I think many of us have a box or bowl of perfume samples that we've tried once or twice, weren't quite sure about and plan to try again someday — the "purgatory basket," as Robin dubbed it years ago. I can never resist trying rose-inspired fragrances, even ones that I have a sneaking suspicion I might not actually like, so I inevitably end up with more than a few semi-forgotten rose samples rattling around my desk.
Here are brief reviews of four scents I recently plucked from sample limbo and gave another wearing.
Eau d'Italie Rosa Greta was released in spring 2017 and I received a sample in a gift-with-purchase bag about a year later. It was developed by perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin and was reportedly inspired by a romantic villa on the Amalfi coast where Greta Garbo liked to retreat with her lover Leopold Stokowski in the late 1930s. Its notes include lychee, white tea, rose, cedar and Ambrox. When I applied Rosa Greta to my wrist, I thought, aha! — could this be a (relatively) affordable alternative to Maison Francis Kurkdjian À la Rose? It start off as a dewy, softly fruity rose. Unfortunately, this rose ends up cocooned in clean, sheer musk. Nice enough, and very office-appropriate, but I can't imagine Garbo wearing it.
MCMC Fragrances Maine (released in 2010) was also inspired by an amorous holiday, this one on the island of North Haven off the Maine coast. It's a composition of rose absolute, local clary sage, sea air and wild myrrh created by MCMC founder Anne McClain. Maine has a true rose heart with delicate herbal and ozonic notes flickering across it like shadows. I've tested Maine multiple times in the past and I remember the clary sage being more distinct when I first tried it, but my memory could be playing tricks on me. In any case, a simple yet beautiful rose perfume like this is harder to find than you may think.
Next up: Ex Nihilo Rose Hubris, developed by perfumer Olivier Pescheux and released in 2014. It includes notes of lychee, fenugreek, Rose de Mai, labdanum, oakmoss, patchouli and musk. I haven't been impressed by this brand in the past, so when a friend shared a few Ex Nihilo samples from a NYC fragrance boutique, I pushed them aside for the time being. Rose Hubris turns out to be a contemporary rose chypre, sharp and greenish, yet more transparent and easier to wear than Serge Lutens Rose de Nuit or Sisley Soir de Lune. It's an interesting throwback. Strange, for a company that strives to appear "disruptive," but there you go.
My last rose trial for the week was Atelier des Ors Rose Omeyyade, which appeared in an online gift-with-purchase packet last December. Rose Omeyyade's notes include raspberry, rose, pink pepper, patchouli, gaiac, brown sugar, amber, sandalwood, and oud; it was developed for Atelier des Ors by Marie Salamagne and released in 2015. (Its name alludes to the historical caliphate of Umayyade.) Rose Omeyyade starts off with a jammy, red-winey "fruitchouli" rose (reminiscent of Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady?) that turns piercing and woody, even somewhat medicinal. That effect may be due to the oud in this composition, which has a distinct Band-Aid-like smell.
So, what made the cut? I ended up purchasing (finally!) a roll-on of MCMC Fragrances Maine for myself. I'm going to use up the Rosa Greta sample (it should be a nice easy option on a warm day) and pass along the other two samples to friends or coworkers. I can't love every rose perfume that crosses my olfactory path, but I feel oddly relieved to have reached a personal verdict for four more of them.
Eau d'Italie Rosa Greta (100 ml Eau de Parfum for $160) is available through Luckyscent. MCMC Fragrances Maine (10 ml Perfume Oil for $45, 50 ml Eau de Parfum for $95) can be ordered through the MCMC fragrances website. Ex Nihilo Rose Hubris (50 ml Eau de Parfum for $225, 100 ml Eau de Parfum for $325) is available at Saks Fifth Avenue. Atelier des Ors Rose Omeyyade (100 ml Eau de Parfum for $275) is available through Luckyscent.
Possibly of interest
Note: top image is "Pierre de Ronsard" [cropped] by anne arnould at flickr; some rights reserved.
Thank you for these mini-reviews, I share your enthusiasm for trying rose fragrances, and also your not-so-enthusiastic response to lots of them! They are so often sour to my nose.
I like Rose de Nuit, so have added Rose Hubris to my list of things to try, and I will look into MCMC. I found Rosa Greta way too light, I love Rose Omeyyade, but it’s too expensive. I’d be very tempted if there was a smaller bottle.
When it comes to roses, I #cantstopwontstop!
I really admire Rose de Nuit, although it’s a little too haughty and sophisticated for me to pull off! Folie de Rose from Rosine is/was another good rose chypre.
And I can’t resist reading reviews of rose scents!
lol. Right there with you.
I got a lot of samples of rose perfumes and perfumes with a rose note somewhere in there in my first order from Luckyscent. A couple of years later, some of those perfumes are still too sophisticated for me, or I’m still trying to appreciate them.
It’s so interesting how our tastes can shift, though! You never know when something will “click” for you!
Everything about Ex Nihilo’s marketing turns me off, but my sister passed along a sample of rose hubris, and it’s a favorite of mine. When I’ve worn it, I walk around wondering what smells good, and it’s me! Lots of truly rosey roses end up flat on me, but rose hubris is green enough from the start to stay interesting. Maine sounds lovely, too!
Oh, same. That brand’s “personality,” the aspirational pricing, the constant references to drug use, etc. etc. Not my thing. But some of the actual fragrances are very good…!
Thanks for these. I have a non-perfumista friend who loves rose scents. She’s been wearing a Dolce one. She recently liked an Elie Saab flanker, so I led her to the discounter site.
You may end up with an enabler pin. The MCMC scents sound interesting. I might get some samples.
I find the MCMC line really helpful to recommend to friends or coworkers who want something non-mainstream but not “weird” — it’s an indie line that’s been around a while and their style is contemporary but not cheap. Kept is an interesting leather-tea-rose composition and I like the more fruity-floral ones like Maui and Love, too. It’s a good step further into perfume obsession for someone who likes Tocca, for example.
A rose is a rose is a rose… so there. Let there be roses!
Out of the ones you tried, I’ve only tried Rose Omeyyade and bought a bottle. It’s a jammy skanky rose on me. I love Rose de Nuit as well. On my test list is a travel size of MFK A La Rose I got in a beauty bag gift. I’m guessing it will be a fresh rose, more like Dior La Colle Noire, which I also own. And then there are all the wonderful Tauer roses. I’m definitely a fan!