Artemisia Ozymandias is a perfume inspired by Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem, “Ozymandias“, a poem referring to Ramses II. The perfume is meant to capture “the journey of time, from its lively beginnings to its earthly finale”. So, really this is a perfume inspired by power and decay.
Ozymandias opens with a bright, bitter, green citrus. With time, there’s a sweetness from hay-like broom. It’s not listed but I feel like this brightness is intensified by heady florals like a honeyed jasmine and crisp, green neroli. The transition from brightness/bitterness to earth is abrupt. This headiness turns into sandalwood, clay and dust. It’s dry and warm with only a subtle hint of hay.
Ozymandias isn’t my favorite from the line and I think I know why. And this reason may be why someone else will find it their favorite. I don’t think I’m much of a fan of broom (genet) in natural perfumes because I think it takes over most compositions. I feel like it bullies other botanicals. It’s tenacious. Saying that, I know people (that tend to like naturals) that really, really like it. I’ve been in situations where people smell broom (absolute and in perfumes) and go on and on about its beauty and I’m over there hoping that broom would start using its inside voice. I know this is a tangent that isn’t directly related to Ozymandias and really I shouldn’t even include it in this review because it’s a good perfume and the brand is excellent. But, I do think this is my issue with this particular perfume. I don’t like the opening, the “power” but I love the base, the “decay”, in Ozymandias. Saying that, the base is totally amazing; it’s stunning. And I’m going to try it again in the future – there have been MANY notes that I’ve done complete 360°s on.
Notes listed include aged mysore sandalwood, frankincense, cedarwood, mitti atttar, arnica, tobacco, broom and mandarin petigrain. Launched 2014. PERFUMER – Lisa Fong
Or if you like perfumes like Pirouette Perfume Gold Souvenir, Escentual Alchemy For the Love of Bees, Maria Candida Gentile Barry Lyndon, Providence Perfume Co. Divine and/or Aftelier Honey Blossom. Ozymandias smells like a natural perfume to me, so I would recommend it to those that like naturals.
Projection and longevity are average, which would be above average for a natural perfume like this.
The .6 oz EDP retails for $68 at Artemisia. A solid is available for $28. Sample sets are also available for purchase.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Bright bitterness that dries down to warm earth. I like the decay in it 😉 Seriously, if you love broom, get your hands on this.
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here! here! i concur.
i love genet, but i do think there is a response form natural perfumers (i have NO idea what ms. fong thinks and do not speak to her perfume directly) to the idea natural perfume shave no longevity or sillage in using these power house ingredients.
there are also just ingredients, like party guests, who seem to hold court.
boronia is my personal genet.
thank you for review another one of the natural posse. <3
Oh, boronia. That is another one that is like genet-ish in that it can linger and overpower. Not saying either are bad but they do stick around…which I think is why they are used but still, they can overpower some of the more delicate notes. I often wonder how these react with age as well. Do they fade? Do their “powers” intensify with age?
I should have kept my thoughts separate from the scent since I do think it’s good and the line is great. It’s really a taste thing and I think she got what she was going for with this perfume – light to dark. I was really just trying to have a discussion that there are things that we like or don’t like that others do like. I guess we can be “sensitive” to certain notes (and I think we all have them). You get where I was going with this 🙂 Not an attack on this perfume or this line, just a thought and that I realized that broom is not my favorite note.
The description of Artemisia’s Eros sounds like heaven with the oak moss and the rose. Have you tried it? If you have, does the orris make it powdery?
I haven’t tried that one, but it sure sounds really good. I find with naturals that orris can do a few things like go earthy/rooty…and if it goes in that direction I bet it’s heavenly with that rose/oak moss.