From Edgy to Endearing: Les Parfums de Rosine (Part Two)

By Donna For a fragrance company that specializes in perfumes centered around just one kind of flower, the house of Les Parfums de Rosine certainly does have a lot of range. In the first installment of this series, I sampled some very disparate offerings from this house, from sharp to soft, and from rich to refreshing. No less variety will be found in this chapter. Glam Rose, launched in 2011, was one for which I had high hopes. It is inspired by an old-fashioned rose of a class called Bourbon roses, a white and violet-striped beauty named Variegata de Bologna that actually smells of sweet violets; I am a lover of old garden roses and this type is one of my favorites. On the first wearing, the violet was quite prominent, but in a modern way, not soft or shy, and accompanied by tangy fruits. I almost thought it was going to be a must-have, until the next time, when a sharp sourness predominated; the blackcurrant leaves and cedar had turned against me, as they so often have done before. Subsequent wearings confirmed it; not for me, as much as I like the rose and violet aspects, the other notes clash too much; eventually it settles down and behaves itself, but I never did smell the purported leather note until I let it stay on overnight; in the morning the harshness had finally gone away and there was a faint violets-and-suede aroma lingering on. That's just too long to wait! Another Rosine with a goodly dose of cedar is Poussiere de Rose, but it's not discordant in the least. Cedar and I have a wary relationship; I never know when it will go wrong on me. In this fragrance it melds with plum, apricot and gentle spices that take all the fight out of it. Poussiere de Rose goes on quite fresh and sparkling but quickly mellows into a smooth blend of rich rose and the fruit notes have a dried character, like smelling fruit leather, not overly sweet but very pleasing. It's little odd, but somehow very friendly and comforting too. It's nice to find a rose fragrance that avoids the usual clichés and matches the rose up with something both enhancing and unexpected. I have a feeling it might work even better in summer's heat, so I will save some of my sample for later. Longevity is good but the sillage is quiet, at least in the cool weather. Regrettably, this is not one of the Rosines that also comes in their marvelous body creams, because I think it would be even better that way. For candle fans, it is available in that form and I can imagine how delicious that would be. I had very good results with Un Zest de Rose, which is not sharp at all despite having a lot of citrus in it, not to mention green tea and even yerba maté. It is the perfect rose for summer, its zippy notes of lemon, bergamot and orange lifting into the air and spinning it into an ephemeral breeze that seems to come and go moment to moment. It is very pretty and I only wish it lasted longer. Come summer, it's the kind of thing to keep in the refrigerator and spritz frequently. Jasmine and a musky base keep it soft while still letting the citrus shine. The rose note's concept is based on a pale yellow bloom; rose lovers will know that the nearly infinite array of aromas found in roses are closely tied to their hue, and Un Zest de Rose has the typical yellow rose scent, mild and not overly sweet, a perfect foil for the citrus. This one would be a keeper for me. On the other end of the spectrum, the rose chypre La Rose de Rosine is a Very Serious perfume and really more of a chypre than a rose fragrance once it gets past the opening. I found it curious that a perfume with this name, which sounds as though it should be the “flagship” fragrance for the line, should be something that is not really about the rose. The opening is a pleasingly smooth rose, but it quickly shows its fusty side; you know that weird phase most chypres go through right at the beginning where they smell vaguely “off” as though they have gone bad, right before your nose sorts out the notes and they align themselves on your skin? Well, La Rose de Rosine is like that all the way down. It's your elderly Aunt Mildred's pocketbook, with a dirty hairbrush and stale face powder inside, and its longevity is impressive. No one like chypres more than I do, but for me this belongs in the very tiny category of chypres I can't wear, along with Miss Balmain and her ashtray. It's not really offensive or bad, it's just not that interesting, and Rosine already has the magnificent Une Folie de Rose, so it's got the chypre thing covered. I could not figure out how Diabolo Rose got its name until someone alerted me to its origin – it's a type of drink made with lemonade and either fruit cordial or mint syrup. (I wondered how such a pretty thing could be “diabolical.”) Pretty is exactly what it is, a fresh, luminous fragrance made with bergamot, cool peppermint, roses, tomato leaves and muguet, and although I would not say it is all that minty, the green exhilaration of the herbal notes is a lovely variation on the rose theme and I was quite taken with it. It has a sweet, exuberant innocence that brings a smile to my face. It's another one that deserves to be worn in summertime and I will keep some for that, but I can't resist wearing it now just to give my winter-worn spirits a lift. It's simple but effective and sometimes that's just what the doctor ordered. There are still many more fragrances from this house to explore, which I will do in future installments of this series! Image credit: Yellow rose wallpaper from freebies.about.com; light effects mine. Disclosure: The perfumes reviewed in this post were from either purchased samples or swaps from friends.

A Bevy of Rosy Beauties: Les Parfums de Rosine (Part One)

By Donna Some years ago I received a sample of Une Folie de Rose by Les Parfums de Rosine when I purchased another fragrance. I fell under its spell immediately but it was not sold at my local shop, and at the time I had no idea that it was part of an entire line of fragrances devoted to the Queen of Flowers. I used up my sample and hoped that I would find it again someday. I did, and now I also have the amazing body cream, which is so rich and redolent that its scent lasts all day and is a great substitute for wearing the perfume. Une Folie de Rose is a rose chypre, and its longevity on the skin is practically legendary. You have to really love chypres, not just roses, to appreciate it; the patchouli is pronounced, the resinous aspect of the fragrance is intense, and the rose is thick and jammy. It has become one of my favorite rose fragrances of all time and I feel elegant and just putting it on. The next Rosine I tried was Rose Kashmirie, which is very nearly the polar opposite of Une Folie de Rose, a sweet Oriental rose and peony scent made interesting with saffron and other warm notes including myrrh, vanilla and benzoin. I like to wear it on the coldest of days when it is truly like being wrapped a cashmere garment, and it easily made my winter favorites list. It has a whisper of powderiness but not too much, and it’s about as cuddy as perfume gets, and very feminine; if it were a person it would be a teenage girl with a pink satin ruffled coverlet and lots of cute, fuzzy stuffed animals in her bedroom, where she would spend hours writing in her diary using hearts as punctuation. I am just crazy about it. Next up, the wonderful Secrets de Rose, an almost “boozy” type of rose fragrance, not as spicy or warm as Rose Kashmirie but just as delicious, a dark plum-tinged velvety seductress with a resinous sandalwood and moss base and a heart that contains jasmine and ylang ylang along with the deeply jammy rose note. Even with all the Oriental notes it comes across as more of what I think of as a baseline rose soliflore in the rich style that I love, a classic composition that never goes out of style. To my nose it is serious competition for Serge Lutens’ Sa Majeste de la Rose, and coming from me that’s saying a lot. I want a full bottle of this for those occasions (and they are frequent) when I just crave deep red roses and nothing else will do. On the lighter side is Rose d’Ete, a delightfully fresh rose composition with galbanum, green apple, lime tree flower, mimosa, and other spring-like notes. The rose note is characterized as yellow rose, a color that carries a distinctly different kind of fragrance in the living rose flower because of the genetic heritage of yellow roses; it is rather tea-like and mild. It works perfectly with the other components to make for a breezy and easygoing rose that would be better suited to warm weather. It got a little bit lost when I tested it over winter, so I am saving what’s left of it for summer, when it will really have a chance to bloom. My continuing love affair with the Rosine scents came to screeching halt with Roseberry, which I was sure I would love it from the list of notes; its downfall is far too much blackcurrant bud, which imparts a metallic edge that overwhelms the rest of the notes; a hefty does of aldehydes only amps it up even more. Ordinarily I enjoy blackcurrant bud in fragrances, but I was hoping for more fruitiness here from the blackberry and chamomile and more expression of the Turkish rose character. It also has a “lees of wine” note which I expected to be rich and complex, but it’s sharp and thin to my nose instead, like a bottle of cheap red. For people who can wear this style, Roseberry is probably very elegant and sophisticated, as it has very little sweetness and a lot of green notes, but it simply does not work for me. More to come soon as I explore more of this fascinating line of fragrances! Les Parfums de Rosine has a very pretty and informative Web site and the product line includes scented soaps and candles as well as the liquid Eau de Parfum and perfumed body cream. The body creams from this line are outstanding and a great value for the money. It might take some searching to find a retail store that carries the line, but sample sets are available from the company, so you can try before you buy and have to pay the hefty overseas shipping charges from Paris. Image credit: Pink roses from sky-wallpaper.com. Disclosure: All the perfumes tested were from my own collection, either purchased by me or from trades with fellow perfume lovers.

Moss Roses in a Bottle: Une Folie de Rose by Les Parfums de Rosine

By Donna Several years ago I received a sample vial of a perfume with a bottle purchase, and I flipped over the sample; it was instant love. I don't even remember now what the bottle was, but I wore the sample until it was gone and I even kept the empty vial so that I could sniff it once in a while; it was Une Folie de Rose (2004) by Les Parfums de Rosine. It was unusual for a rose fragrance, because not only it was a true chypre style scent with a rose heart, it was also quite green, thus combining several of my favorite perfume elements in one distinctive composition. I recently got a decant of this in a swap, and I love it more than ever. If any rose perfume is going to tempt me to buy a full bottle, this is the one. Now, some people may hear “green rose” and back away quickly, thinking it must something thin, sharp and acidic like too many inferior rose scents. Not so in this case; the rose (Bulgarian and Turkish) is rich, the green resinous and the chypre base with sandalwood, real oakmoss and benzoin keeps it warm and grounded. It opens with bergamot and a dry twist of coriander before the heart of roses and other florals (jasmine, ylang ylang and iris) expands. The unique mark of this perfume is the mossiness; in fact, what it smells like to me is the unusual buds of the old-fashioned Moss roses. These fragrant blossoms were so named because of the soft “mossy” coat on the outside (sepals) of their buds that secretes a highly resinous essence that is a cross between the classic rose aroma and something like an aromatic balsam fir, the result of a genetic mutation in this group of old garden roses. Rubbing the buds just as they are about to open releases this delicious fragrance. I have one of these wonderful plants in my own garden, and like most of the antique roses it blooms profusely, but only for a few weeks in early summer. With Une Folie de Rose I can enjoy this sensation anytime. I find it to be more interesting than most fragrances of the style that would usually be considered a rose soliflore, and it gets more so the longer I wear it. As it deepens into its chypre base, it gets darker and a little mysterious, and the longevity is excellent. The vivid feel of real, leafy green living roses remains throughout. Traditional rose perfumes generally seem to fall into one of two broad categories – the simple, romantic and even girlish soliflores, which can be soapy and fresh, and the “sexy” rose scents which are often decorated with Oriental flourishes, such as the Montale rose and oud scents or Caron's Parfum Sacré and Amouage Lyric Woman, which wrap the rose in incense, spices, musk and vanilla. Une Folie de Rose finds its own path, standing out from the crowd with its air of chypre sophistication; yes, it's sexy all right, but it's not just a boudoir perfume, it's a fashion statement with an elegance that makes it suitable for wearing in just about any environment, and yes, men can wear it too. It's not cheap - starting at about $110 USD for 50 ml of Eau de Parfum - but it's far more reasonable than one would expect after smelling it; this is a top quality house that does not rely on celebrities or big advertising budgets to sell perfume and the materials are first class. (I also got a decant of the luscious saffron-infused Rose Kashmirie and it’s just as good, though entirely opposite in style.) The Rosine line can be purchased from their web site (have a Euro converter handy) or from better online boutiques such as Beautyhabit. My mission for the near future is to try all the Rosines but I am not sure if I dare; if the rest of them measure up to Une Folie de Rose and Rose Kashmirie, my pocketbook will be in serious jeopardy. Image credit: Bud of an antique Moss rose from oldheirloomroses.com

Lily of the Valley Week. Day 3. Comme des Garcons, Floris, Jessica McClintock, Les Parfums de Rosine, Parfums de Nicolai

Comme des Garcons – Lily I debated whether to include this scent in the Lily of Valley Week or to wait till the Lily week (yes, it’s coming, as well as Gardenia, Tuberose and Jasmine weeks…do you see a trend here? ). Lily of the Valley won, because, although I smell both flowers in Comme des Garcons surprising creation, lily of the valley is much more prominent. I say “surprising creation” simply because this rather conventionally pretty, frankly unexciting scent seems rather out of place in the brand’s quirky lineup of fragrances. It starts with a very green muguet, and that is the stage I enjoy the most; the scent has a dew-drenched feel of an early, cool spring morning…then the perfume grows considerably sweeter and stronger, this is when I smell lily (maybe Casablanca lily) and freesia. The latter adds an unwelcome pink heaviness to the blend; it seems incongruous in this ethereal white-green composition. After going through the very sweet phase, the scent does a full turn and becomes fresh and green again, but to me the freesia-laden heart is a good enough reason not to ever want to own a bottle of Lily. Floris – Lily of the Valley First created in 1847, Floris’ Lily of the Valley is the oldest of the muguet scents I am talking about this week (Guerlain’s Muguet was originally released in 1906). The title note is indeed very prominent here and is at the center of the composition, but I almost hesitate to call the perfume a soliflore. The rose is particularly strong; it is sweet, juicy, and very life-like. I imagine Floris’ creation to be a lovely bridal bouquet made of delicately-pink roses and dazzling white lilies of the valley. The scent is very pretty, very easy to wear, but it has too much rose for me to absolutely love it. Jessica McClintock – The Fragrance Again, this is not a soliflore, but the lily of the valley is prominent enough to warrant the perfume’s inclusion in the muguet week. The beginning is citrusy, slightly herbal, almost a little peppery, with the green basil note serving as bridge of sorts to the green lily of the valley, which will become apparent in the heart. Jasmine is almost as strong as muguet, but not quite; on my skin, lily of the valley is the dominant floral element of the blend. The drydown is softly woody, delicately sweet. The scent makes me want to don a white sundress …maybe even a sundress with ruffles…and to act all demure and a little coquettish, in other words, completely out of character…I am considering buying a bottle. Les Parfums de Rosine – Le Muguet de Rosine It is rather sad that Parfums de Rosine decided to focus on rose scents only, as the now discontinued perfumes, the opulent, fruity-ambery Coupe d’Or, the fresh and creamy tuberose Mea Culpa (one of my favorite tuberose scents of all time) and Le Muguet, are as beautiful as the rose perfumes in the collection. Le Muguet is a tricky one for me. It likes to play with me; on some days, it is green, green and green, with fresh lilies of the valley and lots of grass and not much else. On others, it is a fragrance of considerable depth and breathtaking complexity. On those days the jasmine becomes very prominent, bringing with it a vaguely indolic quality, and the rose adds to the scent a wonderful honeyed aspect. The drydown is musky and slightly resinous. An interesting, sophisticated rendition of lily of the valley, and it truly is a shame that it is now practically impossible to find. Parfums de Nicolai – Eclipse There are many "light-green" renditions of lily of the valley, Nicolai’s is "dark-green". It has sumptuous, peppery greenness of basil and oakmoss. Because of the presence of anise, lily of the valley here has sweet spiciness… or spicy sweetness. I strongly believe that there is rose somewhere in this beautiful composition, as I sense rather than distinctly smell a presence of its bordeaux-colored petals among the greenness. Much more than simply a muguet soliflore, this is a very elegant, very sophisticated blend that possesses the sort of creamy sumptuousness that I came to associate with the work of Patricia de Nicolai. Comme des Garsons Lily and Parfums de Nicolai Eclipse are available at luckyscent.com, $68.00 and $70.00 respectively; Floris Lily of the Valley is sold at florislondon.com, $45.00-$70.00; Jessica McClintock can be found at jessicamcclintock.com, $48.00-$68.00. We take a break tomorrow for Tom's report on L'Eau du Jatamansi. Lily of the Valley will be back one last time on Friday.