An ode to rose

For a long time, jasmine was my favourite flower: I wore Lust Perfume to death in my teenage years in the solid version, since the spray was much too indolic for my taste. I had been on the hunt for the perfect jasmine soliflore, only to realize that no matter how photo-realistic the jasmine is, I don't like jasmine enough to appreciate such a fragrance. I will anyways post a blog article about my favourite jasmines in the near future too, so stay tuned. Well, I thought for a long time that rose was too "basic" smelling, and that I didn't like it... Until I went to the Les Parfums de Rosine shop, and it was roses galore! I got to smell all kinds of roses, from the well-known rose-oud combo, to a very concentrated rose that had honeyed aspects to it. And that's when I fell in love with rose...

Since then, I have been collecting rose perfumes by hunting down some references in the souk here or by ordering samples online. I gathered some of the best, in my humble and highly subjective opinion, rose perfumes on this list.

1. Goutal - Rose Absolue

As pure as the purest rose, this is the grand winner! Pink and red roses, only backed up by a little tobacco that I can't even place at all. The roses aren't dried, nor potpourri-style: they are alive, but not freshly bloomed either. They smell like they're a couple hours away from wilting, so their scent is strong, almost lemony. This fragrance doesn't list any musk and isn't powdery at all, so I think it is suitable for all kinds of weather, from scorching hot to snowy cold.

2. Memo Paris - Cassiopeia Rose

A pink, rather fresh rose with the smoky and lemony facets of frankincense. This fragrance is first quite refreshing, but it warms up as it becomes more and more rose-centric. To be honest, this was a blind-buy and I was a little nervous thinking about how frankincense and rose notes pair up together, and ultimately the scents combine and complement each other really well.

3. Jo Malone - Red Roses

Smelled it in store and instantly fell in love. Maybe it isn't ground-breaking, but oh boy, does it smell good! Usually, rose is paired up with patchouli to give it that "red" effect, but here it is the beeswax that accompanies the rose to deepen the scent. It's a pity that you cannot find it online anymore, maybe it will be discontinued soon?

4. L'Artisan Parfumeur - Mémoire de Roses

It opens up as a very bright and juicy mandarin orange, and this citrus fanfare leaves the spotlight to the grand rose and white musk combo that is so refreshing in summer. This isn't cloying at all, but if you don't like soapy rose or "perfumey" scents then this is not for you.

5. Diptyque - Eau Rose EDP

A rose painted in watercolour, just as every other fragrance Diptyque offers! It is a tad bit on the greener side, and I smell something fruity in the opening. Lychee is listed as the top note, but I swear I smell something more akin to a berry (raspberry, maybe?). Very pleasant for the warmer months.

6. Matière Première - Radical Rose

The famous rose-patchouli combo in a high-quality fragrance that is more suitable for the cooler months. The rose is velvety red with dark accents, and the honeyed facets of the rose are present here. There isn't any trace of the citrus aspects noted in the previous fragrances, here we have a almost jammy rose due to the saffron, that gives that "burnt sugar" note. A little sweet, but not too much, and it is the most unisex perfume of all those I mentioned.

7. Solstice Scents - Estate Rosarium

This fragrance is rated so low in my ranking because I was hoping for more vanilla... But it only means my quest for vanilla and rose hasn't been finished yet. The rose here is rather green and is a bit sharp.

8. Memo Paris - French Leather

This is rated very low on my ranking just because it isn't really rose-centric: the rose shares the spotlight with leather and combined, they make the most elegant perfume of them all. The rose is very peppery, and paired with the suede note it makes me think of a very wealthy woman wearing a silk scarf around her long neck and a white outfit... Yes, that is what it smells like!

I have tried others that didn't make it to the list, and here I'll share my thoughts on them:

• Rose de Taif Eau de Parfum : too much lemon, which is a pity since I really like the rose note here
• Hippie Rose : forgettable
• La fille tour de fer : paired with iris it just makes a very vague perfumey floral scent
• La fille de Berlin Eau de Parfum : very jammy, not my style
• Moonlight Rose : too much patchouli
• Rose Rouge : i preferred this one but it was forgettable in the end
• Rosa Nobile Eau de Parfum : very fresh, I did like it but didn't investigate further
• Dom Rosa : ultimately didn't like the bubbly champagne accord... Too fizzy for my taste, noting that I don't really appreciate aldehydes
• Hollyrose : very leather-forward, too bold for my taste
• Rose America : very pretty marine rose, but not my style. I don't really appreciate salty notes
• Rose : sadly, the rose is not really present here, so it smells vaguely floral and fresh
• Cinabre : too much ginger, it became too peppery on my skin
• Baptême Ambré : too much cinnamon, making it too sweet for my particular taste
• "Atomic Rose | Initio" : really nuclear, didn't enjoy the scent because it quickly became cloying
• Grisette : pleasant but very perfumey, I was hoping for something more realistic
• "Rose - Bois Muscade | La Closerie des Parfums" : very spicy, not what I was looking for but it is very pleasant... Actually, the more I smell it the more I like it but I cannot justify buying another rose scent that is only a "like".
• Lettre de Pushkar Eau de Parfum : too jammy and sweet

As you can see, I have smelled a lot of roses. But if you think there is some scent I MUST try out, just tell me! I am particularly interested in reviews of:

• Amria Eau de Parfum
• Finist the Falcon Eau de Parfum
• Rose Pompon Eau de Parfum
• "Atelier des Fleurs - Rosa Damascena | Chloé"
• Les Tourterelles de Zelmis (2017)
• Rose au Sucre

And that's a wrap! Thank you for reading my post!