Rose: 149 posts

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

The spirit of Guerlain haunts many fragrance houses today, from L’Occitane to Cartier, and the refrains of Shalimar, Samsara and other great Guerlain classics show up in the most unexpected places. The house of Guerlain itself, however, seems to have taken another direction, leaving the decadent and plush to the exclusive L’Art et la Matière collection. The new widely distributed fragrance launches stake out the modern, trendy category exploring sheer orientals, luminous florals or crisp, musky chypres. This by itself is not a criticism, because Guerlain is a unique house in many respects. It is a prominent prestige fragrance brand with strong niche appeal which is trying to expand its audience. Moreover, breaking new ground and trying new genres is what fuses life into the fragrance houses and allows them to grow and build new loyalties. Idylle, which was launched in 2009, is the first feminine fragrance by Guerlain in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser and a much anticipated release.

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When Marina recently asked if there were a candle that smells like a dark gothic rose, I enthusiastically set out to find one. After all, dark, mysterious roses like Agent Provocateur, Guerlain Nahéma and Fredéric Malle Portrait of a Lady are among my favorite fragrances. However, as I looked through my candle collection as well as browsed the available selection at various department stores, I quickly discovered that most rose scented candles fall into the pink and romantic category. Yet, as I tried various candles, uncovered old favorites and made a few new discoveries, I found myself enjoying this rose candle quest very much. Below are my favorite candles for a whole week of romantic roses. While many of these candles would make wonderful Valentine’s Day gifts, they should not be reserved only for February 14th. The same can also be said about romance!

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Cartier de Lune is the first big feminine launch for Cartier since the release of Délices de Cartier in 2006 and Mathilde Laurent’s first contribution to the prestige side of Cartier (she has already explored quite successfully the niche market with Les Heures de Parfum collection.) It is a bright, fresh floral composition promising luminosity and softness.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Of all the fragrances attempting to convey the idea of darkness, Lancôme Magie Noire stands out as particularly successful. The layering of animalic notes, the opulent florals like ylang ylang and tuberose and a lush dose of moss results in a fragrance of such mysterious, dusky and brooding character that I cannot describe it in any way but haunting. It is not easy to like as a fragrance since it is simultaneously quite dark, animalic and intensely green. Despite its rich floral accord, it is not particularly feminine either, and in fact, I can see it as an interesting, unconventional masculine scent. I cannot help being fascinated by the way Magie Noire evolves and goes from challenging to spellbinding.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

While recently exploring dark, oriental roses, I realized that I have never reviewed the sultriest of them all, the original Agent Provocateur. It is an omission on my part because this fragrance not only posseses a fantastic aura—an explosive mélange of everything dark, seductive and hypnotic — but it also manages to strike a great balance between provocatively flamboyant and classically elegant. The usual route for sexy, deep cleavage perfumes is the oriental genre with its warm, opulent notes of vanilla, spices and balsams, but Agent Provocateur chooses the mysterious allure of chypre and its mossy woods to convey its passionate character.

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