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Notes01/27/2014
Coutureguru
223 Reviews
Coutureguru
Helpful Review
6
The first is usually the best ...
I have been after sampling Dark Rose for the longest time and up until a few days ago have never had the opportunity of doing so. A London based friend procured a sample for me and I am astonished that this seems to be the forerunner of a genre that I have come to love with an undying passion.
Rose, Saffron, Oud and Patchouli … as a combination of notes that is undeniably Arabic in nature and has taken the fragrance world by storm in incarnations like Nejma 3, Montale's Louban (amongst others), Dior's Ispahan, del Pozo's Arabian Nights and Duponts Oud and Rose, Dark Rose by Czech and Speake must be the origin and most brilliantly constructed version of these notes.
As far as I can ascertain, this fragrance is the one which started the Oud craze in Western perfumery. I may be wrong, but most of the literature I have perused points me in that direction. I often view Saffron in fragrances as 'thin' … meaning not that it is applied skimpily, but simply that it doesn't carry any fullness. Indeed, I have a sample of Saffron absolute in my possession, and even this renders itself as 'thin', by which I mean blade-like and sharp. Imho, Saffron needs a strong, full Rose note dripping with mushroomy earthiness to truly shine. In Dark Rose it has such an ingredient and I am almost sure that this is the beautiful Rose from Ta'if, grown in the mountains of Saudi Arabia.
While the Oud here is excellent, I can't help feeling that it is synthetic, having recently smelled vintage Oud. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful compliment to the Rose, bolstered in the deep dry down by a very convincing Musk note.
The Patchouli in this creation is beautifully natural, and I would warrant that it comes from the Seychelles … an oil which I have had the pleasure of smelling in it's natural form. Although this crop is not a major export for this Island nation anymore, native perfumery still utilizes the famed oil of this region.
I am truly sorry that I did not sample this creation until long after my fascination with this genre began. I can only say that if one's collection only allows for a single fragrance based on Oud, Saffron, Rose and Patchouli, then Czech and Speake's Dark Rose has to be it.
Rose, Saffron, Oud and Patchouli … as a combination of notes that is undeniably Arabic in nature and has taken the fragrance world by storm in incarnations like Nejma 3, Montale's Louban (amongst others), Dior's Ispahan, del Pozo's Arabian Nights and Duponts Oud and Rose, Dark Rose by Czech and Speake must be the origin and most brilliantly constructed version of these notes.
As far as I can ascertain, this fragrance is the one which started the Oud craze in Western perfumery. I may be wrong, but most of the literature I have perused points me in that direction. I often view Saffron in fragrances as 'thin' … meaning not that it is applied skimpily, but simply that it doesn't carry any fullness. Indeed, I have a sample of Saffron absolute in my possession, and even this renders itself as 'thin', by which I mean blade-like and sharp. Imho, Saffron needs a strong, full Rose note dripping with mushroomy earthiness to truly shine. In Dark Rose it has such an ingredient and I am almost sure that this is the beautiful Rose from Ta'if, grown in the mountains of Saudi Arabia.
While the Oud here is excellent, I can't help feeling that it is synthetic, having recently smelled vintage Oud. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful compliment to the Rose, bolstered in the deep dry down by a very convincing Musk note.
The Patchouli in this creation is beautifully natural, and I would warrant that it comes from the Seychelles … an oil which I have had the pleasure of smelling in it's natural form. Although this crop is not a major export for this Island nation anymore, native perfumery still utilizes the famed oil of this region.
I am truly sorry that I did not sample this creation until long after my fascination with this genre began. I can only say that if one's collection only allows for a single fragrance based on Oud, Saffron, Rose and Patchouli, then Czech and Speake's Dark Rose has to be it.
