Reviews of Oolang Infini 
Atelier Cologne (2010)

A smoky opening, some dry tea and sweet notes that reminds me of immortelle, although I don't see it mentioned in the notes. What I get now remains unchanged for the next hours, which is pretty much sweet smoke that is having a warm aura around it. The projection drops to a skin scent level within half an hour, so it's a very soft and warm scent.

Women in the Garden by Claude Monet 1866

Very soft floral opening. I do get some tea but it's more in the background. Becomes more woody and musky (but still clean) in the drydown, moving it back towards the masculine side. However, the jasmine is still there making it very pleasant and soft.

I will vote that it is just slightly more feminine but just barely. Men can wear this without an issue.

Projection is average but has good longevity.

Subtle tea based fragrance that reminds me of Tea For Two minus the spicy notes. Projection and longevity are average with this one though.

Another pleasant fresh scent from Atelier Cologne, Oolang Infini incorporates the signature tea note with a floral/citrus blend. I don't get the leather that's often referred to in the latter stages of wearing, frankly, but I get the guaiac wood and musk as it does soften gently in the dry down.

It's slightly more feminine than the other more-or-less gender neutral colognes I've sampled so far out of the line, so it's a little less appealing to me in that respect. In its defense, it smells very natural, more authentic and less offensive than many designers in that same vein.

What's equally prohibitive is its poor performance, even relative to the other Ateliers that I tried--I would need a handful of sprays to make it last. It was unfortunately almost entirely gone within a few hours of applying. I like the tea of Creed Silver Mountain Water and would certainly pay for it, because not only is it a better scent, but it projects and lasts somewhat longer.

Not one I'd consider buying, considering how many others I prefer from the line, but luckily, for those that do like it a lot, it's available on some discount sites (like many other Ateliers): $131 for 100ml on Beautyspin, and under $100 for 100ml on FragranceNet.

6 out of 10

Here's a tip to wearing Oolang Infini: go heavy. It is near-impossible to overspray. The opening citrus/bergamot/neroli is a given for Atelier fragrances, and here it threatens to overwhelm the tea note, at least for the first few minutes.

At this juncture some may be inclined to write off the Oolong tea note, especially if you've been expecting a more robust and tannic representation. The truth is - there is no tea. There never was. It is an artificial construct, consisting of aromachemicals. A tricky balancing act.

The tea note may seem faint but to my mind it blends so well with the bergamot that it projects more like bergamot tea, refreshing, slightly citric with a negligible hint of florals and a clean musky base highly reminiscent of Bulgari pour Homme. If I was in a nasty mood, I'd have called it a blatant rip off.

Oolang Infini conjures me soon up in mind the salty/soapy Heaven's virile and dynamic sharp sensuality with that typical organic (somewhat intimate and testosteronic) vibe which was in my opinion the most appreciable side in the "departed" Chopard. Atelier Cologne Oolang Infini is indeed an extremely intimate and profound salty/ozonic tea centered potion with several points in common with the great Atelier Cologne Mistral Patchouli (which shares with this one the salty/intimate vibe though in Mistral Patchouli the feel is more ambery and almost finally leathery in a rich way while in Oolang Infini the effect is more typically translucent and aqueous). The Oolang Infini's aroma is centered over a basic oriental green tea note (conjuring me a lot the classic Bulgari Pour Homme or the Roger&Gallet The Vert) combined with aqueous flowers, ozonic notes, musk, tobacco flower, jasmine and transparent cedarwood. A touch of leather locks the round nailing down another point in common with its " collegue" Mistral Patchouli (which anyway does not list the noticeable note of soft leather among the others). The cedary dry down elicits a typical "ascetic and meditative" oriental (i mean typically japanese in style) vibe which is extremely sharp and silent even if not excessively castigatory. I still prefer Bulgari Eau Parfumee Au The' Vert, Roger&Gallet The Vert and even more the classic Bulgari Pour Homme as tea based juices. The jasmine is a key element of the aroma as combined with musk, salty citrus and tobacco flower. Not my "cup of tea" but anyway an appreciable aroma for the lovers of the genre. Good longevity on my skin.

Tea and citrus...nice smell disappointing projectionTea fragrances are so difficult to do. The scents are subtle and fleeting. The Oolang smells wonderful...when I press my nose to my skin. There is a stronger Neroli that smells nice, but like all citrus they are fleeting. A nice fragrance to wear at bedtime or just for a "fragrance snack"

harsh tea Oolong tea is a fragrance in itself, combining the typical herbal and woody notes of tea with delicate floral bouquets, with subtle differences from plantation to plantation. I was curious to test this fragrance, but also wary, as I've seldom found a true and good tea note in fragrances. (Moreover, during the nineties, the market was so dumped with self styled tea scented products to discourage every tea-lover in the hope of finding a realistic note). Oolang Infini, for the first half an hour seems miraculously able to give a true tea sensation- maybe not an oolong (too much citrus, not enough flowers), but a definite herbaceous, ligneous and slightly tannic scent. Unfortunately, as it often happens to me with Atelier Cologne fragrances, what follows turns out to be a nondescript, rather harsh and thin woody base, that makes me forget the beauty of the opening.

Color me confused about "tea" fragrances. Sometimes they smell synthetically sharp and citrus (often the green tea blends, which is a shock, because I'm looking for lightly toasted tannins with a mellow flowery, leafy quality).

Sometimes these so-called tea blends just smell muddled and mineralic, but not like tea.

This is an ok unisex.

Disappointingly, there's nothing that speaks to beautiful, multi-layered oolong tea here. Likewise, there's nothing that smells like green or black tea here. Where are the real tea fragrances?

This opens with citrus and a slightly sour tangy tea note that is joined by neroli and woods.

You know when you are ironing a white shirt and you put a bit of starch on the collar and press down on the steam button. You get that starchy steamy smell, add a little citrus and a tiny dab of neroli and you have this fragrance.

I'm disappointed with this fragrance as the star of the show tea note does nothing to distinguish itself within this composition.

This scent is imo tepid and generic, if the tea was stronger and the supporting notes of leather and woods stood out more this would have been such a better fragrance. With the tea note you need bolder notes as a good contrast.

For the life of me, I just don't get what the big deal is with the Atelier line. Actually, I take that back, because, as I was first making the switch from the commonplace to interesting niche, I went through a phase where I was obsessed with "fancy" citrus scents. I think that, for those following a similar arc, Aftelier can be a bit of a revelation after tiring of metallic aquatic scents. That being said, there are better and cheaper citruses out there (Eau d'Hadrien etc) and these will all seem a little simple once you get to know the more challenging end of perfumery.

Any review of Oolong Infino has to start with the fact that it's incredibly weak. Thank goodness I got a very large decant in a trade, because, while 12 sprays was enough to generate some mild sillage, I had to splash on a whopping handful (easily the equivalent of 20-30 sprays) like an old fashioned splash cologne in order to really smell and get to know Oolong Infini.

Basically, it's mostly black pepper, with its familiar-from-food topnote and its green, almost sassafras-ish undertones. There's an herbal green note that's somewhere between cilantro and unripe bell peppers, as well as a thin vetiver base. Buried deep, there's a slight hint of creamy green tea and a thin dusting of citrus brightness that briefly shines in the topnotes, but the pepper-into-greens is the star of the show. For the record, I can't smell anything remotely like oolong tea or anything in the notes list.

All in all, it's pleasant (if not a watered-down copy of Hermes Poivre Samarcande, though), but there's no way I'm giving a thumbs up to an expensive perfume so weak you'd need a quarter of the bottle for a single satisfactory wearing.

Overall impression: damp earth. Without concentrating on the notes, I get a sort of ambient smell like after it rains. I can sense the tea and the vetiver, the leather not so much. Good projection and longevity. A little too atmospheric for me, but it's not bad.
Might be good for someone that does not want to smell like they are wearing a fragrance. Grade: C+