Rose & Dragon

I admit it, the name drew me in. However, I'm a big fan of rose so it was a no-brainer. To be frank, this is not one to judge on first spray: the opening is admittedly quite harsh to my nose. I think the cinnamon and honey make it cloying and overbearing, a less well-blended, harsher version of Amouage's Crimson Rocks, kind of. Both perfumes share this cinnamon-honeyed rose DNA. However, the big difference lies in the drydown. Whereas Crimson Rocks stays pretty pungent and cloying the whole way, Rose & Dragon takes a shift and turns very smoky and incense-driven in the drydown, which in the end makes it superior to me than Crimson Rocks, which I find is too feminine and syrupy sweet. This turns quite unisex especially in the drydown however one has to enjoy rose which is not everyone, especially for guys. Longevity is alright, a good 8 hours on skin, pushing quite a bit the first 2 hours until it gets smokier and clings closer to skin. Very gothic in nature, this is one you want to dress up, preferably in black or pink (or both!). As a guy, I see a guy in a tux or a black suit. On a woman, someone with a flowing gothic dress would be stupidly sexy with this perfume on. This is also quite smoky so definitely suited for colder seasons. This is my first actual contact with this brand, I've had samples before and none of the "fresher" collections appeal much to me (exceptions for Megalium and D600, both wonderful) but the black and bestial collections absolutely are my cup of tea. Lovely presentation too, black box gold logo, inside is a simple quote about the perfume and an unusual square bottle shape sitting into a groove in the box. Simple yet classy. I'm curious for more!

It’s nighttime in a spice market, and the air is thick with red roses, strawberries, and spices that have baked all day under the desert sun. The heat has faded, but the warmth clings to everything, carried by the scent of saffron that rises like a slow, seductive wave. Cumin weaves through it all, grounding the air with a soft, earthy heat. There’s a smoky haze mixed with the smell of leather and the musk of passersby. This perfume opens with a bold hit of saffron and roses, immediately enveloping you. Then, strawberries and cumin round out the sweetness and spice, adding a soft warmth. But don’t get comfortable—the intensity deepens as leather and musk take root in the base, creating a heady, mysterious allure. It’s sexy. It’s sophisticated. This is for the girl who’s untamed yet effortlessly cool, the one who throws on a leather jacket over a floral dress and always smells like she’s just come back from some intoxicating, unforgettable adventure.

Fascinating start - through heaviness of leather and manuka honey that are intoxicating, a perfectly fresh and noble dark red rose shines through. It is so much a fresh bloom one, that it shows itself pink to me, at first. Only to reconsider that it's a dark red, fresh one. Wild strawberries are also in the spectrum, a dash of cinnamon, I would say violets too, but it can be subtle saffron note. It's just a start. Very dark in autumn, winter, but turns alive and lets the floral notes shine spring evening. It also has near licorice aspect. A slightly powdery, velvety feel. It's complex and high quality. A love potion. Background is very black and dense - incensy labdanum and leather. Very smooth and smoky. The vivid, feminine, velvety rose is a shocking yet bewitching contrast that plays well with the softness of all the notes. It is heavy, black, dense but velvety soft and full of surprises.

As another reviewer commented below, the notes may lead you to believe that this is much more complex than it actually comes off. The first impression is clearly rose and then I have to put effort in to make out any other notes, it’s so rose that it gave me the impression of wearing red roses by jo malone (though that one is certainly much brighter and more realistic, the leather-animalic notes here give this one a much deeper-darker-heavier impression and it’s much more “perfumey” than literal rose). It also has this interesting effect on me that I become quickly anosmic to it up close but I can smell it all around me, very pleasant projection! I find the name to be spot on. It’s a dark spicy animalic rose. Oh and it is quintessential gothic and vampy, this is some Victoria Frances and Morticia Addams kind of stuff.

This is a gorgeous black syrupy rose, an Iberian version of Clinique’s Beyond Rose or Aramis Calligraphy Rose. Definitely more “oud-like” than the other two, perhaps a nod to Moorish roots, but also more refined. Good projection for the first hour or so, then drops down to an intimate scent, clings well to clothing and will last overnight on fabric, not so tenacious on skin. Blind bought it on sale, not disappointed but I wouldn’t buy a back up bottle because the performance can be a bit frustrating.