two sexes…one minute it’s light and flirtatious, the next it’s a little smokey and more masculine. It’s just really pleasant. And boy does it last! At least on my skin it does. Sprayed two blasts on my chest before bed and woke up the next morning with it still flooding my head. Projection seems mild.
At the price this costs, I still probably wouldn’t buy a full bottle, but I’m very glad to have found a few millilitres. And I’m also glad to have a perfume that has caused my perception and assumption to vere from reality
Scent 8/10
Projection 5/10
Fortitude 8/10…contrary to many reviews here, it lasts well on my skin
kuz357Diobtetty – :
Practically the scent of money.
It smells vastly, unmistakably expensive; of women who never hurry, and only work if they choose to.
It opens sharp and fresh, with notes of sweet apricot and tea.
It mellows to something that balances precariously close to powdery but manages to stay on the right side, if only just. The sweetness also becomes more important at this stage. Not stronger, but somehow more significant.
I don’t pick up the osmanthus very clearly – osmanthus blooms are pretty distinctive and I don’t get them here.
Nor would I agree that this perfume smalls of yunnan tea specifically (I drank nothing but yunnan tea for about 15 years, and while it is certainly clean and elegant in a similar manner, it also has smoky overtones that this fragrance does not.) The tea here is black.
Sillage is fair – not overly powerful but quite distinct. It sits “just so” on the nose of someone nearby.
Longevity is not great – I thought it had gone within three hours, but eight hours later there is still a recognisable trace on my skin, little more than a memory.
This is an extremely distinctive and very worthwhile fragrance, although I doubt I could wear it regularly.
Edit: and when I wrote this, I din’t even know what a bottle of this perfume cost… sheesh…
gorlum89 – :
I get fizzy osmanthus for 5 minutes, then a whisper of faint tea, and then it’s all but gone.
Shon1273 – :
Very beautiful fragrance! Love at first sight! Soft and lovely. Osmanthus, peach and tea: what a beautiful mix. Feels like spring but very soft with minimal longevity. Another amazing creation from Jean-Claude Ellena but unfortunately not worth the price to me. Just wished the sillage would not be so soft…
Altair86 – :
A lovely, warm, natural floral…
A really lovely fragrance which captures the nuances of the osmanthus plant, and gives the impression of hot tea. It’s a very warm and slightly fruity fragrance, and I think this comes from the apricot mixed with the osmanthus itself (osmanthus flower is purported to smell like apricots and Jean-Claude Ellena often uses similar note pairings to enhance the effect of a single note). He has paired the apricot with the osmanthus in the same way that he paired liquorice with lavender and other similar combinations.
The tea and freesia make the fragrance light and airy, with a tang of orange and hint of leather which blends really well with the skin. Overall I like it, and I do get the impression of China with this. For example drinking tea in a Chinese garden in Yunnan surrounded by osmanthus bushes. Or equally a cup of osmanthus tea. I think that is the impression I get from this.
Definitely a floral fragrance of unmistakable quality, yet as with all Hermèssence creations, this one stays close to the skin. Worth trying for sure!
volodimir – :
Light, airy and feminine. Great casual daytime scent – highly unlikely to offend in close quarters making it very office appropriate. It may even be perceived as just a clean aroma. Nice use of apricot, freesia and herbal tea notes. Makes it feel very fresh. Great for hot summer days when you just want a whisper of scent. Longevity sucks though so I will be layering over my BBW Sheer Freesia scented body lotion. Should be a perfect pairing.
Scent 8/10
Longevity 5/10
sillage 4/10 (not a bad thing in my book though)
vitalijjshvager – :
i could see someone wearing this during spring whilst they are out and about enjoying their day.
it has a carefree light and uplifting aroma.
personally i love orange scents and this one does it quite well. i do get a tea and some freesia.
a very light and beautiful fragrance. though quite feminine. i have to admit i do not have any idea what osmanthe is supposed to smell like. but i do get a clean crisp floral.
not a bad perfume i just wished it lasted longer.
*and i don’t have fragrance eating skin so i know this one is a weak performer.
sillage 5/10
longevity 5/10
i would not buy this even if it was $40.
but i do like the way it smells. :/
mrkara – :
Exquisite, as so many other people have said. This perfume gives off an air of calm refinement, delicacy and balance. I especially admire the way the tea note is handled in OY because it is refreshing without ever becoming too sharp or sour. Wearing OY, I feel relaxed but alert. (It’s ideal for a job interview, actually.)It wears best in warm weather; a bit of exercise makes it bloom beautifully on skin.
Whether Osmanthe Yunnan is worth the hefty price depends on whether you believe that good sillage and longevity are integral to the appeal of a fragrance. I tend to. But whatever I think, Osmanthus Yunnan is outside my price range. Even if I were to save up for a full bottle I could only use it in summer and would still need a decant to carry around for reapplication. Osmanthe Yunan is not a practical or versatile fragrance, but it is still an extraordinarily beautiful one.
SoulDF – :
Osmanthe Yunnan – indeed this is the improved version of TDC Osmanthus and much better! If you found TDC osmanthus interesting and wonderful but find it to girly, osmanthe Yunnan is for you (now, I only need the money for this, haha)
mmmmm – :
This is beautiful for a few minutes. Then…gone! Pretty pricey for what is essentially a skin scent before you get out of the house.
seriks5 – :
LOOOOOOVE this one, ive tried lots of osmanthe perfumes, but none of them can actually have real osmanthe smell, not even this one…
but what beautiful of this one is the fragrance is floating in the air gives me a very fairy feeling and that’s what i feel when i standing in the osmanthe woods, not too much not too less
i wont pick this one as an everyday perfume, but it does fit some special days.
exarcun – :
Elegant, refined and exotic come to mind upon sampling this stunning fragrance from Jean-Claude Ellena. Osmanthus blossom takes center stage with its “jasmine-esque” scent which is punctuated with a luscious stone fruit accord (apricot, peach and nectarine). Again here as in his other Hermessence offerings, Ellena does such a masterful job at blending that it is difficult to pick out separate notes from within the overall fragrance. In my opinion, Osmanthe Yunnan is much more floral and much less tea-laden. Would likely be a show stopper in summer, holding up well against hot/humid climates (perhaps even amplifying its radiance). My only drawback with the fragrance is that it seems rather light on sillage and projection. Perhaps Ellena intended it to invoke an aura of inward reflection/meditation upon its wearers; a moment to detox the mind and rejuvenate the senses. (98)
Galeon – :
Osmanthus bushes are planted all over the city of Hangzhou. I love taking a walk at night when they’re in bloom. The osmanthus flowers delicately scent the evening air to the tune of chirping cicadas. The scent drifts in and out of my consciousness between the spoken and quiet moments of our walk. Unlike the lily or gardenia, osmanthus flowers have such a light scent that you have to focus to really notice its beauty.
Such is the quality of the osmanthus note in Osmanthe Yunnan. You’re only aware of its presence during quiet contemplative moments to yourself. Needless to say, this is one of those “just for me” perfumes, as there is neither projection nor sillage. Although, if money was no object, that could be remedied by dousing yourself with it. A perfect fragrance for a languid summer evening. The summer sun is just too bright and loud for this delicate little scent.
fedotovAw – :
Chinese tea houses – the old ones – have a particular scent to them. I think it has to do with the old wood tabletops, chairs and floors that have had tea spilled on them through many years. It also has to do with the people and the variety of fabrics not to mention the variety of tea on display in wooded cubbies. This fragrance doesn’t duplicate that smell but it almost suggests it. Which makes my brain fill in the blanks and almost makes it more real than real.
I went into a Hermes shop to buy another bottle of Eau D`Orange Verte which I ran out of and ended up walking out with this one too. This was literally love at first sniff as well as being teleported 1200 miles in a milisecond into the past.
It is dried white tea fresh and the apricot is beautiful. Nothing artificially sweet about it. It’s moist and has a bit of citrus. When you sniff it for the first time you can feel the fuzz on the peach skin just before you take a bite but it’s sooo much more. It has this strange acidic milky quality wafting in the background – familiar to anyone who has smelled the evaporating liquid while homemade mozzarella cheese is being made. But, in a super fresh, subtle and silky sort of way.
This is a fragrance I wear to transport myself – even for a split second – to a foreign place and time. This is a fragrance that smells so unlike anything else yet conjurers up memories of specific & familiar scents. This is more magic than wearable fragrance to me, although it is absolutely wearable.
ahat – :
Osmanthe Yunnan smells like I have sat down in a fresh field to eat apricots, with a thermos of green tea to which I generously add wildlower honey. There is also a note of smooth, warm skin (the leather impression?), which makes it unisex. I’m wearing this on my arm although my dress is scented with the unisex animalic musc ravageur, and they are playing nicely. I see how Ellena is at the top of his nosy game, because this scent is so finely wrought that it doesn’t entirely succumb to the scented-candle aspect it also has. (This aspect is also what prevents me from loving this fragran