ORLOV
EMPOWER YOU

2020

PERFUMER
Olivier Pescheux

Yellow Mandarin
Blood Orange
Bergamot
Lemon
Grapefruit
blackcurrant
Ginger

Orange Blossom
Bulgarian Rose
Jasmine Sambac
Geranium

Cedarwood
Musk
Patchouli
Oud
Incense

Empower You opens (and remains) a fresh, citrussy, fruity bomb, with white floral tinge and a musky base (in a style that seems very popular). But mostly, it’s a fruity affair.

It’s definitely leaning hard into the mandarin/lemon aspect; I don’t get much of a specific blood orange or grapefruit here. Initially I mostly got the citrus, but with more wears the fizzy ginger really became prominent for me. It gives the citrus a (carbonated) drink vibe and it adds to the overall refreshing quality. As it dries a clean, dry woody base comes through, but it remains very fresh throughout.

The florals here play second fiddle. They didn’t instantly grab me, but as with the ginger, with repeated wearing they came through more, especially the jasmine and geranium. In a way this smells very similar on the surface to my Bortnikoff Musk Cologne, but flattened and safer. The citrus is more acidic and has less depth, the florals are less pronounced (and very unisex). The musk is obviously not on a similar level, which is perfectly fine and to be expected given it’s €95 price point.

The ByOrlov line is mostly bright, happy, mass appealing and easy to wear and I think Empower You embodies that the most of all of them. It will not surprise the seasoned wearer but the aforementioned price in combination with the presentation makes for a compelling deal. My favorite of the original ByOrlov line-up remains Walk On The Wild Side and I do think Orlov has more interesting offerings in their other, more expensive, line-ups.