Harrods Rose

There are times I wish I was a neuroscientist so I could study the brain and its response to different things, especially taste and smell. It would be great to quantitatively measure the subjective experience of these senses and how people "see" things differently. I can tell you that some fragrances are like drugs. I believe in the power of aromatherapy to stimulate, relax, enlighten, reflect, imagine. Some like lavender are calming. Powder and antiseptic smells and earthy smells like patchouli can be numbing or grounding. Have you ever smelled Chanel 19 and said to your partner, "oh gosh you seem approachable now!" Dopamine, GABA, adrenaline --- I think all fragrances can have an effect on these hormones. If my brain were on an imaging scanner the first time I smelled Harrod's Rose, it would light up like someone on MDMA. This stuff is amazing! I instantly felt a flood of serotonin! Joy! Brightness! Energy! Love! I didn't think I could love Rose any more than I already do, but this one has put it over the top. Its companion tuberose stands next to her like a groom in a black tuxedo, making her radiant glowing white ivory dress and red lips burst forth in a study of blended harmony and contrast. Their marriage almost bears forth a love child that seems like gardenia, but there is no bitterness of gardenia, only the energetic life force. If you've been to Harrod's in London, you know it's a bit dark and austere in places where clerks await neutrally. It's wealthy and pleasant and sometimes you have to walk through the tea section just to get a pulse. But this is life and light. I haven't been this excited in a while. My reaction was purely subconscious too. My brain lit up like a tree on Christmas. Instant joy. Love Love Love

I feel so bad, guys. I went to NYC recently and, of course, a number one for me was to stop by one of Bond No. 9's flagships. For those who are unaware, Bond is eponymous with New York. Barring recent years, 90% of their fragrances are specifically crafted after individual neighborhoods within the city. I don't visit particularly often, so it's always a treat to go to one of their boutiques and get a souvenir that actually means something and is connected to the city. Wellll, that was my idea at least. I stopped by their boutique in the Upper East side. The girl who helped us was so nice - I do forget her name, though. Anyways, there I was searching for my New York scent that I loved enough to spend 400+ dollars on when I found it. The only problem was it was not New York at all - rather it was 3,000 miles away in the heart of another great city. Harrods Rose opens with a delicate punch. It's the punch of a romantic, powdery bouquet of roses drizzled with sweet honey. Immediately, it's aroma is quite strong but fizzles away quickly (give or take 15 minutes). Once that effect dissipates the powdery, rosey scent lingers (albeit more subtle) and that's when musk begins to creep in. It's strange because, unlike many musk scents, this feels very clean - very proper. I understand why it gets it's inspiration from London, specifically Harrod's. I envision a very demure, chic English woman walking through the streets of rainy London in a heavy trench coat. That's the mental image painted for me with the scent. It's refined, faceted, but also very point-blank in it's nature. Like other Bond scents, it takes you on a journey and it surely does not disappoint.

Harrods Rose projects Emily Post and properly set tables. She wears a hat on Sunday, waits for her door to be opened and wouldn't dream of raising her voice. Doilies, tea and crumpets come immediately to mind with this prim beauty. How odd is that? Harrods Rose has a slightly dusty paper accord present throughout. Maybe it's responsible for turning my thoughts to ladies of yesteryear? There's nothing progressive or modern in this fragrance, believe me. The narcissus is quite prominent. I'm not accustomed to it featuring so prominently in fragrance. The ambrette is equally cultivated here. Rose and tuberose actually take a bit of a backseat, but are stunningly beautiful nonetheless. Both adding a bit of color to the palette. I shouldn't be able to find myself within the notes of Harrods Rose. I bear no resemblance to her. Yet there she sits, rather straight-laced, on my Fragrantica favorites shelf. She'll be there awhile, polishing the silver.

Bond really knows how to do modern floral fragrances that not only smell great but perform great too. This is yet another one I've fallen in love with. While I do find it similar in profile to Bond's Earth Day and Central Park South as it shares many of the same white florals, unlike them this has a beautiful soft rose, cashmere wood, and a musky ambrette that adds a lovely velvety softness to the profile. The last two notes really make this fragrance something special, turning it smooth as silk and totally devoid of anything sharp. It's just such a perfectly balanced scent of sweet, soft flowers in bloom. While I only have travel sprayers of the others, this is deserving of a great big bottle. I just know that this pretty, well made, and very feminine perfume is going to get a lot of love from me.

Beautiful, refined, sweet and floral, feminine, distinguished and very distinctively from Bond no 9... The initial spray is zesty fruity and guess that it must be due to white narcisse...very nice and pleasant and certainly different...then, I can detect tuberose heart notes, familiar from other Bonds...Harrods for her, Saks for her, Saks en rose; on this occasion the tuberose is lighter than in both Saks but very similar to Harrods for her..Dios mio!..I love this note,,,finally the musk, amber and cashmere base notes arrive slowly and they envelope you in a wonderful comfort zone of sheer luxury... Another memorable beautiful experience from the NYC House... Big thumbs up