Damask by Ormonde Jayne

Hey Posse. Back in 2020 Ormonde Jayne released a capsule collection La Route de Soie (Silk Road) that came in beautiful ombre bottles. At the Libertine Perfumery product launch for the set we were offered a bottle of our choice from the line. I chose Tanger but have wished that my choice was Damask ever since. I kept telling myself that I had chosen my roses and didn’t need more. So I grabbed an amber! GAH! The most prevalent note in my collection by far. As I’ve been cleaning up the samples for New Idea 2023 Damask has come back to light and I thought we could share the wear together. Looks like I might be hunting new game.

Damask by Ormonde Jayne 2020

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Black Currant, Pear, Italian Lemon
Heart: Rose, Pink Pepper, Jasmine
Base: Musk, Mineral notes, Vetiver, Amber

A spicy fruit rose on open is already backed by a modern niche amber/vetiver. The rose smells close to real and everything else smells fabulously unearthly. I know most of you are aware that pink pepper is a berry rather than a pepper proper and adds fizz. I’m surprised that I also get the black pepper dry ache here.

As we hit the heart I get a smell that links directly to my memory of BarBQs. It’s a savoury, dry, smokiness but not charred. So interesting to be lurking within this fruity floral and wakes my nose up. Still it is overshadowed by the fruity rose that at this point skirts pot-pourri, not quite falling.

The base is that modern niche blurry scratchy amber with metallic bells & whistles that can drive people crazy. I like it though. Yeah, it has become ubiquitous but there’s a reason for that, it smells nice, especially as you come across it in the wild. There’s something in it that triggers a warm response from me and I’ll often compliment it on wearers. The fruits don’t dissipate and linger as a light overlay to the dry down, adding the cotton candy accord. There are moments of pronounced Baccarat Rouge 540 references in the dry down. If that is noxious to you but you wish you could wear it then Damask could be a softer, less irritating version.

A unisex leaning modern femme. Longevity is extraordinary and sillage is moderate after the first hour or so. If you were to wear this to work I’d say it could be overwhelming if sprayed with gay abandon.

Does Damask sound like something you might like?
Portia xx