Rouge

This is such an under appreciated gem of a fragrance. Strange, naturalistic and agricultural, grounded, but very modern and wearable at the same time. I immediately get beetroot, particularly in the opening. A bit strange, but very addictive. You might expect it to smell like borscht or something, but it doesn't, instead it exaggerates the most attractive, sweet, almost candied aspects of the root, and yeah, I realize that I probably sound a bit like Dwight Schrute (and I'm sure he would love this scent as well) but it really makes them beets seem...sensual? The earthy, metallic sweetness almost makes me think of blood and it definitely has that sexy vampire vibe. Thankfully, it's not all about the opening as it also features CDG's iconic incense, and for me, this is one of the best incense notes in the entire fragrance industry, it dries down to a mineralic, slightly churchy frankincense & patchouli base that accentuates the beetroot's earthy nuances and amplifies the gothic atmosphere. I agree with the commenter below me who mentioned aldehydes, they certainly play a major role here, and I'll add that a friend of mine has said that it reminds her of bath salts and I can definitely see why she would make that comparison. Rouge is an elegant scent, but it has a playful side, it doesn't lean too mature and it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's also well above average in terms of performance. Despite everything that I've said implying otherwise, it's not actually particularly dark or heavy, it's quite fresh and clean, and while I wouldn't wear it in the dead of summer, I find it surprisingly versatile, and that's why it's one of my all time favorites.

Picture it: New York City, 2014. You're on the Q line, and you lock eyes with a beautiful bearded man; hair up in a pontail and yogamat slung over his shoulder. He's wearing harem pants- you don't care. You can hear Fleet Foxes playing through his second gen iPod Touch. You coyly tap your toes along to "Mykonos" as your eyes occasionally linger for just a little too long. At every stop you contemplate disembarking, but instead you bring yourself to stay on the train until he gets off at the Union Square stop. You follow him across the street and all the way up the second floor of an old industrial building that houses JivamukTea Cafe and Yoga Studio. (now permanently closed.) You can smell the metallic whirring of smoothie blenders, juice machines, and it's humid inside the only way a gentrified yoga-studio-slash-cafe could get in the early twenty-teens. He sits down with his battered copy of Rimbaud and freshly squeezed beet juice, and you tap his shoulder to play the fool and ask what he's reading. His neck radiates the ghosts of patchouli oil and his own sweet sweat. As he speaks, the muggy aftertaste of beet juice wafts in your direction and makes contact with your own dripping pheromones, his incense tinged musk, and the herbal humidity of the yoga cafe. He doesn't speak english; only broken words through his alluring Belgian-French. You fall in love. You make love in the grotesquely small single stall cafe bathroom. You never see him again. THAT is what Comme Des Garcons Rouge smells like.

Read reviews before buying a fragrance, but take them with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own opinion regarding smells. Some people love it. Some people hate it. My advice is for you to get a sample of ANY fragrance before you ever buy it. That way, you can assess it yourself and have your thoughts, rather than strictly going off someone else's thoughts and opinions. I agree with Francesco02. The colors that remind me of Rouge are red (of course), gray, and pink. Rouge is a vegetal scent that obviously comes from the beetroot note; however, there is a slight coldness to this fragrance that emphasizes the gray color mentioned earlier. I think it's the mint and candied ginger working together with the vegetative scent of the beetroot, but there is also something pink to Rouge's smell. Unlike Francesco02, the scent is not necessarily a loud, bright neon pink, but there is a soft, pale, subtle cotton candy pink vibe. Rouge is a sweet, vegetal, ambery fragrance on my skin. I would not say that it is sickly sweet, but I would NOT SPRAY MORE THAN THREE SPRAYS, especially if you are a guy like me that likes unisex, feminine-leaning fragrances. Just don't overdo it. Then, it will be sickly sweet. Rouge is perfect for women, and certain men can pull this off without any qualms. I think this is a great scent for the daytime in the fall and spring, and it is a great summer nighttime scent when it's not overly hot and sweltering. As I stated earlier, I like it. Two thumbs up from me!!!

My favourite in the entire range by far. I first found it pushed to the very back of the CDG display, as it was obviously out of stock. So smelling the tester which they didn’t want me to smell suddenly had much more forbidden allure. At first spray on a strip, I dismissed it in favour of Cement and Wonderwood which initially were better. But luckily I sprayed one uninterested spray onto my arm. As Cement and Wonderwood were losing their charm, Rouge was evolving as the much better fragrance. It reminded me a little of Wonderwood but without the Encre Noire element and with brighter, glistening notes of beetroot and ginger. Later that day (once I had washed off the other scents) I made sure to liberally spray this all over my neck. It’s herbaceous, aromatic and spicy with the usual CDG incense but it’s uplifting like a red hot chilli with a sparkling pomegranate ruby. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the beetroot note so much, but it’s very realistic and amazing in this fragrance, especially when combined with the fresh ginger. I’m told I’m filling the room with my “amazing smell”. I’m smelling the top I was wearing when I sprayed it (as it clings to fabric very well) and I’m getting rosemary with other green herbs, pink pepper and fresh red chilli chopped up with ginger and pressed beetroot juice. I will get myself a bottle of this as I can’t fault it, it’s just so easy to wear for every occasion. A very good (unisex) fragrance indeed.

If you love Incense, labdanum, ginger, pepper and above all BEETS, check this out. I've been waiting for my bottle of Rouge patiently since its release date and it did not disappoint. First off, there is a truckload of beetroot in this. Anyone who can't feel it, either have never smelled/eaten beets or needs a PCR test asap. Plot twist: beet root can be sexy in a fragrance. Who knew? Rouge starts off with loads of incence (along the lines of Epic Woman Amouage and Floriental CDG), pepper, ginger and patchouli. The similarities with Epic and Floriental are just an idea of the general mood, Rouge is much softer and almost sneaky quiet compared to them. But it does get under your skin with finesse. This initial blast of Incence and spice is soon going down to a ground level by the beets and their earthy, slightly sweet, flesh-like soil aroma and it stays until the end, as does the incence. Opening and mid phase is thick but in no way heavy and lingers between sweet-tart and barely bitter, just like the sediment of a nice red wine bottle. Lasting power on skin: 6+ hours solid, before it becomes a skin scent. The one thing I don't feel at all from the pyramid is mint. Moderate sillage within arm's length. Versatility: I have no trouble wearing this day or night, Rouge is such a seductive, comforting scent. A big YES for ME ♥️