Rosewood Banana Republic 2006

Rosewood is a scent that I have never smelled before, or something similar - absolutely unique and incomparable. A fragrance that combines elegance, warmth, softness, and gentleness with brightness, intensity, freshness, and longevity, making it all seem like child's play.

I love vanilla scents, soft woods, amber, but usually leaning more towards the oriental. Therefore, Rosewood doesn't really fit into my primary preference, but the bottle (simple and elegant), the packaging (a rosewood box), and the rather controversial comments piqued my curiosity:
On me, Rosewood starts off fresh, green, and herb-citrusy - unmistakably bergamot. Shortly after, I perceive the tea. Years ago, I had the opportunity to visit a green tea plantation and also the facilities for drying and fermentation. The plants have a very distinct scent after being picked, which has surprisingly little in common with the brewed tea. The leaves smell green, sweet-floral, and very delicate - and I sense this note in Rosewood.
I have to agree with my predecessors; I also think that something is missing in the pyramid. The floral notes in the heart certainly cannot be explained solely by the fresh tea leaves... I think I smell peony, but I'm not entirely sure, as amber and vanilla are now quite prominent. I can also clearly perceive a woody note that I would identify as sandalwood.

Rosewood is one of the few fragrances I know that seems to gain intensity and sillage over time. Initially rather soft and fresh, the scent becomes noticeably powdery and amber-heavy as it develops, although the fresh notes remain, they subtly recede into the background.
Rosewood is a fragrance with a lot of room volume and decent longevity, which I can still smell on myself even after a good 10 hours.
I find that everything fits together perfectly with Rosewood - the name, the interplay of notes, the scent as a whole, the design/color/material of the bottle, packaging, and liquid - a coherent and complex overall concept.

It is, for me, not a scent for every day, but when I feel like wearing this fragrance, I wear it with enthusiasm
:-)