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Les Parfums de Rosine Eloge du Vert, Bleu Abysse, Bois Fuchsia ~ fragrance reviews

Posted by Jessica on 1 March 2019 12 Comments

If you read my recent review of Les Parfums de Rosine Vanille Paradoxe and you were curious about the other three fragrances in Rosine's Les Extravagants collection, never fear — here I am with further thoughts about this quartet! Even from a visual standpoint, Les Extravagants are clearly intended to stand apart from the house's original collection. Their jewel-toned bottles have black ribbed caps, with no ornamental tassels, bows or tutus; even their boxes are redesigned, with the original design made bolder and more geometrical, a pattern of dark Art Deco diamonds rather than a delicate trellis in gold on white.

Les Parfums de Rosine has often ventured beyond a traditional interpretation of rose perfume, taking various rose cultivars as inspiration and teasing out their facets of spice, mint, powder, etc., as the case may be. Les Extravagants go further, so that the connection with roses feels less obvious — even tenuous.

Eloge du Vert, for example, was developed for Rosine by perfumer Delphine Lebeau and its notes include rose, green pepper, ginger, pepper, patchouli and cedar. It's reportedly inspired by Rosa x centifolia "muscosa", although it initially smells more like a vegetable garden than a rose garden: tomato leaves, crisp bell peppers, a hint of cilantro, a handful of dirt. Eloge du Vert is packaged in a green bottle (above right), and its heart briefly reminds me of that greenest and freshest of all bar soaps, Irish Spring. However, it dries down like a deeper take on a traditional Eau de Cologne, heavy on the herbal and woody side.

Bleu Abysse, in the blue bottle (above left), was developed by Serge de Oliveira and takes Rosa moschata as its theme, with notes of bergamot, elemi, cassis, rose, mineral accord, oud, patchouli, vetiver, seaweed and incense. It isn't any more rose-y than Eloge du Vert, but it has a weirdness that appeals to me. It starts off with a juicy citrus accord but quickly turns drier and saltier and definitely more seaweed-y, with a distinct iodine note. I'm don't normally wear strongly woody or oud-based fragrances, but Bleu Abysses's base blurs all the oud and wood and root-y notes with just a wisp of some aromatic incense in a way that intrigues me. 

And third, we have Bois Fuchsia (above center), built on the theme of Rosa gallica with a composition of blackcurrant, iris, rose, raspberry, lychee, patchouli, musk and sandalwood. It was developed by perfumer Michel Almairac. Reading the promotional descriptions of Les Extravagants, I expected Bois Fuchsia to be my favorite of the four, because it includes so many notes that I typically love. When I wore it, I didn't exactly dislike it as much as I was confused by its close similarity to the niche classic L'Artisan Parfumeur Mûre et Musc. There's the black currant and the musk (with the secondary notes of berries and woods) and there's the exceptional staying power, too.

Promotional copy aside, none of these three fragrances (or Vanilla Paradoxe) strikes me as a rose-themed composition. However, they do feel more contemporary than most of Rosine's previous catalogue, and they also read as more gender-neutral, with Eloge du Vert skewing slightly "masculine" and Bois Fuchsia reading a little more "feminine" due to its fruity notes. Personally, I'll still cling to Rosine's more rococo rose scents (and their tassels!). However, if you're not already wedded to that aesthetic, Les Extravagants may be your entry point into the brand.

Les Parfums de Rosine  Eloge du Vert, Bleu Abysse and Bois Fuchsia are each available as 100 ml ($170) Eau de Parfum. For buying information, see the listing for Les Parfums de Rosine under Perfume Houses.

Possibly of interest

Les Parfums de Rosine Bulle de Rose ~ fragrance review
Les Parfums de Rosine Bulle de Rose ~ new perfume
Summer roses x 4 ~ fragrance & body product reviews

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: delphine lebeau, michel almairac, rosine, serge de oliveira

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12 Comments

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  1. Koyel says:
    1 March 2019 at 8:16 pm

    Hmm…Bois Fuchsia sounds like every other lovely rose (though it’s true I’ve never once smelled Mure et Musc and thought of roses!), and the other two sound rather unappealing. Oh well, money saved! I am in any case not a fan of those bottles. Thanks for the review!

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    • Jessica says:
      1 March 2019 at 10:36 pm

      You’re welcome! 😉 There are still plenty of others in the collection to explore. I prefer the Le Snob collection, personally… and the “classics.”

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      • Koyel says:
        1 March 2019 at 11:10 pm

        Oh gosh they have a Snob collection?? I’ve got to seek some of those out to sniff.

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  2. Elisa P says:
    1 March 2019 at 8:25 pm

    Thanks for your review! I’m with you on liking the old Rosine aesthetic, and a number of the perfumes. Sounds like they trying to be more competitive with the young, hip market, though.

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    • Jessica says:
      1 March 2019 at 10:35 pm

      If these bright new releases help to keep the older ones in production, that’s okay with me, I suppose…! I still love La Rose de Rosine and Ecume de Rose and Secrets de Rose…

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  3. nozknoz says:
    1 March 2019 at 9:22 pm

    Rosine has thoroughly mined the vein of rose-centric fragrances, so I can’t blame them for branching out a bit. I’m curious about the fuchsia one!

    That said, I was personally disappointed in Hermes Galop, having expected a much leathier rose from the description. It would be great if someone would fulfill my leather rose dream! ? ? ?

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    • nozknoz says:
      1 March 2019 at 9:25 pm

      (Leatherier? Is there any such word?)

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      • Jessica says:
        1 March 2019 at 10:34 pm

        I agree about Galop! I like it a lot, and would buy more if there were a smaller bottle available…but it’s not very LEATHERY. It’s more rose and saffron and suede, to me.

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        • Jessica says:
          1 March 2019 at 10:34 pm

          would buy *some

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    • Laura says:
      2 March 2019 at 5:20 pm

      Dame Leather Man is a very green leather that layers really well with many of his soliflores. It probably would be good with any rose that you like.

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  4. OtherWise says:
    2 March 2019 at 9:53 am

    When I first fell into the perfume wormhole, I remember being surprised that any house would/could focus so singularly on one note. Rosine, in particular, caught my attention because I didn’t yet appreciate how complex and interesting “rose” could really be. Rosine has been part of my perfume education. Still, I appreciate that they’re stretching and would be happy to try these if they fell from the sky and landed in my lap.

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    • Jessica says:
      3 March 2019 at 10:25 am

      I love the way you phrased that — Rosine was an important part of my “perfume education,” too! I still remember standing in Barneys and buying my first Rosine bottle. It may have been the first perfume (of many) I ever bought in Barneys, period! Memories. 🙂

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