Weekly Scent Discussion #9: How do you love your rose?

Rose. She's one of the most used and well loved (and hated) notes in the realm of perfumes. Everyone has their favorites. Some like it sweetened by peach, or tangy with Ylang-ylang, others want it heavy with incense or buried in amber.

Many "rose" perfumes blend together for me, but there are a few that really stand out n my mind. In general I prefer Turkish/Persian rose to the European roses. I am searching for descriptors and failing miserably) to try and quantify why I prefer one over the other, but I can't seem to find the way to vocalize why I have this preference (perhaps it's because I've been awake for almost 45 hours). My favorite rose pairing would have to be with peach (think the vintage Tresor by Lancôme) and ylang -ylang (think Lust by Lush). Though a rich incense and rose is lovely too.

For most unique use of rose I'd have to give the prize to Prima Ballerina by Strange Invisible Paris and Persian Rose by Pacifica. The first time I wore Prima Ballerina I was a bit turned off. It was just so weird. This Sage and Lime over a rose made me scratch my head. But I came back for more, and then more. It's uniqueness kept drawing me in. It's like a weird cousin that you love to visit for awhile because she makes you feel more alive. This was Prima Ballerina for me. To me Persian Rose, is the Persian and exotic cousin of the European Prima Ballerina. I love it for all the same reasons I love Prima Ballerina and then some. This scent is the place to go if you want to really experience the scent of limoo (Persian black Lime).

For best rose solifleur I'll give the prize to Tea Rose by Perfumers Workshop. It's a nice deep rose and I only paid $10 USD for a giant bottle of it. Can't beat that with a stick!

Grand Prize for roses goes to Caron. Almost all their vintage roses are supurb and mind blowing. So creamy and full, rich and deep. The pinnicle of all roses for me is N'aimez que moi. She is my unicorn. My collection will be complete when I find her. She is what all roses should aspire to be.

There are many many honorable mentions but I think I'll keep my post to just these.

So what roses rock your world? Which ones do you find really unique and which is your favorite basic rose Solifleur?

Great timing, Briarthorn It so happens I wore a soliflore rose scent today

I started out with roses in an oriental setting and in chypres but recently I also have moved towards the soapy/romantic type of rose.

Today I wore Crabtree & Evelyn´s "Evelyn Rose" which overall got rather negative reviews in some forums but I must say it is a lovely one. There is a slightly fruity touch to it but no patchouli, no amber, no vanilla (at least not on my skin) and that makes this one rather stand out in my collection.
Yes, it may smell terribly dated and old-lady-like but such a soft and unsexy rose comforts me and gives me a friendly hug.

Some other rose fragrances I really dig are :
"Fashion Decree" by Atkinson >-- Chypre, lots of patchouli. Has a rather cool/reserved aura, almost austere. Anna Wintour in a bottle
"Coco" by Chanel >-- Peppery and sexy, warm, glowing with sensuality. A classic, one of my all-time staples.
"Knowing" by Estee Lauder >-- Chypre, dark, mysterious, Titania´s realm as a perfume. Masterpiece, I would not want to ever be without it.
"Very irresistible L´Intense" by Givenchy >-- Fruity-floral, gothic girl between teen and grown-up, soft and sensual. Plum lingers in the background. I have worn it on and off for some time, actually I enjoy this one more than I admit
"Vengeance Extreme" by Juliet has a gun >-- Chypre-oriental, loads and tons and gazillions of patchouli leaves mixed in that concoction. Earthy. leathery, smoldering and yet somewhat soft, a demanding kiss of roses. Wonderful !
"Black Aoud" by Montale >-- Oriental, much has been said and written on this one. Some love it, some hate it. I love this plushy dark red rose and the tangerine that softens the patchouli vibe. Ultrastrong formulation but phantastic with one spray under clothing.

If someone is into a fruity and soft rose scent I recommend Atkinson´s "Rose in Wonderland". Romantic and very lady-like.

The more well-known roses such as "Chloe" and "Paris" (YSL) are not my cup of tea. There is something in there that just does not harmonize in my opinion....I am still guessing what this might be.

My favourites are:
- a rose with a lot of geranium (like "Une Rose")
- fragrances with rose that are not focussed on rose (like "Concentré de Pamplemousse Rose")
I would also like to try a scent like "Acteur", which has rose + leather + oakmoss. "Rose of Bulgaria for Men" is also on my wish list.

Fragrances I can't wear but that I do love are:
- fragrances with Japanese rose:
-
for example "Swarovski Edition", or "Gorilla Perfume At Lush - Imogen Rose" (contains a different rose but smells similar). I would describe the scent of this rose as a bright 'pink' floralness. Giving a 'pink' impression like YSL Paris but without violet.
- Rose + ylang ylang, like "Rouge Hermès". Basically I like everything that has ylang

PS. Ladies, take a look at this cool topic: http://www.parfumo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1 898

Actually I became a huge fan of the combo of rose with oud, being my preferred Dior's Oud Ispahan and Montale's Black Aoud.
Anyway, rose is for me always a plus in other perfumes: for instance, I think my beloved Egoiste from Chanel, although a sandalwood centered perfume, would not be the same without the rose in it. The same goes for Versace's The Dreamer or Guerlain's Habit Rouge.

Great topic!

That reminds me that I could wear a rose fragrance again which I haven't done for quite a while. Actually, there is so much to be said about this topic, so please excuse me for being wordy.

Montale: Rose and Oud

When it comes to rose oud combos, Montale's Black Aoud is the role model for the whole group. Over the years Montale has launched numerous variants of that classic combination. I think they can be arranged along a line from dark/masculine/oudish to bright/feminine/flowery, and so here is an (incomplete) attempt, starting with BA:

- "Black Aoud"
- "Steam Aoud"
- "Aoud Safran"
- "Aoud Flowers"
- "Louban"
...
- "Aoud Sliver"
- "Orange Aoud"
- "Aoud Melody"
...
- "Aoud Queen Roses"
- "Deep Roses"
- "Royal Aoud"
- "Aoud Shiny"
- "White Aoud"

Personally, I'd prefer Steam Aoud over BA. It has less rose, but it also misses a certain roughness. I find it more balanced. An absolute rose and oud feast is Aoud Flowers, and I would have it if I hadn't bought Washington Tremlett's Black Tie before, which is similar.

Louban is an interesting green rose oud: just imagine Morticia from Addams family switching off all the blossoms from the rose bouquet she had received and arranging the wonderful stems in a vase!

The "in between" ouds are very wearable. I used to wear Aoud Sliver quite some times, it actually resembles an Arabian Mukhallat (blend) but is of high quality. The newer releases Orange Oud and Oud Melody are remarkably discreet for a Montale oud.

I only had some brief sniffs of some of the very flowery or powdery Ouds that I would classify as ladies' only fragrances.

Whereas the fragrances in this lineup very much follow the classic rose oud combo, Montale has released perfumes where they tried to bring together a rose/oud fragrance with another classic fragrance direction from Western or Arab perfumery:

- "Wild Aoud": Rose/oud blended in a very average mainstream ambery gent's cologne or sport fragrance.

- "Aoud Forest": Montale goes Pino Silvestre and Acqua di Selva!

- "Greyland" and "Amber & Spices": Two spicy ouds for gents who like Halston's spicy colognes, a decent Bay rhum or Hermès' spicy chypre "Equipage".

- "Aoud Cuir d'Arabie" and "Aoud Leather": Aoud Cuir d'Arabie is the scent of a shiny new leather jacket with oud, very strong, and no rose. Aoud Leather is less strong and more suede than enamelled leather.

Rose and Peach
Presumably the most beautiful fragrance of this kind is Guerlain's "Rose Barbare". I have it, I love it but I find it difficult to wear.

Rose and Spices
Besides the 2 Montales mentioned above I would like to point out Il Profvmo's "Touaregh". For some reason it always brightened my mood when I wore it. Unfortunately, natural rose oil which I believe is in there seems not to be very stable, and so my Touaregh has lost a bit of its charm after a year or so.

Roses for Men
Roses that lean more to the masculine side are ambitious projects. There are some around:

- "Flowers For Men - Rose" by Neil Morris: a wonderfully laid-back rose, just the right fragrance for a chill-out in a hammock.

- "Black Tie" by Washington Tremlett: a very dark rose, somehow oudish although oud is not listed. Beautiful piano lacquer black bottle with a big silvery cap. Gothic but sophisticated: a Vampire's rose.

- "Domenico Caraceni 1913": very noble rose and incense cologne. Seems to be discontinued

- "Geranium pour Monsieur" by Frédéric Malle: I always count in geranium as a rose fragrance. Geranium oil is processed from a pelargonium species, and one can consider it a less expensive substitute to rose oil or a facet of rose fragrance that stands for itself. Many people are attracted by the combination with fresh mint in the top notes.

- "Rose d'Homme" by Les Parfums de Rosine. This house exclusively sells rose perfumes, and they also have a few for the gents. I tested Rose d'Homme some years ago, it is okay but I missed something in it that would make it special.

- "Shiloh" by the Belgium house Hors Là Monde: rose with herbs, quite opulent and maybe a bit difficult to wear. It is something special, a true niche fragrance.

So many favorites in this category: Aramic Calligrapy Rose and Rose Malaki (similar smelling), Perris Taif Rose (fresh and alive), Dark Rose (perfect saffron/rose/oud) and the similar Dior Oud Ispahan. Incense Rose by Tauer and of course the new Rose Flash (resin roses). Soft roses with green: Un Zeste de Rose by Rosine and Paestum Rose. Spicy rose: Rose Poivre by Different Company and the more gourmandish Yves Rocher Rose Absolue. I could go on and on.

I will write more in reply later, II am pressed for time at the moment, but for the men:

I think one of my absolute favorite roses for a man is "Voleur de Roses" by L'Artisan. I believe that you, Apicius, will really like it. It's opens with the full rose bush, branches, dew, leaves, soil, and blooms. The patchouli is very dirty and on me becomes a bit too masculine for me to pull off (not something that happens too often). It's definitely worth a manly sniff. It's very well put together and has better longevity than most of the scents by this house.

@ Sleuth, I can totally see you putting many geranium scents under the rose flag, and "Une Rose" is a beautiful example of that. Good choice. I normally love Geranium as well, except perhaps in Caron "Rose". The mint adds a weird funk to the geranium. I think though my favorite Rose +Geranium pair would be in Caron "Or et Noir". In that masterpiece the two sing the most beautiful rosy duet ever. I am going to have to look into this Japanese rose you speak of. I have Imogen Rose which I haven't spent much time with yet but I recall it being a Turkish/Taif/Damask rose. My favorite. I need to see if I can dig up a sample of the "Swarovski Edition", I am really curious about this Japanese Rose. Can you believe I've never sniffed YSL Paris? It's a bit embarrassing to admit. It's never been on my radar before. I wonder if Scent Fan had any of this rose in the Rose Sniff Fest. I've also put the "Rose of Bulgaria for Men" on my wish list. It doesn't seem to be readily available here in the states though

@ PontNeuf, I think what many call the "dated and Old Lady" are some of the best. Those "old ladies" wore the scents they did (before they were "old") because the scents were beautiful and deep. I say Rock them! You will never find that level of depth in todays modern creations. I wish I could find a sample of a vintage Coco. The newest formulation is flat, fleeting and nothing more than another embarrassing reformulation for Chanel. So sad. I have a 20ml decant of the 2013 No5. For what my Grams paid for it I would expect something much better quality than Dollar Tree knockoffs. Anyway I digress... sorry. Back on point, Knowing is another vintage beauty. Fantastic choice. You mention "Black Aoud", I am going to have to get a sample of this. It seems to come well recommended. I haven't tried Vengence Extreme, I do have a decant of Lady Vengance though. How different are they?

@ Insense, It seems that the Aoud and Rose Genera is very popular. I can see it's defiantly somewhere I need to explore. I see you also mention "Black Aoud". How did I miss this one? Thank you for pointing out "Dreamer" It looks like something I will like very much! I may even blind buy this one if I can't get a sample.

@ Scentedsalon, I have never heard of Perris "Taif Rose". I will definitely look this one up. " Thank you for pointing out so many Rose + Saffron scents. Saffron really sings on my skin. Which of the ones listed do you think would be the best blind buy, "Calligraphy Rose" or "Rose Malaki". Are they very different from "Dark Rose"?

@Apicius, Thank you for the break down of the Montals. Very helpful. I have Reviewed "Aoud Queen Roses" and liked it very much. It was a well done composition. I'll add "Steam Aoud" to my test list with "Aoud Flowers". How was the "Aoud Safran"? Is the saffron very noticeable? Will it give me my fix? "Aoud Forest" sounds fun. I'll have to look and see if Montale has a discovery set. You have me wanting to sniff all of them now I can see how you find "Rose Barbare" a bit difficult to wear. It can open a bit sweet on me sometimes. I think it's more sensitive to the heat and humidity down here. Many honey touched scents are for me. for example I cannot wear "Sweet Redemption" in the heart of summer and "Seville" is off limits completely until the two coldest weeks of winter. Perhaps honey is like that for you to? Like I mentioned above, I can totally see lumping Geranium in with rose. It have very rose facets and can easily be confused for rose in more complex compositions. I really love the two notes together though. I need to retry "Geranium Pour Monsieur" I remember liking it but can't find my wear notes for it. I remember it reminding me vaguely of Caron "Rose" with the mint, but if I recall (like you pointed out), it was a fresh mint, not the bruised old mint in the Caron "Rose". I definitely need to try it again. You've also intrigued me with "Black Tie". My test list has exploded!

@ Briarthorn

If you like a honey touch I guess some of the Micallef Ouds would be for you: Aoud, Aoud Gourmet and Night Aoud. There is also a "Rose Oud". Their "Arabian Diamond", however, resembles the classic rose/oud combo. Personally I don't have a special favour for honey so it all depends on the perfume if I like it or not.

And their "Rose Extrême" gets the price fpr the most splendid perfume bottle, with Svarovski stones covered all aver the sides!

I remember the Saffron in Aoud Safran was less noticeable than expected. I get more saffron from Micallefs "Aoud".

@Briarthorn :

I must admit I only smelled "Lady Vengeance" once. As far as I can remember it is almost the same scent as the "extreme" version. Almost. The "extreme" version is much more patchouli-laden than the regular Vengeance scent. In my opinion LV was softer with a bit less sillage. So, if you prefer more of the rose and less of the earthy bytones I would recommend to test the LV.
Both scents are very nicely done, maybe it is just my twisted scent brain but I usually fall for "extreme" or "noir" versions The LV would have been an equally good choice for me.

Well, on the one hand it's nothing special, it's just a 'pink' rose. So you should smell Imogen Rose if you want to know what it smells like. You're right that they use a different kind of rose in that one, so the smell I'm talking about is not unique. But when those rose bushes are in bloom, I often smell those flowers and they smell very flowery, sweet and 'pink'. I just like the smell a lot.