Nicolai Rose Royale A Youthful, Pretty and Elegant Rose

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Nicolai Parfumeur Createur Rose Royale is a pretty youthful elegant rose fragrance and the latest release of this French perfume house. It starts with a fresh citrus bergamot note, changing  into a slightly warmer dusty natural rose scent. This rose is large, full and light pink. The overall feeling Rose Royale brings, is one of comfort and easiness.

Like Rose Oud, another creation of perfumer Patricia de Nicolai, Rose Royale feels very soothing. There is a fruity touch, making it more contemporary and giving the impression Patricia de Nicolai follows new trends in the fragrance industry well. I would not call it an exciting fragrance but no soliflore (a fragrance dedicated to one flower) generally is. If you like natural rose scents, Rose Royale is certainly worth a try.

The inspiration for this scent was taken from the roses in Palais Royale, which is situated closely to the new Nicolai laboratory in Paris.

While doing research for this article I found this citation in the Nicolai, Parfumeur-Createur, un metier d’artiste book, which suits the essence of Rose Royale very well.

“A beautiful perfume, worn, makes others want to be near you..(..) A beautiful perfume is one that you want to keep, like a child who tries to catch clear water from a fountain.” Patrica de Nicolai

Rose Royale captures the natural scent of a rose very well but still remains interesting. It wears quite close to the skin and on my skin it had medium longevity (2-3 hours) Something I experience with Nicolai Rose Oud as well.

I find Rose Royale to be full bottle worthily. It is well made, wears easily and can be worn to many different occasions like work, at the weekend or to all kinds of celebrations. There is a certain easiness and informality to it. I expect Rose Royale will get more love in the Nicolai shops than amongst perfume bloggers for this reason and can imagine it becoming one of their bestsellers. It will make an excellent gift.

Notes: Top Blackcurrent Buds, Passion Fruit, Bergamot, Middle Rose (Turkish Rose), Coriander, Ambrette seeds, Base Immortelle, Sandalwood, Guaiac Wood and Musk.

Have you tried fragrances of the Nicolai Parfumeur Createur perfume house ? Do you have a favorite one?

Wishing you all a very happy Easter!

Mood Scent 4 Blogging Project: Rainy Day Fragrances

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Welcome to the first joint blogging project by MoodScent4!

We are four perfume bloggers based in France, Holland, England and Wales who will be posting on a different joint subject every couple of months. Each time we will individually pick a selection of five or so fragrances to fit a particular mood or occasion. You will find links to the other blogs at the end of the post.

We hope you have fun reading our different choices and adding your own in the comments.

The first joined theme we picked are rainy day fragrances. As I live in Amsterdam, I experience quite some days of rain. On those days I like to wear fragrances contrary to the grey weather to add some sunshine and light to my day. These are generally energizing or uplifting citrus (with for example notes of bitter orange tree leaves or lemon) or cologne style fragrances like Hermes Eau d’orange verte, Annick Goutal Neroli Cologne. On other rainy days I choose more comforting oriental fragrances like Keiko Mecher Vetiver Velours, Guerlain Shalimar, Miller Harris Fleur Oriental or Mona di Orio Vanille.

One of my favorite scents to add sunshine and light to a day is the Eau de Cologne Hermes Eau d’orange verte. Eau D’orange verte is an extraordinary uplifting scent. True to its original name, Hermes Eau de Cologne smells very much like a cologne focussing on freshly squeezed bitter orange tree leaves. The Eau d’orange verte shower gel smells just like the Hermes Eau D’orange verte Eau de Cologne and is well worth a try for an energizing shower on a rainy morning.

Another very suitable fragrance for a rainy day is Annick Goutal Neroli Cologne. Neroli Cologne smells very much like a blossoming bitter orange tree filling the air with its magnificant scent, adding a feeling of a sunny spring morning near the Mediterranean coast.

A more comforting scent would also be a good choice for a rainy day to bring the feeling of being wrapped up in soft blanket, hanging on your couch reading a book with a cup of tea or Netflixing. Keiko Mecheri Vetiver Velours from the Les Merveilles Collection (previously The Bespoke Collection) is very suited for a grey rainy day. It is an elegant and sofisticated dry oriental woody fragrance leaving a soft powdery veil on one’s skin. Vetiver is very well blended into the whole fragrance by perfumer Yann Vasnier by not making it a dominant note.

One could also choose for the classic oriental Guerlain Shalimar or one of its modern (and one of my favorite) siblings Miller Harris Fleur Oriental. Fleur Oriental has amazing longevity and leaves a warm balsamic powdery scent. The soothing Mona di Orio Les Nombres d’Or Vanille would be an excellent choice as well. Vanilla is known for its comforting and uplifting properties. Mona di Orio Vanille is a more woody oriental fragrance. The perfumer Mona di Orio was inspired by an oriental romantic fantasy of an old ship travelling to Madagascar for vanilla pods, rum barrels, precious spices and sandalwood.

Have a look at the scented suggestions of Tara from A Bottled Rose, Megan from Megan in Sainte Maxime and Sam from I Scent You A Day for fragrances on a rainy day. I am curious what they have chosen, aren’t you?

What fragrance do you use on rainy days? A comforting one or do you choose an energizing scent? Let us know your choices!

The other blog posts on rainy days fragrances can be found here: A Bottled Rose, I Scent You A Day and Megan in Sainte Maxime.

Disclaimer: all perfumes mentioned in this article were bought by me.

Budget Pick of the Month: Paul Smith Rose Eau de Parfum

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Paul Smith Rose is an elegant, sofisticated, natural smelling rose scent. If this rose had a color it would be light pink. This flower would have been picked in a classic English garden like the rose on the photograph. The photograph was taken in the famous Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent. Sissinghurst Castle Garden was created by the writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband. Vita Sackville-West is generally known as well for her relationship with writer Virginia Woolf.

There is not really an interesting story to Paul Smith Rose in contrast to the life story of Vita Sackville-West. Virginia Woolf was inspired by Vita’s life to write the novel Orlando, made into a movie in 1992 with Tilda Swinton as Orlando. Paul Smith presumably had Rose created for his wife.

Paul Smith Rose is a very natural uncomplicated quite linear scent. On my skin it smells in the beginning like rose lemonade. Giving the impression of a fresh, light pink rose with some dew on its petals. On paper I clearly smelled the tea note in the beginning but I could not smell this on my skin at all. After a few minutes Rose develops on my skin into a slightly warmer red velvet rose.

I have been testing different natural rose oils lately and interestingly some of them do not smell the way you would expect a rose to scent. But this Rose eau de parfum really smells like a natural rose. It is best used sprayed lavishly.

Paul Smith Rose is not an Eau de Parfum I would recommend to anyone who does not like the scent of rose. But I have found reviews online from people who did not like rose scents in general and like this Paul Smith Rose scent.

Do not be put off by its boring name or uninterestng bottle as the fragrance Paul Smith Rose is really worth a try. It would make an excellent gift to a lover of rose scents and for its price it is an absolute bargain.

Notes: top green tea, violet heart rose, violet, magnolia base cedarwood (according to basenotes)

Perfumer: Antoine Maisondieu

Date of introduction: 2007 (In 2006 it was introduced at the Chelsea Flower Show)

Olfactory family: Floral/Soliflor

Disclosure: I bought my bottle online at the Dutch discount webstore Parfumdeo and paid 22 euro for a 100 ml tester bottle.

More information about Sissinghurst Castle Garden (link embedded)

Did you try Paul Smith Rose? What do you think of the bottle or story (lack of it)? Does this influence you when deciding to buy or try a scent?

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