There is little better than a lovely cup of hot tea on a cool fall morning (or an ice-cold fall morning, if the polar vortex is having its way with you). As such, I turned to Atelier's Oolang Infini to see if it could bring me the feelings of warmth and comfort that a nice tea would.
Upon first spray, the opening of Oolang Infini is crisp and fresh, citrusy and bright. For me it was immediately reminiscent of the Twining's Lady Grey iced tea I used to drink on occasion (a blend of black tea, orange, bergamot, lemon and lime), though the tea note may be a bit more demure than the black tea used in Earl or Lady Grey.
After the initial fragrant burst of tea dies down, Oolang Infini's tea notes float lightly above the skin - soapy and clean. The tea notes are, however, marked by a small undercurrent of tannic bitterness that makes the scent feel just a tad medicinal and sharp on me. After an hour or so, that sharpness fades a bit but unfortunately I don't get a lot of the blond leather or wood notes that others seem to enjoy. Perhaps for this reason, Oolang Infini feels cool to me - lacking the warmth or depth of a nice full-bodied tea. Around the three hour mark only the faintest waft of soapiness is discernible with the wrist to the nose - even after 6 sprays. Surprisingly though, that faint waft was still detectable by the next morning.
Although it evokes more of an Earl or Lady Grey tea feeling for me than Oolong - Oolang Infini is definitely a realistic tea scent. It's gentle nature is office appropriate, comfortable for everyday use and very gender neutral. I think it would be quite becoming on a man, but I'll never know because Clint did not care for it in the least.
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Clint's 3: As I noted above, Clint struggled with this one (made a very disgusted face) and really wanted his words to be "I don't like it." I was a bit surprised by his strong and visceral reaction to a scent I found fairly pleasant and quite inoffensive. Nonetheless I forced my wrist upon him repeatedly and he finally came up with:
Citrusy, Soapy, 'Musky'
Musky was my word - Clint didn't have a precise word but said it smells like our dog after she has rolled in something outside and needs a bath. We're not really sure what it is she rolls in. It doesn't smell like dung... but it does reek of dirty animal. Needless to say, I didn't smell it, but everyone's nose is different.
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My rating of Oolang Infini: 3
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| Photo from Atelier Cologne website |
Upon first spray, the opening of Oolang Infini is crisp and fresh, citrusy and bright. For me it was immediately reminiscent of the Twining's Lady Grey iced tea I used to drink on occasion (a blend of black tea, orange, bergamot, lemon and lime), though the tea note may be a bit more demure than the black tea used in Earl or Lady Grey.
I'm not sure if it's a quality of the fragrance or my personal chemistry with it but Oolang Infini was exceptionally soft and light. I actually had to reapply Oolang Infini twice within 15 minutes to maintain any level of scent. There are very few scents of which I could tolerate 6 sprays without massive nausea or headaches, and honestly with this one I could probably tolerate several more still.
After the initial fragrant burst of tea dies down, Oolang Infini's tea notes float lightly above the skin - soapy and clean. The tea notes are, however, marked by a small undercurrent of tannic bitterness that makes the scent feel just a tad medicinal and sharp on me. After an hour or so, that sharpness fades a bit but unfortunately I don't get a lot of the blond leather or wood notes that others seem to enjoy. Perhaps for this reason, Oolang Infini feels cool to me - lacking the warmth or depth of a nice full-bodied tea. Around the three hour mark only the faintest waft of soapiness is discernible with the wrist to the nose - even after 6 sprays. Surprisingly though, that faint waft was still detectable by the next morning.
Although it evokes more of an Earl or Lady Grey tea feeling for me than Oolong - Oolang Infini is definitely a realistic tea scent. It's gentle nature is office appropriate, comfortable for everyday use and very gender neutral. I think it would be quite becoming on a man, but I'll never know because Clint did not care for it in the least.
-----
Clint's 3: As I noted above, Clint struggled with this one (made a very disgusted face) and really wanted his words to be "I don't like it." I was a bit surprised by his strong and visceral reaction to a scent I found fairly pleasant and quite inoffensive. Nonetheless I forced my wrist upon him repeatedly and he finally came up with:
Citrusy, Soapy, 'Musky'
Musky was my word - Clint didn't have a precise word but said it smells like our dog after she has rolled in something outside and needs a bath. We're not really sure what it is she rolls in. It doesn't smell like dung... but it does reek of dirty animal. Needless to say, I didn't smell it, but everyone's nose is different.
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My rating of Oolang Infini: 3
1 - - - - 2 - - - - 3 - - - - 4 - - - - 5
Nausea/Gagging Meh Decent Great Olfactory Elation
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Oolang Infini as described by the Atelier Cologne website:
Oolang Infini, a full-bodied, mysterious concoction, captures blue tea and bergamot in the warmth of smoke and leather.
Oolang Infini, a full-bodied, mysterious concoction, captures blue tea and bergamot in the warmth of smoke and leather.
Top Notes: bergamot from Calabria, Tunisian neroli, freesia
Middle Notes: oolong tea, jasmine from Egypt, blond leather
Base Notes: tobacco flower from the Balkans, gaiac wood from India, musk
Perfumer: Jerome Epinette
Perfumer: Jerome Epinette
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Have you tried Oolang Infini? What are your favorite tea scents and teas?
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