Rosa Novella Santa Maria Novella 2020

A Benjamin Button situation of a rose. At first spray, it's plumes of something an antique-y and vintage-y. It put me off for a while before I revisited it. I think it's the rose in combination with the stringent petitgrain.

But it soon relaxes and the tension gives way to something more youthful, sweet, and lemon-y. It's actually a dead ringer for Skinfood's Black Sugar mask which has a light citrus scent. So that's probably where I got the sugar-lemon association. In contrast to a lot of other reviewers, I think it's a modern offering from SMN compared to their usual, aged apothecary assortment.

Rosa Novella is a shy rose blossom sweetened by jasmine and gardenias. Although it has distinct vintage vibe, it's still a youthful, airy, well-balanced scent. Its youthfulness, light, appropriate for a hot summer day as well as a freezing winter night. Unfortunately, it's pretty short-lived on my skin. On clothes, you can enjoy it a bit longer. If you like youthful, fresh roses, it deserves a chance.
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Rosa Novella este un boboc de trandafir sfios, îndulcit de gardenii și iasomie. Deși este un amestec cu izuri vintage, este un parfum foarte frumos balansat și aerisit. Are un aer tineresc, ușor, care se potrivește atât pe caniculă cât și într-o zi friguroasă de iarnă. Din păcate, la fel ca multe altele de la Santa Maria, nu persistă foarte bine pe piele. Pe haine, poți să te bucuri un pic mai mult de el. Dacă îți plac trandafirii, merită o șansă.

A rose surrounded by white florals and delicate citrus notes with a subtly waxy nuance. The fresh, green, floral opening gradually gains sweetness, allowing the namesake rose to bloom against a backdrop of smooth, woody accords. Overall, the composition feels pleasantly spring-like, though not the lightest, as it can occasionally become slightly heady. It is a well-crafted floral fragrance with a depth that goes beyond simple, mainstream rose interpretations. Well worth discovering.

Rosa Novella immediately transports me back to my very first trip to Italy, where I discovered Florence and fell completely in love with the city's beauty. It was during a week of an intense heatwave. The weather was scorching, and this perfume offered the most refreshing citrus opening before settling into a chic, classic floral. It has a beautiful vintage touch, but without ever feeling like something you’d find in your grandmother's closet.

I consider it a unisex fragrance, as my husband frequently borrows and enjoys wearing it. Other scents from the house that I absolutely love are Magnolia, Eva, and Acqua di Sicilia. All of them share that signature Santa Maria Novella DNA of classic and still modern fragrances.

A bumpy beginning with Pledge-adjacent lemon and a musty rose that might be called vintage by a good natured liar.

Happily, this lightens and smooths over the next half hour, landing in a softly waxy bouquet of roses and white florals. There's a little gentle musk and a brush of pale patchouli in the dry down, but it's really all about those naturalistic flowers.

This sits firmly in SMN's wheelhouse of classically refined yet approachable scents, and while it's not going to turn the world upside down, it's lovely for what it is: a lovely bouquet of classic flowers.

Projection and longevity are both moderate. Gender is soft-spoken romantic.