I have a friend who will not wear rose fragrances.  They remind her of her grandmother, and this opinion is one often echoed through perfume discussions.  But ask a rose lover for his or her favorite rose fragrances and the discussion opens up to a world scented by roses—reds, pinks, yellows, and whites; Rosa damascena (damask) and Rosa centafolia (cabbage); Bulgarian, Moroccan, Iranian, Turkish; soliflores or blends; attar of roses or rose absolute; the most realistic, the ultimate rose…

Most rose lovers agree that there is no such thing as the ultimate rose; as is true with the flower itself there are simply too many perfume variations to ever settle upon just one.  From creamy to clear, from spicy to green, rose fragrances are as simple or as complex as can be imagined.  Some settle on the skin as if one is wearing a bouquet, while others announce their presences in operatic registers.  Still more are dark and earthy and others smell rained upon.

While for me nothing approaches the experience of the scent of the bloom on its thorny stem, I wear rose fragrances more than any other.  Here are some of my favorites:

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My first impression of Parfum d’Empire Eau Suave was that it was a rose fit for a king.  I was therefore surprised to find out that I was utterly mistaken and that Eau Suave was inspired by Josephine, love of Napoleon, and was meant for empresses and other women.  I had it backwards. This is the kind of trouble that you get into when you don’t bother to read anything about a perfume but simply smell it from a vial, taking a cue only from the name and more importantly from the vial’s contents.

In this case, “Eau Suave” seemed like the name of a cologne for a dandy or for a dandy’s modern equivalent.  I opened the vial and out rushed a red, red rose that had a pitch characteristic to me of male fragrances.  Shows what I know.  But it did make me think about how we perceive fragrances as masculine or feminine and what signals or clues we use to arrive at that decision.

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If there is such a thing as a Proustian fragrance note, surely patchouli must be it.  The bushy herb that is part of the mint family provokes unbidden (and unwanted) associations with the Sixties, when it became the perfume of choice of the hippie tribe.  In its natural state a green aromatic that is used as natural insecticide, the herb is a basenote staple of perfumery as well as being celebrated as a central theme.

Les Néréides Patchouli Antique is one of a number of patchouli-centric fragrances in niche perfume lines that strips away the past and presents patchouli as something eminently more palatable for modern tastes. Patchouli takes well to a variety of diverse elements, from the overworked fruit to tobacco, amber, vanilla, leather, benzoin, musk, and woods, to name a few.  It does especially well with vanilla, which is the treatment Les Néréides has given it to create a smooth, well-tempered “golden” patchouli that smells as if it has been cask-aged like a fine liqueur.

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I sometimes receive comments from people who want to learn more about scents, but are afraid that this hobby is too expensive for them. How could you try all of the fragrances you read about without ending up broke? As with most interests, a perfume hobby can be as expensive or as budget conscious as you want. When I was a student living on a meager stipend, spending even $20 on something non-essential required  major planning. Today, given my family responsibilities, I need to think twice before every perfume purchase, so I’m still very budget conscious.

But the truth is that the joy of discovering perfume is not in amassing dozens of bottles on your dressing table; it’s in smelling and experiencing the pleasure of scents. For this you need not spend a cent.  If you are trying to manage your perfume hobby, let me share a few tips that have helped me learn about scents, understand my perfume tastes and keep within budget.

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The first round of perfume recommendations was a lot of fun! Many of you asked for “Recommend Me a Perfume” to become a regular feature, and I’m happy to add it. So, every other week on Saturday I will run a thread for perfume recommendations.  You can also use this space to ask questions: where to find a particular perfume, how to make decants, etc.

How it works: please post your requests as comments here. To receive recommendations that are better tailored to your tastes, you can include details on what you like and don’t like, your signature perfumes, and your budget. Then check the thread to see if there are other requests you can answer.

The perfume counter can be confusing and intimidating even to the most experienced perfume lovers, so having your advice is very helpful!

Photography by Bois de Jasmin