Tolu Ormonde Jayne 2002 Eau de Parfum

I am not a fan of heavy oriental perfumes. And to be honest (and I know that this statement puts my perfumista affiliation at risk), I am also not a fan of Ormonde Jayne fragrances. I had the sample set and found the selection to be predominantly floral blah. Very disappointing. The only three candidates that truly stuck in my memory were:
- Ormonde Woman (green, woody powder. Initially difficult, it quickly became one of my favorites),
- Ta'if (spicy, sweet rose. I found it beautiful) and
- Tolu (the only oriental outsider of the set and thus inherently rejected by me).

I idiot.
I stumbled upon Tolu again recently quite by chance and out of pure boredom, I gave the fragrance a second chance... thankfully!
Instead of the sticky balsamic sweetness I expected, I was greeted by a fine spiciness that smelled warm, amber-colored, and green at the same time. This spiciness remained until the heart notes, but then took on floral and later powdery amber facets. All the fragrance nuances were so artfully intertwined that I was enveloped in a caressing scent aura from beginning to end. Fantastic!

Tolu reminds me of two great classics that I admire but have always found too loud: Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens and Chanel Coco.
Tolu shares the spiciness and base notes with Ambre Sultan, but it feels softer and more feminine.
Coco is of course unmistakably a Chanel and a fragrance of the 80s, but perhaps Linda Pilkington was indeed inspired by the floral-oriental Coco, which loves to make a grand entrance in the evening. While Tolu may not possess the same obvious seductive skills, it comes across as warm, inviting, and friendly, and yes, in its own way, sexy.