Orlov Perfumes are something I completely blame YOU people for! I was blissfully unaware of these until a commenter had to mention Cross of Asia or Flame of Gold or Star of the Season maybe? Pretty sure it was Cross of Asia. Perfumes named after diamonds. Yeah, yeah, yawn.
Googled because there. Orlov perfume founders were in love with Dominique Ropion perfumes and insisted that ONLY Dominique would make their perfumes.
Ohhhhhhhnoooooo.
Ylang perfume, musk & woods perfume, jasmine, Orange blossom and tuberose perfume.
No no no.
Cinnamon, clove, cumin, caramel, vanilla, chocolate patchouli gourmand… cumin — WTF?!?!?! A Ropion skanky gourmand.
Dead.
Wallet and credit card are still hiding from me. So how good are they? If you’re not a fan of rich, luxurious perfumes, you’ll save yourself some money. If you like your perfumes with some depth and posh plush, hide your bank account. They are Ropion perfumes, but dabbling in a few new places with some unique twists.
Cross of Asia puts ylang in the perfumed crosshairs and then surrounds it with pear, green apple, spices, sumptuous white florals and then flings leather at it. It’s Ylang, but with some interesting tweaks. And it is stunning. It veers feminine, but I wouldn’t rule this out for guys. Yeah, it’s full of ylang, tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine, but the leather and fruits tone down the femininity, and I think it really puts it right on for men to wear. I’d love to smell this on a guy.
Flame of Gold is all musk buried deep in the wood pile – sandalwood, gaiac, cedar. This is completely unisex, veering a little masculine. The longer I had this on, the more I loved it.
Star of the Season is the Ropion sexed-up gourmand. I was quivering as I opened it. Listen, I’ve hotly anticipated some stuff before, but a cumin-dusted Ropion gourmand is at the top of the list of things I knew I would love once I knew it existed. And I do. It is deliciously cumin-skanked gourmand. Not over the top gourmand – soft caramel vanilla, some almost boozy spiced fruit notes, then just the right dusting of cumin on top to make you giggle wildly over how great and kinda dirty this is. Sandalwood, cinnamon, cumin, clove, caramel, iris, vanilla, dark chocolate, patchouli, amber, Turkish rose berry and mulled fruit.
Now, the cumin does settle down after a while, but the softened skank note lingers on. I think this is how I would smell waking up with my powder-dusted nose buried in a beignet at Cafe du Monde after an evening I could remember only from my laughing friends trying to wake me up with chicory coffee. Seriously brilliant. And incredibly wearable.
Orlov is the BWF of the bunch. Tuberose, jasmine, orange blossom, bergamot, musk and vanilla. It’s big, it’s white, but it’s not just that. It’s got restraint in all the right places and the other notes play in to make it so much more than a white floral. It’s really beautiful. Not my favorite of the bunch (hello skanky gourmand!), but it is delight to wear and would rank really high in my BWF universe that I still haven’t created.
I did not smell Sea of Light, though I may need to change that omission.
Okay, now for the details. $330 for refillable 100 ml bottles. Not sure what the refill cost is, the guy repping them at BG wasn’t available by phone on New Year’s Eve to answer my questions. I mean, really, the nerve of taking off on NYE. If someone would chime in with the refill cost, that would be great. Available now only at Bergdorf Goodman – still not on their website so you gots to call – but the Orlov website mentions they will be available online on their site at some point, not sure when. I assume their distribution will get wider in the next few months. Good because everyone needs a wearable booze-addled beignet wake-up call.
Fun and beautiful, and perfume doesn’t get better than this. Are we giving away sample sets on this in a drawing? Why yes! Glad you asked, Four of them. So drop a comment to be entered in the drawing. Tell me which one has you most intrigued.
Winners of the sample sets of MDCI Les Indes Galantes and Kilian Royal Leather samples are Diana, Noskoz and Heidic. Just click on Drop Us a Note at the top, send me an e-mail, remind me of what you won and get me your mailing address. I’ll send you a quick e-mail to let you know I got your e-mail and it didn’t land in a spam filter and then get it on the way to you!
Perhaps it’s the Flame of Gold. I like the name and am curious to smell the cedar note integrated in the blend.
I’d like to try coss of asia, sounds fabulous.
Any of them sound like something I might like, but I’m especially intrigued by a skanky gourmand. I like cumin when it’s surrounded by sweet or floral notes because then it doesn’t go to BO-ish for me.
I think Cross of Asia…but Star of the Season has me intrigued…
Wow – how have I not heard of these before? I would be most excited to try Cross of Asia. Thanks for the draw!
Ooohh, these sound lush! Count me in. 🙂
They sound beautiful and dangerous to the pocketbook.
Oh my goodness. Every time I love something with a capital LOVE, it’s Dominique Ropion. I want them all (obvs) but Cross of Asia sounds most up my likes-to-smell-like-a-boy-but-not-really alley.
Delurked by Dominique Ropion!
They all sound gorgeous so how can I possibly choose only one? I guess at gun point I will choose Cross of Asia if I must but they all sound amazing. Thanks for your generosity Patty.
First time commenting on Perfume Posse, here. And oh my! These sound marvelous! I’m most intrigued by Cross of Asia, but there’s a part of me that hankers for the skanky gourmand, as terrifying as that sounds to me. New year, new things, right?
Thanks for an intriguing post, and for the drawing. 😀
Star of the season sounds amazing! thanks for the try!
If I can’t win tonight’s Powerball, let me win this one! Cross or Star but who am I to argue with gracious generosity? I’ll take any one of these!
Cross of Asia, I’m dying over the thought of a ylang and leather perfume!
How intriguing! Thanks for the draw. I think the one that interests me most is Orlov – orange blossom. tuberose and jasmine!
I’ve been wanting to try Cross of Asia and that’s still probably the most interesting sounding one to me, but I’m slowly coming around to cumin, so Star of the Season also sounds pretty fantastic.
I know nothing about this line, but you make them sound amazing,and I’d love to try them.
Being one who heads straight for the smoke, leather, booze and stinky white florals, these are dreamy sounding. Mmmmm.
They all sound hideously wonderful but Cross of Asia is the description to which I’m immediately drawn. I’d love to be entered in the draw!
Based only on the price, I would prefer to turn my nose up. But I would be lying if I said that Flame of Gold and Orlov weren’t calling my name, and Sea of Light? Is there salt?Ambergris? I’ll have to find out!!! I am intrigued, the call of the Siren has wrung out!
I can’t decide between Orlov and Star of the Season. Probably Orlov as I can see myself wearing that but not sure if I’d actually wear Star. Thanks for the chance and the review. I hadn’t heard of these yet.
Why o why does there have to be an entirely new line of Ropion perfumes? I can’t wait to try all of them!!! Definitely want to sample Orlov, and probably Star. Who am I kidding — I wants them all!
Flame of Gold sounds intriguing, I’d love a woodsy scent by Ropion, but I can’t resist BWFs either. I should just sample them all!
Wow – these do sound swoon-worthy – Star of the Season and Orlov sound most appealing to me!
Thinking Cross of Asia would lead the list for me (love ylang) with Star of the Season close behind. Would love to try them all 🙂
A skanky gourmand sounds like the best thing that ever happened to me, or at least the right perfume to wear while the best thing ever, happens. Hope very much that you will be getting these for STC. I don’t care for wispy perfumes, and these sound anything but wispy.
Star of the season..who doesn’t want to smell like a sexed up sweetie? 🙂 I know I do!!
Oh boy, can’t decide which sounds more appealing…Star of the Season, Cross of Asia or Orlov. Ropion fangirl here!
I love ylang, so Cross of Asia has my (first) vote!
I’d never heard of these until someone was raving about that Cross of Asia one. I think I’d be more interested in the skanky gourmand Star of the Season. Thanks for the draw.
Patty, thank you for this opportunity. …Denyse at Grain de Musc mentioned ‘Cross of Asia’ in her recent Best of the Year post. Maybe that’s where you first saw it; was for me and I hadn’t taken the time to search out the rest of the brand.
Being from the Land of Beignets and having had a little powdered sugar on my nose over the years, I’m going to have to go for Star of the Season as my fav.
Best Regards,
David
Since the first review I’ve read I wanted to try Cross of Asia. It sounds amazing…yet musk is so inviting too, so maybe Flame of Gold too?
I’d love to try them. Thank you so much for the draw.
I was also intrigued by this line, and had a snoop at their website. Gulped when I saw the prices, especially the Elixirs!
Star of the Season sounds like it would be my fave.
I like my perfumes to be big and baroque, so these sound very alluring. Yang is such a beautiful and under explored floral note, and I love me some cumin, from Femme to Arabie. Thank you for the draw, Patty.
Most intrigued by Star of the Season. I see that there is also a Star of the Season Elixir…m’goodness!
Girl, I can’t even with that elixir. I mean, I’m crazy, but 1k for it? Ugh, no. I mean, i’d really love to smell it, but. Well. no, really, just no.
OMG, almost 2k for it. Deffo no.
Wow, Star of the Season sounds spectacular 🙂 What an exciting-sounding set of perfumes.
God, how I adore Cross of Asia ( pretty sure it’s my fault for mentioning it) but now I want to try the rest of them especially Star of the Season and Orlov
Yes, it WAS you. I couldn’t remember who, but you were fangirling all over the Cross of Asia, and I just couldn’t resist. I tried to get samples from Orlov, but they never responded to me, so i just bought them. The sales technique only works on a few of us special people. 🙂
You are right about Cross of Asia. I could wear that pretty much every day. Star of the Season has a much bigger statement footprint. I mean, i have been wearing it every day, along with the rest of them, so – I definitely need to shower before I go out tonight
Well being the BWF ho’ that I am, clearly Orlov would be my first pick…..I heard nothing but raves for the line!!!
Star of the Season! Star of the Season! Star of the Season! Damn you, woman! I got sort of overbooked on samples and haven’t ordered any in months, but…Star of the Season! Cumin! O skank!
There is always something that drags you back into the obsession, huh?
Oh my, how to choose just one that sounds more scrumptious than the others…..nope, can’t do it. Orlov and Star of the Season!
holy crap!!..these all sound amazing..pear,apple,ylang and leather by ropion had my eyes popping out of my head..hope i get to smell them : )
sorry, sorry, sorry. 🙂 They are pretty great, but they aren’t shy, perfume sketches at all. Full and opulent is the word. I’m thinking I may have not said that enough in the post. 🙂 No JCE light hand at work here at all.
Joining the majority who are interested in Star of the Season. Sounds right up my alley. The others sound lovely, too. Thanks for the drawing.
I have SO been trying to ignore these but perhaps a dose of skank could turn me into a gourmand lover? Actually, Flame of Gold sounds like my style but you never know. Think I need to sample them all 😉
Not sure! I’ve been leaning into the gourmand skid for the last year or two and have learned to love some of them. This isn’t heavily gourmandish or foody, just rich oriental with gourmand leanings. So maybe? Do you love orientals?
I most like the thought of flinging leather at all those sumptuous florals in Cross of Asia but all of the Orlovs sound really interesting.
Orlov and Cross of Asia both sound amazing. Would love to win a chance to sniff! Thanks for such thorough descriptions of these new scents. 🙂
Star of the Season sounds right up my alley…my poor, poor, sad, and sample abused wallet alley. The others sound interesting as well.
I feel your pain. I really want to know about the refill cost. I’m hoping that is going to make this eventually all okay for me. 🙂
Wow, this sounds amazing. Star of the Season sounds really intriguing…It would take me into a different place, preferably one that I could remember and giggle about. Hubahuba Orlov as well sounds fascinating. Thanks for the giveaway.
I haven’t heard of these either (no surprise, it is amazingly hard to keep up!) but have seen a few mentions of Cross of Asia not knowing what it was. Star of the Season has me intrigued, too!
I had a large sample of Cross of Asia from Sniffapalooza this year. Nice, but not my thing, so I passed it along to someone who loves it. I knew nothing about Orlov until now. Glad I found it a home and I’d be much happier with Star of the Season, methinks.
Yeah, I really like Cross of Asia too, though. It’s a more unique white floral. Star of the Season is just a whole other thing.
Oh, nice give-away! I can’t decide between Flame of Gold & Star of the Season. (Maya, should I be lucky enough to win this drawing, I’ll split that sample set with you) (for real)
Wow. You may not believe it but today is my birthday (also for real). Ditto on sharing.
Happy birthday!
I missed it ~ Happy Belated!
Flame of Gold sounds the most like me but Star of the Season has me the most intrigued. I want to do more stepping outside of my comfort zone this year.
Star of the Season is a step or two outside the zone. I put it on again this morning just so I could giggle all morning. Cross of Asia, I think, is the prettiest for sure.
Cross of Asia sounds soooo good. And damn if it doesn’t sound even better just because it’s so exclusive. Yes, I am that girl. The harder it is to get, the more I want it. Lucky I’m not a blind buyer.
Same. It’s the thrill of the hunt that’s the most fun sometimes.
I just heard about Orlov a couple of weeks ago and started hunting for samples. STC had none! 😉 No one else did either. STC, please start carrying Orlov, please! I would love to try them all. BWF Orlov or Cross of Asia first.
Oh, we’ve got them now! Well, except that one, which I really probably ought to get as well. There’s salt in it!
Holy smokes, these sound out-of-this-world. And I thought I was satisfied with my wish list… The one I most covet is Cross of Asia. Need. To. Sniff.
Ropion! Star Of The Season intrigues.