The rose has probably received more tributes in writing and song than any other flower; without even trying, anyone can easily think of a famous rose quotation or two. I recently realized that my own formative literary encounter with rose imagery was the classic children's book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The Rose is an important secondary character in the story: she is vain and coquettish but secretly vulnerable, and her relationship with the Prince symbolizes some of the complexities of love. (As a child, I was also very impressed by the depiction of the rose in the film version of The Little Prince.)
Although rose is my favorite note in perfumery, I try not to discuss rose-scented products too often, just because I don't want to be monotonous. However, June is the month of roses, so I'm going to indulge myself by mentioning a few recent favorites here. And, because we should still stop and smell the proverbial roses even (or especially) during a difficult economy, all of these products are available for $10 or less.
Dr. Bronner's Rose Pure Castile Soap has a fresh, almost fruity rose scent with a hint of raspberry. The members of Makeup Alley's Go Green discussion board are always coming up with new ways to use Dr. Bronner's soaps; I'm not so creative, but I do enjoy my Rose soap as a shower gel and, diluted in a plastic pump bottle, as a hand soap or a shaving foam. ($5.99 for 8 oz. at Dr. Bronner and drugstore.com)
Another "multi-tasking" product is Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner. You can apply it to your face with a cotton ball, after washing, to soothe your skin and remove any lingering traces of your cleanser. You can also put some into a spray bottle and mist it onto your body after a shower on a hot day, or onto your face whenever you need to feel refreshed. The scent is a true rose-water aroma, delicately sweet but clean. ($10 for 12 oz. at thayers and vitacost)
Moroccan Love Soap from Voda Soap just might be the most beautiful soap you'll ever use. A dear friend gave me a bar for my birthday one June, and I admired the soap for a long time before I ever brought it near the bathroom. Each rough-hewn, handmade cube is studded with actual pink rosebuds, and it's perfumed with a swirl of warm, rosy floral notes and subtle, woody spices. ($7 for 3 oz. at vodasoap or nimli)
A rose-scented lip balm? Wonderful! A rose-scented lip balm made with organic Bulgarian rose oil in a base of nut oils, beeswax, and vitamin E? Even better! Alteya Organics Bulgarian Rose Replenishing Lip Balm is moisturizing, healing, and about as pure as a lip balm can get. Its fragrance is subtly dusky, like a crushed rose petal. ($8 for .15 oz at alteyaorganics and smallflower)
EO is another reliable brand for healthy beauty, and all its hair products contain a slew of natural ingredients. EO's Rose & Chamomile Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner are intended for dry or damaged hair; they foam well, once you've worked them well into very wet hair, and they rinse cleanly without leaving any residue. Their scent is a soft, slightly soapy rose, gently brightened with a chamomile note. (about $7 each for for 8 fl. oz. at amazon).
Rose lip balm? Oh, I am so there! Going shopping!!!
Thanks Jessica 🙂
Daisy,
Have fun!
Hi Daisy. It is eye. I haven’t said hi in a while. Rose is my birth flower. This sounds like a good way to appreciate them.
helluuuuuu there Eye! As a rose baby then you must have at least a couple rose scents …it wouldn’t be right to not. Luckily I can’t imagine a single flower more widely represented in the world of perfumed beauty supplies! I’m a sweet pea baby….now I realize that I’ve been horribly negligent! I need to search out something with sweet peas!
Daisy,
Have you tried Caron’s Pois de Senteur? It’s worth seeking out, if you’re a sweet pea lover and haven’t tried it yet!
Thanks Jessica! I will look into that one…I really had no place in mind to start. I was born in April so Sweet Pea is my flower…seems like the wild ones that used to grow along the fields smelled quite nice! Have no idea what it would smell like in perfume.
As a fan of le Petit Prince myself, I have to tell you that the line of children’s perfumes inspired by the book is sooo cute and one of those scent is La Rose du Petit Prince. The bottles are adorable. I bought the B612 one just because I thought the bottle was too good to pass up. So if you like the Little Prince and you love the rose, you’ve got to get it. Its so whimsical. The Dr. Bronnner’s soap sounds get btw, I love rose with a hint of berry. One of my favorite rose scents is Amouage Lyrics for women and when I first spray it on it has this almost edible berry rose quality to it. Anyhoo, I’m rambling…can you tell I love rose too?
I meant to write good and not get about the soap, must proof read. Though if its good, I should get it, eh?
Hello Miss Havisham,
I do own a bottle of Dessin-Moi un Mouton from the Petit Prince line, a light chamomile spray that I use at bedtime, but you’ve reminded me that I really should try the Rose products as well! Thank you! And I love the fact that they created a scent in honor of B612 too.
Is it weird that the scent of roses makes me hungry?
I will eat anything rose flavored, that’s why.
Krok, I’m a fan of any rosewater-flavored dessert, too!
Nope, not weird at all. I loooove sweet lassi with rosewater. . ..
You’re definitely not alone. I had a trip to San Francisco years ago where I did some theme eating, and had rose-flavored desserts anywhere I could find them. I even had a rose syrup latte somewhere, which was absolutely divine. I still find myself craving one from time to time.
Sounds good to me, Miss Kitty!
when I was a kid, my best friend’s mom used to make rose jelly and I thought it was the most amazing and exotic thing…almost too good for on toast!
Thanks Krok! Now I”m hungry too!
I’ve been using the Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel for years – and I even have my husband hooked. I swear, between his shaving and using the Thayers, he has the best complexion! I didn’t know Dr. Bronner’s made a rose scented castile soap – I’ve only ever used the peppermint one [since, the early 70’s], Another fantastic classic lip balm [among many other uses] is Smith’s Rosebud Salve, in a cool vintage looking tin.
RusticDove,
Have you tried their Minted Rose Lip Balm? I used to use the original, but when I found the Minted Rose I was hooked. I use it every day.
Oh. no I haven’t! I hadn’t seen that yet. I will look for it and try it – thank you!
Jenny, I haven’t tried the Minted Rose one, either, although I’m familiar with the “classic” version. Rusticdove, I love Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint in hot weather!
I second the Thayers! I don’t use foundation, so use the Thayers as my cleanser. I have extremely delicate skin and it works great! Must check out the lip balm.
Rappleyea,
Hooray for Thayers! Plus, I adore the label. Even if this product didn’t work so nicely and smell so rosy-perfect, I’d want to own it for its looks.
Ooh, I remember the Lip Salve!
I mean – darn! I should just go to BED – the Rosebud Salve. The grandmother that lived with us had some of that. (I don’t think it can hold a candle to Porter’s Liniment Salve, though.)
Hi Mals, I’m going to bed soon, too. But yes, I knew what you meant. Not familiar with the Porter’s, though!
Dr. Bronner’s is a must-have in my house. I use it in the bath, my mom uses it as shampoo and we both use it on or dogs. If you have soap sensitivity, the veggie derived surfactants are very gentle and don’t over dry the skin — even in winter.
Ooh, rose-scented dogs! Sounds wonderful.
🙂
Luminous, Isn’t it such a useful product? I can’t believe I waited so long to try it. It’s been around *forever* but I only started using it about a year ago.
Love it, love it, love it. I recommend it to all my friends, relatives, perfect strangers in the store looking at the castile soap…
I discovered Dr. Bronner’s a few year ago when I was working in the Tetons. The number of uses is truly incredible! I always take it with me when I go camping or backpacking…actually I take it on most trips! I’ve always had the peppermint, but I’ll have to try the Rose. Those bottles are so concentrated that it takes forever to use one up. Sometimes you can find stores that refill the bottles and they charge you less than buying a new one.
I too use Dr. Bronner soaps by preference. So I was excited to see the rose scent (I love rose) and unscrewed the cap in the store. Frankly, I smell soap far more than rose – didn’t like it at all.
Monsta, Oh no! Maybe it was an old bottle… or maybe it needs to sudse up in water to smell good.
worth a try…
Thanks so much for the reviews; I am off to buy everything! I am rose-obsessed.
BTW, did you know LUSH brought Potion Lotion back?
I get no rose at all from it, but the carnation is to die for!
Jolie,
YES! I was thrilled when Lush made Potion lotion available again. (Online only, but still…!) I’d been hoarding an old bottle in the crisper drawer of our refrigerator… ha. It’s really wonderful smelling, kind of spicey-sweet, and it works so well on dry skin.
Ohmigosh–that sounds amazing….must do MORE shopping! You all sure are rough on the mortgage…..
Oh, man… I haven’t smelled it yet, but I am a total sucka for anything carnation. (Come to think of that, it’s MY birth month flower.) Got to get some Potion Lotion…
I strongly recommend Potion! Then again, my *second* favorite note is carnation, so… naturally I love it.
Oh my gosh, I will have to get some of that – that stuff smelled great!
well, how timely! I was out surveying my rosebushes and sighing over the scent in the humid weather. I picked Dr. Bronner’s soap, and the Alteya Organics lip, hair, and body products. I await with baited breath my order from Beauty.com!
Phillyislechat, I don’t have any rosebushes of my own (I live in an apt. building), but I do admire the neighbor’s roses and the roses that my mother grows in her garden. It was a beautiful year for roses, from what I could see!
That soap is to die for! I guess you use the other side, if I could bring myself to use it.
The smell of roses takes me back to little old ladies. I wonder what Tea Rose smells like?
I shall change my attitude and start wearing roses again. How about LA Drole De Rose? Is it rosy? It sounds voluptuous. I always enjoy your posts Jessica. You make me appreciate smell in a whole new way. : )
Drole de Rose is a light hearted, girly rose, flirtatious and fun.
you must try it! Do I have your address already? hmmm, can’t remember ….you can email me at Daisyloo82@gmail.com and I’ll send you a sample!
Hi alotofscents,
Drole de Rose is a sweet blend of rose and violet. It’s a bit powdery and a bit candy-like, but not in a Paris-Hilton-perfume kind of way. It’s just right for a spring day, but I wear it all year round.
Speaking of roses, I just tried Montale’s Louban today. REALLY good! The website describes it as more incense-based, but on me I get a really yummy rose. I’m admittedly not across the board crazy about rose scents, but if done right I’ll go crazy for it. This one may be FB worthy. (Oh, no–hide the credit card!! Now!)
miss k, I’m the same way. I wouldn’t list rose as a favorite note, but when it’s done right, it blows me away (hello, Amouage Lyric!).
Absolutely agree….I love rose, but I can’t wear too many rose fragrances unless I want to smell like I”ve been rolling around in an alley with a wino…..
Hi Miss Kitty,
I need to spend more time exploring the Montales! They seem to do dark notes and oudhs very well, from what I hear. I’ve sampled and enjoyed Powder Flowers (very similar to LV Teint de Neige) and Crystal Flowers.
Call me across-the-board crazy for roses. I like the floofy ones, like Paris and the Rosines, but I looooooove the Deep Mysterious Translucent ones like Lyric and Ta’if and Parfum Sacre and L’arte di Gucci and … wait, I’m listing a good chunk of my wardrobe here, if you catch my drift.
I’m more of a Rosines personality, but I do love my sample of Ta’if. Must own a bottle, someday…
I love The little Prince..:)
What do you dilute the Dr. Bronner’s soap with- distilled water?
I’ve heard that voda soaps are lovely (from people on the bath and body board)..have never tried them, though..Thanks for the review!
I have only recently begun to enjoy roses in perfume..I mostly like mine boozy, jammy and/or dark..
Have you tried Czech & Speake Dark Rose?? Sounds right up your alley.
This does sound lovely..Will try to sample it..Thanks!
Hi, Lavanya! I have a foaming pump bottle that used to contain Method hand soap. I add Dr. Bronner’s to filtered tap water, about 1 part Dr. B to 6 or 7 parts water. A bottle of Dr. B lasts for ages this way!
Sounds great! Thanks, Jessica!
What joy it is to know I can wear a rose again. Whenever I inquired about the scent, I was always told that it was a little old ladies’ scent. Now that I’m on the other side of 50, I stopped looking for it, because I though people would think of me as a little old lady. From reading your comments, you say that rose can be young and flirty. Sounds good to me! Bring it on with a cold glass of bubbly! Denise
I think that the rose is the right flower for *any* woman who enjoys it! My first rose fragrance was Avon’s Roses, Roses, which I owned in a little pig-shaped bottle when I was about 9 or 10 years old. When I was in my early twenties, I started wearing Crabtree & Evelyn’s Evelyn, as well as plain rosewater that I would dab on. It’s still my favorite note, and there are so many ways to “interpret” rose in fragrance that I’ll never tire of it!
And this is what I love (or used to love) about Avon: a pig-shaped bottle! A PIG SHAPED BOTTLE. What does that have to do with roses? Nothing, but Avon must have thought the world needed a pig-shaped bottle, and this would do as well as anything. Oh, I love it. When I was a kid I had an Avon perfume in a gingerbread man bottle. I think I still have it around somewhere. I don’t think they do wacky things like that anymore, which is a shame. Oh, but a pig-shaped bottle–now I want that!
Yes, really! They also offered a blue pig with some kind of Hawaiian Ginger scent and a yellow pig with a honeysuckle scent (I think?). I also owned a skunk bottle and a donkey bottle from Avon, and saw no incongruity in all this novelty packaging. lol!
So you’ve just caused me to add skunk and donkey bottles to my list of things to look for on ebay… 🙂
I’ve since picked up a bottle of Tea Rose and I’m really enjoying wearing it. No one has made any comments, but that’s okay. Denise
Do you mean the Tea Rose from Perfumer’s Workshop? Well, that’s a classic, so you must smell great!
Roses, roses, roses!! I love roses! These are my fav soaps, frags, etc…
Mystral Rose Lychee soap which is really fresh, bright and a little sweet. I love it – very pretty in the morning, and there are all the accompanying lotions, etc in the line. Also the Pre de Provence Rose Petal Soap which is very beautiful and natural. I have some Crabtree & Evelyn rose talcum powders, and a *really* old bottle of Tea Rose sparkly talcum from when I was in high school! I love to put the middle eastern rose cooking waters on my face or as room and fabric fresheners. I also use the Mario Badescu Rose Water Facial Spray which is wonderful and softening and very reasonably priced.
I have an oldie but goodie rose cream if you can still find it: the “Rose Milk” that came in a pink milk shaped bottle is great! And I love to dip into the rich and creamy Sonoma Scent Studio Velvet Rose Shea Cream, which Robin (?) did a review of last year. Oh, and some great rose cream I got at Target that’s from Austrialia called wild rose or something like that….
I have a big rose scent collection, and love them all for different reasons: Tea Rose (Perfumer’s Workshop), Rosewater Eau Fraiche by Crabtree & Evelyn (sadly discontinued), SSS Velvet Rose, SSS Rose Musc, Annick Goutal Ce Soir ou Jamais, Heure Exquise, and large decant of Rose Absolu, Cartier So Pretty, Guerlain Nahema, Stella McCartney, large decant of Creed Fleur de The Rose Bulgaire, I Profumi di Firenze Miela Rosa, Lancome Mille et Une Roses, Sikkim & Magie Noir, Parfums de Nicolai Rose Pivione, and split of Amouage Lyric for Women…and there are so many testers that I love too! I can’t get enough of them and June is the perfect time to indulge!!
See, this is what I was talking about, Almost Scent Twin! Roses!
I almost have it where I can wear a rose scent all year round regardless of the weather. But there *is* something about the summer, esp. right after I’ve been in the garden that just makes me crazy to wear roses all the time. Thank god my husband likes roses too! Today I dipped into the PdN Rose Pivione…We’ll have to trade notes on our rose collections!
SSS Velvet Rose cream is really wonderful; I think I linked to the review, above! That Mistral Rose Lychee soap didn’t make much of an impression on me, but I do like lots of the Crabtree & Evelyn rose products. My rose-based perfume collection would take too much space to list… 😉
(very small voice) I wish I could wear all those fabulous roses…sniffle, sniffle….
There are a handful that I CAN wear though, and they are good ones! Amouage Lyric, Une Rose, Drole de Rose, Citizen Queen, Ta’if……so, can I be in the “I love roses club” too? 😉
Yep, we’ll take you!
(I can’t believe I left Citizen Queen off my list. )
I almost called you out on that one….but I was busy trying to shmooze my way into the “I love roses club” and didn’t want to impede my chances…. 😉
Nah, it would’ve boosted your rose cred…
Ok, whoever on here is trying to use subliminal messages to get me to buy Cartier So Pretty again, you can stop. Your mission has been accomplished. I will trot on out to the nearest distributor and get me some.
Seriously, I always forget about how much I loved that one. Each time someone mentions it, my heart skips a beat. Clearly, I need another bottle…
Yep, that worked on me too. I just bought a mini on ebay… it’s all AnnS’s fault… 😉
Today I am wearing the ab fab L’Arte di Gucci, although it makes me feel slightly underdressed in my work blouse and twill pants. It’s Rose all glammed up a la Joan Collins. (Wait, now I need some red lipstick.)
I totally apologize to everyone about the So Pretty…NOT! I read about it blah blah, and then I smelled it and it totally blew me away! It is one of my rose favorites, and just about knocked Nahema off it’s top spot! The have since madde peace with each other – Nahema fall and winter – So Pretty spring and summer. Defintely really great and fun to wear. The development can’t be beat – I love all it’s parts and it lasts for hours!
I like rose, too, but it has to be pretty natural, It can’t be that hippie-shop rose. I get a bit of that from SSS Velvet Rose but the Vintage Rose is perfect. It has to be either really dark or really green, I guess.
Tama, SSS Velvet Rose is lovely. For another “true” rose, I like Creed’s Fleur deThe’ Rose Bulgare. (Expensive, but I found a tester bottle for a great price at an online discount retailer once!)
My fav “hippie rose” is Tauer’s La Maroc, ;-)…….I love it! And I don’t care anymore that I smell like I should be wearing bells on my ankles….
AnnS,
Why not? 😉
My favorite “hippie rose” is L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Voleur de Roses.
I guess when I say hippie-shop rose I need to clarify – I mean that really cloying rose with a capital R that doesn’t smell like any rose known to man. It is why I prefer the Vintage Rose to the Velvet rose. because the Velvet has that uber-rosey rose.
I don’t mind smelling like a hippie shop in general, which Maroc does quite well. I actually don’t consider Maroc a rose, although I know it’s there.
By the sounds of all of this, I need to get into roses in a big way! The only rose-based perfume I’ve tried so far is Incense Rose which I loved. I have added most of the perfumes mentioned to my now huge “to sample” list. I think I may need to quit my job to keep up 😉
Right now though, I’ve got Fracas on the brain. I tried it for the first time last night and WOW!!!!
Hi Sharviss,
Well, that’s a classic, and tuberose is exciting floral territory too!
Heads up all of you rose lovers: Tauer’s new scent, Rose Chypree is to die for! Just sayin….
Oh goodness! That is so true! Love the URC…wish Andy would make it available in 30ml…..sigh….but careful you all…one spritz at a time if you don’t want your socks knocked off! My 17 yr old and I both applied a “couple” spritzes when we first got a bottle…got in the car to go shopping ….had to drive the entire way to the mall with windows down….MONSTER SILLAGE
None of the Tauer scents have worked for me, unfortunately… I like them in the bottles but not *on* me. It’s a shame!
It IS beautiful. And I’m probably not springing for a bottle anytime soon, but the sample is going to do me for awhile – it’s so potent and long-lasting. Might have to get another sample…
I loved the idea of wearing a beautiful, Victorian-novel-heroine rose fragrance. I figured that rose was rose, and that all I needed to do was find a good-quality rose fragrance, and it have that ethereal, days-gone-by feel. Wrong! I have tried many, many rose perfumes, and do not cease to be astonished at how radically different they all are (though most are all beautiful). Thank you for mentioning all the new ones to try! Rose Pivoine and L’Arte di Gucci sound intriguing. My favorite right now is Ta’if. A couple of roses that weren’t listed: Crabtree and Evelyn’s rose fragrance, Evelyn; this one claims to be based on a rose variety of that name, and to be an “accurate” rose. It starts out just that, but then rapidly ventures into headache territory. Paul Smith’s Rose is a very nice , greeny rose for those who don’t like the heady style of rose; Bulgari’s Rose essentielle is also a quiet rose, but powdery.
Hi Bergere – if you like those classic victorian type roses, then you should definitely try the Parfums de Nicolai Rose Pivione, which has a really nice classic almost damasc accord with peony some light sweet notes and a wee bit of powder. Definitely white dresses and tea party stuff.
Since rose is by far my favorite note in fragrance, it’s astonishing to me that I can seldom distinguish rose in so many of the favorite rose fragrances you all list.
I adore Creed Fleur de The Rose Bulgare, but get no rose. I love the Bvlgari Rose but get no rose at all. Andy’s Incense Rose? All orange and incense on me. L’Arte de Gucci…patch, patch and more patch. I get lots of lovely rose from the SSS roses at first, but within 20 minutes, straight up musk/belly button. Lipstick Rose and Drole Rose, again, rosy at first, then musky/musty. Any ouds or any of the Amouages go all incense, never smell anything remotely floral, let alone rose. Parfum Sacre… incense, Nahema, just plain ol’ Guerlainade, although I love them both.
The Lancome rose was definitely rose, but also some sort of weirdness in there that I was unable to identity….ditto the Shiseido rose.
I need to try Cartier So Pretty, and the Malle Une Rose, but I hold out very little hope with this skin chemistry of mine!! I really amp musk, citrus and white floral. (And maybe incense, too!)
AG Rose Absolu, Private Reserve Snow Rose, and Penhalgion’s Elisabethan Rose are the best for me, along with Crabtree& Evelyn’s Evelyn Rose, which I think is great for the price point. I’m surprised no one else ahs mentioned the Penhaglion!
L’Arte di Gucci was patch on you?? I’m stunned. Smells like rose petals and green leaves to me – and I am a patchophobe, extremely sensitive to it, so I’m surprised to have not perceived any patchouli in it at all. I have a mini edp, if concentration might differ from yours.
I agree that Incense Rose was very little rose, lotsa orange & incense. Une Rose Chypree was gorgeous, though – it has lots of what I think of as “processed, perfumery rose” – attar? oil? absolute? Not sure exactly what that note is composed of, but it’s what I call Deep Transparent Rose, as opposed to Fresh Picked Rose. Parfum Sacre spends a lot of time there IMO, after the kitcheny opening and on the way to the incense woods base. (Looove PS, just love it – it might just be the one I’d pick, if you threatened me with the choice of picking One Rose Fragrance or nasal amputation.)
Have you tried SSS Velvet Rose? Montale Oud Queen Roses? (You did mention SSS roses and ouds, but just wondered if you perceived these particular ones differently than I do, as armfuls of dewy roses.)
The SSS roses are delightful on me at first…very much armfuls of roses. But there is almost immediately (well, 10-20 minutes in to it) a very musky scent. Even Cameo got all musky on me. Have the same issues with Caron N’Aimez Que Moi, which nearly gagged me. I am not even sure musk is in that one, and Carons are normally gorgeous on me, but that one I had to scrub, in pure parfum strength, no less.
Montale Oud Queen Roses as well as the Damask one was complete resin/incense on me. I realy liked the smell of both, and would love to drench my apratment in it, but it’s not what I want to wear as a perfume.
I will keep trying with the Montales, as i do like the fragrances, and am hoping against hope that the SSS ones will eventually work, because I really want to support her!
I liked Velvet Rose, but Vintage Rose had some note that made me want to scrub almost immediately. Ick. (Some kind reader here suggested that it’s a particular sweet musk Laurie uses.)
Have you tried any of the Dawn Spencer Hurwitz line? I liked several of them, particularly her Rose Vert – a very green, light rose that seems to last forever on me.
(Dear AnnS is such an enabler, isn’t she? And so is Daisy. I mean that in a GOOD way…)
Daisy and Mals86, I’ve just remembered Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s American Beauty Rose, which is a lovely true red rose… and speaking of which, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s Rose Red isn’t bad, especially for the price (although it’s usually only available around the holidays).
Hi Joliefleur – you know I had the same problem about last year. I was reading about all these roses, etc, and tesing all these so called amazing rose fragrances, and I’m like: Rose? What Rose? I was really looking for like the Tea Rose and big roses to just whack me over the head, which is really what I love and was used to. Rose in Chanel 22? Parfum Sacre? Mille et Une Rose? Where? It was like Where’s Waldo for me. And then about 9 months later all of the sudden, after smelling so many fragrances during the year, I found it. Peeking out, hiding back there with all the other notes, totally blending in to the body and structure of the fragrances. Now I can smell it all the time, even in something as well blended as No 5. It is like the “tree falling in the woods” one of these days it when you stop looking for it, it will just be there! The best I can say to help you along is the following: you know when you smell a fresh (not heavy or damask or tea type) rose on the bush, and it is almost like inhaling fresh air? That is often the “light” sweet and airy rose that is hiding in fragrances giving them structure. Some people are very sensitive to it, but I always missed it looking for the BIG ROSE. One of these days you will smell it by not searching for it. It is all about retraining your nose and brain and adjusting your expectations of “rose” in a fragrance. Then you will smell it all the time.
AnnS, I think you’re right, and in time my nose will learn to sort it all out.
I did once get a trace of rose from the Creed, tho’ as of yet not the Bvlgari. And I love Parfum Sacre, so hopefully the rose will make itself known to me sooner or later in that one, too but if not, it’s still good!
Creed always reads lemony to me — it take about 6 good hours into the dry down for me to find the nice soft rose, not the big strong rose accord that it starts with. I think it is a powerhouse, even for me. I only put on the tiniest dab, and then smear it around to move those opening notes along! And I only wear it on my wrists to keep it away from my nose. Some fragrances need a lot of space and some you can mash you nose into!
One fragrance that really got my nose trained into the softer, sweeter, lighter rose is the dry body oil version of Annick Goutal’s Heure Exquise, which is rosier than the actual fragrance. It is nearly a dead ringer for the same type of rose accord and warm dry down in the Juilette Has a Gun “Miss Charming”, which starts off really really sweet but then softens up to a nice clear powdery rose and warm drydown. It was actually the connection between the two that helped me “find” the roses, so to speak.
Oh, lord, Miss Juilette and her Guns do not like me one bit. The dry-down is pure musk on me, and a very dirty one at that.
Like, get it off me NOW dirty.
Apparently my nose is NOT sophisticated!!!
Have you tried Yosh Sotille? That is a very soft rose that I forgot about til just now.
Oh, and I meant to say too that the Bulgari gets muddled up for me as well with that particular heavy musk they use in all their fragrances. I have trouble with it for any of them, which makes the Rose Ess not wearable for me.
Penhaligon’s Elisabethan Rose is such a pretty, delicate true rose… and it lasts about five minutes on me, alas!
Penhaligon’s is one of the closest I’ve smelled to a real rose in the garden….but I can’t wear it…sadly it turns to wine like so many others. My daughter likes it very much….but her rose heart belongs to Rosine Un Zest de Rose.
I hate to cause anyone trouble with the rent money or electric bill paying….but ever try Montale Highness Rose? It is crazy-uber-expensive but it is one fabulously big bright full rose….lovely stuff.
This sounds fab! Where would I find this? I didn’t see it listed on either The Perfume Shoppe or the Luckyscent website.
Hm… not sure, but you could check the Montale website itself… they’re known to have good customer service.
Excellent, thanks!
I have not, and of course now I am on the hunt! Is it an oudy one? The only hope my mortgage has is that it’s on oud, and will not give up it’s rosiness to me, like all the others….I had such HIGH hopes for Damask Oud, or whatever it was…nope, on my skin, a frankincense feast. Very nice, but not what I want to smell like, and certainly not a rose.
Hmm. I once had a bottle of Dr. Bronners. I think it was lavender. The soap didn’t do much for me. Too watery, even in it’s pure form.
Hi Megan, It’s definitely a different texture than most shower gels! Takes a bit of getting used to.
VERA WANG ‘TRULY PINK’ perfume and body lotion are good. The top note is pink rose accord which matches up with the description, “This lush, floral fragrance was inspired by the grace of a single rose – deep in complexity and budding with possibility. It captures the fragrant caress of rose petals on the skin with an enchanting femininity that epitomizes Vera Wang’s style.” I bought it for my Mom for her birthday. For myself I purchased VERA WANG which has a more mixed floral top note. Like ’em both! 🙂
Forgot to mention a few other ‘rosey’ winners.
** “Rose Petals Rosewater”, Heritage Products, Virginia Beach, VA, 23458, 1-800-862-2923. This is made from European roses, pesticide-free, and can be used for cooking or on the skin for the scent of freshly-picked roses. I have been misting my face to refresh after lunch. Not cloying.
** “Rose Petal Beads”, p. 45, Rose Recipes from Olden Times, Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, first published 1939 by Tourledge under title of Rose Recipes, Dover edition unabridged and unaltered republication 1973, NYC, NY. Followed the nineteenth century recipe using homegrown, organic rose petals (43 roses were used!) and 1/4 tsp of purchased rose absolute oil. Awesome beads that when strung on a necklace will waft an old-rose whisperscent for decades when kept safely stored in a stoppered glass bottle.
**”Pink Rose Green Tea”, 50 teabags, The Republic of Tea, Novato, CA 94949. Nice blend of China green tea, peony petals and natural rose flavoring. I put the used tea bags over tired eyelids at night to lessen those dreadful ‘blue circles and sagging bags’ that plague the unfortunates. Drink the green + roses tea with honey while resting with eyes shut.
**”Damascena Rose Soap”, Dynamo House P/L, 24 Simia St., Mitcham, VIC 3132 Australia. The paper box is beautifully adorned with pink and magenta long-stemmed roses and a golden dragonfly. On the back it says, “Bulgarian Rose (Rosa Damascena) is one of the most valuable fragrances on the planet, also known as the Queen of oils for its intensely ‘feminine’ character. It has many exceptional qualities. A supreme aphrodisiac, it is emotionally soothing, lifts the spirits and raises confidence, only the smallest amount of this precious and exquisite aroma is required to add remarkable character.”
** “Smith’s ROSEBUD SALVE”, Rosebud Perfume Co., Woodsboro, MD 21798. 0.8 oz in a sturdy blue tin with red and blue lettering. I tuck this into the front pocket of my kayaking P.F.D. After paddling for awhile, my sweaty hands need moisturizing. Using a cottonseed oil base, this salve stays on in water and heavy usage. Highly recommended!
** Modern Rose bushes with compelling fragrances that I grow in my garden: David Austin’s ‘Abraham Darby’, ‘A Shropshire Lad’, ‘Bishop’s Castle’, ‘Falstaff’, ‘Golden Celebration’, ‘James Galway’, ‘Jude the Obscure’, and ‘Lady Emma Hamilton’; Jackson & Perkins ‘Aromatherapy’, ‘April In Paris’; ‘Bella’roma’, ‘Black Cherry’, ‘Diana, Princess of Wales’, ‘Melody Parfumee’, ‘Pink Promise’, ‘Purple Tiger’, and ‘Simply Marvelous!’ ; Weeks Roses ‘Burgundy Iceberg’, ‘Dream Come True’, ‘Falling in Love’, ‘Firefighter’, ‘Heart O’ Gold’, ‘Lasting Love’, ”Memorial Day’, ‘Neptune’, ‘Scentimental’, ‘Summer Love’; and ‘Wild Blue Yonder’; from other nursery sources ‘The McCartney Rose’, ‘Mister Lincoln’, ‘Don Juan’, ‘Fragrant Cloud’, ‘Purple Passion’ and ‘Peace’.
I also share your love of rose scents. Years ago I stumbled across a Rose Petal Preserve in a specialty store. Out of curiosity I bought a small jar and loved it! I wish I could find it again. I truly felt decadent snacking on roses!