Beyond Rose Clinique 2014

From the top, Beyond Rose seems to be following the path laid out by Mark Buxton's sheer Comme des Garçons 2: a beautiful, dry woody rose that, nevertheless, I personally find a little too stark to wear comfortably. It also takes a cue from the more recent Montale school of oudy roses, and marries CDG2's jetblack, terpenic structure to a coumarinic amber accord. That doesn’t necessarily make it sweeter, however - I also detect a hint of salt. It does make it friendlier (and more office-friendly) than, say, Black Aoud. There is a warm lightness in its heart that renders Beyond Rose more versatile than its precious packaging suggests.