This is a review of Roja Dove Enslaved Eau de Parfum, but it's going to take me a moment to get there, so please bear with me.
Not long ago I heard a perfumer disparaged because his work was stale. According to the person I talked to, the perfumer had said what he had to say and wasn't breaking any new ground with his newest fragrances. I understand this complaint, especially coming from someone who sees perfume as art. We already have so many beautiful fragrances. If you're not adding to what's out there, but simply creating more of the same, why bother? I won't buy new art unless it challenges me and draws me in. I won't stay up past midnight in a crowded club unless I know I'll be listening to music that feels fresh and engaging. And I'm certainly tired of the landslide of berry-patchouli or screechy floral-musks out there.
Then, Friday night I was at a coworker's going away party and I went to the bar to buy the coworker a beer. While I waited, a beefy, biker-type guy sat near me combing his long, red beard. "I like your scent," he said.
My wrist flew to my nose as I tried to remember what it was. "It's Jolie Madame," I said. I hadn't worn it in a while. I'd stumbled on a decant of the vintage Eau de Toilette that morning as I was trying to find my last few drops of Penhaligon Amaranthine. Jolie Madame's violets seemed perfect for a spring day.
The man's beard was truly luxuriant against his black leather vest. He continued to comb. "I like it. It's kind of masculine, but I like it."
On my (non-Harley) bike ride home, I realized there's still plenty of room for the tried and true. In fact, it's necessary. Not everyone has run through the gamut of every art form and is blasé to everything but the new, surprising take. Sure, an artist can comment on another artist's lack of development, but most of the rest of us benefit from having a range of art, traditional to avant garde, to experience.
After all, the bearded biker was entranced by Jolie Madame. It was new to him, and fresh out of the barrel or worn for decades, it's still beautiful. As I write, I'm listening to Ian Bostridge sing Schubert lieder. People who are real music lovers might shake their heads in pity. They've listened to the lieder so often it bores them. I think Bostridge sings like a really intelligent angel, and I could listen to him all day. Despite smugly writing I won't buy art unless it challenges me, hanging right above my desk are two drawings of swan-like women in invented evening gowns done in the 1960s by a man who used to draw ads for one of the department stores downtown. I love them.
This is where Roja Dove Enslaved comes in. Enslaved smells like a dozen or more other fragrances from the past 70 years, but that's o.k. It's well done, and it satisfies. Roja Dove created Enslaved in 2007 as part of a trio of fragrances including Scandal (a white floral) and Unspoken (a chypre). In his book The Essence of Perfume, Roja Doves describes Enslaved as an oriental and lists among its notes bergamot, orange, lemon, orange blossom, geranium, ylang ylang, rose, Grasse jasmine, carnation, oakmoss, cedar, vetiver, patchouli, labdanum, ambergris, and musk. He wrote he "wanted something which would at once 'enslave' the wearer and those who smell it."1
Despite its plethora of notes, to me Enslaved smells like finely milled, expensive powder. It's not the violet-rose powder of Frédéric Malle Lipstick Rose or the sandalwood-amber powder of Lorenzo Villoresi Alamut, but the spicy, vaguely woody powder of Molinard Habanita without the sweet tobacco. Enslaved is so well blended it's almost linear — what you smell at minute two is what you smell two hours later.
Right now, I'd choose Habanita over Enslaved because I smell a moist airiness in Habanita that Enslaved's tight powder doesn't have. Also, Habanita is a lot cheaper and easier to find. But I'd be upset if Enslaved disappeared, because it smells of high quality materials, and I'm not sure Habanita has fared as well over the years. Besides that, Enslaved may not be original, but I can't remember a fragrance like it coming out in a long while. Maybe instead of calling Enslaved derivative, we should think of it as classic.
Come to think of it, that bearded biker guy at the bar was a classic, too.
Roja Dove Enslaved is available in 100 ml Eau de Parfum (£120) or 100 ml Parfum (£343); for buying information, see the listing for Roja Dove under Perfume Houses.
1. p. 188.
I love this fragrance. I ordered it unsniffed and it’s beautiful. It starts off as a rich floral and then dries down to an incensey ambery scent on me. I think it’s the best one out of the trio, and not at all redundant in the perfume world.
You were brave to order such an expensive fragrance unsniffed, but it sounds like it worked out terrifically for you! I’m glad you love it.
I am so intrigued A! Where were you when you met the man with the good sniffer and fabulous beard?
It was at the Red Cap. Not somewhere I normally go, but it was my coworker’s choice, and it turned out to be fun!
Angela, I LOVE Jolie Madame, it’s so unique, it is perfect for a cool spring day. I have wonderful memories of a much-loved Aunt who wore it very well, and she was a handful for sure!
Just a thought, but I wonder what the biker’s opinion would be if you were wearing Bandit??
I think the biker had a soft heart and it was the violet that got him–but he sure looked like the Bandit type!
I love it when a man plays against type! 😉
I should have offered him a decant!
Funny how some scents we consider to be subtle and uncomplicated are beautiful to those unfamiliar with them.
A few weeks ago while riding the Metro back home during the evening commute an older man seated beside me commented on how lovely my perfume was. It was Yvresse, faded after 9 hours of wear and while pretty but nothing terribly complex to him it was a simply lovely scent.
I feel that sometimes I get so wrapped up in my bizarre and unique perfumes that I overlook the understated if familiar beauty of some. Most notably for me at the moment is Balenciaga Paris. It so familiar, I smell it and almost discount it as a perfume I’d want to wear … but then I take the time to really appreciate it and it becomes something more. It’s lovely because it is familiar.
There is a lot to be said for something familiar, especially if it is well made and of nice materials. (A well made macaroni and cheese for instance, with good cheese? Heaven.)
So true. There’s this lovely place in Richmond, VA that a friend of mine took me to last time I was in the area that serves this fabulous baked lobster macaroni & cheese for brunch. Decadent.
That sounds terrific!
I’ll have a nice Champagne to go with that lobster mac-and-cheese, thank you.
It’s sounding even better!
Or a mimosa since it’s brunch!
I did have a mimosa, actually. And then proceeded to have two Bloody Marys because I could. Excellent start to a lazy Sunday.
Um, is that extra chair for ME???
P.S. I agree about Balenciaga Paris!
Of course. 😉
oh that’s alright….don’t worry about me…..I’ll just STAND. 😉
this definitely calls for a side-by-side…..back in a few….
A Habanita/Enslaved duo? Do report back!
Thank you so much, too, for the sample of Enslaved you sent me. It’s what I used for this review.
Wonderful! I feel I’ve done my part for NST today!
yes, I have some vintage Habinata parfum (thanks to my dear friend and fellow vintage ho, Rexette) on my forearm…..and some Enslaved on my bicep….for easy-sniff-comparison…..The first thing I noticed was the Hab. began with a slightly sour, slightly stale note…which may be due to it’s …erm, “vintage” -ness….but that quickly gave way to a tobacco note that hung around for about 10 minutes while the “expensive face powder” accord began to develop. The Enslaved, just as you said, is more linear—but where most fragrances seem to go on with a bright-ish top note, like a happy little “hello” , Enslaved goes on already a rich lady in a cashmere sweater with a sly smile (you know she’s got leather stashed in her boudoir) and it’ll stay this way for the rest of the day. Habinata is going to hang in here for a long time but experience tells me that it’s going to get a little sweeter, a little more expensive face powdery as the hours pass. But for right now….about 40 mins in….these two are nearly twins. I’m never very good at singling out and identifying individual notes…but it’s particular hard with these two. If pressed, I’d say that Enslaved shows a little more of her floral genetics and Habinata is showing a little more of the vetiver in her, because if I close my eyes, concentrate and take a really good up close snuffle of it, I pick out the grassiness of vetiver.
And that’s the best I can do….I’ve been snuffling my entire arm so intensely not only can I taste the fragrance but I’m a little swimmy-headed. 😉
Lol!!! A live comparison!! I am very curious now about habanita.
Is it now discontinued or heavily reformulated?
I don’t know much about what’s been done to Habinata over the years….the only formulation I’ve ever sampled is the vintage and it is very similar to Enslaved —they both smell like elegant movie star fragrances to me. And not just any movie star but one of the Dames who could reduce someone to a shivering mass with one look.
Habanita is definitely still on the market, and a luxe, parfum version even came out 4 or 5 years ago. I’m sure it’s been reformulated over the years. I think it’s a still a good one, though!
Gold star for you… you said at least once in the past that you “couldn’t pick out notes and describe them.” HA.
thank you Mals…..but now I’m simply EXHAUSTED! 😉
oh and please excuse my silly fingers who every time insist upon switching the “i” and the “a” in (concentrating now) HABANITA….
they do it every time….and I should know to go back and edit…but I forget….sigh….
I’m terrible at spelling while I’m typing, so all typos from you are definitely excused.
Nice work, D! Thanks for the comparison, especially the comparison over time.
Daisy, dear, you are a wonder-woman! Thanks for the comparison 😉
Great comparison review, Empress!
Great review Angela! And long live the true classics- they never go out of style!
Yep, they’re called classics for a reason!
love this story/review! now I’m off to sniff Jolie as Amaranthine is my current fav…and wondering what the biker would say about Amaranthine?
🙂
That biker looked like a dude who enjoyed fragrances. I bet he’d give Amaranthine a gold star.
Oh, Angela – i just love your reviews. I don’t have any of the fragrances you mentioned, but I know I need to try them. Jolie Madame and Habanita have been on my list for a long time. I love thinking about what you were wearing when the luxuriously bearded one complimented you (you didn’t tell us about your outfit and your clothes and perfume pairings fascinate me). I would also love to see those drawings in your office. You have such a talent for capturing the moment. When is that novel coming out? My daughter will be in Paris this summer and has asked for a list of perfume shops to visit, along with my credit card number, so I think I will refer her to your recent travel entries. I think you two would really get along beautifully. She will be in Paris for six weeks finishing a foreign language credit at the Sorbonne and then spend the rest of the summer studying cheese making on dairy farms in France and England. I would also like to send her your fabulous anchovy cream sauce recipe, if you don’t mind. Thanks again for a thought provoking review.
It was a lovely, sunny day, so I wore a 1950s cotton sundress with yellow flowers on it. It has a full skirt and a modest neckline but a nice V in the back with a bow at the bottom of the V. That and some platform sandals are what I wore.
I sure envy your daughter! I hope you’re planning on visiting her. Yes, please give the anchovy cream sauce recipe to everyone you’d like–I got it from a Patricia Wells cookbook (if I remember right.)
I’ll email you separately about setting you up with some Jolie Madame and Habanita.
Great review! I was thinking along similar lines of thought lately. I usually get a lot of compliments on the simplest and more stereotyped fragrances in my collection, with few exceptions, and sometimes I wonder if I like and wear some perfumes because they are interesting… but maybe don’t smell that good, after all?
I fear my path won’t cross enslaved any time soon, but you make it sound very nice…
We’ve all smelled so many fragrances, the things we like might not please the nose of the average person. Still, it is nice to spend time with the tried and true, I think.
Zazie, I know exactly what you mean. After some questionable feedback I have received from my husband (‘something smells terrible in the car’ (10 CC), ‘why would anyone want to smell like a mechanic shop’ (Tubereuse Criminelle)) I have wondered about this a lot.
My four year old nephew gave me a hug the other day and exclaimed ‘you smell good’. I am not sure if he was referring to the Dove deodorant or my Jasmin et Cigarette, I dont want to get my hopes up. It made me happy either way and gave me hope for the next generation of men.
Your husband’s comment about 10 Corso Como cracks me up! And Tubereuse Criminelle smelling like a mechanic’s shop!
I wanted to love 10 Corso Como but something in it smells bad to me too! Lol!
Money saved!
I must admit being somewhat prejudiced against Rojaaa’s fragrances because he included them alongside the greatest classics of history in his book, which felt a little presumptuous, to say the least, whatever the quality of the work.
Habanita is a scent I wore for ten years. I stopped, among other things, and way before anyone knew about reformulations, because all of a sudden I couldn’t stand it. It turned out it *had* been reformulated at about that time. When I get a chance I’ll have a sniff of Enslaved, to see if it rings a bell…
I had that exact same thought, D! I bet more than a few people in the perfume industry have supersized egos, though. Come to think of it, maybe that’s a quality that runs a little higher than the average among many types of artists.
I’ve never smelled vintage Habanita, so I’m glad to have your appraisal. Maybe it’s good I’ve never smelled the really good stuff…
ITA! I loved that book until I came to the section on RD’s fragrances. Then I was like, hey wait a minute! But wow his personal collection of fragrances and bottles was impressive and jealousy-inducing…
It’s a fun book to spend an evening leafing through, and as you say he has an amazing collection!
Lovely thoughts on Classic and Familiar, Angela.
Based on the notes and descriptions I’ve read here and elsewhere, Enslaved doesn’t tempt me in the slightest, and nor does Habanita…. if I run across them somewhere, fine, I’ll sniff. But I’ll be honest and say that I’m so behind on sniffing what I’ve got, if I never get around to those two, I’ll still be okay.
I’d love to have someone enjoy Jolie Mme on me – The CEO dislikes it a lot, so I just wear it when he’s not around.
If you’re not a fan of powder, there’s not much reason to try either of them. But as you say, there’s so much else out there to smell!
Forgot to say I’m not familiar with the singer you mentioned, but I love Schubert.
Bostridge is a cashmere-voiced tenor who tells real stories as he sings–I only wish I knew German so I could understand them!
I happen to be a total sucker for tenors. Must check him out…
I found a couple of his CDs at the library. If you do try him, let me know what you think!
Thanks for the review, Angela — I do want to try Enslaved! I agree, I definitely want to be challenged by the new, but the classic, tried-and-true, and “known” is essential too — and I do love it when someone comments on a perfume that’s become second nature to me but it’s totally new to them! Makes me see it (smell it) all over again like it’s the first time!
That’s so true! People who don’t think about perfume all the time often have really insightful comments. I remember once someone noting in passing that my L’Heure Bleue smelled powdery. I’d never thought about that at all, but now it reminds me of lipsticks and face powder more than it ever did.
How interesting! I didn’t get powdery from it, but I bet now I would if I tried it again!
Exactly what I thought, too!
Thank you for the review. I do not expect I will necessarily but this, but it is going on my (admittedly very long) list of perfumes to try someday. I have never been one to think that art (or anything else) has to break new ground or be avant garde in order to be worthwhile. Actually, I tend to prefer classics, and have wondered whether I truly qualify as a perfumista because I don’t much care for some of the strange new offerings. I try to be fair–I have sampled a number of novel scents but seldom love them. The new fragrances that I do love usually follow well-established olfactory paths.
Nevertheless, in spite of my preference for vintage, I truly LOVE perfume in a way which few of my friends and acquaintances do! I do not care to imagine a world without it. For me, a world without perfume would be like a world without music or a world without art. Life would indeed go on, but it would have lost much of its joy.
One of my greatest fears is that the anti-perfume crowd will have their way and get fragrance banned from public spaces across a wide swath of our society. A friend of mine was recently telling me (approvingly, I perceived), how her church had recently instituted a fragrance ban to appease those who are “allergic” to perfume. I thought to myself that if my church did that, I would be shopping for a new church! I do try to exercise restraint in applying scent, as I do not wish to overwhelm anyone else. I cannot recall anyone telling me outright that my perfume was offensive, so if I have overdone it, they have kept it to themselves. On the other hand, I have received a number of compliments, usually on classic or rather simple scents.
Considering the rate at which classic scents have been and are being discontinued or reformulated, I believe there is not only room, but a positive need for new entries in a classic mode. Perhaps nothing can entirely replace a lost, beloved classic, but something else can at least fill the same need that it fulfilled.
Banning perfume in church! O.k., I understand asking people to be sensitive about their use of perfume–making sure it’s subtle, etc.–but banning it? That’s slapping god in the face, if you ask me. The priest at the Maronite Rite church in my neighborhood told me that their church is painted with clouds on the ceiling so it more closely resembles heaven. Wouldn’t a hint of Joy only add to that feeling?
I’m glad you’re loving the “modern” classics. Which do you like best?
Oh banning fragrance in churches, how would this go over in a Catholic setting where it is already filled with the cloying scent of incense? I’d be finding a new church, as well.
Seriously, I associate many perfumes with churches, cathedrals, mosques, temples and whatnot. I first tried Shalimar because of a review in which it was described as smelling like an Old World church — wearing it I don’t understand that comparison, but scents like Avignon I bought solely for the Church feel.
Like I’m sure many here do, I consider a fine perfume to be a type of art. Something that excites the senses, evokes an emotion. Banning perfume to me is, indeed, like banning art, or music or poetry.
Gosh, I didn’t even think about incense!
Shalimar might be a little too naughty for church, but Avignon is a sure choice.
Yeah, wearing Shalimar to church is like wearing back seam thigh high stockings & stilettos to church instead of more sensible pantyhose & demure pumps. Okay … I’ll admit, I think I’d done that in the past.
And the nuns let you come back?
I was raised Catholic, and I can’t imagine them switching to fragrance-free incense. A perfume ban in church is just wrong. (And they’re usually pretty large, open spaces, so it’s not like you’re stuck in a small office together or anything.)
Fragrance free incense? That’s a good one. Why not just “prented” incense?
Maybe they can set up a couple of fragrance-free pews (pronounced “P-U”).
Ha ha! But those poor folks would never go to heaven. Our kind of heaven, anyway!
You’re so right. Our heaven smells so good, I’m sure, like vintage Scandal and Iris Gris and so much more…
Along with the fragrance-free incense, how about silent pipe organs and pianos (for those with sensitive ears), colorless stained glass, and taste-free wine/grape juice for communion. Oh wait–we already have that last one, at least in my church!
If any of these suggestions work out, let me know and I will market my new, rubberized, silent wind chimes. They will share shelf space with the inflatable dart boards, waterproof tea bags, black highlighter pens, and freeze-dried water.
Yes! Sometimes it’s nice to be interrupted by church bells or forced to wait while a bridge lifts and a stately ship passes through or even kept home by a gorgeous storm. Sometimes inconvenience or even discomfort make things so much nicer.
My mother used to call people who hated others doing enjoyable things ‘wowsers’, I believe it was a common term back in the mid C20th, certainly in Australia, especially regarding drinking, smoking, music, makeup, clothing etc.
Now we refer to the ‘fun police’.
I’m sure this anti-perfume ideology has a lot to do with the anti-hedonists and fun police who go through their sad little lives looking for something to gripe about, little ways to bolster their need for a bit of recognition and personal power.
And you are so right about incense and religion! It was the foremost use of fragrance in many societies from what I understand!!
I’m going to start using “wowsers” now. Great term.
Wowsers is a great term – I usually call them ruiners, which can be used equally towards the fun police types and those people who overdo everything or do something incredibly stupid, thereby ruining it for the rest of us by getting things banned.
I can attest from personal experience that they have not come up with any scent-free or smokeless incense in the Catholic church – fortunately, they only use it for certain ceremonies and at the Cathedral. Thank goodness, because if you get stuck to close up front it can really smoke you out. The cardinal almost killed me at the opening Mass for this past school year – I’ve really got to start sitting further towards the back. 🙂
I guess it wouldn’t be very cool to wear a gas mask to mass.
I’m sure that the cardinal would be heartily offended – but I’m sure he didn’t care for my coughing fit last year either. I’ll have to remember to pack a lozenge again – I generally like incense, but this was so thick that it could be used to fumigate a house.
hmm, adding new word to lexicon…..we usually call them “fun-suckers” as they try to suck the fun out of everything….or “haters” since they hate to see anyone doing anything!
Ooh… fun-suckers is another good one. I forgot about that know that I’ve mostly switched to ruiner.
Ruiner, wowser, fun sucker….. I’ve learned three new words. This blog is so educational! 😀
We aim to please at NST!
Indeed, in case anyone here doesn’t know: the very word perfume comes from the Latin for “through burning”. The original perfume was incense, and people scented their buildings long before they thought to put the scent on their bodies. Just about every ancient culture used incense in its religious ceremonies.
Incidentally, the church (which my friend told me had instituted a perfume ban) was a Unitarian church, NOT Roman Catholic or Orthodox. My husband and I visited a Russian Orthodox church in Alaska a few years ago, and the aroma of the incense from the morning worship service earlier that day was wonderful! I wanted to just stay in that room for hours and inhale that delicious scent!
“Thorough burning”, huh? How appropriate!
Yes, “wowser” = “One who is publically censorious of others and the pleasure they seek”. It’s not heard so much in Australian speech any more.
So far, some of my favorite “modern classics” have been some of the Amouage scents (I know, join the crowd!). I have tried, and loved, Gold, Dia, and Jubilation 25 (the feminine versions). I don’t think any of them can be considered novel or terribly original, but they are all absolutely beautiful.
Gold and Dia are, to my nose, very classic florals. I know Joy is everyone’s favorite feminine floral, but although I have tested it several times, I always feel that something about it is not quite right for me. For me, Gold is the HG feminine floral. It is luscious, beautiful, perfect–definitely an entrance-making scent, but unquestionably high quality. It smells expensive. Even my slightly anosmic husband mentioned how good I smelled when I was testing the Gold.
Jubilation 25 smells to me the way I would expect Mitsouko to smell, based on the glowing reviews of it that I have read. I liked the Mitsouko tester in the store so much, that I bought the EdP, but, unfortunately, when I got it home, it was not the same. I suspect that the tester was older, from before the latest reformulation, and that the bottle I bought was a reformulated one. Jubilation 25 really hits home, and I wonder if it is very like the original Mitsouko formula.
Unfortunately, my bank account does not allow for very many $300 perfume purchases, but the lemming will undoubtedly prevail some day; I only have to decide which one of the Amouages to buy. I am not exactly complaining about the prices; I understand that they are composed of top quality ingredients, which means top quality prices. I just wish I had a larger perfume budget so I could buy them all.
Among some of the more challenging fragrances which I tried based on the recommendations in Perfumes: The Guide are Drole de Rose, which smells like lipstick to me; Sacrebleu, which reminds me of marshmallows; and The Unicorn Spell, which makes me think of enchilada sauce. I wouldn’t take a full bottle of any of them if you gave it to me for free.
Ahhhhmouage……Gold is just a huge classic floral –I love it! Jubilation 25 aahhh so sexy and sultry….spritz and instant hotness!….Dia one of my top 5 Desert Island fragrances. Simply some of the most glorious stuff on earth coming out of that House. You really mustn’t forget Lyric or Epic (also glorious) although you couldn’t give me Ciel or Reflection ….ack!
I recently tried a sample of Amouage Tribute Attar, and that is definitely one I DO NOT want. It smelled like an ashtray to me. I know the list of notes said tobacco, but I didn’t expect such a strong smell of ashes, and it lasted for hours. I was disappointed in the perfume, but tremendously relieved to find out I don’t need it at $350 for 12 ml. Sometimes it’s nice to try something expensive and find out you don’t actually like it!
Same here….the Amouage Attars have not called to me AT ALL and I am more than a little relieved that they don’t appeal. The regular EdP’s have already pretty much sucked my last thin dime out of the wallet. I keep hoping that Amouage will make something wonderful in a cobalt blue bottle but then I would be in a real bind!
It’s hard to argue with some of the Amouages, that’s for sure. I’m a fan of Jubilation 25, Lyric, and Epic, especially.
Unicorn Spell makes you think of ENCHILADA SAUCE?? That’s hilarious… I tested that one recently and got: grass, raw green beans, and violet. Period.
Enchilada sauce! Too funny. (But Opium smells like frustration and cigarette smoke to me, so I can’t say you’re weird.)
Lovely piece, Angela. ‘ It’s well done, and it satisfies’, is perfume wisdom…takes a while to get past the excitement of trying new and weird perfumes (anyone remember Dinner by Bobo?) and finally ‘recognising’ something as familiar-but-better. I find I’m buying scents that get sneered at a bit because they’re not sufficiently original, but I love them because they’re beautifully done and satisfying. I think the Kilians suffer a lot from being not groundbreaking, but each of them is such a lovely example of an established genre, I deeply appreciate them.
But can’t afford them, I should add. Ridiculous price. I have one bottle and I think that will be the only one!
I didn’t think of By Kilian, but you’re right!
Big groan on the Dinner by Bobo reference. I had totally forgotten about that one. Ugh.
Well, I’ve never smelled Enslaved, Amaranthine, or Habanita! So I’ve got some work to do… 🙂
Or Jolie Madame! Ack… Off to add some choice items to my TPC cart…
Every perfume lover needs to know Jolie Madame and Habanita, I think!
Angela – Regarding this comment of yours about Jolie Madame and Habanita – are you speaking only of vintage formulations? I’ve been reading about these two for a couple of years and would like to try some samples. And, like so many others have already said, today’s article was really beautiful! Thanks, Dassie
I have new and vintage Jolie Madame, and the new is just fine (to me), although I do prefer the vintage parfum, which is truly wonderful. I’ve only ever smelled new Habanita–well, I guess my bottle is about 5 years old, but you know what I mean. Both of these perfumes have their own, definite characters that I think are useful (and beautiful) benchmarks.
I want to try Jolie Madame more than ever now 🙂
Oh yes. Well known favorite of red-bearded bikers!
LOL! I feel like there needs to be a perfume outreach effort focused on the red-bearded bikers. It never hurts to have a bunch of bikers on your side. 😉
You don’t want them not on your side, that’s for sure. My father once got in a tangle with a few members of the Brothers of the Wind (not a joke, despite the jokes you could make about their name.) They followed him home, probably thanks in part to the pink and orange Twinkie Power bumper sticker my little brother stuck on his truck. Not long after his house burned down. Coincidence?
That’s actually scary!
It was scary. It was a long time ago, though.
Holy crap! That’s really scary. Well, there are certainly good bikers and bad bikers. I’ve had a few clients that have had some very disturbing stories of the Biker Gangs I Have Known variety.
Lovely review, your posts are so relaxing and rich in detail.
I love Habanita, but don’t know the others so I am taking notes…
Definitely try Jolie Madame if you get the chance!
I love this review, Angela, as well as your discussion of art. I’m firmly a classics/vintage lover, although I think I’d enjoy more of the new fragrances if they were made with “real” ingredients rather than sliced, diced and spliced chemicals.
I have a nice decant of RD’s chypre, Unspoken, and I had forgotten that I also wanted to try Enslaved (as well as Habanita) so thank you for reminding me!
What do you think of Unspoken? Is it similar to other chypres you know?
It’s not quite as dry as I’d like. There’s a violet-type note that I wish wasn’t in there, but overall, it is well-done and I really like it.
Would you like a sample?? I’d be glad to send you some.
You have already been too generous! But thanks so much for the offer.
No, seriously, I’m a miser compared to some others here. No problem; I’ll get some to you.
Interesting about the violets!
Did I miss it, or has nobody actually said it yet??? Was it just too obvious to mention? Bearded Biker Dude like the JM cuz he’s seriously into leather, man! 😉
We must have been separated at birth, Angela, because I swear I was just wearing my Enslaved last night, with Unspoken on the other arm to get in the middle of that oriental versus chypre action. I know what Denyse means about the audacity of the guy, and I understand comments about redundancy. But someone mentioned the importance of classic styles being maintained at a high level despite the many examples of atrocious reformulations, and that’s a good point.
I must say, I hope you do the same fab job of reviewing Unspoken in the next little while. I think it’s an outstanding chypre, I really do (and I’m a vintage chypre NUT). It does what a couple of other contemporary chypres do (31 Rue Cambon, Jubilation 25) and most of the others don’t: it delivers that firm, seriously elegant texture around a posture-perfect backbone that marks the best of the old classics. If push came to shove I’d go with vintage, but it’s nice to know someone’s carrying the torch.
Enslaved is the only Roja Dove I’ve smelled, and I’m glad to know Unspoken is a good one, too.
Yes on the leather, for sure!
Very nice piece…the known/unknown classic/new framework is great…I’d think so even if I didn’t agree with you. 😉
But I *do* agree…I appreciate a world that allows space for the established and the new. I’m a variation, though; there really isn’t any realm (music, visual art, film, food, gardening, perfume, what have you) where I almost always feel the need for “new.” Sure, I’ll go through cycles, or trend in that direction, but there are always “baselines” to return to. (And, sometimes, re-evaluate…or even move the mark over to include something else as “classic” or baseline.)
Probably why I’m not rabid about fashion or clubbing…keeping up with the very latest all the time was never my bag… 🙂
PLUS…when you come at something through a backdoor, “classic” can become the latest thing. In your brain, at least. Like, for example…leider, in my musical experience! 🙂 🙂
Thanks for the review, as always.
I’m glad art can be enjoyed on lots of levels, too. It’s true that if you’re immersed in an art form, the classics or variations on them may not be as intriguing as they first were, but there’s still someone out there that they’re new to. Plus, when they’re done well, they hold their value for comfort and ease, if nothing else.
I have never tried a Roja Dove fragrance. I don’t how I can call myself a perfumista! The nerve!
LOL! It’s not like they’re everywhere! Only at his boutique at Harrod’s, although TPC has samples (or they did – I haven’t checked in a while).
Our Ms. Daisy has already emailed me to let me know she’s got my back! LOL
They’re hard to find, and there are only three of them, so I’m sure you’re not alone in not having tried them!
Same here, RusticDove! And I haven’t yet tried Habanita, either. I have a feeling I’ll like that one, too.
Habanita is a must-try for a serious perfume lover!
I used to have Moulinard de Moulinard, but haven’t tried Habanita. Yet. It’s been on ‘the list’ for quite some time now.
I remember trying Molinard de Molinard once and thinking it was really nice.
Ah, and inspired by Daisy, I also am now trying the vintage Habanita (it’s an ounce of edt with the original $18 price tag still on it, so it’s like from the eighties) versus Enslaved comparison.
Hmm. Enslaved has a good deal of carnation and clove up front, while Habanita is showing its base notes right away, especially the sandalwood and benzoin. Enslaved is big on its lemon and orange topnotes, too — almost like marmalade, they’re that sharp and candied, while Habanita’s fruits and flowers are far more subdued (although they may not be what they once were, since they’ve been in the bottle – purchased never-opened – for a couple of decades).
There’s a smoky, almost fur-coat smell to the Enslaved now, and the rose has really blossomed. Habanita has really turned on the powder, vanilla and leather by this point. Enslaved is sweeeeet: there’s almost a grape conserve thing going on, musky and jammy, which I think I’d read about somewhere.
I think they’re chalk and cheese, you know. Very different. At least that’s what seems to be happening on my wrists right now. Enslaved is reading like the bright, big-boned, assertive and thoroughly contemporary scent it is. I’m actually enjoying it a great deal, and if I had oodles of money and a bottle was for sale right in front of me right this minute, who knows what I might do? 😉
Very interesting, Angela, and I would never have gotten this enlightenment without you and Daisy and everyone. Thanks, guys.
Thanks! This review seems to be spawning some comparison road testing, which is fun!
wow—skin chemistry at work! Cool.
ok—it’s been how many hours since I started my side-by-side….about 12 hours, I think?….and I only had a tiny drop of each. The Habanita is all but gone…just a tad of the soft leather vanilla that Razz mentioned. The Enslaved is still hanging in there pretty good and I’m still detecting the floral heart of it. I prefer the Enslaved (how fortuitous since that’s the one I own) but considering the price difference—well, you know.
The best part of all: the sweater I wore for a while this afternoon—smells AMAZING. There are just some fragrances that translate well onto a piece of clothing (Angela with her scarves and me with my million sweaters….hey, I get cold!) Enslaved will go on my list of amazing “sweater scents”—right up there with Guerlain Parure, Epic woman , and 31 Rue Cambon…. oh! that has the makings of a Top 5 list !! one more….hmmmm……
A great idea for a top 5!
Damn, woman, those are some fine-smelling sweaters!
is it weird to sniff a sweater before you slip it on? I have sweaters and hoodies everywhere! So many have been worn for a few minutes of or a few hours….and are scented! If they’re “clean” then they’re in the closet which is allllll the way upstairs….not that I’m lazy….well, okay, it IS that I’m lazy…. 😉
Not weird to me! I have sweaters all over, too. I’m always grabbing one to walk the dog or check the progress of the radishes in the garden or venture into the basement. I just put on the one I wore when I tested Enslaved and Habanita together, in fact, and the Habanita is still going strong.
If I lived in Michigan, I’d also have millions of sweater! But thankfully, you only need a few hundred in NJ….
a;)
I have thin blood and I’ll be grabbing a sweater in 72˙ …..less than that and my teeth are probably chattering. But only a few hundred? Are you sure that’s enough? Are you chilly? –you can borrow one of mine…. lol…I’m a little cold right now…it’s 72 in here and I’m wearing a sweater to begin with…but I’m thinking of fixing tea…
Scent needs to hit the spot. Where’s the spot? Wherever it is. When you smell the scent, you know whether it will hit the spot, and you know which spot. This is why we have different scents.
There you go–art appreciation 101 in nutshell. Thanks!
I cant wait to get home tonight and compare! Thanks to Daisy I have the Dove….my Habanita came from a discounter a few years ago at the rebirth of my perfume obsession, the bottle had leaked thru the wrapping and cardboard box, the SO had me wash everything it had touched and hose down the porch were the box had rested as it had triggered an asthma attack.
I don’t dare wear it at home or work, but I love to sniff the cap….
Yikes! It must have been quite a leak! I hope you don’t have an asthma attack tonight.
Angela, what a very thoughtful and interesting post! When I find myself getting obsessed with all the new stuff, I always have to remind my self that the classics have been around for a long time for a good reason!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I agree: the classics are classics for a reason.
Angela, I love Ian Bostridge – an elegant and intelligent singer. I have his 1st Schubert recital CD (how many men can get away with singing “Heidenroselein” so beautifully?) and have seen (and heard) him in recital.
Enslaved is the only one of the trio I haven’t tried. I had thought he meant to emulate Shalimar, but I guess by your description that my assumption was off. I love his Scandal, which, to me – is Jardin de Bagatelle without the harsh vetiver note in the middle.
Thanks to your comment, I’ve just queued up Heidenrostein on my ipod, and am listening to it now! I first heard of Bostridge when a friend gave me a ticket to see him sing with his pianist Julius (now I can’t remember his last name). Anyway, it was a revelation.
I haven’t tried either of the other Roja Doves, but I hope to eventually!
Maybe Julius Drake?
I’m so glad you had a chance to see him perfurm as well. Scandal, his white flower scent is very smooth and all about the flowers, which are beautifully blended.
Oops… That would be “perform.”
Thank you, Angela, for a thoughtful post!
People have been making a distinction between “Good” and “Novel” for a thousand years or more. The two are not interchangeable: much that is novel is not good, yet people have to try new things. Everything that is “classic” has been subjected to a years-long (or, decades-long or even centuries-long) winnowing period. How many new things were tried in perfumery, in the Twenties, Thirties, Forties, Sixties, that just didn’t make it? That were new, but not really worth keeping past their “hipness” date? And how few were true classics, appreciated and bought because they were good, regardless of whether they were still in style?
I guess the ultimate is that something is Novel and Worthwhile and so eventually becomes a Classic. I don’t know how often that happens–maybe Angel was one of the most recent? But still there are lots of fragrances that mess with the status quo but don’t quite break ranks as clearly as Angel did. I’m thinking of some of the CdGs, for instance, or even some of the L’Artisans. Premier Figuier, for instance, broke ground and is a landmark in a way, but not always looked on as Angel is.
I really LOVE this fragrance !
That’s fabulous! I bet you smell terrific!