Coach Signature Rose D'Or

I'm in awe. I've been on a Serge Lutens buying spree, but I've also been tapping into some Groupon deals. Go ahead: laugh. This came up on Groupon (and btw I bought another FB!!!); the "rose" part kinda threw me. I had ordered D&G Rose, and Bvlgari's Rose off Groupon, and I like "rose" okay, enough, but, this is not a "rose" scent per se. This has the depth and richness of an SL or Guerlain scent. It is NOT a light, springy, fresh, clean scent--no, no; it's deep, woody, heavy, smoldering. I even get a little incense though not listed. I can smell the orange blossom a bit--but it's the wood: the castoreum, ambergris-oud, patchouli (but not "dirty armpit" exactly) smell; it just hits right away. I'm not sure I'd wear this in summer, during the day--probably NOT. It's more of a Fall/Winter. On me, about two hours later, it brightens and becomes somewhat more "floral" with the rose "lightly" evident, but I don't think of this as a "floral perfume." It's a heavy-hitting oriental--a true floriental, but on the dark smouldering side. I LOVE wood scents (hence my SL addiction), and this could work on a man too--in fact, some women may find this a bit too "masculine." I think if it smells good/great--love it. But this would wear very, very well on a man. Out of my large perfume wardrobe which I'm trying now to reduce (bye bye Chloe Love...!!!), this is going to be in my top five in rotation with SLs. I'm not sure what's going on with the marketing, who the "nose" is etc., but this competes with classics like Coco, No. 5, Shalimar, Estee's YD, and Clinique Aromatic, etc. If you like those--there's a good chance you'll like this too, but it doesn't have the same powdery aldehydes of No. 5, nor quite the spicy sweet of Shalimar, or the peach-sweet spice of Coco--but you get the idea. This is WOOD. I'm sorry to reference other perfumes but if you like Cedre or Feminite by SL or some of the other "wood/oud" scents--give this a try. And I do use the word "woman" above (and men!). You 20-somethings can dream about this, or sneak it for a night out on the town, but be prepared... this is not for "the girls" (or the "boys"). I'm heavy-handed with my perfumes, because these days, the point seems to be lost that perfume is to be smelled by others as well as enjoyed by oneself. I'm into sharing the love (though not fumigating the innocents). I know, I know...some are allergic, etc., but my skin is dry, doesn't hold a lot of scents well despite emollients--and, so far no complaints. (I'm surrounded by perfume police at work and haven't gotten a ticket yet whilst others have). 'Fumes seem "watered down" these days. Rose d'or is NOT weak. I actually tapered off quite a bit when spraying. I smelled it during the night & the next day. Sillage & longevity are awesome, and it's "reaonsably priced" compared to other niche or luxury brands (which it smells like...). I've spent considerably more on perfumes...for considerably less in return. I LOVE this perfume, and it's one of my new "signatures" (can't we have more than one?). Hats off to Coach. I "liked" their Citrine for sorta of a pleasant summer what-the-heck-to-wear today scent but this is off the charts! 9+/10 (10 is reserved for my beloved Vallee Des Rois)

UPDATE: My tastes have changed since I originally tried this and the scent was lingering in my mind and I had to try it again and I absolutely love it! The key is not being too heavy handed with it. I will not be returning this bottle!! * * * * Wait...what?? This is "Coach"?? Well, I can see why this was a very limited release and basically only available at Harrods. This is not for the usual Coach crowd, this is more for the niche crowd. Very potent leather (castoreum) and a decent dose of oud in the opening, this is not for the soccer mom crowd by any means. It is actually quite unisex and I could see how it could potentially "frighten" those expecting something on the order of the other fragrance offerings from Coach. This is from another galaxy compared to what you usually find there. It actually leans pretty masculine. Don't let the floral notes fool you, this is NOT a "floral" fragrance by any means. The first half hour is actually more on the order of Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford (plus oud) than a Coach fragrance, to give you some idea of what you will find in the bottle. It is an exotic oud/rose/spicy/patchouli with a very hefty dose of leather and a little smoke. It is a bit dry with mild sweetness, mostly from the raspberry. It settles down into rose/floral ambergris leather dry down with a tiny touch of vanilla but never really turns overly sweet at all. It remains quite unisex. I expected to find some weak take on rose oud with leather nowhere to be found and an overly sweet raspberry overload but I could not have been more mistaken. Initially, I really liked it but after a couple more wearings it is just too much. Too much leather and it is a bit overwhelming. Not enough rose and it could use a bit more sweetness.

Oh, this is GORGEOUS. I saw the 3.4 fl oz bottle marked down at TJ Maxx last week for $39 and was intrigued...doubly so when I read the notes and realized it had oud, rose, and leather. Plus, the bottle is beautiful, which doesn't hurt. BUT--the reviews were polarizing and I wasn't sure I wanted to take a $39 chance on a blind buy, especially since patchouli is a note that sometimes DOES NOT work for me. So I put this lovely bottle back and walked away. A sweet Fragrantican saw my post indicating how intrigued I was and sent me a decant so I could try before buying, and I am SO grateful to her for doing so. After testing it last night, I RAN to buy the bottle at TJ's, all the while praying it was still there (it was). On first spritz I get just orange blossom and a hint of saffron before it moves right into the heart of the fragrance, which is rich with rose and jasmine. I'm not smelling any raspberry, but the fragrance dries down into the oud/patch/sweet ambergris and vanilla that rest on the leather in a warm, smoky, sexy way. I know the reviews say this is masculine, but on me it is just a very strong, very sexy scent. I can see how it would be unisex and I look forward to spritzing it on my man to see how it is interpreted on his skin. Well worth the money. Like the other reviewers before me have said, this is a niche fragrance masquerading as a mainstream one, and it does it VERY well. Kudos to Coach.

I was at TJ Maxx today sifting through their fragrances when I saw a gold Coach box and dismissed it thinking it was the original Coach fragrance. I was not about to pay $60 for original Coach so I kept looking. After going back and forth between 2 other fragrances the Coach box caught my eye again. So I picked it up and looked for the name. To my surprise it was the Rose d'or for $60. My shopping trip ended at that point and I ran to the checkout. The cashier told me that they had just gotten it in this morning and they only recieved 1 (I would have bought more). I am excited to get this home and try it on. Please do not sleep on your local Marshall's and TJ Maxx stores because you can find some real gems there. Update: This is a great fragrance. I agree with the other reviewers that there is not a sweet or floral note. Though it may be on the more masculine side I still find it to be unisex and personally do not mind it being more on the masculine side. I am a very feminine woman and enjoy a hefty fragrance and this is perfect. It actually reminds me of Halston Classic. I have the alcohol free perfume so I used it as a base when layering. It compliments this fragrance very well. Also, I sprayed it Wednesday and could still smell it all day Thursday, so the longevity is awesome as well.

I love this! But, of courses I would. I love anything rose-oud-leathery-woody-balsamic. It's intense at first from what must be the castorium but It settles pretty quickly into a perfect oud rose once the heart opens and the rose blooms through. This is a bit smoky and excellently blended. I smell the oud over everything at first so if you want to know what oud smells like this is a great way to learn. Oud is musty, like old books. When blended correctly it's absolutely divine on the skin. I notice the vanilla once it reaches the trail and every once in a while a little hint of the the raspberry peeps through. Projection, moderate & longevity, excellent. Can be unisex. I wouldn't recommend wearing it in the summer, it's a fall/winter fragrance.