La Petite Robe Noire Guerlain 2012 edition

 Desirability: Full bottle 

For those who were brought here by google or another search engine in hopes of finding enlightenment regarding LPRN, please do scroll down a few paragraphs and ignore my warbling here. For...

This is my first post in many years. YEARS! Wow. To all the people who have reached out since the birth of this blog, to tell me you enjoy reading what I wrote, a big THANK YOU. You are a big part of why I am back today. 

I’ve been enjoying my fragrance library which I obsessively collected between 2012-2017, without the feeding frenzy to obtain more and more new scents. Of course a couple of new bottles joined the gang here and there but that’s a fragrance lover for you- there’s no such thing as too much perfume. 

I’ve gone so far in my journey as to be able to part with fragrances I no longer jive with, regardless of whether they are deemed collectors’ items or not (to the joy of other fragrance lovers who picked up the bottles sold) and have trimmed my library done to something manageable like a few lifetimes’ worth instead of never ending. 

Anyway back to LPRN, my bottle being the re-release of the initial limited edition (which I’ve never smelt) in 2012. 

Isn’t it amazing how our senses evolve/mature along with the rest of our physical bodies and mentality? Well for most of us anyway. I remember loving LPRN when I first laid nose on it. Even eyes- I mean check the signature Guerlain top shared with hallmark scents such as Mitsouko and L’Heure Bleue. Picture Mitzy and LHB looking on indulgently at the capricious youth that is their niece. 

Uncork the bottle and cue the blast of sexy patchouli nesting in a generous bosom of dark luscious cherries. Layer on the subtly spicy vanilla (shades of Hypnotic Poison anyone?) and a bloom of roses (more Ce Soir ou Jamais than La filled de Berlin) in a 40/60 percentage and you have yourself a yummy trifle that lasts for days when applied to clothes and leaves the two metre radius around you floating in a delicious cloud of bliss. 

It's easy to dismiss LPRN as just another youth outreach program by a great perfume house but unlike the masses crowding the perfume counters out there, LPRN has a thing about it, just as all Guerlain fragrances do (full disclosure: Guerlain fangirl here, they can do almost no wrong in my eyes. Almost.). LPRN is the treasured painting at home, not a sketch on a cocktail napkin. In a world constantly saturated with distracting new offerings, LPRN was edged slowly towards the back of the collection but I'm thankful that I didn't part with my bottle during the Great Separation of 2020. Coincidentally one of the first scents I discovered as an early fragrance lover is the scent that brought me to write my first post in many years. 

If you have a bottle of this beauty knocking around somewhere, I hope you have an opportunity to revisit its beauty again. Or perhaps another beautiful scent that has been neglected for a while. 

Fiori d'Ambra Profumum Roma

Desirability: Decant

Source: www.parfumneroli.hu

Having already tried and been won over by another amber from Profumum Roma namely Ambra Aurea, I had high hopes of falling in love with Fiori d'Ambra. Well it's not quite a love but it's a firm like. 

I don't particularly like overly powdery ambers and well Fiori d'Ambra did start rather floral powdery and dry on me, giving it a vintage air similar to the scented drawer sheets my mother used to line her armoire until they went out of production like a decade ago. Thankfully the powder blows away revealing a spicy floral heart both dark and beguiling with a strange herbal vibe about it that isn't unpleasant but is well, strange. A smooth semi sweet amber enters unobtrusively and with time the scent has this balmy "glowing coals in a grate" effect. 

It has a much smaller presence than the booming personality of its relative Ambra Aurea and Fiori d'Ambra seems to perform a appearing/disappearing act throughout the day so rest assured it lasts a good while even if discreetly. 

Rose Oud Monotheme Fine Fragrances Venezia

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: www.granducati.com

I enjoy the smell of oud and have never been too bothered about whether the oud in my perfume was real or synthetic as long as it smelled good. Monotheme's Rose Oud smells good.

The scent of sweet blushing roses and the unique spicy-citrus smell of elemi resin greet you upon applying Rose Oud. Slightly powdery, bright and beautiful with a just the right amount of something green and sour. It grows more earthy and woody (like what you would imagine a forest floor with its mat of dried leaves and mud would smell like) over time but never goes over to the dark side despite the patchouli and oud. There's a ?mineral smell amongst all the dirt, plants and flowers, like how a gravel courtyard smells under a burning sun. ? Stony haha. The drydown is a more subtle expression of all the notes that have already been introduced, nicely balanced and smooth. 

I took a break from my oud rampage for a while so I can't say for sure how Rose Oud compares with other similar combinations but based on memory, I would say fragrance-wise it's up there with Thirty-three which is a big love of mine. Projection and longevity are average.

Not the easiest to purchase online but I have found a store called Granducati that ships internationally and the prices for the perfumes are reasonable. I haven't bought from them yet but going by my first and very pleasant experience with Monotheme's fragrances, I am interested in sampling others.

Tango Masque

Desirability: Decant

Source: luckyscent

Phwoar...talk about heady and intoxicating, Tango just blazed its way onto my want list and I want this in a seriously bad way. Fragrantica lists this as an oriental floral but it wears like a spicy oriental on me, where have all the flowers gone? 

Cumin. Cumin. Cumin. Cloves. Cinnamon. Cardamom. Cumin. CUMIN. Cumin in all its wanton sweaty glory, attractive or repulsive depending on whether you like it. Boozy, bold, exotic and rich, Tango has me in a cinch, make that a steaming hot passionate cinch. It continues to smoulder all the way to its drydown, a warm, dense and sweet amber base with resins and dry wood heaped on the molten fire. Monstrous projection and longevity. Sexy beast. 

Garofano Lorenzo Villoresi

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: www.lorenzovilloresi.it

I was never blown away by Caron's Bellodgia as loved and lauded as it is. Perhaps my new-ish bottle lacks the magic of previous formulations or perhaps I tried it too soon on my scent journey to truly appreciate it but Bellodgia got swapped away before I gave it another chance to someone else who really loves it. In return I got a sample of Garofano and this is something I can see myself wearing.

To avoid confusion, the sample is from the Vintage Collection from which I've tried and loved both Ylang Ylang and Ambra, the former being the most natural ylang ylang I've smelt and the latter being a unique interpretation of amber that's nothing like most other ambers on the market recently. 

Before I came across the universe of scents I never thought of carnations as fragrant, at least not the ones in the florist shops on my tropical island. The very most I could come up with after sticking my nose into various store bought carnations was the mildest of mild spicy floral and even that's exaggerating. Snooping on gardening forums I came to the conclusion that the ones that I've been sniffing are likely new hybrids that were crossbred for their size and colour with little attention paid to their scent whereas carnations which have not been domesticated smell like well, like carnations are meant to smell. 

So never having smelt an untouched carnation nor carnation absolute, I have to rely on Google which tells me carnations smell as follows: heavy, musky, spicy, clove-like, floral, powdery, sweet as honey, exotic. 

If this is true then Garofano encompasses all these characteristics. It is a rich and deep scent that smells like pepper and other aromatic spices from the kitchen, a dark and thick honey, leaving the kitchen and entering a boudoir whose walls and carpet hold the smells of powder, both the living and the ghosts of glorious floral arrangements as well as a hint of musk from the owner. Garofano doesn't unfold on me chapter by chapter but instead I smell everything together and yet separately, the different notes coming forwards and drifting away again as if the notes are in a free-style dance but sharing the limelight almost equally. I say almost equally because the most distinct on me would be the spicy floral and powdery bits. 

Biased perhaps by the olfactory hallucinations of canopied four-posters, heavy velvet drapings and plush outfittings a la Dangerous Liaisons, I find Garofano to be more feminine than unisex unless you are John Malkovich. Besides smelling like a historical aristocratic drama filled with intrigue, Garofano has a great projection with a moderate longevity and I would highly recommend this to lovers of carnations and vintage-y scents. 

Wisteria Hysteria Comme des Garcons & Stephen Jones

Desirability: Sample

Source: en.colette.fr

Wisteria Hysteria sounds a lot more fun than it actually smells. After the great time I had with the eponymous debut scent, I was awaiting my sample of Wisteria Hysteria with great expectations.

 It smells like a an aquatic fruity-floral that would be perfect for a hot day when you don't want the usual citrus based scents. Fresh, green, sweet and watery. The crispness of the opening slowly fades away and I pick up spicy powdery notes that were also present in Stephen Jones but the powder is much toned down here in comparison. The aromatic spices do a lot in livening up the fragrance for me, I wasn't blown away by the introduction. White musk and a light incense are present in the later part and although the drydown is warmer and deeper than its introduction, Wisteria Hysteria never becomes engaging on my skin. 

The relationship I have with Wisteria Hysteria is like that with colleagues you have worked with for many years and there is mutual goodwill but you never bother to catch up with over the weekend as there is a lack of warmth to push the relationship into the "friends" territory. Overall it is a pleasant scent but I much prefer the unique and quirky Stephen Jones. 

Rausch J.F. Schwarzlose Berlin

Desirability: Sample

Source: Fragrantica

Sweet, heady stuff that is not for the faint of heart but possibly faint-making when worn by the right individual. Projection is phenomenal and longevity is very good, be careful when applying as it's hard to scrub off.

Lightly spiced and smoky wood notes, a dense moody amber as thick as syrup and the smell of sweet leather make up this potent if none too complex scent that conjures up images of the stereotypical bad boy that all good girls want to look after despite their survival instincts telling them to run for the hills.

There's a burnt rubber note that lingers in Rausch and I can't decide if I like it or not but overall this is a dark and bold unisex fragrance ( I say unisex but the guy who wears this must be able to take sugar with his scents) that isn't particularly original but is undoubtedly good. 

Opium Eau D'ete Summer Fragrance 2003 Yves Saint Laurent

Desirability: Sample

Source: Fragrantica

Opium on a diet for super hot and humid days when you don't want to asphyxiate those around you with the original. Most days I don't give a stuff whether people around me mind what I'm wearing but there are occasions where one must be toe the line or suffer horrid non TGIF consequences hence why I'm wearing this today. 

Sweet woody myrrh, refined and oriental-esque, lightened by the presence of sunny yellow-green citrus notes and luminous white flowers. Carnation makes known its presence with its distinct spicy-sweet floral powdered self and a minute amount of rich vanilla in the warm woody base. 

The DNA of Opium is still alive in this 2003 summer edition, a glamorous, well balanced ode to the art of perfumery with excellent longevity and OK projection. Those who found the original too much of a good thing may want to try this version, there are still bottles tinkering around on Ebay so grab while you can. Personally I prefer the original. 

Lolita Lempicka Parfums Lolita Lempicka

Desirability: Full bottle

Sweet and gourmand without the gag or diabetic factor. 

Ok so there are way too many fruity floral gourmand combinations out there, most of them smelling too similar and generic. Ok so I get totally confused by how many flankers there are for the Lolita Lempicka fragrances, it's just as bad as the spinoffs of Thierry Mugler Angel, Alien, Womanity and almost more numerous than the progeny legitimate or not in some ruling families. Anyway I digress...

Lolita Lempicka (the original I speak of) like Mugler's Angel is one of few scents that I will always have in my wardrobe no matter how ridiculously large it gets or how many white hairs or lack of hair I have in the future. Lolita Lempicka and Mugler's Angel in my opinion are THE royalty of gourmand scents. 

A fanfare of syrupy black cherries on vanilla ice cream before the protagonists come in. The major players star anise and licorice add a nice twist to this sweet gourmand, a spicy sharpness contrasting the thick creamy praline, giving Lolita Lempicka a darker side like the wicked witches and sisters that are a staple in any good fairytale. I've mentioned a lot of sweet treats but Lolita Lempicka in reality isn't that sugary, it's nicely balanced between the spicy aromatic herbs, the sweet bits and carrot-iness of the iris/orris root. Feminine and fun! 

If you need any further persuasion look at that bottle (ok maybe not the best argument if I'm selling this to a guy), that polished apple that looks like it was made by fairies is whimsical and cute without being childish. And the price tag? I highly approve and wish many more perfumes could be priced as sensibly. Plus Parfums Lolita Lempicka could give a few niche houses lessons on projection and longevity. 

Black Jade Lubin

Desirability: Decant

Source: www.perfumeriaquality.pl

I'm sure many fragrance lovers have heard or read the story revolving around Black Jade, that it was the last fragrance (purportedly) worn by Marie Antoinette before her ending. For me it doesn't matter if the tale is real or reel but if you would like more history on the brand and the fragrance, Vanity Fair had an article here. 

So forgetting about all that, the scent is quite fantastic really. It starts off coolly green yet spicy (almost like chewing mint gum) and a tart citrus hangs around for quite a while instead of its usual fanfare and about-turn as an opening note. I can't smell jasmine for all I try ( I sampled Black Jade at least on four occasions) as a fresh rose still tinged with green has taken hold of my nose. Young rose in the merry company of lofty galbanum (who thankfully doesn't monopolize the opening) and spices, the opening is bright and young before things start to heat up and Black Jade morphs into a highly suggestive (no coquettishness here) dirty rose. Animalic. Thick incense still carrying a trace of spices and citrus, the rose reclining on a luxurious bed of earthy moss and soil with a sheet of smooth sweet vanilla covering her bits and pieces as a stab at modesty. Here I am confused as I've gone through every review I could get my hands on and nobody spoke of leather but that is what I smell and the sweet leathery note adds to the come-hitherness of Black Jade. Sexual but not raunchy like Nuit Noire. 

It has an OK projection but the longevity isn't as good as I would like, still it is a pleasing first foray into the house of Lubin and Gin Fizz is next on my list to sample, firstly because I enjoy a cool G&T and secondly(supposedly) Grace Kelly was wearing it when she was proposed to by the Prince of Monaco- I am not big on royalty but I am a fan of fairytales.

PG21 Felanilla Parfumerie Generale

Desirability: Decant

Source: bloomperfume.co.uk

This smells good. This smells like the badass biker sibling to Guerlain's Shalimar (which is what heaven might smell like in my opinion) whose leather note escaped me time and time again. If not a Hell's Angel in leather well then this sibling keeps a zoo of exotic animals. 

Sweet vanilla, powdery iris and leathery spicy saffron greet my nose upon application but the saffron eases up with time and the leathery and spicy effects slip away. Dusting off the powdery notes by the drydown, Felanilla gives the sensation of cottony soft vanilla clouds all puffed up against a blue sky on a warm dry day, with a background of honeyed wood notes. A lovely woody vanilla as a finale with a far more exciting introduction, I only wish that the sillage could be beefed up so that it is more than a skin scent from the word "go". Felanilla reminds me a little of PG 14 Iris Taizo which is an interesting spiced honeyed wood instead of woody vanilla and in the introduction you have cardamom in place of saffron. 

Ylang Ylang Lorenzo Villoresi

Source: Fragrantica

I love the smell of ylang ylang and having read about its multiple uses in aromatherapy including being a relaxant and sedative, I managed to track down two young trees to plant beneath my dad's window. Despite being a tropical plant I haven't found it growing around this city island and it wasn't too easy finding the trees either. Anyway home they came and the scent of the flowers is so strong that the night breeze carries it up two floors to me and helps with my dad's insomnia.

Lorenzo Villoresi has bottled the exact smell of the flower in this scent. Ylang ylang has a distinctive scent that stands out amongst other floral notes although I find it hard to pin it down in words for like patchouli it can play so many characters from spicy green to heady narcotic and fits beautifully in a tropical garland. It's restrained and elegant in APOM Pour Femme but Ilang Ivohibé showcases its multiple personalities. In Lorenzo Villoresi's Ylang Ylang, it's ylang ylang all the way as if I am holding a few of the golden-yellow spidery blooms in my hands. Simple and linear but a very pleasurable scent that is soothing and uplifting. 

Source: herbalriot.tumblr.com

On a happy note, two good friends of mine are getting married today and Lorenzo Villoresi Ylang Ylang will accompany me for the day's festivities and I've chosen Tauer PHI Une Rose de Kandahar to dress in for the dinner tonight. 

I leave you with a lovely poem by W.H. Auden that I find to be precious, it has such honesty shining through the words that makes it incredibly touching. My most-loved line would be "if equal affection cannot be, let the more loving one be me." 

‘The More Loving One’ by W.H. Auden

Looking up at the stars, I know quite well

That, for all they care, I can go to hell,

But on earth indifference is the least

We have to dread from man or beast.

How should we like it were stars to burn

With a passion for us, we could not return?

If equal affection cannot be,

Let the more loving one be me.

Admirer as I think I am

Of stars that do not give a damn,

I cannot, now I see them, say

I missed one terribly all day.

Were all stars to disappear or die,

I should learn to look at an empty sky

And feel its total dark sublime,

Though this might take me a little time.

PG14 Iris Taizo Parfumerie Generale

Source: Fragrantica

Iris Taizo is another almost but not quite gourmand fragrance from Parfumerie Generale. You need to like cardamom to get through the opening as it starts with a blast of spicy green...incense? That's what I smell anyway. With time the potency of the scent decreases and so does the intensity of it, leaving room for a sweet powdery and woody base to be noticed under the spiciness. On paper the powdery aspect of the iris is played up and I much prefer it on my skin where it's more waxy than powdery, an enveloping warmth of spiced honeyed wood.

My only guff is that despite its promising bellow at the start, the scent wanes quite fast and all that's left is a skin scent that sticks around for the better part of  three hours tops. Solution: buy the 100 ml and lug it around for frequent touch-ups.

CiocoRosissimo Hilde Soliani

Source: Luckyscent

Quirky rose.

The chocolate is most obvious when the scent is first applied, more of a bitter dark chocolate. Sadly the chocolate note waxes and wanes before disappearing completely. Along with the chocolate at the introduction there are  sweet spicy notes that make me think of pepper and cloves. There is also a strong and dry incense gamboling with the chocolate and spices, overall it doesn't smell bad or good but challenging? So the chocolate wanders off and the spice and incense take it down a few notches, it's the debut of the rose, or rather delicately sweet rosewater. By the drydown most of the spiciness is gone leaving the incense, rosewater and vanilla, subtly sweet and balmy.

I can't decide if I like or dislike CiocoRosissimo. It's a wonky and fun scent with tasty point, average projection and longevity. Something that should be sampled though and not blindly bought. 

Mmm Hilde Soliani

Source: www.scentbar.it

Luckyscent lists the ingredients for Mmm as: Basil, vanilla, incense, and burrata accord. Sounds dubious even awful but in reality it's not as challenging as it reads. 

Herbal green. Smoky incense. That's what I smell mostly. It's slightly sweet and spicy, similar to the sensation of chewing mint leaves. The green living things in Mmm are in equal proportions with the incense that smells sharp and bright, the overall effect feels like...burning incense out in the woods?  In the drydown it becomes smoother and smells like spiced vanilla cream with a sprig of mint for the rest of its extremely lengthy lifetime. But burrata? Methinks someone indeed moved my cheese. 

Le Voluttuose La Vaniglia Bois 1920

Source: www.basenotes.net

I will fully admit that my girly girl side fell for the blush pink and gold bottle BUT what tipped me into blind buying a bottle of La Vaniglia was that it has quite a number of detractors despite being a vanilla scent. Oriental vanilla that is. Very oriental indeed. 

Vanilla usually out shouts its accompanying notes and vanilla scents can get a bit boring and repetitive after a while. Standout vanillas like Mona di Orio's Vanille and La Vaniglia break out of the gourmand category and present challenging compositions that will have their equal share of fans and critics. Mona di Orio's Vanille is an acrid woody vanilla that I enjoy sniffing but cannot wear as I find it too dry to be comfortable and I do like some sugar with my vanilla. L`Erbolario Dolcelisir is a boozy gourmand vanilla that's loaded with cinnamon and other spices which makes it feel drier than other gourmand vanilla perfumes that I've tried. 

Where Dolcelisir is laden with cinnamon, La Vaniglia my third encounter with a dry vanilla, is liberally peppered especially in the opening where the smell of freshly grated ginger and pepper is almost overwhelming and there's no sign of vanilla at this time. The initial spiciness dissipates over time but spice remains a prominent note even to the drydown and this dry spiciness gives a feeling of antiquity to La Vaniglia. Under the spice, living beneath a thick fog of darkest patchouli and smoky incense that is so intense it is as if someone sucked up the incense of several cathedrals and stuck it in this creation, there is a creamy vanilla but La Vaniglia is not just vanilla as she claims to be nor is she the innocent cotton candy pink of the bottle. Yes there is sugar but just enough to be noticed so in comparison I will say much less sweet than Dolcelisir but sweeter than Vanille. She is very much a sophisticated, audacious take on vanilla that is both wildly weird and wonderful. Potent and promiscuous this is definitely not for little girls. AMAZING longevity and good projection. Blind buy success! 

1876 Histoires de Parfums

Source: Fragrantica

Spicy. Woody. Floral. Powdery. 

In 1876 the spices and powdery are the most prominent on me with the rose and woody notes playing supporting roles in this complex and interesting creation. 

In 1876 the spicy notes are contributed by caraway, cinnamon and carnation which also provides the powdery aspect of it.1876 gives off a vintage air as if stepping back into time or opening an antique chest that had not been opened for the past century and would be more fitting amongst rich brocades and plush velvets rather than the stark white modernity of my office. Once past the strong spicy opening, I pick out the sweet rose amongst other floral notes that I cannot tell apart but which lend some fresh air to the perfume. In the later stage the scent feels dry and dusty like being in the old and infrequently used section of an ancient library, with smoky and woody notes of sandalwood and vetiver adding to the air of mystery around 1876 like being in a hallowed place of worship filled with poor lighting, spirals of smoke and whispered prayer. Overall I find the effect similar to what opium smokers might have felt, a haziness creeps over and fogs out everything leaving behind a sense of serenity and security. 

Supposedly inspired by Mata Hari, 1876 is a unique and captivating scent that is worthy of its namesake. However I personally feel the scent is more snuggle-worthy than femme fatale but in any case I do like it and would probably enjoy it even more if the scent were on the "deeper" side instead of the current "lite" version. 

Paname Keiko Mecheri

Source: Fragrantica

I was interested in procuring a sample if not a bottle of Douce Amere from Serge Lutens as it is another polarizing scent from this house whose online reviews make for good reading. I got a sample of Paname as it is supposed to closely resemble the hard-to-find-if-not-impossible Douce Amere. 

According to Wikipedia, Paname is a nickname given by Parisians to their city and in the book "I remember Paris" by journalist and historian Claude Dubois who writes about his childhood memories of Paname, the origin of the nickname has contributions from the Panama hat that was a fashion trend in the city, the hat itself having been worn by workers building the Panama canal and possibly having links with the Panama Affair which is regarded as the largest corruption scandal of the 19th century.

" ...Paname...la ville du chatoiement, des illusions et des désillusions..."

Sweet and interesting. Upon application the smell immediately reminded me of black licorice, something I prefer smelling than eating with its distinct herbal and spicy sweetness like the spiciness of cardamom seeds or anise. The licorice smell is more herbal than in Lolita Lempicka which is much, much sweeter than this scent. Paname is invigorating and aromatic like a bottled walk in a conifer forest, I can imagine it being sold as an aromatherapy potion labelled "Vitality". The balance between herbal and sweetness shifts more towards the latter in the drydown when a creamy vanilla note shows up and the scent is deepened with musk and wood notes. My only gripe with Paname is that it disappears far too quickly, I barely smell anything left after two hours. Full marks for its refreshing individuality but it lags behind in the sillage and longevity departments.

Mon Nom Est Rouge Majda Bekkali Sculptures Olfactives

Source: Fragrantica

Spiced rose contenders that I've had the good fortune to sample: Mon Nom Est Rouge, Epic Woman by Amouage, Noir Epices by Frederic Malle/ Michel Roudnitska, Paestum Rose by Eau D'Italie and Rose Poivree by The Different Company. 

The Different Company's Rose Poivree was too peppery for my liking with the barest hint of rose, I didn't get any delicious sweaty animal that some other perfume lovers did but there has been some muttering about batches smelling different so maybe I should revisit Rose Poivree. Eau D'Italie's Paestum Rose is a smoothly blended rose with a touch of incense and spices, feminine and beautiful but I'm looking for more than that. Noir Epices from Frederic Malle/Michel Roudnitska is big and dramatic, spiced roses and citruses as if it's always Christmas time and a finalist that made it to my want list when funds allow. Ditto Amouage's Epic Woman, a luxurious spiced rose and heavy incense affair. 

Mon Nom Est Rouge is regularly compared to Epic Woman and while I agree that there are similarities, I mean they are both spiced roses with the same nose behind them but I find Mon Nom Est Rouge to be lighter and highlighting the rose more than in Epic Woman where the rose shares the limelight and sometimes gets pushed back by the incense and spices. Mon Nom Est Rouge starts out very richly spiced( I smell cardamom and ginger very distinctly) and peppery but not as blindingly so as in Rose Poivree, it stays like this for about an hour or so before gradually fading into a smooth sweet rose and woods, the spices a shadow of their former selves ( I smell cinnamon towards the drydown) and the scent bears more resemblance in its drydown to Paestum Rose than Epic Woman. Mon Nom Est Rouge starts with a resounding opening and shows promise but loses its interesting nature to become a lovely but a been-there-done-that ending. I will stick with Epic Woman instead. 

Une Folie de Rose Les Parfums de Rosine

Source: Fragrantica

If you adore roses, Parfums de Rosine is one house that you must absolutely sample ( 25 Euro for 15 samples) as it is positively blooming with roses of all colours and scents! I was lucky to receive a bottle of Une Folie de Rose which stands as my number one from the range.

It opens with sharp and bright aldehydes, the rose flanked by citrus and green living notes as if one is standing in a huge garden with masses of flower blooms ( not just roses) everywhere. It dries to a darker rose with leathery patchouli and a musky mossy bed. Not a rose soliflore despite the advertisement above, I smell ylang ylang and other floral notes I am unable to identify separately, but compared to the first few sniffs the rose stands out more in the drydown both sweet and spicy with a splash of citrus. I like how the scent evolves over time, the rose playing peek-a-boo but finally showing its gorgeous self in the end, its scent becoming more obvious amongst the other notes towards the end as if Une Folie de Rose takes you on a ramble and rewards you with a bed of roses at the end.

Source: www.pinterest.com

Une Folie de Rose doesn't have a big projection but this classically elegant rose stays with you all day. Nothing experimental or stimulating (in general I feel Parfums de Rosine create more traditional scents as opposed to quirky) but an exquisitely beautiful and feminine rose that every rose lover must try, just don't expect roses only.