Rose: 149 posts

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

Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque is the scent that pervades Eugène Delacroix’s Algerian themed paintings, in which the darkness of shadows frames rich colors. Both the painting and the fragrance are romanticized visions, focusing on the sensual elements. The eye beholds a group women reclining on embroidered pillows, with a narguile smoking next to a bowl of sweetmeats. One woman looks directly at the viewer, the other gazes to the side, as her companion leans closer. What captured is but a moment of an afternoon filled with heat and languor.

Likewise, Fumerie Turque, created by Christopher Sheldrake in 2003, is a composition of sensual character that develops slowly. Nevertheless, its every facet harmoniously segues into another, despite the dark and seemingly uncompromising nature of each accord. Smoky notes soften slowly revealing tobacco leaves soaked in honey and caramel redolent rum.

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

I love rose. I am drawn to its ravishing beauty that beguiles and fascinates me. My love causes me to seek out rose in as many forms as possible, from rose absolutes and attars to fragrances containing rose notes. Comme des Garçons Rose with its modest ornamentations is what I return to after wearing darker and richer rose fragrances, from Guerlain Nahema to Les Parfums de Rosine Ecume de Rose. It is like a Persian rose sherbet, a refreshing drink, the taste of which lingers pleasantly on the lips.

Rose was created by Yann Vasnier (see an interview) in 2001, in collaboration with Françoise Caron. The initial notes spill into a shower of rose petals, caressing my skin and dazzling me with their opulence. Laced with chili pepper, rose casts an iridescent glow, ranging from rich crimson to pale pink. There I stand in the middle of my grandparent’s rose garden in Poltava, Ukraine, intoxicated by the blossoms releasing their aroma under the hot midday sun. As the composition dries down, lush red petals become layered with crushed raspberries, faintly sweet, warm, and delicate.

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

Rose is one of my favorite notes, however it is difficult to encounter a rose focused fragrance that can still pique my interest.  A combination of rose and patchouli is a successful marriage, which first was explored in depth by L’Artisan Parfumeur Voleur de Roses.  Une Folie de Rose was released by Les Parfums de Rosine in 2005. Unlike a much more avant-garde Voleur de Roses, Une Folie de Rose is a classically composed rose chypre, featuring notes of coriander, bergamot, tea rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, sandalwood, amber, oakmoss, vetiver, and patchouli.

The impression upon inhaling the top notes is similar to smelling a tea rose on a hot summer afternoon. The hot and dizzying radiance of the sun and the transparent sweetness of silky petals combine to create a multifaceted sensory wave. Radiant rose is clouded by lemony spiciness of coriander, with sparks of bergamot contributing to the effect.

Intense floral heart, weaving in sweetness of rose and opulent sharpness of ylang-ylang sends forth a shower of red and white petals.  Once the petals settle, an earthy darkness of patchouli rises up, layering the flowers with the currents of golden shimmer and earthy richness. A gentle sweetness of amber is like a scattering of cinders glowing softly in the dark.  A base resting on a cold powdery sweetness of oakmoss sets a stage for an interplay of sensations that makes chypre genre so fascinating.  The outcome is an elegant and interesting rose fragrance, steering clear both of the sentimentality associated with rose and of the aloof austerity attributed to chypre.  While Voleur de Roses is a more innovative take on rose, Une Folie de Rose might be a more wearable option for those who found patchouli in L’Artisan to be too dark and earthy.

Available at Aedes, First-in-Fragrance, and Barneys New York.

Picture: Advertisement by René Gruau from www.renegruau.com.

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

Pierre Montale’s creations quench the desires to travel over the temporal and spatial map, inviting one into the Middle Eastern souks and the Mogul palaces.  The tapestries of rose, sandalwood, oud and spices are woven as intricately as Scheherazade’s tales.  My favorite fragrances in the line are from the Aoud range, incorporating pungent and medicinal oud.

Aoud Queen Roses is a majestic fragrance of crimson roses veiled by dark earthy richness of oud.  At first, the composition is redolent not so much of a rose, as of a piece of heavy silk permeated with a scent of rose petals.  The silky sensation vanishes as a dry medicinal note of saffron turns rose softness into hot cinders.  The dark shadow of oud fills the composition with intensity and inscrutability, as the dusk fills the room in the evening distorting the outlines of familiar objects. The warm glow of rose is even more sensual and arresting against the dark pungent backdrop.

Before one overindulges into the intoxicating pairing of rose and oud, the composition transforms once again.  Now, it is suddenly dawn, with the first rays of sun turning the horizon burnished orange. The smoke of rose incense escapes through the carved screens, yet the petals remain on the cold marble floors. As the fragrance dries down, Aoud Queen Roses tempers the opulence of its dark rose heart, continuing its beguiling tale of seduction and mystery.

Available at Montale website, Aedes, Parfumsraffy, and First-in-Fragrance.

Painting: A Noble Couple Star Gazing, a Mogul illustration.  rubiyat.com 

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

The best summer fragrances manage to be refreshing as well as complex. When Marie-Hélène Rogeon’s line introduced Les Parfums de Rosine Un Zest de Rose in 2002, I immediately fell in love with its scent of white rose petals folded into lemon sorbet. Indeed, the top notes are very interesting reminding me of unopened rose buds due to the crisp and green accords of bergamot tempering the sweetness of roses.

The heart loses some of the citrusy effervescence, however it is still a gorgeous creamy white rose fragrance that remains fresh and sparkling. A touch of jasmine adds a dusky opulent note, whereas vetiver prevents the fragrance from being one-dimensional. The dry down of rose on the base of subtle sandalwood and vetiver touched by amber balanced subtle warmth and icy sting, not unlike caipirinha, a Brazilian drink made with ice, vodka, sugar and lime. Although the lasting power is average, Un Zest de Rose is such a perfect choice for the summer that I do not mind refreshing it.

Available at Aedes and First-in-Fragrance.