Rose

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!

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?

How perfume has helped me get through hard times

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Last year has been quite challenging for me as my mother quite unexpectedly passed away. As perfume was a subject we liked to discuss together it has been hard to test new fragrances or buy new scents. It was something very dear to her heart. The last subject we discussed together was perfume as I had just given her a small bottle of Cacharel Eden which she loved. I used to give her all kinds of perfumes which she really enjoyed wearing, some of her favorites being Estée Lauder Beautiful and the original Miss Dior.

I have used many rose centered perfumes last year to bring me some solace and help me with my grief. Guerlain Nahema extrait has been one of the scents I have used most. I found the discontinued Nahema pure perfume in a spray tester bottle fortunately for a reasonable price. One of the fragrances I bought last year was Paul Smith Rose, a very natural smelling and inexpensive tea rose. I like to spray it around me lavishly from time to time.

Apart from bringing some comfort, perfumes have brought me joy as well last year. Especially new scents created by independent perfumers like Envoyage Perfumes Rainmaker made by Shelley Waddington which introduced me to her new hometown Portland. Or the very original Zoologist Bat made by perfumer Ellen Covey and Sultan Pasha’s beautiful classic creations. Scenting these original and well made perfumes introduced me to new worlds and have broadened my olfactory horizons at moments when I needed it most and they still do. I look forward to trying their and many other scented creations this year.

The new year started quite well with Andy Tauers beautiful perfume in a soap smelling of green tuberose and testing many of the latest Italian niche creations at The Scent Company as can been seen on the photograph.

Has perfume helped you get through difficult times? If so which ones helped you most?

Photograph made by Chester.

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