Ormonde Jayne Sakura, artwork by the brand
For years I thought cherry blossom was a tease; those beautiful, fluffy flowers beckoned with the promise of fragrance. But whenever I got close, I smelled nothing (and it is true that many varieties have no odor). It wasn’t until the wind shook the perfume from them en masse them that I realized they are the papery, ethereal scent that follows me from time to time like a curious wraith. Perhaps I imagine it. But in early spring, when the cherry blossoms are in puffy profusion around my neighbourhood, I wander with my dog hoping to catch that elusive scent. I’ve been known to stand for an eternity at the clump of cherries nearby – my own version of hanami, I suppose – hushing my impatient dog, waiting for that moment when breeze blows just right and I catch that origami sweetness. The scent is the promise, joyous and melancholy at once, of the fleeting spring to come.
Linda Pilkington and Geza Schoen
Sakura, from perfumer Geza Schoen, was created as a tribute to Ormonde Jayne founder and nose Linda Pilkington. Schoen called it “Sweet Linda,” but Pilkington connected its intricate, enigmatic demureness to the transient beauty of cherry blossom season and named it Sakura. Framed by green notes and watercolour florals, Sakura has the evanescent, agile loveliness of an early spring wind when it quiets down and lets the flowers breathe.
The opening of lime, fruity pink pepper, mandarin and bergamot has an irresistible radiance that feels like a sudden sunburst. The top notes remind me of the early stages of one of my favourite perfumes of all time, Gobin-Daude Nuit au Desert. Sakura could have stopped right there and I’d already be recommending a bottle, but of course, it has more to unfold.
Cherry Blossom image by Michelyn April 2022
Schoen’s arrangement of the flower notes is a watercolour artwork. The silvergreen smell of freesia washes over secretive violet and waterlily like glaze; pink rose adds its satiny sheen to the underripe melon aroma of cyclamen. But the brilliance here is Schoen’s use of osmanthus. Nestled in the heart of Sakura, this osmanthus leans into its fruity-apricot aspects rather than its characteristic leather, which is absent. While the liquid odors of the fragrance create its shimmer and quietness, osmanthus adds substance and warmth with tremendous elegance. Here in the perfume’s center, I also pick up the Ormonde Jayne woody-bergamot signature. It runs through the center of Sakura like a slender reed, aligning the fragrance with its sisters but never treading on its ethereal, flowery loveliness.
Blossom spring walk by Karen Arnold via publicdomainpictures
After an hour or so, Ormond Jayne Sakura is impressionistic: smelling it now, I get images of white flowers shaking in the chilly March wind; waterlilies gazing upwards on dark ponds, graceful weeping cherries grazing the water’s surface. As I breathe deeply, tree blooms that smell like creamsicles (courtesy of tonka, vanilla, and mandarin) drift my way. I smell the sun in the osmanthus and pink pepper, the chilly spring air in touches of violet and cedar. Vibrant bursts of lime bring hint at gentler weather. Today, on the coldest day of the year, Sakura’s ethereal beauty is a reminder that spring is sleeping in the woods, ready to stir in the green buds on the cherry trees at the end of the street, then dozing again. I spray this lovely scent again; I can wait.
Notes: Pink pepper, bergamot, lime, mandarin, coriander seed, cherry blossom, waterlilies, osmanthus, rose, freesia, cyclamen, violet, sandalwood, vanilla, musk, amber, cedarwood, tonka bean.
Disclaimer: bottle of Ormonde Jayne Sakura generously sent to me by Ormonde Jayne. My opinions, as ever, are my own.
Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
Artwork for Ormonde Jayne Sakura courtesy of the brand
Thanks to the generosity of Ormonde Jayne, we have a 50 ml bottle of Sakura to give to a registered reader in the U.S. or the U.K. Please register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment with what strikes you about Ormonde Jayne Sakura based on Lauryn’s review, where you live, and what your favourite Ormonde Jayne fragrance is. Draw closes 2/12/2023.
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Please read more about Linda Pilkington of Ormonde Jayne Here
Ormonde Jayne Sakura is new to the Four Corners of The Earth Collection which are collaborations with Geza Schoen. Launched at Ormond Jayne.com on February 1
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