As I mentioned once or twice before, I love orchids. But since I had almost no encounters with fragrant orchids, my love to them lives in the universe that is parallel to my perfume love: I enjoy looking at them and keep searching for perfect jewelry pieces with the orchid theme but I do not think of them as an olfactory experience. Though, once I came across a fragrant orchid.
Sensual Orchid created by Jerome Epinette for Laurent Mazzone Parfums in 2012 is one of those perfumes that, very likely, I wouldn’t have ever tried if it weren’t for my (rarely visiting) guest author hajussuri. Considering her my scent twin, I decided to participate in the split she hosted, even though I haven’t tested it before then.
The first thought that popped up in my head once I applied Sensual Orchid was that the name fitted it perfectly. I cannot explain what qualities of this perfume prompted the thought (it’s an I-know-when-I-see-it-type feeling), but it was a positive thing since, in general, I do not like when brands exploit sex for marketing purposes.
I didn’t even finish my small decant before I found and bought a bottle of this wonderful perfume. My quick take on it: I enjoy wearing it, and a couple of years ago it inspired me to write a haiku for the NST haiku project (which is very telling if you consider that you can count any type of poetry I ever wrote with fingers on one hand):
Sensual Orchid –
Perfume true to its name…
His heartbeat agrees
If you haven’t tried Sensual Orchid yet and want to know more, you should read Kafka’s (Kafkaesque) review.
Have you tried any perfumes from this brand? What did you think? I was tempted by their Radikal collection (Radikal Iris sounds interesting, right?), but nobody I know ever mentioned trying those, none of the decanter sites here has them, and I’m not adventurous enough for a blind buy.
Images: my own
Undina's Looking Glass 
I have not heard of this perfume. But I did spend an evening at Ellen Covey‘s, (Olympic Orchids) home and greenhouse. And she grows the most exquisite highly scented orchids. Gorgeous. xxx
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I smelled an orchid exactly two times in my life: once in a greenhouse in Hawaii where they had an orchid with a chocolate scent and one time when I bought the orchids that Rusty is trying to smell (well, he was probably more interested in how they taste but it looks like he’s sniffing them).
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Many years ago I tried Vol d’Hirondelle, which also is a very lovely name for a perfume.
LM Parfums is one of those brands that had very big stands at Esxence over the past few years but because I feel no attachment towards this brand I didn’t try any of the later released fragrances.
I don’t like their changed bottle either.
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I saw their new bottles on a picture and didn’t like them as well! Whenever a brand changes bottles that were nice, I suspect they are trying to go cheaper.
If you ever see that brand at the exhibition (if we have them again, I mean), you have a mission to try Radikal Iris: it would be funny to have two irises in my collection – radical and rebel :)
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Glad I’m not alone with this feeling. Well, brands either go cheaper or they go over the top with their bottles – which always makes me think that the bottle will be the reason a perfume costs so much…
I will try to remember about it. What’s your rebel iris?
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Atelier Cologne Iris Rebelle ;) I figured that “rebelle” to “rebel” is the same as “radikal” to “radical” :) I mean those words as nouns, of course.
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I thought it woukd be that one. So you do have it? I have a petit flacon of Iris Rebelle too!
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I have not tried anything from this brand; there are so many out there that are complete unknowns to me. I do have one “orchid” perfume – a small bottle of Olympic Orchids Golden Cattleya – but given the notes I expect that it’s more of “inspired by” the orchid rather than the scent itself. It’s a very “yellow” perfume – narcissus, honey, etc.
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I tried some of OO’s perfumes, but sadly none of them worked for me.
It’s harder for us to try expensive European brands: even if they have nicely priced samples, the delivery eats up any savings. And to order anything from a decanter site, one should really want to try particular perfume or brand.
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Never heard of the brand but love the sound of this scent, especially love the haiku, and the photo of Rusty on tiptoes is sublime!
I have owned a few pleasant orchid perfumes, including one by Kenzo whose name escapes me, and agree that it is an elusive fragrance in life, and to capture. I think CK Euphoria was my first introduction to the note, though it isn’t exactly centre stage.
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Thank you, Vanessa. I spend really long time counting those syllables! :)
Don’t you think it looks as if Rusty sniffs those orchids? (They actually were fragrant).
I liked Euphoria a lot when it was released, but I’ve never bought a bottle, and now, I’m sure, it has been reformulated.
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Hey Undina,
Jin bought me the most gorgeous orchid plant as a wedding anniversary present this year because cut flowers aren’t my thing. We’ve had blooms since July and they don’t look like stopping anytime soon. Bright pink on cream flowers. Heavenly.
Another Olympic Orchids fan here.
Also, I have a bottle of Sensual Orchid too. I must have bought it from someone and they sticky taped the nozzle area. In transit the bottle leaked just enough to do something horrible to the tape and it fused to the chrome. It still sprays but it’s unsightly and the lid fits very tightly. I had put it away in a box. Now, getting it out and spraying I can smell why you adore it so much.
I’m going to leave it out for some soaring spritzing.
Portia xx
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What a beautiful gift. Wow!!
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Yeah Ricky, Jin’s a generous soul. There are sometimes older people who have pop up stalls in the shopping malls here who belong to Orchid Clubs. They supplement their meagre government incomes by raising orchids to sell. In the pre flowering season you can go and have a chat, learn a LOT about orchids and life, and buy a plant for a very decent price: comparable to a large bunch of flowers.
It’s win win for us. Jin is a hero, the orchid seller gets a bunch of cash and I get a beautiful, living floral arrangement that lasts for months. We then pass the plant onto my BFFs Dad who loves trying to make them flower again,
Portia x
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I keep buying orchids, but they never bloom again.
Most likely, you know about it, but I’ll ask just in case because I learned about it from friends (when they had small kids ;) ): have you tried Goo Gone? It works miracles!
I’m glad that you share my admiration of this scent :) because most others aren’t familiar with it, and I felt like I was writing about something really obscure. :)
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Hey Undina,
On orchids my BFFs Dad says put them in a warm, semi shaded position and water the pots weekly with a very diluted fish fertiliser.
NEVER heard of Goo Gone. There seem to be 20 different ones in the range. Do you have a favourite?
Yes, I know what you mean. LM Parfums was super cool for a moment and then everyone stopped talking about them. I also have a bottle of Aldheyx by them. I think they are not fragrances for novices, quite challenging unless you are the person for whom they smell like heaven.
Portia xx
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I fixed the link in my previous comment (I have no idea why WP keeps misbehaving when I comment from my phone. But, in general, it’s the original Goo Gone Adhesive Remover. It’s really inexpensive, and it works amazingly: you won’t believe what it can do until you try.
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Thanks Undina. I’ll look for it. XX
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So glad you wrote about this fragrance. I remember it got a fair amount of buzz when it came out and I had it on my test list. Then, somehow it slipped off my radar. Time to look for a sample again!!
Also, I kept meaning to say, I loved that Bell Rive sample you sent with the Puredistance sample I won in your giveaway, Belle Rive definitely deserves some serious consideration!!
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I’m glad you liked Bell Rive! It is one of those brands/perfumes that you won’t get to test unless someone either sends it to you or at least brings it to your attention.
Sensual Orchid is perfume worth trying – if you in general spend money on samples from time to time.
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Lovely to hear about an orchid perfume that worked for you. I love the flowers but they are so hard to keep alive.
Your haiku is fantastic!
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Thank you, Tara. It was an endeavor! :) Poetry is even harder for me than prose ;)
I usually have no problem to keep orchids alive for a long time. But I’ve never been able to make them bloom again.
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I love orchids for their colorful delicate flowers but the type cultivated around here does not smell so in my mind the orchid is connected only with a visual, not an olfactive pleasure. Yours in the photo above are wonderful but the cat steals the show definitely <3
I have tried Sensual Orchid some years ago and I remember it being rich and intoxicating with a certain bitternes. My favourite from Laurent Mazzone was Vol d'Hirondelle which is fresh and woody. I regret not having bought it recently at a great price when they were on sale. I suppose LM perfumes were not selling well so they have taken them out of the perfumeries in my hometown.
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Yeah, most orchids I’m familiar with are also “for viewing pleasure only” (same as most cats are ;) ).
I wish I could try more of LM perfumes: whenever I find perfume I like a lot, I feel like I “owe” to the brand to try their other offerings. But I’ve never seen it IRL around here.
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How does it compares to Black Orchid from Tom Ford. Are there any similarities? BO is one of my favs of all time. :)
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I like Black Orchid, but until you asked, I didn’t think about these two in parallel. Now I tried them side by side, and theoretically I can see some vague parallels, though I can’t swear that it’s not a reaction to the word “orchid” in the name :). BO is harsher and more pronounced, while SO is smoother and not as high pitched. But they are so different in general that having both makes sense.
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