• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

Roxana Illuminated Perfume Chiaroscuro ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 12 July 2013 10 Comments

Roxana Illuminated Perfume Chiaroscuro, brand image

There are several ways to think about fragrance when you're caught in the middle of a summer heat wave. You can wear a light, all-over splash, like a traditional Eau de Cologne or Florida Water. You can, as Angie recently suggested, embrace the strong heat and humidity with an equally bold perfume. Or you can take a middle road by wearing an all-natural scent that evokes nature itself without feeling too heavy on the skin. Two summers ago, I reviewed Roxana Illuminated Perfume's Aurora and To Bee; over the past week, I've been sampling a more recent release called Chiaroscuro.

"Chiaroscuro" is a term for a bold contrast of light and darkness in visual art, especially when the contrast results in strong modeling of forms and a dramatic atmosphere. Caravaggio is known for his use of chiaroscuro, as is Georges de la Tour (whose paintings of Mary Magadene are particular favorites of mine). Roxana Illuminated Perfume has taken this word, which translates literally from Italian as "light-dark," as the name for a jasmine-based botanical perfume. As the description for this fragrance reads, "Chiaroscuro is a shape shifter, she is both the beauty and the beast from mythical heroic stories. She is the light of the luminous moon and the darkness of the night."

Chiaroscuro includes notes of jasmine (from real jasmine sambac), myrtle, patchouli, and jatamansi (spikenard); it's available as both a liquid and a solid perfume, with the liquid representing the "dark" side of the jasmine flower and the solid expressing the "light" side. I've tried both, and I like them for different reasons. The solid version is more "me": it's a soft floral with a silky jasmine heart surrounded by gentle notes of vanilla and ginger. It reminds me a little bit of Roxana's Page 47 fragrance, with an additional hint of spice. The only disappointing aspect of this scent, for me, was its brief staying power: it lasted only an hour on me. Of course, it can easily be re-applied, and its wax base absorbs into the skin without leaving any residue.

The liquid version of Chiaroscuro has a deep brown tint, and it smells dusky and rich, too. In its opening the jasmine sambac is wrapped in something camphoric (camphoraceous?), giving the impression of flowers stored in mothballs, and there's also a woody-resinous aspect. The fragrance does gradually lift and lighten, from something almost pungent to a smoother, more velvety scent. The indolic notes are replaced by smoother woods and earthy notes (there's the patchouli!), a subtle, spicy sweetness (the vanilla), and more of that lovely jasmine. In its liquid form, Chiaroscuro has good staying power for a natural perfume: I can still smell it on my skin after four hours.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume Chiaroscuro, solid perfumeRoxana Illuminated Perfume Chiaroscuro, liquid perfume

I don't usually think of myself as a jasmine-lover, in the same way that I proclaim my affection for roses, carnations, and violets, but when I do smell a high-quality jasmine like the essence used in Chiaroscuro (or in one of my favorite facial products, Aroma M Camellia Face Oil), I remember how much I like it. If you do have a taste for jasmine, in any of its bright or dark guises, you'll want to try Chiaroscuro.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume Chiaroscuro is available in liquid and solid formats, including samples (prices range from $8-$205).  For additional information, see the listing for Roxana Illuminated Perfume under Perfume Houses.

Possibly of interest

Roxana Illuminated Perfume Figure 1: Noir ~ new fragrance
Roxana Illuminated Perfume Chiaroscuro ~ new fragrance
Roxana Illuminated Perfume Hedera helix ~ new fragrance

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: jasmine, natural perfume, roxana illuminated perfume, solid

Advertisement


10 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. dolcesarah says:
    12 July 2013 at 3:06 pm

    Looks lovely I mean sounds lovely but Carnal Flower is my jasmine.

    Log in to Reply
    • Jessica says:
      12 July 2013 at 5:48 pm

      I love Carnal Flower, too! although I tend to think of it as gardenia and tuberose.

      Log in to Reply
  2. breathesgelatin says:
    12 July 2013 at 5:40 pm

    I’d really like to try this one.

    Log in to Reply
    • Jessica says:
      12 July 2013 at 5:48 pm

      If you do enjoy jasmine, you should try to get your hands on a sample!

      Log in to Reply
  3. JolieFleurs says:
    12 July 2013 at 6:31 pm

    I love her work. This is on my Must Try, list thanks!

    Log in to Reply
    • Jessica says:
      12 July 2013 at 6:55 pm

      I really enjoy her fragrances, especially Lyra and Aurora and To Bee. She has nice way with florals and woods.

      Log in to Reply
  4. maggiecat says:
    12 July 2013 at 8:27 pm

    I love jasmine and think this needs to go on my must-try list!

    Log in to Reply
    • Jessica says:
      14 July 2013 at 5:20 pm

      Well, then, I think so too, Maggiecat! :)

      Log in to Reply
  5. VétiVérité says:
    13 July 2013 at 12:27 pm

    Is that Natalie Portman peeking out of the jasmine?

    Log in to Reply
    • Jessica says:
      14 July 2013 at 5:21 pm

      I didn’t think that until you mentioned it, but there is some resemblance!

      Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

From NST at Twitter

  • The second set of bottles from the Louis Vuitton + Yayoi Kusama collaboration drops in March https://t.co/PQUSAI4wWH https://t.co/zBCa0PJn8w, 20 hours ago
  • "LVMH's record-breaking results driven by Sephora" (cosmetics business) https://t.co/NKkwcZBJeW,
  • "‘Bionic nose’ may help people experiencing smell loss, researchers say" (washington post) https://t.co/M9nX7UVMpS,
  • "It costs up to $100,000 a kilo and Queensland farmers are growing it for luxury perfume" (sydney morning herald) https://t.co/gs8w4s7zpS,
  • "Francis Kurkdjian, creator of Baccarat Rouge 540: ‘People went crazy and it sold out immediately’" (el pais) https://t.co/cxGHgzgFd3,

Browse by...

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022

Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

4 January ~ damage poll
4 February ~ winter reading poll

TBA April ~ swap meet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy

Shop for Perfume Online
Perfume Shopping in New York
Perfume Shopping in London
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books
Fragrance Awards

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2023 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.