I’m incredibly excited to announce that Oriza L. Legrand (“Oriza“) has generously offered a really huge giveaway of ten (10!) prizes. Ten winners will each get one 10 ml travel spray of their choice of Oriza eau de parfum. There are no geographic restrictions, either, so you can be anywhere in the world.
Oriza is an ancient, once-renowned perfume house whose history goes back to Louis XV and 1720. It made perfumes for the Tsar of Russia, and numerous European royal families, as well as winning prestigious prizes in World Fairs of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The perfume house died in the 1930s, but it has been brought back to life by its current owners, Franck Belaiche and Hugo Lambert. I’ve met them both, they are true gentlemen, and, for them, Oriza is a labour of love. They want to return Oriza to its old glory while staying true to its heritage and history by offering its original fragrances, only with lightly tweaks to appeal to modern tastes.
Each of the fragrances is sophisticated, unusual, and smells like absolutely nothing else on the market. One of them — Chypre Mousse — stopped me in my tracks on my way to Serge Lutens, made me turn back, and buy it then and there without any further testing. Those of you who know me (and my feelings about Serge Lutens) will understand just how remarkable that is. Chypre Mousse is one of my absolute favorite chypres, an otherworldly foresty, leafy, damp, green, mushroomy fragrance that feels like a homage to Nature itself.
The rest of the fragrances in the line range from an Oriental patchouli-cognac-amber, to a Serge Lutens-like twist on white lilies, to incense-y High Church fragrances, to a delicate green floral that evokes Spring, and more. All of them are unusual, and all of them have a long history going back to their original release date in the early 1900s. Oriza’s modern fans include Catherine Deneuve and Isabelle Adjani, and, hopefully, now, some of you as well.
THE PRIZES:
Ten (10) readers will each get ONE (1) purse spray of 10 ml/0.33 oz of the Oriza perfume of their choice. Just to be crystal clear, the prize is not a full bottle, but a travel spray of 10 ml.
If you’re unfamiliar with Oriza L. Legrand, you can read my three-part series on the house and its perfumes. The reviews include other people’s impressions of the fragrances as well:
Part I – Oriza, its Paris store, and the return of its fragrances;
Part II – Reviews for Chypre Mousse, Horizon & Reve d’Ossian; and
Part III – Reviews for Relique d’Amour, Oeillet Louis XV, Jardins d’Armide & Deja Le Printemps.
You will find below a cursory, nutshell synopsis of my thoughts on the seven Oriza fragrances. You should be aware that my very brief description doesn’t cover the full (and very lengthy) list of notes in each perfume, or any possible issues of sillage and longevity:
Chypre Mousse: This one is almost impossible for me to describe, a perfume that isn’t really a “chypre” in the way that we usually understand it. It has notes of wet leaves, damp earth, mushrooms on the forest floor, moss, violet leaves, and dark resins. That description still doesn’t really convey just how unusual the fragrance is, or its haunting beauty. It’s truly spectacular. Some of its many notes include: violet leaves, galbanum, oakmoss, pine needles, vetiver, fern, clary sage, chestnut leather, green shoots, wild fennel, wild clover, resins, and labdanum.
Horizon: a patchouli fragrance with aged brandy and cognac, candied mandarin, spices, smoke, hints of leather, tobacco, ambergris, and vanilla. This is my second favorite from the line and the fragrance that I had originally intended to buy before Chypre Mousse swept me off my feet. Horizon is a beauty, a true patchouli oriental with discreet sillage after an opening burst of aged cognac. Unfortunately for me, it didn’t last a huge amount of time on my skin, but I find it really beautiful.
Reve d’Ossian: Frankincense, pine woods, dust, myrrh, resins, cinnamon, leather and amber. For me, this started out as a High Church fragrance in the vein of Bertrand Duchaufour’s Dzongkha before turning into a warm, ambered, cinnamon fragrance centered around myrrh.
Relique d’Amour: a very twisted lily that feels like something Serge Lutens would do. Another fragrance that starts out feeling like an old monastery infused with cold white smoke and dust, it soon turns into a sweet white lily fragrance infused with pollen, incense, myrrh, wax, woods, a touch of soap and powder, and green notes. It’s as though a ray of light shone through a monastery window to light on a vase of lilies, release their aroma, and have it mix with the other notes in a complete paradox. This is a another favorite of mine. It is also Isabelle Adjani’s perfume.
Oeillet Louis XV: Oriza’s homage to their original patron, King Louis XV, this fragrance is centered around white carnation with rose, powder, cloves, iris, and many other notes. On me, it opened sharply like Serge Lutens’ carnation fragrance (Vitroil d’Oeillet) before turning into something much more powdery, in the vein of a very old Guerlain creation, atop some mysterious green, fresh parts and a light, woody musk. You have to like carnations and powder for this one, but it’s very well done.
Jardins d’Armide: hardcore powder and floral soap. Too much so for me, though the fragrance has its fans in Ida Meister of Fragrantica. This one is the most dated of the seven, in my opinion, and feels very much like something from the 1800s. I had to scrub it, but I have no tolerance for intense powder or soap. The notes include: iris, iris powder, old rose, violet wild, glycine, carnation, almond, tonka, musk, and more.
Deja Le Printemps: a green floral with galbanum, mint, fig, vetiver, cedar, moss, orange blossom, clover, grass and more. On me, it opened exactly like Serge Lutens’ Iris Silver Mist. I can’t explain it, especially as the fragrance contains no iris (let alone that funky iris nitrile that Serge Lutens used), but it was shockingly alike on my skin. Then, the galbanum and other green parts take over, creating very much a Spring bouquet that people say evokes a walk in the countryside. This one is Catherine Deneuve’s fragrance.
If you’re interested in trying the whole line, Oriza offers a very affordable sample set of all seven perfumes. I have further details at the end of the post.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment about what you found interesting or appealing about Oriza L. Legrand, its history, and its new mission — or — a comment about whichever one of the perfumes struck your fancy thus far. You won’t be tied into your perfume choice. If you win, you can always change your mind, and choose something different for what you want as your 10 ml travel spray.
WHEN DOES IT START & END:
The entry period starts today, Friday November 8th, 2013 and lasts until the end of Wednesday November 13th, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST) in the U.S. which is -6:00 GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).
WINNERS & EMAILS:
The 10 winners will be chosen by Random.org, and will be announced sometime the next day on Thursday, November 14th.
Once I post the winners, you have THREE (3) days to contact me with your shipping information. Deadline is end of the day, my time, on Saturday November 16th. Please send an email to Akafkaesquelife @ gmail . com (all one word, scrunched together) with your shipping details and your choice of perfume. I will then forward the information onto Oriza L. Legrand.
If you don’t contact me, and if I fail to hear from you within the deadline, I will give your prize to the next person on the list.
SHIPPING:
Oriza L. Legrand will send the prizes directly to the winners, and pay for all shipping costs. Given that Oriza is located in the Paris, it may take some time (up to 2 weeks, depending on your location and Customs processing) for you to receive your gift. It may take even longer if your country has really nightmarish customs issues.
Please be aware that neither Oriza L. Legrand nor I am responsible for items that are destroyed by customs or that are lost in transit for some reason.
FINALLY:
I’d like to express my enormous gratitude to Mr. Hugo Lambert and Mr. Franck Belaiche of Oriza L. Legrand for their generosity, kindness and thoughtfulness in offering so many fantastic gifts. Some companies may give away a small sample, but travel sprays of such a wonderful size and to TEN readers all around the world without restriction?! Amazing! I cannot thank Oriza enough. My real excitement, however, stems from the fact that more people will get the chance to experience a really unique perfume house whose high-quality creations are done with elegance, finesse, and sophistication.
Good luck to everyone! May the perfumed winds take you back in time to the very heart of French history and to Oriza’s royal European courts.
Being a lover of chypre, Chypre Mousse is the one that caught my fancy, especially after reading your magnificent review of the fragrance.
Thank you for this exciting giveaway
You’re very welcome, Frangeepanee. I have you on my list at #105. Best of luck. 🙂
i wish it was Deja Le Printemps ! 🙂
You’re in, and on my list at #106. Good luck. 🙂
Great draw,
I too am a fan of chypres, so the story of how Chypre Mousse stopped you in your tracks makes it sound very interesting.
I’m glad the Chypre Mousse sounds interesting. I have you down on my list at #108. Good luck. 🙂
Shame on me, Kafka, but I knew nothing of Oriza L. Legrand until I read Caro’s interview and your detailed posting. Thank you for the giveway and I hope I would get the chance to know at least one of the fragrances. Just opposite to your feelings, I am craving powdery scents in the cold and Jardins d’Armide sounds quite right for me! Though I am much more curious about Violettes Prince Albert that is sadly not available…I’m a true violette devotee!
I’m just happy you found one that really calls your name, whatever it may be! 🙂 I have you on my list, Lyubov. Good luck. (BTW, I agree about the Prince Albert violet scent!)
I have enjoyed reading your post about the history of this house–I had no idea! I want to make sure I am counted for the drawing, since my first comment went between the comment from meganinstmaxime (#99), and the one from thesmellyvagabond (another #99…?). I have enjoyed reading the comments as well.
I’m so glad you wrote back, as I did miss your entry! As for the 99 and 99, I posted up above to Lexi that I made a mistake on my list by going from 68 to 70, skipping 69 for some reason, so everyone was off by one. I didn’t realise it until I started inputting all the numbers/numbers in a Word Doc, caught it, and just kept everyone in the same order but moved down by one. Regardless, I have you now in the right order and between the two people you mentioned. All that matter is that people are in the right order when I put the names into Random.Org’s random generator. 🙂 Thank you so much for alerting me to the fact that I somehow skipped you.
I have never tried any of perfumes by Oriza L. Legrand. But Chypre Mousse description is so great that it makes me crave this scent.
Chypre Mousse is an utter masterpiece, in my opinion, so naturally I think you made a very good choice. 😉 LOL. I have you on my list, Escritora. Good luck, and check back Thursday for the list of winners.
What a wonderful drawing! Horizon sounds fascinating to me with its boozy notes 🙂
Horizon is a lovely cognac-patchouli-amber and wonderful for winter, ElizabethC. I have you down on my list at #113. Good luck. 🙂
I really want to try the chypre mousse, as ive never tried this line, i would love to be given the chance to maybe find the one, my signature scent.
Oriza is a fantastic line because of how well-done each fragrance, how very different they all are from other things on the market, the very vintage feel of some of them, and the very Serge Lutens-like twists of the others. It’s definitely a line worth getting to know. 🙂 I have you down on my list at #114. Best of luck.
Did you receive my entry?
Sorry, i just saw the reply. Thank you!
Yes, and I replied to you. As stated earlier, you’re #114 on my list. 🙂
Thank you for introducing me to this venerable perfume house! I enjoyed reading each description and now Relique d’Amour especially is calling my name.
You’re very welcome. I’m glad you found Oriza and its long history interesting. 🙂 I have you on my list at #115. Good luck.
Oriza has such an interesting story! Both Chypre Mousse and Horizon sound fabulous – I would definitely be torn. I found it interesting that you were initially drawn to Horizon (as I am, from the note list) but then were so taken by Chypre Mousse. So I guess that would make my decision!
I think you might enjoy both, as they’re very different, but you would have time to decide if you won. I have you down on my list, so good luck! 🙂
I didn’t know about this line, and it sounds great- like something I’d really like, so thank you for bringing it to our all attention. So much so that it’s really difficult to make a pick for a favourite of the line… Because I do love iris, I must confess I am curious about Jardin d’Armide, but I think with your beautiful description of Chypre Mousse that that would be my choice should I be so lucky. Thank you so much for the opportunity to you and Oriza L. LeGrand. ps The bottles are beautiful with those old-fashioned etiquettes, just lovely.
You’re very welcome. I’m so glad you find the line interesting, Asali. I think anyone with an appreciation for vintage fragrances would appreciate the florals, while the others have a contemporary feel but are also very different. That’s the thing that’s cool about the line: they all feel very different from everything else on the market. If you don’t win, you may want to consider the very affordable €9 sample set of the whole line. It’s a great way to take a trip back in time. Anyway, I have you down on my list at #117. Good luck.
Thank you, and I will definitely have a look at that sample programme 🙂
Horizon sounds really great. Thanks!
I have a previous entrant with the exact same email as you. Matildaben. I’m afraid there is only one entry per person.
Oh, how wonderful, thanks for this amazing opportunity, I’ve never tried any of the Oriza L. Legrand perfumes! And after reading your review, stating that Chypre Mousse is an “utter masterpiece”, it is the one I would love to test (first, the others sound exciting too).
BTW I cloved some oranges today like in your beautiful picture of the Orlando review. I put them on the heater and it smells just divine…
Oh, the cloved orange sounds great! What a perfect way to bring in winter and the holiday season! 🙂 As for Oriza, I’m glad you found the line exciting. It’s really a beautiful collection, all of which are very different from other things on the market, in my opinion. I have you down on my list at #118. Good luck, and check back Thursday (morning, US time) for the list of winners. 🙂
Relique d’Amour is so wonderful that I also want to try the Chypre Mousse because I love Chypre! Thanks for this great opportunity!
Oh, how great that you know the line already, and have an Oriza favorite. Relique d’Amour is lovely, Mila. I have you down on my list at #119. Good luck.
Squeaking in here at the last minute! I would love to try Chypre Mousse; I am nuts, but mushrooms as a fragrance sound really appealing to me.
I think Chypre Mousse would intrigue you to no end and that you wouldn’t be able to stop sniffing your wrists! Horizon would totally be your cup of tea too, but it’s far less unique and original. Glad you entered, my dear. If you win, you can make up your mind then. 🙂 I have you down on my list at #120! Good luck.
Simply the description of Chypre Mousse.
You’re on my list. Good luck!
Aww I lost the opportunity to enter the giveaway 😦 , and I wasn´t able to go to the Oriza store in Paris, since I barely had time to see all the historical sides in depth, and not in the quick tour group way. But not all is lost since I will be in Paris again for one day in May, so I might just go to Orizas store in the Opera district, dedicate myself to go there 🙂 .
This website was a dream come true in
that it explains in detail all of the perfumes that were made in the 1800-1900 era. I have been looking for Oeilette Louis VX, the powdery fragrance, and the way it is described sounds spectacular. The first one described sounds very interesting just by the mere description itself. Living in the U.S. makes it very difficult to find these wonderful vintage fragrances that people like myself will fall in love with again & again. May I ask which is the fastest & easiest way to order from the United States?
As noted in the section at the end of the post, you can order samples directly from the company in Paris, which ships them out extremely quickly and sends their fragrances all over the world. The full sample set of 7 fragrances, each in 2 ml vials, is €9 with about €7 for shipping to the US. The link is provided in the post.
Their sample pack was despatched to me without delay and is a joy to behold. I cannot recommend Oriza LeGrand enough for their passion and professionalism in making these samples available. I am working my way through and have to confess Oelette Louis VX is lovely for our Southern Hemisphere summer, but there are others I haven’t got to yet, so I will keep my powder dry…haha
I’m so glad you found one that you enjoy, Omni. Hopefully, a few of the others from the line will work for you as well.