Rose oudh
Perfume Review and Budget Pick of the Month: Yves Rocher Secrets d’Essences Rose Oud
Notes: Rose, Rose Damascena, Oud, Cistus Labdanum, Cumin
Rose Oud was created in 2016 by perfumer Annick Menardo who made Lolita Lempicka Eau de Parfum, Amouage Opus X and many other excellent fragrances. This woody fragrance is an adult, grown up and very dark red velvet rose. She had lead a bit of a turbulent troubled life and lost her innocence. Its darkness with boozy fruity aspects are quite surprising. Especially for a Yves Rocher fragrance. Some compared Rose Oud online to Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois. I can relate to the boozy plum soaked in alcohol part which both have in common but Rose Oud is much more floral in my opinion. I get cinnamon as well as part of the boozy plums. A veil remains of slightly brighter dusty rose as a base. Honestly Rose Oud is slightly too dark for my taste, personally I prefer lighter roses. I wonder how this fragrance will sell as it smells much more like a niche fragrance compared to other Yves Rocher fragrances.
What can Rose Oud do for you?
What does it do? If might be a good scent for those who are dealing with hardships in their lives for example when having to make complicated personal financial decisions, dealing with lawsuits, losing their jobs, losing a loved one or at the end of a relationship. To go through this process and make the best of it as there will be light again. It helps to loose one’s innocence and maybe even naivity when one needs too when dealing with life challenges as we all encounter in our lives. I could have used this scent for this purpose while going through very rough times in my life.
Yves Rocher Secrets d’Essences Collection
Rose Oud is part of the Yves Rocher Secrets d’Essences Collection which focuses on raw materials in perfumery like vanilla, jasmine, neroli, iris and rose. All of the fragrances come with excellent accompanying body products except Rose Oud. Yves Rocher Secrets d’Essences Collection was launched in 2005 with Voile d’Ambre. Two fragrances from this line have sadly been discontinued Rose Absolue and Iris Noir. I have to admit I bought all fragrances from this line. The scents are not multilayered but very well made for a good price. Who doesn’t want that?
All Secrets d’Essences fragrances were created by well known perfumers like Olivier Cresp, also creator of Thierry Mugler Angel and Jacques Cavallier. He made Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey as well. The beautiful bottle was designed by Thierry de Baschmakoff who designed bottles for Bvlgari, The Different Company and many other perfume houses. As you can see, quite some effort has been put into producing a high quality perfume line by Yves Rocher.
Why did I pick Rose Oud as Budget Pick of the Month?
Rose Oud is excellent value for money. If scented Rose Oud blindly one would believe it to be a fragrance sold at Harrod’s or the Dutch department store Bijenkorf for 10 times if not more its price. It is a marvelous gift or if you are on a limited budget (or both). The fragrance leans towards feminine but can be worn by men and women.
I recommend anyone who likes rose/Oud, darker roses or even boozy fragrances to try this fragrance as soon as possible. No one ever knows when Yves Rocher will discontinue a fragrance as they have done so very often in the past. I bought my bottle blindly and recently ordered another bottle as I gave one away.
Bottom line: buy a bottle or test the fragrance while it is still easily available for a reasonable price.
Rose Oud in a few words: dark, troubled, turbulent, lost her innocence
Have you tried any fragrance of the Secrets d’Essences Collection? Do you have a favorite one?
Price: 55 euro for 50 ml (but it is frequently on sale, I bought mine for 27,50 euro online)
All photographs were made by Esperessence, Rose on photograph: Rosa Amor, In a few words was inspired by the excellent perfume blog The Scented Hound.
Neela Vermeire Mohur eau de parfum
Neela Vermeire, a perfume lover herself, started her perfume house in 2011 in France. All her five perfumes are created and produced in France and have received very positive online reviews. The three first creations were Trayee, Mohur and Bombay Bling . They were made as a tribute to a different era in Indian history, the Vedic period, the Moghul British Raj period and modern India. Neela Vermeire perfumes were developed in cooperation with the perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour. Being honest, I have no connection to India, Indian food or Indian scents and was not interested at first. But as the positive reviews continued, I wanted to try the perfumes for myself. At this moment I am very glad I did.
Three samples were sent to me by Neela Vermeire with a personal hand written note which was very thoughtful. The three perfumes were Bombay Bing, Trayee and Mohur. Mohur got most of my attention as it is a rose perfume. Rose perfumes are one of my favorites but many times they are not intriguing enough. Some rose perfumes can be a bit boring if they are very linear and only smell like light roses as Jo Malone Red Roses. But Mohur is a very interesting oriental multifaceted rose perfume. My first impresion was of a very sophisticated, refined and feminine perfume.
These notes are listed on the official website: cardamom, coriander, ambrette, carrot, black pepper, elemi, rose, jasmine, orris, aubepin flower, almond milk, violet, orris, leather, sandalwood, amber, white woods, patchouli, oudh, benzoin, vanilla and tonka bean. Personally I smell saffron as well but this is not mentioned.
Oudh was quite in fashion several years ago in perfumes as you might know and many perfume houses came up with their own oudh versions. You have to get used to the note of oudh as it can be quite harsh at times. Mohur is a very good start if you want to start appreciating oudh. The oudh note is not harsh or dominant but refined, soft and well blended into the perfume.
Oudh was used in Mohur because it was a key ingredient in perfumes in the Moghul British Raj era. Mohur was created as a tribute to the empress and perfumer Noor Jahan and to the Mohur coin under British rule, the Moghul and British Raj period. Personally I thought this to be a bit confusing, a tribute to different periods. Noor Jahan was one of the most influential women of her time living from 1577 to 1645. She was the favorite wife of Moghul emperor Jahangir. He gave her the title of Noor Jahan, which means Light of the world. During the emperors reign Noor Jahan had the true power behind her husband as he often was not able to reign due to substance addiction. After his death Noor Jahan was confined comfortably where she spent her time making perfume.
I compared Mohur to other perfumes with the rose, oudh and saffron notes such as By Kilian Rose Oud and Armani Prive Rose Orient. Both start as an eastern perfume but after a while they turn more western. Mohur does the opposite though. At first it does smell more western, but after a while the more spicy notes start kicking in which you would normally relate to India.
Mohur has many facets and changes continuously like a DNA strand which is moving and showing another aspects, moving upwards. Everytime I wear Mohur I smell different aspects, saffron, powdery rose, oudh, sandalwood. Probably more will come up during time while wearing it more often. The powdery rose note stays with you during most of the time. Others commented on the multifacets of Mohur as well. Wearing it makes me feel like standing on a mezzanine level in a house and seeing different aspects inside the house everyway I look. Surprisingly after applying it smelled very lightly on my skin. A few hours later though it smelled at its best and was quite prominent. Normally you smell a perfume best at first when you spray it on your skin and if you are lucky after a few hours but this is exactly the opposite. Just when you almost forgot you sprayed Mohur on, you are taken by surprise as you smell a wonderfull perfume ! Of all the rose, oudh, saffron perfumes I have tried, Mohur is my favorite. Not only is it more subtle but it is without edges as well, as if all notes have been rounded and all edges have been taken away. Its staying power is very good: about eight hours.
Try Mohur if you like Rose Oud By Kilian, Rose D´Arabie Armani Prive, Aoud Red Flowers Montale or if you are lover of rose perfumes in general.
Everything in the line of Neela Vermeire has been carefully been thought through. There is a sample set available with 2 ml samples to try the whole line out. She sells a Discovery Set for quite a reasonable price at 110 euro for 4 sprays of 8 ml. You cannot stop but notice Neela Vermeire´s passion for her own perfumes and the art of making perfume. An extrait version of Mohur was introduced as well two years ago, an even more glorious perfume.
Neela Vermeire fragrances can be bought at: Neela Vermeire Creations and The Perfume Lounge Amsterdam
Disclosure: I have my own bottle of the eau de parfum
Photographs of Neela Vermeire perfume: courtesy of Neela Vermeire Creations
Photograph with rose by L’Esperessence
Read more about Neela Vermeire and her perfume line in this interesting article in The Perfume Magazine.
Published: August 1st, 2012
Updated and re edited: April 26, 2015