June is the month of roses, and somehow I — a devoted rose-lover! — haven't posted a single review of a rose perfume over the past few weeks. This review will both fill and not-quite-fill that requirement at the same time, since it covers a rose-themed fragrance that doesn't smell particularly, well, rose-y.
Angel Face is the sixth fragrance in the Dozen Roses collection. It's described as "a divine inspiration: enchanting, enticing, desired," and its composition includes notes of black currant, apple, peony, violet, jasmine, lilac, patchouli, roasted tonka, vetiver and rose absolute. It is named for the Angel Face rose, a floribunda rose with ruffled, mauve-lavender petals and a fruity scent. (And it's not to be confused with Ava-Luxe's Angel Face, a powdery white musk.)
I haven't ever smelled an Angel Face rose (please comment, if you have!), but this is definitely a fruity-floral fragrance with a gourmand edge rather than a straight-up floral. It opens, as promised, with black currant and apple; the fruit notes start off tart but quickly turn sweeter. I can't distinguish any peony or violet or jasmine as individual floral notes, although there a sheer, generally flowery accord in the heart. If it were a color, this floral cluster could easily be violet or purple, like the roses on the fragrance's bottle, so it seems to fit the overall concept. I missed the tartness when it dissipated, however, and I kept hoping for more rose to emerge, but the brand's "signature rose absolute" is a subtle element of this composition. The rest of Angel Face is a blend of sugary tonka and clean, smooth patchouli (the kind of "patchouli" that you'll smell in many women's fragrances from the past decade).
You may have already anticipated this comparison just from the list of notes: Angel Face smells like a kinder, gentler Calvin Klein Euphoria, which I already own and enjoy. If you're looking for a lighter, more ladylike alternative to Euphoria, with less sillage and less persistence on the skin, Angel Face will definitely interest you. If you're looking for something a little more distinctive or daring, you'll probably keep moving down the luxury perfume counter. I can't help thinking that this line will appeal most to women who like the idea of roses but don't like (or don't think they like) rose perfumes. Then again, I haven't tried every fragrance from A Dozen Roses; some may be rosier than Angel Face or Electron. If you've tried all of them, and you have a favorite, feel free to comment.
A Dozen Roses Angel Face is available as 100 ml ($110) Eau de Parfum at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.
Angel Face (the rose) has in common with most roses of a purple or lavender cast, a strong old rose fragrance, quite lovely.
Oh, now I really want to smell one! Thanks, Datura.
I have an Angel Face rose and it is lovely-not that I get to enjoy them often, the local wallabies find them delicious.
Oh darn – bad luck! Possums ate my broccoli this year, but I decided in the end I was okay with that. Not sure why I grew broccoli in the first place.
We just saw all our strawberries mysteriously vanish overnight. Oh, little wild friends!!
Much as I hate the idea of animals eating flowers or anything from my garden, it’s hard for me to hold it against wallabies. Maybe just because I’m a North American, but I’d be okay with something as enjoyable as a wallaby eating my garden. Here in western Canada all that eats my garden is slugs — so much uglier than the wallabies my daughter loves!
I have a teeny sample of Euphoria and enjoy wearing it occasionally as a guilty pleasure and a welcome lapse into bad taste. The rest of my collection tends to be the classic and refined stuff. So Angel Face would be a bit pointless for me. But thanks for the review – I now realise why I enjoy Euphoria as much as I do!
No, this is definitely a “modern” fragrance, with no retro/classic pretenses! I think it should sell well, since so many women do enjoy Euphoria-types fragrances and Flowerbomb-type fragrances.
I want to try this line. This one sounds great. Fruity smelling roses-what could be better?
Hey, Sarah! I like fruity roses, like Les Parfums de Rosine’s Rose d’Ete or Caron’s Delire de Rose… this one just strikes as more of a “fruitchouli” than much of a floral.
I do like Euphoria, I didn’t know there was an apple note in there! I will have to re-sniff now. I even like Forbidden Euphoria. I guess, one of these days I’ll have to sniff this one. I haven’t tried anything from this line, as a matter of fact. Thanks for the review.
Thanks, Omega! I should probably try a few others from this line. Maybe the Shakespeare one, or Iced White.