Venice Rococo

WOW. THIS is beautiful..rose, powdery, violets ... My first thought in the opening was , this smells vintage!:... It smelled like something from my grandmother's boudoir table.. Tangee lipstick, a poofy dusting from her gold box of Angel Face powder, with a spritz of scent.... My grandmother was no knit & crochet grandmother..she was a 1920's flapper, who didn't teach me to embroider..she taught me how to play cards and smoke cigarettes, when my mother wasn't looking. My Gran was as original as this perfume! A former wild child dancing in the speakeasy, she kept that bad girl vibe as she aged. For a moment, I was transported back there.... BUT then the perfume began to change... The heart is sophisticated, powdery, rich, GORGEOUS. THIS powdery scent isn't dry, it's thick, full bodied...grown up. And VERY original, in these times where everything smells like fruit, smells like an ocean or smells like oud.. The drydown down is rosy, warm amber ..with something slightly animalic. SEXY. The performance is good, not spectacular, but this smells SO good, SO original, honestly? I don't care. I will have this perfume.. And maybe hit the club, and dance my socks off-- like my Gran did when she was off making trouble, in her heyday.✨

Magnetic and head spinning! The most powdery powder perfume I’ve encountered. Teint de Neige is similar albeit sweeter, creamier. Venice Rococo comes close to my idea of vintage face powders, ruffles and feathers, and the scent of a cosmetic/violetty/pretty perfume emanating from a generous cleavage. It could be backstage at the Moulin Rouge, in the bedroom of a 50’s starlet, and even at the lab of a cosmetic genius circa the early 20’s. I can sense a reference to the idea of Vanderbilt, L’Heure Bleue, Caron cosmetics and maybe lipstick. While I don’t find it animalic, there’s a naughty bit that makes it feel not clean but lived in. I find it comforting, piercing, sometimes strident, always beautiful. If YSL Paris fell inside a huge vat of Teint de Neige, and Dove soap was used to wash the mess, it could approximate the scent of Venice Rococo. Freshly washed, both gals hairspray to an inch of their lives, play with a white cat called Azurra, eat a violet bonbon and spray perfume lavishly, Ombre Rose maybe, with a dash of Youth Dew underneath for a fiery jolt. That’s the idea I can get along with! I absolutely love it! Sillage and longevity are off the charts. From 2024, this/Epona/Un Bel Amour d’Été are the top releases.

Rose frolicking between sharp and soft, aldehydes and after bath powder straight from a deteriorating vintage pouf, coating the air in fine particles of light-catching talc laced with just enough arsenic to portend doom. The concept of antique and relic made olfactory, reeking of a not-literal but certainly foreshadowed death. Morbid delights of wearing a long-deceased relative's vanity trove, knowing nothing within the ornate bygone-devotion-to-glamour compact is currently considered safe for applying to skin, and not really caring much for the caution this should provoke. Dabbing behind the ears a bombshell rose parfum that's evaporated into practical agar from an etched crystal flacon. There is almost a costume facet to this scent, as if adding it to an ensemble could age it up, lending undue provenance to a replica vintage dress. In that way it can be considered a faux finish one might brew up at home, staining new lace with tea bags to give the appearance of age and just a touch of neglect: an instant and no-stakes haunting. The ultimate Miss Havisham cosplay scent. It's powerful and projects, which is to be expected both from the house of Arquiste and the nose of Flores-Roux.

I keep telling myself I dislike powdery notes, especially those that veer baby-wipeish - it was my main gripe with Comete. I don't have much nostalgia for my nappy-changing days and I always loathed the hideously artificial powdery smell of (clean) disposable nappies, while talc type smells just makes me think of dirty hair. However, I love this perfume, and keep thinking about it. It occurs to me that I also enjoy the touch of powder notes in several perfumes I know or own, like Blousy, Dior Homme Intense, Confetto. Not sure what makes it ok in some cases, not in others, but Venice Rococo is so charming even though it's also definitely baby-wipe-adjacent. What the reviewers say below matches my experience very closely. I like the sharpness of the rose-musk edge, and adore the civet or whatever in the base. The pink bubble of the bottle is adorable too, and the name is genius: who doesn't love eighteenth-century Venice? And Rococo, the overlooked, unserious younger cousin of Baroque, is very much My Thing. This would be fabulous on a man, an olfactory powdered wig and lace hankie

After an endless search for a perfume that truly makes me fall in love, Venice Rococo was a revelation. The opening is quite strong, but from the very first spray it is beautiful rather than challenging. A luminous blend of roses, violet, iris, orange and soft powder creates an impression that feels elegant, romantic and effortlessly feminine. What I love most is the harmony. I can detect the individual notes, yet none of them dominates or becomes annoying. The rose is refined, the violet adds charm without turning overly sweet, the iris brings sophistication, and the orange provides just enough brightness to keep everything radiant. Unlike many fragrances that impress initially and then lose their magic, Venice Rococo simply becomes softer and more intimate as it wears. The character remains the same throughout, just closer to the skin. On me, the longevity is excellent—I could still smell it the next morning. This is one of those rare perfumes that keeps drawing my nose back to my wrist. Romantic, polished, and utterly beautiful.

The fragrance unfurls with a vibrant cloud of powdery purple florals. Rose and violet immediately take center stage, forming a sophisticated and luminous bouquet that feels both classic and expressive. The effect is soft and flirtatious, leaving a noticeable trail that unfolds like a refined powdery floral with a distinctly vintage sensibility. What stands out is how polished and cohesive the composition feels. Interestingly, I don’t detect the cumin, civet, or other elements that might push the fragrance toward a more animalic or provocative direction. Instead, the overall atmosphere remains graceful and romantic, evoking the charm of historical luxury perfumes. To my nose, it sits somewhere between French violet and Lipstick rose, while also recalling the powdery elegance of Teint de Neige. Those who enjoy vintage-inspired iris and powdery florals will likely find this fragrance deeply appealing.

Even though I would not wear this myself, I do very much appreciate its complexity and elegant sophistication. Rose and powder are the two dominant notes. The powder is not your standard baby version- it is much more refined and clearly grown up, reminiscent of an expensive YSL cosmetic that my mom used to wear. The rose is quintessential Turkish - the kind with powerful thorns and a strong exuberance of fresh petals. Unlike her dainty pink presentation, there is something very vintage gothic about the blend. I can vividly smell the costume effect that others have commented about. The cumin, amber and violet came through on the drydown for me. Longevity is great, but there is something a bit too mature about this for me personally. Not your average grandma by any means, but this definitely evokes a feeling of past times. Old money for sure.

Perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux has a style that is the olfactory equivalent of music producer Phil Specter’s famous “wall of sound.” Specter layered voices and instruments so that the entire sound spectrum was packed. Flores-Roux does this with olfactory molecules. I don’t smell any space between the notes or even between the top, middle and bottom of Venice Rococo. All the accords come out at once—the aldehydes, the violet, the coconut, the camomile, white flowers, rose and Hawthorne. By comparing Flores-Roux to Spector I don’t mean to suggest he makes “loud” perfumes. What I mean is that he makes florals, and especially white florals, deep and robust. After smelling Venice Rococo and L’Astre for Le Gallion, he has become my favorite perfumer.

I found about Arquiste because of A Grove by the Sea (I am a sucker for Mediterranean inspired fragrances) and decided to spend the twenty bucks to snag a sample set. I wasn't really expecting much from this fragrance, it wasn't on my radar at all since I don't gravitate towards soapy rose scents at all, BUT this beauty really blew me away! The powder and soapy aldehydes are paired with a sweet rose (though it doesn't go jammy thank god), but the slight animalic qualities from the cumin are what make this shine. It takes this fragrance from just another soap bomb to something incredibly sensual and cheeky. I think it might be my favorite from the set and has inspired me to give the rest of their offerings a sniff. Pleasantly surprised!

smells like rose and violet petals snuggled up silk sheets and doused in baby powder in the most romantic way possible. It's coquette to the max, with the aldehydes being soapy and clean with a vintage and powdery backbone. There's definitely a honeyed sweetness here, but the powdery touches overtake anything becoming too sweet or syrupy. The rose here reads so soft and crumbly, and as a rose hater, it manages to be highlighted without being too floral, too stuffy, or too sweet. The dry down is interesting as the civet and amber mimic the warmth of a lovers skin after they've taken a rose milk bath and lathered themselves in soft lotion. A gorgeous scent.

From the website: Roman chamomile, Upcycled Turkish rose water (proprietary production), Hawthorne, Aldehydes, powdery accord, Moroccan orange flower absolute, Black violet accord, Cumin essence, Animalic amber, Iris germanica extract, Civet accord, French Jasmine absolute. Beautiful aldehydic rose and violet perfume with a powdery dry down. I detest cumin in fragrances but luckily I don't smell it in this. It is softly animalic, more a purr rather than a growl. Vintage vibes but firmly 21st century. I must get a bottle of this, I can't stop smelling my wrist. Amazing longevity, one small spray and I can still smell it after a shower.

I love this but it smells so similar to LV Teint de neige that I don't need it. So, close that they could be twins. Slight differences. Like one twin has a few little freckles and the other one doesn't. Teint de neige has a vanilla powder mixed in with the floral powder. But Venice Rococo doesn't have any slight vanilla sweetness, only the sweetness from heliotrope. This is very beautiful and when my bottle of Teint de Neige is gone I might opt for this instead.

Powdery retro heaven. Violet not overwhelming but softened by rose & hawthorn. Similar to Mizensir’s Musc Eternel but ME is cleaner and more modern. This is more romantic. I mostly find this scent profile comforting rather than seductive, but this hints at indoor privacy, conjures up images of four poster beds, intimacy and sex. Desperately trying to ignore the slight cough and olfactory bulb-to-brain pain it appears to give me because I want this badly....

I happen to love this. It has a very clear vision and apologizes for nothing. It is Bold, Vintage, Powdery & Opulent. I picture Venice at night and the sound of heels on the cobblestone streets. I happen to work outdoors so I appreciate the staying power. If you want to tone it down it layers well with Chanel 1932. Definitely recommend testing before you buy.

Absolutely gorgeous. Feminine to the Nth degree. Its everything beautiful of a time gone by of gentility and deftness. Dreamy dreamy dreamy of Paris streets maybe the Caron salon for their iconic face powder. Absolutely transportive. Its delicate, feminine, memorable. Total signature scent. Wow

A slightly more sparkling version of Lipstick Rose that is less powerful. Very similar in smell, all the way through to dry down, maybe slightly less candy hearts. You don't need both as scent profile is very similar. Definitely FBW.

I want to bathe in this. This is an easy FBW purchase if you love a powdery scent. It screams first day of spring to me. It’s soft, flirtatious, pink bows and pink cheeks

I got a sample on a whim from luckyscent. First smell was love. I ordered a bottle immediately.

For me smells like a baby perfume, it's just beautiful ❤️

Saw a bunch of reviews saying this is just powder and not much else, and knew I had to get my nose on it. I love a powder, and think that when you love a smell you can better assess subtle nuances and differences. And I'm here to tell you that yes this is a soft powder, but primarily I'm getting rosewater. And the powder here isn't as dry as others like Kenzo Flower or Habanita, and I actually prefer my powders dry. This feels more soft and spongey, probably supported by the chamomile. Later an orange-tinged amber starts shining through. Lady like. Like the other reviewers I am not getting much cumin or civet or anything that would turn this from a pretty fragrance into something more unexpected or subversive. However the couple on the fragaphilia podcast mentioned smelling animalic notes so there is dissent!! Sidebar for powder lovers, otherwise skip: at the same time this launched, so did Jouissance Le Cahiers Secret, inspired by Anais Nin's journals. A timeless powdery "grandma" scent warmed by flushed-skin spices, if you are looking for something with a little skank.