Dawn Spencer Hurwitz is not only one of the most gifted American perfumers, but one of the most beloved. I’ve never had the privilege of meeting her, but I follow her doings and have bought some of her lovely offerings. It feels even more important to do so when able, to support our independent artisan perfumers. Today’s penultimate entry in the “Roses de Mai Marathon” is her creation L’Opera des Rouges et des Roses. Continue reading
Welcome to the weekly Perfume Chat Room, perfumistas! I envision this chat room as a weekly drop-in spot online, where readers may ask questions, suggest fragrances, tell others their SOTD, comment on new releases or old favorites, and respond to each other. The perennial theme is fragrance, but we can interpret that broadly. This is meant to be a kind space, so please try not to give or take offense, and let’s all agree to disagree when opinions differ. In fragrance as in life, your mileage may vary! YMMV. As regular readers know, I am in the middle of a “Roses de Mai Marathon” during which I am trying to post a daily review of a different rose scent. That will continue today (post will come later), but in the meantime, please feel free to chat! At an appropriate social distance, of course.
Today is Friday, May 29 and the month of May is almost over. Continue reading
Another “Aaah” fragrance moment. Rose Flash was created by Swiss perfumer Andy Tauer for his “Tauerville” line. It is one of perfumery’s great value buys, as it is made in 20% fragrance concentration, i.e. parfum extrait strength, and its quality is very high. (Buying it also supports an independent artisan perfumer, which, as Brigitte has commented, is important and especially so during this downturn).
There is only one perfume house totally dedicated to the Rose, and it is Les Parfums de Rosine. I previously reviewed its beautiful Clair Matin. One of the house’s classic fragrances is Rose d’Amour, which Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez gave four stars in their book Perfumes: The A-Z Guide (referring to the 2006 version, the one I have). Continue reading
Another truly unisex rose is Atelier Cologne’s Rose Anonyme. When it was first released in 2012, at least one reviewer (the marvelous Jessica at Now Smell This) thought it was more feminine than many of Atelier Cologne’s fragrances. As I don’t know many of those, I can’t really say for sure, but compared to most of the florals I own, Rose Anonyme smells very gender-fluid to me. Continue reading
So many of the rose fragrances I own lean to the traditionally feminine side (if you feel that the more flowery or powdery scents are more feminine) that I think I need to balance things with a rose that may feel more unisex or even masculine. I myself believe that people of any gender can wear any fragrance, but the men in my household beg to differ. Take that with a grain of salt, though; one is my teenaged son, who only a few years ago thought Axe was the greatest fragrance he could wear (!!) and the other is my husband, who wears Mennen Skin Bracer and Old Spice when I don’t prod him to try something I’ve given him. Continue reading
So this morning, I was digging through my samples of scents that are supposed to have a strong rose note, for today’s Roses de Mai Marathon, since I’m using this as an opportunity to work my way through samples, and I hit several in a row that just didn’t smell like roses to me! As in, not at all. Not a hint of rose. So while I reorganize my samples, I’m falling back for today’s post on one that I wrote in September, about Aquaflor’s Rosae, a truly rose-based, gorgeous scent I bought in Florence last summer. Click here: Rosae.
I know some of you have had similar experiences of expecting a particular note or accord in a fragrance and then not smelling it at all! Care to share? Comments are open!
If you ever get the chance to visit Florence, Aquaflor is a beautiful destination.
Courtyard of Palazzo Antinori, Florence, home of Aquaflor.
Featured image from www.aquaflor.it.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s A la rose is another fragrance I own in its hair mist format, so my thoughts on that may not align with anyone else’s experience with the “real” fragrance in eau de parfum. However, much of what I experience does generally follow the listed notes, although the scent doesn’t last as long or carry as far (at least, according to my own perceptions). Continue reading
Two years ago, I received Penhaligon’s Elisabethan Rose 2018 for Mother’s Day. I’ve mentioned it before, as a rose scent I like to wear around Christmas, but I haven’t given it a review of its own. And this year happens to be Penhaligon’s 150th anniversary, which will be celebrated in various ways throughout 2020, so here we go! Continue reading
Roses Musk is one of many rose-centric fragrances in the Montale line and it is said to be the line’s bestseller. Wow, is it polarizing! Some online commenters love it, others really hate it. Continue reading
Serenity Now Scents and Sensibilities 