Everything about Champaca by Ormonde Jayne is lovely, from the simple, elegant red box that opens to a silk pillow where the understated perfume bottle sits, and of course the fragrance itself is every bit as wonderful as I had hoped when unwrapping this beauty. Champaca has been around for quite some time (since 2002) but it doesn’t smell dated and as it’s lead notes are yellow flowers, now seems a great time to talk about it since it’s officially Spring!
Champaca is a variant of Magnolia which, predictably, sits at the heart of this fragrance. The tops notes are fresh and perky thanks to the brightness of bamboo neroli which are joined by pink pepper. At the heart you have Champaca and Freesia alongside rice, which gives the heart an interesting balance, although it’s still very, very floral. The base notes of myrrh and musk allow for a surprisingly soft finish against the yellow florals, but there’s also green tea at the base which I find to be the one that lingers the most after the dry down. Normally I find Green Tea too sharp for my tastes, but it works really well within these fragrance notes.
I’ve been lucky enough to try some real fragrance gems lately and this one from Ormonde Jayne is definitely one of my favourites, mainly because it’s taking me a little outside my comfort zone of the usual jasmine led scents that I always tend to go for, but without pushing my boundaries too far. I’m really enjoying wearing Champaca as a day fragrance, especially when the sun is out as I find this really well suited to the warmer months. Give Champaca a go if you like floral fragrances that are in no way sickly and if you enjoy your perfume with a bit of feminine bite. Ormonde Jayne Champaca starts at £110 for 50ml.
*PR Sample
