Luxury Men's Fragrances by Ormonde Jayne

If you are looking for a fragrance that relies solely on the merit of its scent rather than the hint of a rich and beautiful lifestyle so many perfume adverts now entice us with, then London Perfumery Ormande Jayne is your man.

Named partly after the terrace where Linda Jayne Pilkington set up her own home as a perfume lab, the ingredients used are quality oils and absolutes sourced worldwide, some still not widely used in the Western perfume industry.

The first of the three perfumes for men Linda created is:

Ormonde Man

Top notes: Juniper berry, bergamot, pink pepper, cardamom and coriander seeds

Heart: Oudh and black hemlock

Base: Vetiver, cedar, sandalwood and musk

It’s as though all the top notes are jumping around to grab your attention saying ‘Smell me! Smell me!’ But then they seem to exhaust themselves and settle down and let the smooth sweet heart   blend take over.

It is the infusion of Oudh oil which gives Ormonde Man its distinctive sweet woody aromatic fragrance.  Oudh is usually an acquired taste but like all acquired tastes, once you’ve acquired it you’ll be hooked.  It’s definitely a smooth operator.

Oudh has always been highly valued in the Oriental and Arabic cultures and when Ormonde man was launched in Nov 2004, it was one of the ingredients not widely used in the West.  But now it’s all the rage!

Gentlemen - A note of warning! Keep your Ormonde Man under lock and key unless you don’t mind sharing. This is a fragrance the ladies like to wear too, probably because it doesn’t smell too woody or citrus like your average men’s fragrance.

Ormonde Man is available in eau de parfum (50ml £70), hydrating bath & shower crème (200ml £28), essential bathing oil (100ml £49), replenishing body lotion (200ml £35), travel kit ( 4x10ml vials £56)  and large multi wick scented candles with silver lid and base. (100hrs burning time £184)

Isfarkand – a name derived from a mixture of the cities of Isfahan in Iran and Samarkand in Uzbekistan. This cologne based fragrance was launched in 2006 and in the same year was voted the best scent by Wallpaper.

Travel kit

Top notes: Lime, mandarin and bergamot

Heart: Pink Pepper

Base: Cedar, vetiver and moss.

This one is a fast worker! The blast of top citrus notes quickly makes way for the highly pink peppery heart notes. The peppery scent lingers alone before blending with the richer damp moss notes, the earthy vetiver and the drier cedar notes.  As it settles it becomes soft and powdery with the peppery notes fading in to the background, whilst the dry cedar wood makes a lasting impression.

Available in the following: eau de parfum (50ml £70), travel kit (4x10ml vials£56) and shampoo & body wash (temporarily out of stock)

Zizan is the latest of the men’s fragrances, again cologne based fragrance and launched in Nov 2009

Top notes: Sicilian lime, lemon, bergamot, clary, sage, pink pepper and juniper berry.

Heart: Bay, violet and jasmine

Base: Vetiver, cedar, musk and amber

This zingy fragrance is grounded by the earthy aroma of three types of vetiver, hence the fragrance’s name Zizan which was taken from the Latin word zizanoide meaning vetiver.

 Zizan was launched as a result of many customers asking for a vetiver based fragrance similar to Eau de Sauvage. Vetiver is a perennial grass native to India but is now also cultivated in Haiti, Reunion and Java. The oil distilled from its roots is used in perfumes. The aroma is deep, sweet, woody and earthy.

This one has stamina! The strong citrus top notes are there for the long haul, lingering with the heart notes before they slowly mellow and allow the sweeter base notes to take centre stage.

This is probably the strongest and longer lasting of all the three fragrances.

Zizan is available in eau de parfum  (50ml £70) and travel kit (4 x 10ml vials £56)

Since leaving her humble yet beautifully scented home, Linda now owns two London boutiques with striking black lacquered interiors and her perfumes are also available from the opulent Harrods Perfume Hall.

However some things haven’t changed - each product is still created by Linda and the bottling and packaging is still by hand but now in her British workshop rather than in her home.

Ormonde Jayne’s flagship boutique is at 12 The Royal Arcade and her new and larger store at 192 Pavillion Rd just off Sloane Square.  For more information check out the website: www.ormondejayne.com