I had an amazing opportunity to participate in a sample circle with some other members of
Basenotes (an
online community of perfume enthusiasts).
This circle was started by a member called "30 Roses". In her generosity, she (and a few other folks) provided some perfume samples for the group to try. In fact, to be specific,
we each get to sample thirty perfumes; each has a rose note or element to them.
Two boxes have been sent around. I got the first go at one of them. Members of the group each take turns sampling the scents and, if they like, writing up their impressions.
I have never been a huge rose fan, to be honest. Well, I mean, I love roses... they're beautiful! I don't really have the patience to grow roses. And I don't particularly want to smell like them. Or so I thought...
Here are my thoughts on the thirty (THIRTY!) perfumes I got to try:
- Une Rose Chypree (Andy Tauer)
I could write poetry about this scent! Well, if I were poetic, I could. Instead, let me just explain my experience. First: a little goes a LONG way. This is potent stuff. It opened with what seemed almost like a candied rose, but with that not-so-spicy cinnamon-sugar we used to sprinkle on toast when I was little. I started to smell a citrus - I guessed orange, but I'm clearly not good with citrus notes yet. It was clementine. Bergamot, which I still can't pick out, is also listed.
I was starting to imagine roses in a bowl of Fruit Loops (sans milk), but somehow it wasn't childish or foody. Definitely a "green" aspect I couldn't guess (notes say Bourbon geranium - I guess that's it). About 10 minutes in, the rose opens up fully, but still has a slight tangerine tinge.
Twenty minutes later, I started picking up some slightly-spicy woody nuances, and a half an hour after that: cinnamon + rose + vetiver, all undulating. This has a definite vintage flavor and is neither bright nor brooding. It's amazingly grounded but light, somehow. I'd wear it anywhere, but with only a slight dab... Like I said: powerful! I'm going to get my own sample and decide if this is FBW. I bet it is. :)
NOTE: I stupidly dabbed this near a slight scratch on my hand, and it's itching like mad. If you have sensitive skin, you may want to consider that, though it's probably just me.
Edited to add: the drydown also features an amazing oakmoss and labdanum and vanilla and patchouli blend that make everything super creamy and velvety. I love this scent!
- Voluer de rose (L'Artisan Parfumeur)
Patchiuli. Dry patchouli. On me a lot of the time, patchouli takes over all else. This is one of those times. It's a nice patchouli, though!
- Rose Praline (Parfums de Rosine)
Bergamot and rose when wet, which then becomes a very linear caramel sugar-dipped rose. It's sweet, like a praline, but not teeth achingly so. I think that's because a faint, gentle tea note balances the sweetness. This is an excellent perfume and I will be getting a decant or sample and then, probably, a bottle.
- Harrod's Rose (Bond No. 9)
Perfume + a rose. A blast of sparkling perfume and a rose. It really smelled amusingly like an effervescent generic-but-nice perfume and a big rose to me! It made me giggle. That was only for a moment, then it became big white florals (tuberose, mainly) with a huge white rose in the middle! Not too-much tuberose, not too-much rose. Well-balanced. Really nice, but it reminds me of something (not Fracas) that I think I have...maybe the heart of Carolina Herrera?
- Citizen Queen (Juliette Has a Gun)
Attempt One: Opens with uber-quick aldehydes, and then totally disappears. WTH? Must be a musk I can't pick up. Hubby and eldest child can smell it. Eventually (5-8 minutes later) a soft violet-rose with a touch of powder lying over a base of a faint amber. Despite the very faint nature, I want to say I love this. I get more from sillage than up close; this is the first time I've encountered that as a fledgling purfumista-ita.
Second wearing: Aldehydes? Check.
Missing minutes? Nope. Straight into a rose-tinged, creamy violet and iris. There may be a pinch of patchouli in the base, but only a little. I'm going to have to get my own sample to experiment with. For one thing, I saw a review that suggested the rose is more prominent when sprayed instead of dabbed. Also, I think I love this...or maybe I want to love this. That's not the same thing. Something is bugging me about this. Maybe I just want it to be... more? Have some oomph it doesn't currently have? More research needed.
- Cannabis Rose (Fresh)
I was interested to smell this, since I enjoy the real deal smell. I was crushed to find Canabis Rose started with a metallic anise note that briskly turned into a pile of sweet tobacco. That's it - linear for about an hour at which point I scrubbed. Tobacco notes give me migraines. I wasn't fast enough and the migraine is here. In case you were wondering, the throw is good - hubby asked me from across the room what I was wearing (and said "thank god!" when I washed it off).
I tried to put on another scent but the tobacco kept rebounding - that sh*t is tenacious! I took a hot and long shower to get it off. I never smelled rose, nor did I get the munchies
- Coriandre (Jean Couturier)
Gorgeous green opening, with oakmoss and vetiver and a floral blend taking over. The slight bite of coriander is perfection! This is pretty linear, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Will seek out a vintage bottle, definitely.
- Rose of Kali (Neil Morris)
The first thing I smelled was a pear + chocolate blend, which sounds a lot weirder than it really was. That was quick. The first main theme is a green, chocolatey rose blend. There's a hint of pear there, too. This is so strange, but smells amazing!
- Aqua Allegoria Rosa Magnifica (Guerlain)
Sharp, astringent wet rose. Hyacinth + rose. Some might call this "soapy". Soliflore. Linear.
- Lipstick Rose (Frederick Malle)
Fuchsia rose. Red rose. Lotsa big red rose.And then all of a sudden it pulls back and tingles with a raspberry note (which I would have noticed, but not been able to identify). Then it turned to plastic. :sadface:
- American Beauty (Dawn Spencer Hurowitz)
Very sharp and chemical scent. I scrubbed. :(
I hate saying that. I haven't tried any other DSH scents, but aim to do so. This vial was marked "prototype" and I wonder if it has turned? I have to admit, I was so repelled I wouldn't even try this again! I'm sorry, DSH fans... I wanted to be wowed, I really did! I won't be holding this against the line, though, because everyone speaks sooo highly of it.
Edited to add a GIGANTIC retraction/correction! I took a look at Warum's comment below and chastised myself into trying American Beauty again. The opening was a little rough for me (somewhat mentholated and minty - not my favorite), but it wasn't whatever-the-hell-happened the first time! Slowly, a rose bloomed. And bloomed. And bloomed some more. A big vaseful or gorgeous roses. Gradually, a wonderfully woody base was exposed. And I do mean gradually. It's almost molecule by molecule, a subtle switch to a gorgeous base that, on me, is patchouli-dominant but not at all overbearing. Really, really nice. Warum, thanks for unintentionally guilting me into a re-try!
- Fleur de The Rose Bulgare (Creed)
Lemon rose.
- Une Rose (Frederic Malle)
It's pretty much rose to start out (a pretty rose), though there was a tiny bite of something sharp and nasty for a moment at the beginning. I often pick up base notes then, so maybe it was the castoreum?
A rose frozen in amber? I dabbed a bit on a second time, and really loved the ambery dry-down. Must try a decant and experience this more!
- Evelyn (Crabtree & Evelyn) (pre-reformulation and renaming as Evelyn Rose)
Pure rose. Pink and pretty. I want to say "tea rose" but I'm not sure that's right.
- La Rose Jaqueminot (Coty)
Spicy deep dark rose. Amazing. Gorgeous. Carnation? Dark base - civet? Yum! This lasted FOREVER on my skin and was so sultry and lovely. Crazy beautiful!
- True Rose (Woods of Windsor)
Damask rose? Very much a pretty rose soliflore.
- Diablo Rose (Rosine)
Minty rose. Toothpaste rose.
- Quel Amour! (edp)(Annick Goutal)
Minty rose spice turns to fruity rose.
- Tea Rose (The Perfumers Workshop)
Tea rose. Really pretty. Intense.
- English Rose (Yardley)
Very pretty red rose.
- Rose Absolue (Annick Goutal)
Really strong, multifaceted rose! Sadly it faded quickly on me and I'm a bit disappointed.
- Ce Soir ou Jamais (Annick Goutal)
Soft, powdery rose. A little fruity touch. Sweet.
- 1000 (Patou)
I love this. Stunning. Woody and honeyed and lovely glowing florals. I am short on words with this one not because it's basic or simple, but because I think it's got so many facets and movements I don't dare talk about it when I only got such a brief sample period with it.
- Paris Jardins Romantique (YSL)
Floral burst, slightly soapy. Roses and lilacs are prominent to my nose. Very Spring-y and pretty. Would be a lovely young woman's or wedding scent.
- Paris (YSL)
Powder spice rose and violet, then...gone!
It's back. And a little orange spicy, maybe?
The violet and rose are taking turns on the dancefloor.
Far drydown is powdery rose.
Fleurs de Bulgarie (Creed)
Bergamot, bulgarian
rose, ambergris, musk (per bN). Sharp and astringent -yuck. A tad bit of
rose.Bergamot, a bit. That's the astringency, I guess. Maybe a bit salty It's like sniffing a rose from afar ... Very afar.
Honestly, this is like a vase of old roses that have wilted and are molding a tiny bit. There's a whiff of soapiness, but it's like... Dirty soap? Old rose soap!
Checking the notes, I suppose the ambergris is contributing the soapy scent (and that early salt)? If there indeed is musk here, it's one to which I'm anosmic.
- Rose Splendide (Annick Goutal)
Lemon? Something bitter, but soft.
Green. A yellow green. Something I couldn't place- checked the notes: pear. Exactly! About 7-8'min in, a little spicy powder.
Pear? Rose? Pear? Rose? I'm getting whiplash.
Really lovely and sweet and new. Dewy, green pear-rose. Young. The ideal fruity floral.
- Lierre Rose (Parfums 06130)
Ylang-jasmine bomb. An 80's scent like Sung meets Chinatown (Bond No. 9) minus the peach and patchouli (though I do believe there is some patch here, just not a ton). Pretty, strong, floral.
- L'Ombre Danse L'Eau (Diptique)
Leaves. Take some strongly scented leaves, toss in blender. That's the opening to this perfume. PS: pine needles are pine trees' leaves - don't forget one or two in your brew! You know... I really like this! Very green. It's pretty intense, though, so memo to self: go lightly.
- Sa Majeste la Rose (Serge Lutens)
A pretty Moroccan rose. It starts strong, then becomes a slightly powdered, honeyed beauty on top of some pretty woods. Should I ever want a rose soliflore, this would be it.
So, am I a rose convert? Totally! Well, to a degree. I will give rose scents a chance, definitely, but I think I only need one good rose soliflore in my life. I'm not so into smelling like a giant rose. But rose in a blend? Absolutely
A few of the scents I got to try will definitely find their way into my collection. In fact, a few already have! I stumbled upon a mini
Paris and a mini
Coriandre while antiquing this past weekend! I'll still add large bottles when I encounter them, though.
Others I will be testing a bit more, with an eye towards a full bottle eventually:
Une Rose Chypree (Andy Tauer),
Rose Praline (Rosine),
Citizen Queen (Juliette Has a Gun),
Rose of Kali (Neil Morris),
Une Rose (Frederic Malle),
La Rose Jacqueminot (Coty) (if I can find it!),
1000 (Patou), and
L'Ombre Danse L'Eau (Diptique).
Do you "do" rose scents? Are you a fan or do you find them too potpourri and sachet? What suggestions do you have for me for more rose adventures?
xoxo,
*jen
