The art of perfume creation has been around for centuries, but the recent surge in celebrity scents has made this art form slightly withdraw from the public eye. The scents of Ormonde Jayne are couture creation, with the range featuring high quality ingredients in luxuriously simple packaging. Ormonde Jayne doesn't believe in creating a celeb 'scent of the moment' as they're all about creating special scents that stand the test of time, and don't pay attention to the current fads. This creates a remarkably timeless ambience in their Perfumery in the Royal Arcade, as you're aware that the mirrored walls and ivory stone floor would be equally comfortable in the 18th century as it would today.
They've recently introduced a perfume matching system called 'Perfume Portraits' which aims to allow the customer to pinpoint their favourite oils through identifying their likes and dislikes of a variety of raw ingredients.
I headed down to the Ormonde Jayne store to try it out.
I was met by Linda Pilkington a softly spoken sweet lady who initially founded the brand back in 2002. She has always been fascinated with the way scent settles on the skin, and wanted to create something that women would love and experiment with. A well as the 12 main scents there are also lotions, candles and bubble baths to match.
I was interested to start my adventure into the world of bespoke perfume, as I'd never had a one to one consultation before. Linda started by introducing me to a stylish mirrored chest which featured 13 bottles displayed on top. 'These are the scents that make up Ormonde Jayne', she explained.
Beneath the chest lay a pull out mirrored draw that revealed a number of black and gold ceramic stones, all scented with a different ingredient and categorized into fields of different oils. There are seven main families, including Woody, Atmospheric Hesperidic and Oriental. We slowly started at one end and I preceded to sniff my way through every single one of the 21 ingredients scent. Some I liked, some I loathed, and Linda wrote this all down on my personal card. If I ever felt my olfactory senses were overloading, there was a coffee bean box to sniff on to help readjust my sense of smell and then I continued on.
My favourite raw notes were duly recorded and though some I'd anticipated (like vanilla and Tonka) others like Pink Pepper and Ambroxan.
Once we'd identified I was a big fan of the gourmand family of scents, Linda selected two perfumes for me to try. Based on my results she recommended either Ta'if or Tolu. I spritzed them on my arms and let them settle. Ta'if ended up being my favourite a lovely blend of pink pepper and amber with a mixture on notes in between that felt like I'd dusted myself with an aromatic baby powder as it was so subtle yet lasting.
She packed it up for me to take home, and I was given a card with my details on it. The store keeps note of all your choices, so you can send friends in and they'll be given information on your tastes.
I think it's a great service and really like the personal touches you get from coming into the store.
Visit Ormonde Jayne online or at their luxury store at 12 The Royal Arcade 28 Old Bond Street London W1S 4SL.