...Take-Apart-Rose-WoodNikola, now distraught, leaves Penka, What has happened to Rosa? How could she vanish in the night? He knows they are young, but still he is sure he loves her. Now she is gone. Slowly he walks the streets of Kazanlak as if, with Rosa absent, they are now empty. Eventually he finds himself back at the great necropolis of his ancestors, brave men and women. On this continent they made the first transition from hunter/gatherer to agricultural society. Fierce warriors, they fought in the Trojan war. Rich and powerful, they were buried with their gold. Farmers still periodically dig up glorious pieces. Fortune hunters come, lured by tales of Thracian gold. Nikola has no need to hunt. He has already found a treasure and hidden it beneath the great tomb in an undiscovered passage—a heap of yellow masks and bangles and coins. He had planned to use it to buy his own fields, build his own house. What good is it now that he’s lost a still greater treasure? Knowing what to do, he runs back to town and places an ad in the local paper. “In payment for the return of Rosa Petrov unharmed, Thracian Gold.” Now he must only wait. Nikola returns to the rose stage, newly decorated with streamers and perhaps the output of an entire field of the beautiful Bulgarian damascene.Surrounded by the girls of the rose court, Penka has temporarily abandoned her black cape for a pink one and continues to sniff the rose perfumes.ROSE AND WOODSN'aimez que moi by Caron. “Do not love me. What a name for a perfume,” she says, “especially since I cannot obey. [Belated correction. It means: love no one but me.] Who would not love this perfection of our Bulgarian rose, sandalwood, and amber? I am so carried away by it, I almost regret…” Penka stops. Nikola, hearing, asks, “Regret what, Penka?”Rosae Mundi by Profumum Roma. Tears come to Penka’s eyes. She tries to speak, but cannot for a while. “Pure roses,” she says. “Roses of the world. Yes. This deserves that ancient name.” Notes: Rose, Patchouli, Vetiver, Cedarwood.Tam Dao by Diptyque. She moves to the next. “Oh, I swoon, Nikola! How can fragrances be so beautiful? This one is less rosy, but oh the woods. They are our mountain forests made liquid.” Hopefully, Nikola watches. Is Penka softening? Notes: Myrtle, Rose, Cypress, Sandalwood, Cedar, Amber, Rosewood, Spices, White muskVery Irrésistible Givenchy Rose Damascena 2008 by Givenchy. “Poor beauty. What chance could it have now that I’ve smelled the others?” She sniffs. “Yes it is very lovely, but .. oh, how will I ever know the right thing to do?” Penka covers her face. Notes: Patchouli, Rose, Star anise.ROSE & WOODS WITH OTHER FLOWERSHoping for a breakthrough, Nikola brings her a new tray.Trésor by Lancôme. Penka reacts differently. She frowns. “This is ridiculous! All of them can’t be lovely. Here the rose joins other florals and not weighed down by too much else, stands on the sandalwood and musk and just soars.” Notes: Rose leaf, Apricot blossom, Peach blossom, Lily-of-the-valley, Vanilla, Heliotrope, Iris, Sandalwood, MuskTea Rose by Perfumer’s Workshop. Disgusted, she sniffs the next. “I’m really getting SICK of these gorgeous perfumes. How is one supposed to choose? One can’t buy them ALL?” She looks at me. “Can one?” Terrified, I just keep typing. “Now to the rose comes glorious bergamot and lily, jasmine, tuberose in perfection. On beautiful cedar, rosewood, sandalwood they stand and then sultry amber makes them sway.” She weeps. Sheesh. All right, all right, I’m buying it!Le Marc pour elle by Tauer Perfumes. Notes: Lavender, Mandarin, Citrus accord, Jasmine, Moroccan rose, Atlas cedar, Oriental woods. “Only because I do not love lavender,” Penka says, “am I able to resist this. I agree that it’s beautiful, but observe that my nose reacts slightly to something chemical here.Nikola is sorry Rosa has missed what seems to be the best category of all the sniffs. As for me, hat off to the perfumers and to rose in its magnificence, framed by woods.

...Vietnam AgarwoodOUD ROSESAs her author awaits the slow arrival of rose perfumes in the Givenchy Very Irresistible line, the missing Rosa telepathically insists we skip to the ouds. Good enough. Meanwhile, Anton and Nikola search for her through the night without success. In the gray predawn when Nikola returns home, he is suspicious that his sister Penka greets him and, learning Rosa is still missing, is full of glee. “Today the rose festival begins and I will sniff the remaining scents, not that stuck up Rosa, so full of herself,” Penka says. “Imagine making the whole town think that she and only she can be Queen Rose.” Nikola looks at Penka with alarm. Is she responsible for Rosa’s disappearance? Rosa’s father has every able-bodied man in the neighborhood out looking for Rosa, so Nikola decides to accompany Penka to the perfume sniff, in hopes of learning if his sister is hiding anything.“These are my kind of perfumes, not Rosa’s!” Penka declares, her dark cape blowing around her, her lips still mysteriously blood red. Before, Nikola never paid much attention to her eccentric appearance, but now he does. Why does she dress like that?Homage by Amouage. “Tell me what you smell in this one, Penka,” he asks. She sniffs deeply. “Quite nice, but where is the rose? I smell citrus, incense and oud, but they and another floral dominate the rose.” I suggest it’s jasmine. “It wouldn’t be my first pick for a rose oud,” Penka says. “Such a fragrance should create emotion. It should be warm and smooth. This is crisp and sharp. It bites, rather than seduces.” Nikola is surprised to hear his sister talk about seduction. Notes: Rose, Frankincense, Jasmine, Oud, Orange, Sandalwood, Lemon.Rose Anonyme by Atelier Cologne. “This is more beautiful, if not as strong,” she says. It’s because Somali Frankincense is less harsh that Omani Frankincense, which is probably in Homage. Also, bergamot is smoother than citrus and lemon. Also, the only floral here is rose. Notes: Calabrian bergamot, Chinese ginger root, Turkish rose essence, Turkish rose absolute, Somalian frankincense, Oud accord, Indonesian patchouli, Indian papyrus, Laotian benzoin. “I find this appealing, if not compelling,” Penka says.New York Oud by Bond No. 9. “There’s more oud here than in the first two,” Penka says. “The saffron is also strong, but I think the plum and orris detract.” I wouldn’t reach for it to wear, either. It’s a bit brash and loud. Also, some ingredient threatens to close my nasal passages. Notes: Oud, Red plum, Saffron, Orris root, Patchouli, Rose, Honey, Musk, VetiverRose Oud by by Killian. “This is the first real beauty of the group,” Penka says. “Nothing bites because there’s no citrus or incense.” The only floral is rose, I point out. The patchouli is lovely, the cardamon lends creaminess while the oud reeks mustily just enough. On skin it’s even better. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s magical, but close. Rose Nacrée du Desert by Guerlain. Gone missing among my samples! P.S. Found it! So glad I did. This is a stunning and hypnotic Rose/Oud combo that makes me close my eyes and stop thinking about notes! It certainly goes in the finals. Notes: Saffron, Persian rose, Patchouli, Cardamom, Curcuma, Cedarwood, Oud, Myrrh, Benzoin.Rose 31 by Le Labo. “It smells like curry,” Penka says. Yes, but isn’t it a great curry, I point out? And for the first time the rose reeks. The saffron isn’t as strong as in NY Oud and the Gaiac wood works. Cistus adds its own green, slightly camphorous beauty and of course there’s the oud. Notes: Rose absolute, Rose essence, Cumin, Frankincense, Cedarwood, Cistus, Gaiac wood, Musk, Oud, Vetiver. Surely it must go in the finals, I say. This has beauty that’s unusual. Penka rolls her eyes at me.Aoud Queen Roses by Montale. “This is more like it,” Penka says. “When I think oud and rose, this is it. Whatever other notes are here only support them, allowing the rose and oud to dance hynoptically” Penka laughs. “Coffins laden with rose petals must smell like this right before they close the tomb.” Nikola looks sharply at Penka and cries, “What an odd thing to say!” She apologizes. “However, this is a beautiful scent, Nikola. I’m ready to declare it the best in this group.” I point out to her that there are more, but we agree it goes in the finals. Notes: Hibiscus, Leather, Oud, Patchouli, Rose.Aoud Roses Petals by Montale. “This is a brighter, but also lovely rose,” Penka says. I tell her it’s the geranium and the saffron. It’s also woodier than the previous one and has amber. “But for me, there is no comparison with Aoud Queen. It still reigns,” she insist. Notes: Amber, Geranium, Gaiac wood, Oud, Rose, Saffron, Teakwood, Cedarwood. It’s done the saffron better than NY Oud.” I ask if it goes in the finals, too. Penka’s not sure. Me neither.Attar by Montale. Notes: Oud, Rose, Sandalwood. “It’s straightforward, like the by Killian. Not much can go wrong.” I think it’s nice, but not compelling.Black Aoud by Montale. “Lovely, but is there a rose in there?” Penka asks. Notes: Labdanum, Mandarin, Musk, Oud, Patchouli, Rose. “Apparently there is. This is the oudiest of all so far. They’ve blended the ingredients so the rose is like a carpet for the blackness of the scent. It’s truly gorgeous.” I agree. It goes in the finals.Three by Nejma. My eyes close on this beauty, the first perfume I’ve tested from this house. It has a distinct almost animalic stank that must come from the ylang ylang with the oud. Notes: Hibiscus, Oud, Damascus rose, Sandalwood, Ylang-ylang, Arabic rose. Penka sniffs and agrees that it goes in the final sniffs. “Like Aoud Queen, it’s what I expect from an oud/rose perfume.”Édition Rare - Rosam by Histoires de Parfums. “Hello, Darling,” I say to the vial. “Don’t you mind what we’ve been saying about the others. You’re beautiful, too.” Penka agrees and adds, “They’ve got the lemon right in this one. It brightens and draws you into the darker heart — not as dark as Black Aoud, but it’s good.” We’re not sure about the finals and decide on a review sniff at the end.Gold Rose Oudh by Tiziana Terenzi. I tell Penza that I fully expect this to be flatly glorious. “It is,” she says. “ Notes: Bergamot, Fir, Glow, Sand, Rose, Patchouli, Black pepper, Oud, Ambergris, Sandalwood, Musk, Honey. “What is glow?” she asks. I have no idea, but I soon conclude my nose is allergic to it. I couldn’t sniff this for very long and breathe. Too bad.Nor de Noir by Tom Ford. “This smells more natural, but is it great?” Penka asks. “It’s subtle, I think. Let’s look up the notes.” Saffron, Floral notes, Black rose, Black truffle, Moss, Oud, Patchouli, Vanilla. “Something’s starting to smell a little stinky.” I say it must be the Black Truffle. It adds a slightly kitcheny feel, as if dinner’s cooking. The rose is lovely, though. Finals? We both shake our heads, no.Penka and I give the samples a final sniff and conclude these are the standouts: Montale’s Auoud Queen Rose, Aoud Roses Petals and Black Oud and Three by Nejma. On the lighter side, equally sweet are Rose Anonyme, Rose Oudh and Attar, with the latter being the best of the group, IOO. However, I wouldn’t be tempted to buy any of the last three.Nikola hasn’t been talking much. He’s been wondering why in the world Penka talked about tombs closing on roses.

...I have been cataloging my perfumery notes then bagging or otherwise arranging them in alpha order so I don't rebuy anymore (have 2 White Sage, 2 Oakmoss) and can easily locate them when I'm testing a new perfume. What does Artemisia smell like? Now I can find out in a flash.

...SPICY ROSESSuddenly, the dark night brightens as the boys fire their torches, yellow light illuminating the town’s more adventurous teenagers who have come to the rose fields for this. The first two boys mount their horses, the local East Bulgarian breed. With long necks, full chests, elegant heads and large, intelligent eyes, they all could be descendants of the great Secretariat, but the horses are really a breed only 100 years old, cultivated for the saddle and light draft work. The horses seem eager to join the boys in the forbidden race. Far down the road wait the torch receivers, Nikola and Anton, for the second and final leg.At the last minute, Rosa has decided to come. Knowing she’s late, she makes her way to the finish line. She hears a shout and knows the horses rare and the boys are off, fire streaking behind them from the torches they hold. The teenagers run behind the horses, cheering them on. As they near the second racers, Nikola and Anton eye each other, making sure neither backs up to gain advantage. They have to hold their horses steady as the first racers arrive and move outside to pass the torches. A wobble and a rider’s hair catches on fire. A drop and the rose fields are at risk of going ablaze. Anton has his torch first and takes off, Nikola right behind him. They push their horses to a pole erected as the finish line.Rosa reaches it just as they arrive and in her excitement does not see a dark shape, or a hand reach for her. Just as the boys arrive, horses neck and neck, someone pushes Rosa and she screams, falling into the riders’ path.Nikola sees her first and reigns his horse to a stop. Anton doesn’t see her until too late and as she falls he tries to jump over her. Swiftly they dismount and find her apparently intact ,but woozy. Knowing just what to do, Nikola remounts, rides into town, and returns with 8 vials of perfume.Rose de Taif by Perris Monte Carlo. “Oh, Thanks for the smelling salts,” Rosa says and sits up as he places the first to her nose. Nikola says, “It’s not smelling salts, Rosa, it’s perfume.” Surprised, she sniffs again. “It smells medicinal, like lemon.” He sniffs, too. “There’s a rose in there somewhere I’m sure.” Like her, I also find Rose de Taif less than lovely. The designer overdid the lemon/citronella combo which interacts unfortunately with the geranium. Nutmeg does nothing to improve things, but if you love, love lemon this is your scent. Notes: Lemon, Nutmeg, Geranium, Taif rose, Damascus rose, Musk.Baghari by Robert Piguet. He gives her the next one. “Ah, now this is a rose scent,” she says. “It also has citrus, orange I believe, but at least they left the rind out. There are other florals here as well, musk and vanilla. The result is slightly gourmand.” I agree. It wouldn’t be the first rose for which I reached, but it’s certainly wearable, though the neroli and vanilla do ultimately predominate. Not really a problem though since it doesn’t last on skin, only on paper.Paestum Rose by Eau d’Italie. “Ah, spicy but accessible,” she says. “I smell the green Turkish rose. This is a very resinous, peppery perfume but it makes me wish for Sandalwood in the base to lend more beauty, rather than Wenge.” Notes: Davana, Black pepper, Pink pepper, Coriander seed, Turkish rose, Frankincense, Osmanthus, Myrrh, Opoponax, Papyrus, Wenge wood.Cinabre by Maria Candida Gentile. I reviewed this darling. Let’s see if Rosa loves it, too. “Perhaps it is the best so far, but I don’t want you to spend your money buying it, Nikola. I’m beginning to think I just don’t love, love spicy roses.” Personally, I think I wouldn’t seek out spicy roses, either, but this one is quite nice. Notes: Ginger, Pink pepper, Black pepper, Splendens rose, Moroccan rose, Benzoin, Madagascan vanilla, Opoponax.Sideris by Maria Candida Gentile. “It has a pleasant kind of smokiness,” Rosa says. Notes: Labdanum, Myrrh, Saffron, Frankincense, White pepper, Rose, Turkish rose, Benzoin, Woods, Sandalwood. Here the greener Turkish rose blends with the surrounding rich notes, making for a fully lovely spicy rose, at last. Not sure I’ll buy it, but it deserves to be in the final sniffs.Marni by Marni. “Pretty, pretty on first sniff!” Rosa says. Notes: Bergamot, Pepper, Ginger, Pink pepper, Cardamom, Rose, Cinnamon bark, Patchouli, Frankincense, Vetiver, Cedarwood. For me this is the best so far. Warm cardamom and fragrant patchouli lend beauty to this scent, as does bergamot — a citrus hard to overdo. On my skin it grows even prettier. It goes in the final sniffs, too.Le fille de Berlin by Serge Lutens. Last and certainly not least to my tastes, since I already own an FB, Rosa sniffs this SL, which claims to simply have pepper and rose. “If so,” Rosa says, “It’s the sweetest pepper ever.” Luckyscent says it has: Rose, violet, pink and black pepper, musk” That sounds more like it. The violet adds velvety beauty to the rose; the pink and black pepper aren’t enough to cause sneezing; and the musk does its job by adding allure. This ravishing darling certainly goes in the finals.Once more through the papers: Rose Taif, eek, no!; Baghari, okay if you like oranges; Paestum Rose, a little harsh in terms of pepper but not bad, not bad; Cinabre, mmmm, on 2nd thought it should be in the finals; Sideris, beautiful!; Marni, still pretty!; La Fille de Berlin, gorgeous!Now that Rosa is all right, Anton starts arguing with Nikola about who won the race. Their dispute becomes so heated they don’t notice until too late that Rosa has disappeared. They stop and call out to her, but receive no answer. Alarmed, they mount their East Bulgarians and ride through the dark fields, calling her name.

...See four additional perfumes in Part 4.

...Thanks, Pipette!Pipette:Yes, in topic form it may get more views.I so enjoyed it over at BN when you had the topic "sniff fests" ... I followed Yasmine, and now it is Rosa.Not having the time to always comment, I still read and have bookmarked your long and beautiful stories, to read them at leisure, later.I don't know enough rose perfumes to really comment, but I enjoy your topic.

...Musk Being Newly ExtractedMUSKY ROSESIt is dusk and the young people of Kazanlak slowly leave their homes and usual haunts to gather on a road outside of town. It runs through the rose fields and they barely notice the thrilling smell of thousands of roses in the air, they are so used to it. All is flat across the Rose Valley, its pink crops planted in the special Balkan technique called kemse, but they can still make out the sloping Balkan range in the distance and opposite it the Sredna Gora mountains. These two frame the rose fields and their lives. Some of the girls have worn traditional dress for this ancient ceremony that their parents have forbidden because of its danger.Back in her garden of twelve kinds of roses, Rosa is undecided about whether to attend. She sniffs more perfumes Nikola brought her.Fleurs de Bulgarie by Creed. “Oh, it’s beautiful,” Rosa says of this fragrance in which the Bulgarian rose is framed by the familiar notes of Bergamot, Ambergris and Musk. On my skin it vanishes so swiftly that I can’t detect it at all after a bare few moments. I’m ready to conclude it’s a skin scent, no more, but later it’s still there, so let’s say a skin scent plus that bears watching as it dries.L’Ombre dans L’Eau by Diptyque. An initial starkly green note overpowers both the rose and the musk and continues that way during the drydown, until the warm base eventually asserts itself and finally the rose. Then it’s as if a single rose grows from fresh earth among leafy bushes. Ultimately, it’s a quite pleasant if somewhat ordinary scent. Notes: Black currant leaf, May rose, Black currant seed, Amber, Musk.Lipstick Rose by Editions de parfums Frédérick Malle. Sweet vanilla pushes through in the top and this time the amber/musk duo is helped by vetiver. “They soon complement rather than drown the rose,” Rosa says. They do. Projection is the best so far of this group. It’s an appealing strongly vanilla fragrance. “For the finals?” Rosa asks. I nod.Miss Charming by Juliette Has a Gun. “It deserves its name,” Rosa says. Yes, it does. The top note charms with musky Lychee and other unspecified fruits then comes the rose and the musk base. The notes are simple, but they’ve been done just right. It’s appealing.Roses Musk by Montale. “This rose has jasmine,” Rosa says, her nose expert. I sniff and finally agree it does. It’s not the indolic grandilora or even the samba. This could be the auricolatum jasmine, less beautiful than its more popular cousins, but with a sharp almost civet-like note. The result here is a slightly less rosy perfume than the previous ones, but to me more interesting. Notes: Rose, Jasmine, Ambergris, Musk.Rose Musk by Sonoma Scent Studio. “In comparison with the others, the top note is sour,” Rosa says. I agree, not having detected this before. It must be the labdanum, but can it smell sour? I pull it from my notes kit to take a whiff. It has a musty rather than a sour smell. Notes: Ambergris, Labdanum, Musk, Rose blossom. The sourness begins to fade in the dry down and this becomes a truly lovely scent.With all six drying down on my hands and arms, I review. The Creed is lovely, the Diptyque less so for me, Liptstick Rose remains very nice for those who love vanilla, Miss Charming is less charming now, the Montale is still interesting if a bit sharp and not compelling, and the SSS Rose Musk intrigues. Of these I like the Creed and the SSS best.I turn to consult Rosa, but she’s vanished, no doubt gone to the Bendidia to see the torchlight race.

...Part 4Trying Part 4 in a topic instead of a blog. The first three installments are here http://www.parfumo.com/Users/ScentFan/Blog. For me these sniff fests are a fun way to simultaneously learn genres, houses, notes and accords while finding great perfumes for my wish list. Not-very-serious mini stories often unfold in the process and I hope you enjoy them.Comments very welcome.SIMPLE ROSE SOLIFORESNow that the rest of the samples have arrived, I can back up and sniff a collection of simple rose perfumes. According to the Perfume Glossary at now smell this, http://www.nstperfume.com/perfume-glossary/, a soliflore is “a fragrance which focuses on a single flower, or which tries to recreate the aroma of a single flower. Soliflores may in fact have more than one floral note, however.” Many of the 96 in this rose sniff could meet that definition, but this group have less complex notes.First, the story. All over Kazanlak, locals are talking of nothing but the dead tourist — an old man who died in his bed of an apparent heart attack. Since no one wants to cause a stir with thousands of tourists slowly arriving for the festival days away, they whisper about the look of fright said to be on his face. Nikola has sneaked more perfumes from the stage and brought them to Rosa’s house. He finds her in the Petrov family garden that he enters by climbing the wall. Twelves trellises, laden with twelve different kinds of roses, line the walls and it is said these roses transport their beauty to any Petrov girl born in this house. Before he can speak Rosa says, “Nikola, is it true you will race in a Bendidia tonight. It’s been forbidden.” Nikola blushes. His enemy, Anton, challenged him to a relay race on horseback — an ancient ritual honoring the Thracian goddess, Bendis. Their batons will be fiery torches , like the one Bendis carries. Instead of answering, he gives Rosa the vials.Bulgarian Rose by Demeter, Cologne. “This is quite like the damascenes that fill our valley,” Rosa says, allowing him to distract her, “but it’s as if something has been added to increase the volume and not very pleasantly.” I note that it calms down on my skin, but there’s still a raw green edge that actually doesn’t smell very Bulgarian, more Turkish. It’s lovely layered with other Demeters, though.Rose by Demeter Naturals, EdT. “A rose is a rose is a rose,” Rosa exclaims. I point out that though this has chamomile, soft woods and green notes, they are so subtle they only enhance the rose scent without detracting from it. In spite of the presence of green notes, I don’t think this is a Turkish rose. It smells more like a centifolia than a damascena and could even be a garden rose like the Alba. It lingers beautifully on the skin, not projecting very much, but lasting. Notes: Chamomile, Rose absolute, Rose blossom, Soft woods, Green notesRed Roses by Joe Malone. “Gorgeous!” Rosa exclaims on first sniff and indeed it is. The mint, violet leaf and lemon in the notes do their job without making their presence known. All I smell is rose and it’s lovely. Per the website, this is a blend of “seven of the world’s most exquisite roses.” In beauty it rivals Une Rose while being softer, more feminine, less assertive but still fully and unmistakably rose. This rose goes into the finals.Rose Smoke by JoAnne Bassett. “I smell tobacco, but it’s not unpleasant,” Rosa says. “Vanilla and balsam blend beautifully with it, but they turn the rose into a co-star instead of a star.” I agree, but the combined scent is nice, though not compelling enough to make it a must own. The fragrance fades quickly into the skin and projection is lost. Notes: May rose, French vanilla, Tobacco absolute, BalsamGrenats by Keiko Mecheri. “Much stronger than the others!” Rosa declares. I take the vial from her, but apparently she wasn’t finished because she glares at me. I apologize and sniff. A very appealing note enlivens this rose. It must be angelica and, luckily, I have a sample in my kit. Ah, it’s like a resinous, slightly spicy wood dripping with candle wax. In the perfume, angelica is quite appealing mixed with the rose, pomegranate, citrus and musk. Grenats means garnets in French. Not sure why they gave this perf that name. On skin, it’s pleasant, if slightly astringent. Could be the angelica or the citrus notes. I think I like it, though. It's unusual and gets even better as it dries. Rosa agrees it belongs in the finals.Just then, Anton climbs over the wall. “What news is there about the tourist?” Rosa asks him. Nikola is flabbergasted that Rosa, his new love—or at least he thought so—, is friends with Anton, too. He knows his sister, Penka, has a crush on Anton. Anton is taller and darker than Nikola, who notes they look like a pair. Quietly, Nikola curses his Thracian red hair and blue eyes.“I saw him myself,” Anton says to her without greeting Nikola. “He died with his mouth open in a scream. His camera lay broken beside the bed. Very strange.” Nikola walks up to Rosa and puts more perfume vials in her hands. She smiles. Anton scowls and says, “Plan to lose at the horse race tonight, Nikola.”On the other side of the garden wall, Penka scowls, too. She followed Anton here and has been listening. She whispers to herself, “Plan to die at the horse race tonight, Rosa, if you come.”Additional sniffs:Rose by L’Erbolario. “Don’t know how I missed these four,” Rosa says. “This rose has a very strong, very green note. I wonder if it’s from Turkish roses, rather than Bulgarian?” I reply that I’m sure it’s possible, but it’s risky to draw conclusions based on a single Turkish rose sample. Let’s pay attention when a perfume lists Turkish rose as a note, before deciding Bulgarian is softer and sweeter and Turkish more raw and green. I ask Rosa if she likes it. “I would if I hadn’t already smelled prettier ones.” Roses Vanille by Mancera. “This one resembles Lipstick Rose,” she says after trying it. “I sniff and agree to a certain extent. They share vanilla and musk, but this is really a gourmand, made with rose lokum, which is a rose candy and vanilla sugar. A lemon top not and especially cedar wood in the base reigns in the sweetness a bit. It’s still too sweet for my tastes. I prefer FM’s Lipstick Rose.Rose de nuit by Serge Lutens. Like SL’s memorable jasmine, A La Nuit, their Rose de Nuit is also memorable. Bergamot, Oakmoss, Honey, Leather, Rose blend perfectly and my eyes close as I sniff this svelteness. Rosa takes the strip from me and her eyes close, too. “This goes in the finals. I’m going to ask Nikola to buy it for me,” she says. Though it isn’t as starkly rosy as some of the others, this beauty goes on my wish list, too.Sa majeste la rose by Serge Lutens. “This is a fresher rose, isn’t it? Rosa asks. I agree. If Rose de nuit, as per its name, is for the night, then Sa majesty la rose, with its clove and Gaiac wood, is for the morning. It’s a brighter rose but unfortunately it also vanishes on my skin whereas Rose de nuit lingers as its rose blooms. Notes: Clove, Gaiac wood, Musk, Rose absolute, White honey.

...LuckyScent.com will post a link to the petition!

...naturesgift.com is posting a link to the petition

...Sonoma Scent Studios is doing a follow-up posting of the link.

...I'm about to sniff through my collection of rose FBs and samples to answer this question for myself, but so far my favorite is FM's Une Rose, followed by in some order: KM's Mogador, Fragonard's Rose de Mai, Sonoma Scent Studio's Velvet Rose, Serge Lutens' La fille de Berlin and Le Labo's Rose 31.

...Okay, thanks, Mia!

...Question: will this affect the sale of essential oils and distillations for aromatherapy and such? If so, I have other sites to approach.

...Suzan Becker at Shop France, Inc. is including it in her next newsletter. She has a few thousand subscribers. We're all in this together. Can't imagine this legislation going thru!

...Signed! I'll approach the sites where I buy perfs.

...As it happens I ordered a Chypre Palatin sample and two others from them back in November. Placed the order close to midnight and it shipped the next day. I placed another order in November and it shipped the same day. Didn't notice the lack of a phone number.

...So true! I can hear my great grandmother's constant refrain, "Up Straight!" Thanks for the reminder.Dulcemio:I have been noticing that as we get to a certain age, many of us start slouching without realizing it, and how poor posture adds years to our looks. I have to consciously remind myself to stand up straight quite often.Today I was walking behind this beautiful women who was, I'd estimate, in her mid fifties, and I noticed she had a fantastic figure, very fit, and was one of the 5% of women who can actually pull off tight fitting yoga pants. And then I saw her in profile and saw that her posture was not good, and it instantly made her seem less attractive and older.Baby boomers, we have to stay on that posture at all times! :D

...Could it be Demeter's Amber?p.s. Oops, I see that one's over.

...Hello, Esoada. I'm pretty new, too. As you'll see, parfumo has wonderful features, especially its vast database of perfumes.