Golden Cattleya by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2010

YAY! Posse Peeps!

Portia from AustralianPerfumeJunkies back with you all and utterly thrilled that the PerfumePosse are letting me scribble all over their beautiful wall each Friday. He He. Today I am bringing you something special. Funnily Tom also looked at this wonderful fragrance house yesterday here on Perfume Posse

Golden Cattleya by Ellen Covey for Olympic Orchids 2010

If you have been down the the Fragrance Wormhole for any length of time you will definitely have heard of the amazing Doc Elly, Ellen Covey. She is a research scientist based in the Seattle metropolitan area who has many other parallel lives; orchid grower, runner, theatre person, and lover of food, fashion, travel, and other good things in life. (edited from her blog intro) Doc Elly has succeeded in so many ways concurrently that I am incredibly in awe of her. Not only that but in my dealings with her is so lovely. It gives me pleasure to wear her fragrances, like I can grab a little of her ability, warmth and presence through her scents.

Golden Cattleya by Rosalie Scanlon Stolen fineartamerica

The first fragrances that Olympic Orchids did were all about representing in perfume the glorious fragrances of orchids. If you are expecting their early fragrances to smell like anything you’ve ever smelled in a department store or drugstore then think again. These are the scents of the world’s jungles, sometimes way up in the trees, at others around the boles of trees or hidden in rockfaces beneath waterfalls. Many bloom only at night and smell so luxuriously debauched that you have to take a second sniff to believe its coming from a flower so lovely and delicate. This is the place Ellen Covey started from to weave her fragrant magic…

Olympic Orchids site gives these accords: narcissus, daffodil, orange fruit, orange blossoms, honey, pollen, and cream soda combine with amber-tinged resins and musks, calling Golden Cattleya a Floral Oriental.

Photo Stolen perfumenw

So what does Golden Cattleya smell like on skin?

Until reading the notes I was unaware that the opening is mainly narcissus and daffodil but now that I have read it, it’s so clear. A big loud peal of these flowers mixed with lovely orange flowers in an intoxicating and dazzling way, almost overwhelming. It feels freakishly ancient, like the Queen of Sheba could have worn this. Or perhaps this is the scent from M J Rose’s The Book of Lost Fragrances, the one that can work magic for star crossed lovers. The honey and amber are constant players here but always displaying at different strengths, so the perfume evolves. No that’s not quite true, the perfume revolves. It plays through a set of accords, each glistening slowly over time and then repeating itself but in a slightly different way. The sillage and longevity are excellent, around 8-9 hours till almost no fragrance discernible; and stays this lovely skin scent till around 16 hours, which is mammoth on my skin, and that was dabbing. When decanted and sprayed Golden Cattleya is a quieter fragrance, a much more subtle and sensuous, muskier version of herself with a lighter, more transparent sillage that still goes to the long lived skin scent, but gets there sooner. Interesting because usually spritzing adds bulk.

If you are looking for something dazzling and different, want to run away from the pack, then I recommend you jump across to Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes pronto and order you a very reasonably priced sample pack. I cannot stress enough to you how well priced this collection is, and the quality is amazing.

Please do also pop across to AustralianPerfumeJunkies (<<JUMP) and have a look, we always have something fun, mad and/or interesting going on and we’d love to have you come join our fragrant family.

I hope all your scent-ual dreams come true. Till next time,

Portia xx

  • Ann says:

    Hello, Portia, and thanks for sharing these lovelies. Have not tried this line but it’s certainly on my radar now!

  • March says:

    Oh oh oh!!!! That’s my orchid!!!! Must try this.

  • Hey Diana,
    I have a feeling Siam Proun was lovely but can’t remember. The QD scents are on my list,
    Portia xx

  • Diana says:

    I got the sample set and this one had the greatest longevity on me. My favorite, though, was the Siam Proun. Can’t wait to try the Quantum Demonology scents. Her prices for full bottles are relatively inexpensive and for the quality of the perfume, quite a deal IMHO.

  • Undina says:

    Portia, hi here again! 🙂

    I haven’t tried this one on skin but when I smelled it I was pleasantly surprised by how prominent the narcissus note was: it’s not the most fragrant flower – and yet Ellen captured it perfectly.

  • Ellen Covey says:

    Portia, thank you so much for the wonderful review – awesome as always! I especially like your description of the scent “revolving”! Thank you (and Tom, too) for pointing out that my fragrances and samples are very affordable. I try my best to keep prices reasonable without compromising quality.

    • Ellen Covey,
      You are wonderful. Thanks for bringing us these scents, like no other.
      I am CHUFFED that you came and commented.
      Wishing you painless, easy and harmless world domination,
      Portia xx

  • Dionne says:

    The full OO sampler set’s been slated in the August sample budget slot for a while now, and now I’m even more excited. This sounds lovely, Portia, can’t wait!

  • Lisa D says:

    What a lemming I am, I am. Already ordered the sample pack yesterday, in response to Tom’s review, so all I need to do here is say that I’m happy you like these too, Portia – I need all the perfume enablers I can find. Between you, Tom, and the Musette Most Evil, I’ll be broke but smelling incredible (although I have to say, the OO sample pack was fantastically priced)!

    • Hey LisaD,
      The wormhole can be expensive if you’re not careful. Make a monthly budget and do your best to stick to it. Believe me, I know.
      Enjoy your haul, please come back and tell me how they all went.
      Portia xx

  • Mals86 says:

    Okay, my comment about favorite niche houses just got eaten twice. Weird.

  • FragrantWitch says:

    Holy CRAP, indeed! Lord, I loved that show. It totally would have been my life had I stayed in the small town I grew up in. Of course, it wouldn’t have been so funny then!
    I’ve just ordered samples from OO and I am excited to get them and Snnnniiiifffffffff….
    I can’t wait to try this and my other choices , the Quantum Demonology set and Gujarat. Sounds like I am going to smell awesome and have a happy wallet (and hubby)! :Happy-Grin:

    • You have hit a triple win FragrantWitch, Congratulations. I am yet to try the QD set but Gujarat will be fun, I hope you love them all. Please report back once you’ve tried them, I will await your verdicts,
      Portia xx

  • fleurdelys says:

    Portia, your writing brings us joy! Now I am totally lemming after the orchid sample pack (MUST. HAVE.). And I’m happy to support artisan perfumers and their products.

    BTW, Peter Boyle was a popular American actor with a long career in movies and television. He died a couple of years ago. In the television series “Everybody Loves Raymond”, he played Raymond’s father. One of that character’s favorite expressions was a loud “HOLY CRAP!”. I miss him too, he was a talented, funny man.

    • Thank you Fleurdelys. BIG SMILE.
      Thank you also for the heads up on Peter Boyle. we get that show but I’ve not watched it. Should I?
      Portia xx

      • fleurdelys says:

        Give it a try! Ray Romano, the star and one of the writers of the show, is a stand-up comedian; I think the scripts and the situations are very funny. Since I was born/grew up/live in the New York-Metropolitan area, the characters are very recognizable to me.

  • Mals86 says:

    (Pricks up ears) Narcissus? Narcissus, you say?

    I have been covering my ears and singing LALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU about the Olympic Orchids scents for months now. Because there are so many, many wonderful indie perfumers, and I cannot explore them ALL, and I’ve already gotten in deep with DSH and SSS, and have recently been initiated into Soivohle and Neil Morris…

    But here you are saying narcissus in this. And cream soda. GRRRRR.

    • I can feel your pain Mals86,
      Do go have a look though, the samples are “almost” free,
      What is your favourite of all the afore mentioned? I need me some lemmings too please.
      Portia xx

  • Musette says:

    Holy CRAP! (lord, I miss Peter Boyle something fierce). Portia. IloveyouIhateyouIloveyouIhateyou. Normally I am pretty resistant to lemmings (snifflust is a whole ‘nother thing, witness that stupid Guerlain I now have to have :Angry:

    but…this? You had me at debauched. Then you shot the bolt home with the notes. THEN you tied me to the orchid chair with the Artisan Pack.

    What am I gonna do with you? :Tears:

    xoxoox :Devil:

    • I’m sorry Musette,
      If ever your lemmings were worthy then this is it. Ellen Covey is a magician,
      I don’t understand the Peter Boyle reference, heathen that I be. Could you please fill in the blanks?
      What to do? Please let me keep writing for your wonderful site, it brings me joy. Anything else we can talk about over a drink one day,
      Portia xxx