Nicolaï Rose Oud Perfume Review
Rose Oud is very soothing for the heart. Especially when you are suffering from heartache or confronted with difficult emotional situations in your life and want some elevation of stress/anxiety in a soft and gentle way.
Interestingly Patricia de Nicolaï made Rose Oud as a powerful very rich deep fragrance (see video) But Rose Oud wears very close to my skin. It is more the light stroke of a rose. Caresse in French. Caresse de Rose would have been a better title for the fragrance. I can only scent Rose Oud when I smell my wrist very closely, at less than 5 cm. Which is a pity but I reapply several times during the day. Longevity is not very good either. Very powerful rose perfumes on my skin are Guerlain Nahema edp and Maria Candida Gentile Cinabre.
Although I love rose fragrances I find it hard to find rose perfumes I wear regularly. They can either be too the linear like Jo Malone Red Roses, too uplifting like the spicy Amouage Epic or Majda Bekkali Mon Nom Est Rouge or too activating like Maria Candida Gentile Cinabre. I have found Rose Oud to be very appealing and wore it quite often last summer. Of all my rose fragrances, this is the one I used most.
Rose Oud could give an uncomplicated impression at first sniff. But I find it an interesting modern, elegant, radiant and subtle fragrance. You can wear it when you do not want others to smell your fragrance for example at your office or for a job interview.
What do I smell?
Personally I do not scent any oud in Rose Oud but some other male bloggers (Chemist in a Bottle and Geurengoeroe) say they do. At the beginning I get a fruity peach note probably due to the osmanthus. At the same time I get a lot of aldehydes the first few minutes adding lightness and brilliance. The aldehydes are not used in a retro vintage style like Antoine Lie in Rien Intense but in a more modern 21th century way. What remains afterwards is an oily fragrance according to Perfume Shrine due to Nargamotha/Cypriol*. I get a sweet raspberry/rose note as well which is very similar to the Oliver and Co Santalum scented candle.
What does it do ?
Rose Oud is very soothing for the heart. Especially when you are suffering from heartache or confronted with difficult emotional situations in your life and want some elevation of stress or anxiety in a soft and gentle way. I used it a lot when my mother was in the hospital last summer. Part of this soothing effect could be a result of the usage of cypriol or to the calming effect of the rose.
Which image do I get ?
I get the image of the fur of my cat, Rubio as caressing him has a similar calming effect on me as wearing Rose Oud.
Composition: (according to the official Nicolaï website)
Top note: raspberry, davana, osmanthus
Heart note: rose, lily of the valley
Base note: agarwood, patchouli , sandalwood, musk, amber
Fragrance family: according to Patricia de Nicolaï chypre due to the rose and patchouli absolute (I would say floral chypre with fruity accents due to the raspberry or fruity chypre, Michael Edwards classifies it as a rose soliflore which makes sense)
Sillage: 1/5
Longevity: 1/5
Fragrance: 4/5
Overall: 3,5/5
Origin of bottle: my own, Nicolaï is sold in The Netherlands by The Perfume Lounge and Parfumaria, both sell samples.
* Nagarmotha/Cypriol is a plant of the Cyperaceae family belonging to the papyrus family. Cypriol essential oil is harvested through steam distillation. Lotus Garden Botanicals states on its website that its fragrance has similarities with vetiver and oud. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy and is said to have an emotionally calming effect. According to an article of Swiss perfumer Andy Tauer most of the oud in perfumes are bases often made with Cypriol.
Give away: we are giving away a 2 ml sample of Rose Oud
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- Leave a comment telling us what scent relaxes you or soothes your heart
- Draw will close september 3, at 12.00 PM Parisian Time
- We will contact the winner by mail, announce it on our website and on twitter, if you are the winner please check your mail and other folder
- Worldwide draw
August 28, 2015 @ 11:31
Aw, what a wonderful review, Esperessence. I LOVE the name caresse de rose, you should copyright it for your own perfect rose perfume 🙂
I should live to try it the way you describe it, only I fear the poor longevity would be a down side for me too.
And one can never get enough cat fur purrfumes 😉
August 28, 2015 @ 15:42
Thank you for your kind words, Asali. If you would spray several times a day, you would have this effect. Maybe a bit too much though as it isn’t too cheap either. Cat fur purrfumes, lovely name as Well 😉
August 28, 2015 @ 13:36
I like the sound of this, especially the soothing part.
I think I am subscribed already. 🙂
The perfume that soothes my mind (and therefore my heart) is Timbuktu by L’Artisan Parfumeur. It just works.
August 28, 2015 @ 15:43
Yes you are, Ines 🙂 Interesting, I must try Timbuktu again. What makes it so soothing do you think ?
August 28, 2015 @ 14:34
for me it was Eau Sauvage. When you apply Eau Sauvage, it also feels cool on the body. I am in the US and subscribed already.
August 28, 2015 @ 15:45
Intriguing, Fazal. I would never have thought Eau Sauvage could be soothing due to THE citrus. Interesting how different we all experience fragrances.
August 28, 2015 @ 19:58
Sounds lovely! To tell the truth, I’m not a big fan of oud fragrances. Bad memories from the time when I was living in the Middle East. But this one doesn’t sound too oud-y. 🙂 I’m still looking for my rose fragrance too.
Currently, the fragrance soothes me is Tea For Two. Nice and cozy.
August 28, 2015 @ 20:51
Rose Oud is lovely and not too oud-y at all, I would say no-oud 😉 Tea for two sounds cozy if only for iTS name !
August 28, 2015 @ 20:11
Again a lovely review:-) As you know I like reading your reviews very much. The fact that wearing Rose Oud reminds you of Rubio is so cute!
August 28, 2015 @ 20:53
Thank you, Debbie. Yes, I know, it is Nice to know you enjoy them so much. Rubio is becoming quite a celebrity 😉
August 29, 2015 @ 00:10
It’s a nice review (and a great picture – are you sure it’s your cat? 😉 I could swear it was my cat’s fur 🙂 )
Do not enter me: I have a sample of this perfume and it doesn’t work for me (like most rose-oud combinations) but I’m glad it is relaxing for you.
Usually I do not use perfumes for that purpose but when I want something uncomplicated I go for one of Jo Malone’s colognes.
September 2, 2015 @ 21:21
Thank you, Undina. It is Rubio not Rusty 😉 I can imagine a less complicated fragrance might work for you as well. Too bad, Nicolai Rose does not work for you.