New Fragrances: Olympic Orchids “Thrill of Discovery”+ Orchid Thief Draw

I discovered Olympic Orchids website a few weeks ago and am now smitten (in doing so I learned about Ellen Covey, la nez, who is not only a genius but is a real life Orchid Thief). There is such beauty in her fragrances, (one cannot cover them all in one post and yes I own samples of each one), so I have chosen a few of my favorites from both her Orchid Perfumes and Scents of Place collections.

 

Arizona, with the notes given thus: “ponderosa pine, juniper, sagebrush and chaparral with just the slightest hint of high desert wildflowers.”

  

Oh, but this really is the perfume I have been looking for for years and years and years! It is the Southern California (and, too, apparently Arizona) high country. The incense cedars. The sun-warmed pine-needles basking in the sun. It is the sage and the junipers. I can hear the wind in the tall trees. I can see the blazing blue sky. It is all there. It is all true!

Ever since I found it, I am wearing Arizona obsessively. I keep sniffing my arm as it warms and diffuses and fades (and btw, this is absolutely marvelous on fabric. Clings and lasts and changes and every time I catch a whiff I could cry with joy over this perfume).  For me, Olympic Orchid’s Arizona is an olfactory interpretation of this poem: 

In The Mountains

 "The sun today was so unspeakably intense

 And bright and brilliant in a sky as blue

 As clear as lucid as hot molten glass

 That I can think of nothing else besides

 (Except the sound of wind high in the pines)

 So molten was the sky so clear the sun

 So brilliant and so hot and bright and blue

 So lucid and intense the day and, too,

 Just so unspeakable and just so new". –T.A. Tomax

Arizona is, without a doubt, my new favorite perfume. It is at once the most evocative (to me) and the most traditionally masculine of Olympic Orchids’ perfume offerings I’ve tried so far. (Christmas shopping hint: if your man – or woman – is into non-sweet coniferous forest scents, this is the one to gift them with.)

Gujarat. According to the website: “Gujarat is a full scale Bollywood extravagaza (made with just about every spice you can name and some you probably never even heard of, softened and sweetened with exotic tropical flowers, supported on a base of smoky woods, resins, and balms, and garnished with a dash of chili and a twist of lime.”

 

This is a potent, base-heavy brew: a blast of chili and spice softening into woody, gently patchouli-embroidered, ambery coziness with a bite.  Something a bit charred runs through this composition, breaking it up from dense into strangely airy. For me, this is another “can’t stop sniffing my arm” perfume, expertly done. I have no doubt that those of you who actually have been to India will want to try Gujarat. want to try  

 Now to Orchids….

Golden Cattleya on the other hand, is an oriental. Now, I don’t do oriental perfumes, but this, oh, this… It is actually one of Ellen Covey’s perfumes modeled on the scent of orchids (viz: the orchid Golden Cattleya).  Her website states: “The scent of this orchid is pure gold – narcissus, daffodil, orange fruit, orange blossoms, honey, pollen, and cream soda combine with amber-tinged resins and musks to create a warm and long-lasting aura like late afternoon sunshine.”

The above description is a good one, and I actually don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything like this. It is lush, nay – plush! – sensual, honeyed, slightly vanillic, dense, yet with a ringing clear note that slowly melts into musk and something a bit raunchy (and I confess that I am ever a fan of a tinge of raunch in my perfumes.) I wonder if there is saffron in this as well (since it does in the far dry-down, very faintly remind me of L’Artisan Parfumeur Safran Troublant. Golden Cattleya, the perfume, is, indeed, golden. And much as I don’t wear orientals, I am wearing this!

Disclaimer: These reviews are based on the sampler I purchased. 

  

Ellen graciously offered a set of 2 ml deluxe sample set of all 4 Olympic Orchids scents for a draw or  2ml  samples of Arizona and Gujaret, so there are two winners:  In order to be eligible  please  leave a comment about which Orchid perfume appeals to you or leave a comment about an olfactive memory you associate with a place. Please specify your choice in your comment. Draw ends Monday November 21, 2011

  

Harper Hilton, Guest Contributor (Art Direction Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief)

  

 

Editor’s Note: Dr. Ellen Covey has a graduate degree in chemosensory research from Duke University. She has traveled and lived different places abroad. She has been growing Orchids and selling them — and she has also been making perfumes, at first to capture the scent of those orchids and later branching out into other fragrances.

We announce draw winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilt perfume

 

 

 

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43 comments

  • Oh there are so many memories created with scent and by scent. Im going to give you a really funny example of this. When ever i smell the lady sppeed stick deoderant in the powder scent, I remember the first time my mom suggested I used deoderant:) I woke up for school like any other daybut I was in the bathroom lookiong in the mirror applying this odd stick under my arms the batthroom had a mosaic tiled floor with yellow tiled walls with crimson tile border. I was a little girl in Queens at the time living in a tudor style home that had two families in it on either side and a shared driveway.
    As for a fragrance thattakes me back well, there are so many but Tiffany. It smells like my mom and her hoiuse and coat and hands (which are very soft by the way). She layers and I think but I am not sure she may even put Tiffany soap chips in her laundry because while her scent is not overpowering at ALL it is ever present.
    As far as the Olympica Orchids, I would most like to sample …all of them so I can stack them like she has in the photo the bottles alone intrigue me. THe one I would most like to try is Gujaret. The spice intrigues me and I love how jewelery her Burhka (in the photo) is its gorgeous looking such a nice match to her bracelets
    Thanks for the draw:)).

  • Michelle Hunt says:

    Oh my, these do sound wonderful. Golden Cattleya sounds particularly wonderful, I have a special love of saffron in fragrance, and sensual and vanillic fragrances too!
    Sometimes I enter an office condo complex and something about the smell of the lobby reminds me of the lobby of my grandmother’s condo. I cannot put my finger on what the aroma is….cleaning agent, the materials used in construction of the building…it is hard to identify. Heading to an appointment is such an odd moment to be flooded by memories!
    Please enter me on the draw for the sample set of 4 Olympic Orchids. Thanks for the draw!

  • How could I not want Arizona after that description?! This time of year I especially love those woody, coniferous scents.
    I have a scent memory sort of similar to this. My husband is from Adelaide, Australia, and we get there about every two years. Each time I step out of the airport there into the air outside I am hit by the smell and a flood of Australian memories. The eucalyptus is the strongest smell, but it is also clean and fresh, with a slight tang of the ocean which is less than a 1/4 mile away. I wish I could bottle it and give it to my husband!

  • Golden Cattelya would appeal to me. I love orientals. I lived in Ghana, West Africa years ago and I can still remember how the night smells. In the evening the Ghanaian women would vend their food outdoors. They would have big boiling pots full of palm oil and fry spicy plantains covered in hot pepper sauce. The combination of the nutty thick palm oil and the hot, spicy, sweet aroma of carmelized plaintains was out of this world! This odor was all mixed with the balmy and humid thick air you can cut a knife through and the earthy scent of loose clay dirt that turned your feet orange leaving a dust cloud trail that followed your heels wherever you walked. Priceless if someone would be able to capture this in a bottle.

  • Difficult choice, but I think I’d go for Arizona. Gujarat and the orchids sound wonderful, also. Thank you for brining this line to my attention!

  • My first choice is Arizona, it sounds very good to me, wonderful description and I love resins, pine and any kind of smell remembering forest

  • Over 35 years ago I first travelled to Kathmandu, an innocent 18 year old looking for adventure and did I find it but that’s another story! What I do remember so distinctly was the aroma of Chai, the boiled milky tea with black pepper, cardamon, ginger and cinnamon and the great wafts of hashish from the Tea houses which were to be found up dark staircases. The temples and inscense, another olfactory memory….Thank god for being 18 !
    I do love the sound of Gujarat and Arizona and even now down here in the South Pacific I can dream up those memories of having travelled to both those places, just a dream however…

  • Arizona is the one which appeals to me the most. I loved the description, the notes and the poem. And I’m looking for a perfume for winter days which reminds me of the countryside. I’d pick the samples of Arizona and Gujarat. Thank you! 🙂

  • Gujarat is my choice – the high dose of spices appeals to me. Would love to see if I also will not be able to “stop sniffing my arm”

    Zendadachick – I live in Ghana and so it was interesting to see your recollection of the spicy fried plantains which we call “kelewele” It remains to this day a favorite night time snack food of most visitors to Ghana.

  • Both Arizona & Guaurat sound wonderful, as I love both forest and spice scents. However, I’m very fond of Orientals as well. Both Kyphi and Olympic Amber sound great, too, and I’m loving both the 5ml size availability and the low price point. Thanks for shining the light on this intriguing website!

  • They all sound fab in their own right, if i had to choose one it would be definitely the Gujarat. When i read spices and softened and sweetened with exotic tropical flowers, supported on a base of smoky woods, resins, and balms, and garnished with a dash of chili and a twist of lime.” This sounds like a beautiful journey to me.

  • And by the way i own the deluxe variety sampler box and find all the fragrances in there amazingly beautiful.

  • I remember when I moved to southern CA from the middle west as a child…. and the intense new smells! Your description of Arizona sounds like it would bring back those sensory memories perfectly. The other two sound wonderful too. Thank you for bringing these to our atteition.

  • Thanks for this review,especially the description of Arizona.It brings in my mind memories of peaceful days spent in the mountain.Others sounds amazing too!

  • Golden Cattleya sounds like the best to me. I’m a fan of L’Artisan Parfumeur Safran Troublant, so I think I would like this perfume.

  • yes, all, these perfumes are wonderful, and i am so happy that i can bring them to your attention!

    her other scents are all worth exploring as well.

  • The descriptions are so wonderful they all sound great. For me I think I would try Gujarat. For my SO, Golden Cattelya

  • I’ve only been to Arizona once, the Sonoma Desert, for a few days. We didn’t make it to the Grand Canyon, unfortunately. But the visit to the desert has lingered with me for years: the dry heat, spicy-looking sands, organic plains, and desert blooms. That country still intrigues me, as does your description of Arizona perfume — I’d love to try a sample!! Thanks for the draw.

  • Arizona!
    I remember magical cypress tree orchard in Corsica where I spent vacation two years ago. Btw, to date I haven’t found a true cypress scent closest to this smell that I keep in my memory. The same story is with true lavender flowers crushed in my fingers. OK, the search continues…

  • Wow, so hard to choose a favorite!

    I have strong olfactive memories of my grandparents because they both smoked. I remember my grandmother putting on makeup which smelled like roses and spraying Chanel No. 19 on in her room which smelled like her cigarrettes and Grandpa’s cigars…

    As for a fave, from the orchid scents I think my favorites would be golden cattelya (love safran troublant sooo much and anything similar is probably good) and little stars, because of the woods in the base. I like the idea of flowers and branches. But, I also love the sound of Gujarat–I’m all about the spice, love Indian food and smells and everything! And, since I like hiking and camping but don’t find myself able to much of the time, Arizona sounds awesome too!

    It says to specify my choice, and initially I thought, well, I love variety and am not familiar with orchid scents at all so orchids it is, after all I have woody and spicy scents already. But then I looked back at the reviews and Arizona and Gujarat both sound unique and wonderful! I guess if I won I’d like to be suprised!

    The samples look pretty reasonable, even if I don’t win, this site is now on my list of interesting stuff to learn more about/try out. Thanks for the draw and reviews!

  • Oh, for sure “Golden Cattleya”- I really need some golden smell in these days of cold and grey
    thanks

  • Would love to try Arizona. I discovered Olympic Orchids over a year ago online and was intrigued. However, I have still not sampled as of yet! Maybe this will be my opportunity as all the fragrances reviewed sound lovely!

  • chayaruchama says:

    Thank you, dear Harper !
    How wonderful to find you contributing here.

    These sound marvelous- Gujarat and Golden Cattleyea appeal to me in the colder climate, but having visited the website- there are many which clamor for a good long sniff 😉

  • Well you had me at “late afternoon sunshine.” Golden Cattleya sounds like such a beautiful scent to invoke the kind of feeling that none of the fragrances I own do — the feeling of the sun, as well as time of late afternoon when the day is winding down, the heat of the summer day is cooling off. I am a huge fan of orientals, and this one sounds like a sunnier oriental than I have. Love amber, too.

  • I must try all of these after reading your article! Golden Cattleya sounds most delicious since I adore anything with musk in the drydown, but I do not care for the light, gourmand-type of musk scent. For my niece, though, I would love to get Arizona. She just left the mountains of Colorado for a job in Kansas (land of flatness) and she is an avid hiker and backpacker. I think Arizona would remind her of her beloved Rockies.

  • I checked out their website a couple of weeks ago. All of the scents sound really appealing. I’m sure that I’ll break down at some point and order the sample set. Gujarat sounds like it’s right down my alley, since it’s described as being spicy, exotic, and smoky. Yum. Actually, all of the scents listed sound glorious. Thanks for the great review.

  • Gujarat appeals to me the most, I love the smoky & charred something about it. One of the strongest olfactive memories I have is associated with the summers my family spent camping by the seashore when I was a child. A combination of classic beach smells, salt air and sunscreen, along with bonfires and boardwalk food, takes me right back.

  • Arizona sounds beautiful, perhaps especially in a cold climate? I would love to try this line! All of the fragrances sound simply wonderful.

  • These sound really good! I’m attracted to Golden Cattleya because I smelled a real Golden Cattleya at an orchid show and it was intensely beautiful. I kept going back to smell it again and again. I thought about buying it, but knew I’d kill it because I tend to overwater.

    A scent I associate with a place is the briney, almost decaying smell of a saltmarsh. I love to go to marshes at the change of tide and watch the shorebirds floating, walking, and flying.

  • This small niche house has wonderful creations. Original, interesting, beautifully constructed. Ellen has a great nose and creativity. I tried all her fragrances and it was a great surprise. She doesn’t follow the market or a trend. There are twists and turns and interesting combinations. Beautiful.
    I know she works on few more. Really interesting. I can’t wait .

    Please don’t add me to this draw.

  • I just visited the Olympic Orchids website and want to report that soaps are available for some of the scents (Golden Cattleya is one!).

  • Ah, I’ve now long been wondering about “Doc Elly’s” fragrances, so would really luv to win this giveaway. I think my favourite of the Orchid line would probably be “Little Stars”. (Which incidentally is also one of my fave orchids).
    If I am so lucky as to win (?), I would prefer the “Arizona/Gujaret” set please.

  • I like this idea of orchid based scents, so please enter me into the draw.
    I think my fave will probably be the very one you reviewed “Golden Cattleya”. (Although “Little Stars” sounds just as inviting too !)

  • I have tried some of these and Arizona was a favorite of mine too. It’s natural smelling and wonderfully dry. I can’t vouch for whether it smells like its namesake, but I enjoyed my sample very much. Ellen’s ambery florals are very nice too. Happy to see her reviewed here.

  • I’ve had the great pleasure of testing some of the Olympic Orchids already, and they are indeed wonderful, and Arizona an absolute favourite.

  • you’re welcome, michelyn.

    and thank you, ida, for your welcome — and all others for your enthusiasm with my virgin contribution — it was my pleasure writing it 🙂

  • Golden Cattleya’s notes make it seem like it would wear on me like buttah.

    The thick, vegetal air of rural New York summer nights smells to me like no place else. Watching “Dirty Dancing” I can almost taste the humid mountain breezes.

  • Thank you so much, Harper and Michelyn, for this review! It’s beautifully written, and the art is spectacular. And many thanks to everyone who commented. It is truly gratifying to create perfumes that people enjoy.

  • I would love to try Arizona and Gujarat. Both sound amazing. I love Woods and Spices as well as gourmands. I’m not much into florals but I would not mind trying those either. If they are not down my alley, I can always share them with my mother or wife. Thank you for sharing and finding these jewels for us to try. I wonder what memories we are going to make with these.