Dark Rose Cologne

There exists (in India and Pakistan) a heavenly attar called "Majmua", from the Urdu word for "a collection". It is comprised of a floral (honeyed hyacinths, etc...) attar, a baked mud *from the River Ganges* attar, vetiver attar and another "umbrella tree" flower-based one. THAT is my favorite scent, perfume, fragrance (what have you) in the whole entire world!! THIS is the closest ANY perfume (mass market, vintage or niche) has ever come to that heavenly scent...hands down. This opens with a fierce woodiness and wonderful "incense" accord. Truly dark, almost black, roses combined with the scent of spicy warm saffron, all golden and pollen-rich, exuding a dark floral accord that makes me just sigh with pleasure at the very first whiff! One of my dearest fragrance friends (who I speak to just about every single day) said once that the "rose, saffron and oudh accord" had been "done to death"! That being said (and also quite true), Czech & Speake breathed new life into that composition and gave it just the right amount of smoky resinous "oomph" to really stand out as something not only dark, oriental and intensely exotic; but something amazingly woody and floral at the same time! As it continues, the thick rich and utterly unique scent of agarwood (oud, jinko, kyara, etc...) is braided not only with a thick heavy "oily" patchouli, but also a very dry sweet sandalwood resulting in something not unlike an olfactive orgasm for me! As it dries completely, a sweet dry golden amber and a rather animalic musk dominate, but the heavenly aromas of the other notes remain, blended in something very close to (dare I say it?) the "perfect perfume" for me. Majmua attar is darker, MUCH heavier and extremely "earthy" and slightly more musky with obvious thick and natural components. Dark Rose is like majmua (in its basic composition), but here it has been made not quite so dank, and instead of a fruity hyacinth and a thick waxy honey note; rose steals the show. This is more woody, where majmua is more grassy; otherwise though they are kindred soul-scents. This is NOT your typical "rose scent" (not by a longshot!). I expected something "dirty" (like GV's Rose Noire) after seeing the name and reading the PR on the sample card, and this was NOTHING like that. This is a dark scent that shows you beautiful things are not only sweet and bright and sunny; they can be shadowy, somber and mysterious creatures of the Night, that are nonetheless beautiful! Smoky and incense rich, exotic and heavily woody; all the while remaining darkly floral; Dark Rose checks all (and I mean ALL) the boxes on my checklist of what makes a TRULY great and awesome perfume. It makes me feel I am in a crowded bazaar in Karachi or Calcutta, where incense powders, spices, dried flowers, expensive woods and fancy bottles of magical perfumes and annointing oils are sold. My heart is racing, my face is flushed and something somewhere deep in my heart, on a SOUL level, this is whispering: "You remember!". What it is I remember...I do not know; but I am more than happy to continue sniffing and hopefully (one day) actually consciously recollect. Sillage: great Longevity: very good Overall: 5/5 One of my favorite movies of all time is "Nightbreed" by Clive Barker. It is about "monsters" and how they were persecuted through history, for being different or having "special" (often scary) magical abilities. Rachel, one of the main characters, who could turn herself into smoke and pass through any door or obstacle would, no doubt, smell like this. She could KILL with a kiss, and was strong enough to rip a man's heart out of his chest (though she did not look it), and she was soft-spoken AND extremely beautiful. If she wore perfume: this would be it; and even if she didn't-THIS is how I os-magine she would smell naturally! Dark, smoky, sexy and arcane...full of magic and having centuries of knowledge within her memories.

Czech & Speake specialises in luxury fragrances and luxury bathroom fittings. Their fragrances aren't easily available in India though. Luckily I got some samples, and Dark Rose was the first one I tried. This is a perfect evening, party wear scent that opens with a voluptuous Taif as well as Damask rose accentuated by high quality saffron and a bit of musk and citrus. The Cambodian oud provides a thin, perfect woodsy base that binds everything together. C&S's obsession with quality ingredients can be seen in Dark Rose. This is a jammy, spicy Rose. This fragrance has many interesting phases. Rose the main star of the show shines brightly with saffron for the first two hours and recedes a bit (but still remains noticeable) to let saffron, oud, musk form nice, beautiful bakhoor like wafts that one encounters in Arabian souks. It remains noticeable for about 6 or 7 hours after which it slowly turns into musky, citrus skin scent. This definitely is a luxurious evening scent and people accustomed to good things in life will nod their heads with appreciation when they meet someone wearing this scent. This is unisex and turns heads. Try it. .

So this opens as expected a deep rose smell which runs the full spectrum of plummy jammy, then slightly darker and floral to musky then powdered in the matter of a few minutes as it settles down. That opening is not the most pleasant and does seem a little off to me. The rose is spiced pretty heavily too with saffron and resin but really starts to come into it's own as the drydown progresses with the patchouli coming into play. I have to say the progression of this fragrance is excellent, like many Montale's I simply don't like the rosy synthetic first hour or two then some sublime woody notes of oud/sandalwood and in this case patchouli come out to play and make this fragrance appeal to me. I loved the drydown of this and liked the progressive differences I got from it and the longevity was superb. Rose lovers, check it out you might just fall for it.

Dark rose isn't as dark as you would think. It opens with pink roses, lots of them and lily. The roses become slightly jammy but tart jam. This fragrance to me smells like roses damask roses from my grandma rose bush and lilies. The sandalwood, oud, patchouli and saffron are done to perfection here. They enhance the bouquet of roses and lilies instead of dominate them. I find this leans feminine as there is a sweetness that comes through. Dark rose is sultry and languid. It is the scent of living roses and lily carried through the humid night air. Deep, hypnotic, complex and completely bewitching. This is one of the best rose perfumes I have smelled in a very long while. I would wear this one a lot. Going on my want shelf. Stunning a rich beauty that cannot be denied.

Gorgeous, spicy oriental rose and aoud based. If I were given this as in a blind test I would say this is a Montale! The aoud is prominent in this frag, it is important and so it is definitely NOT a fresh, powdery, delicate rose. This Dark Rose screams for attention, it is sultry, sensual, deep and sexy and evoking burgundy drapes and velvet... definitely a fall-winter frag...the drydown is the best part of the frag (amber sandalwood ad patch), where also the rose reveals itself (not so much in the opening, where you have the aoud with its almost medicinal trail that I like so much!) Excellent sillage and staying power. Not something you'd want to wear in an office, but will smell gorgeous in the evening. A must try for any oriental frag lover!

This is an Arabian, indian, middle eastern knockout. It feels like my skin sets on fire even when i just lightly dab it on my arms pulsepoints. This is one of the only perfumes I've tested where I can easily point out each & every note. The fragrance feels "natural & powerfull", nothing feels artificial about it. AND as a huge lover of SAFFRON - this is the *only* fragrance I've felt a distinct true saffron note. But not like an "ordinary" saffron, but something really extra-expensive, & tremendously luxurious, made for a sultan ages ago. The best description of this perfume is like REALLY stepping into the saga of Thousand and one nights. It transfers you to an arabic desert, an hot fever-crazed dream, taking place thousands of years ago.

Czech and Speake’s Dark Rose is really good and the name is perfect for it, this evokes a dark, deep, crimson rose. It’s reminiscent of DSquared Potion Royal Black but with amped up rose and musks & less smoky incense leaning but they are completely in the same ballpark. Really satisfying to wear, not quite as powerful or evolving as the D2’d but this perfume still delivers a big impactful opening giving its share of ‘darkness’ then a hard to dislike rose accord and a comforting musky skin scent of a drydown. Despite all the comparisons here this is worthy of owning in its own right.

DARK ROSE is a beauty: cold, restrained, fresh and sweet roses with a very wearable oud note and a touch of saffron. There's not so much saffron if you compare it to Midnight Oud, for example, and the overall impression isn't spicy to my nose. I don't detect much patchouli either. It's a simple, but exquisite composition. I have the cologne concentration, it isn't dense, but still, there's no "diluted" feel to it. Very well done, I think it makes a great spring and summer fragrance. Longevity medium to strong.

One of the most beautiful rose "perfumes" that I own, and there are A LOT OF THEM:) And hey: Has nobody mentioned it here :THIS is a COLOGNE!! It has GREAT staying power for such a concentration, and the others here have described it so well, there s nothing to add.. Spicy grown up gorgeous Indian DArk Rose but by no means a heavyweight...

Intense saffron? Oh yes. It's so rich and obvious, really intoxicating! On my skin the rose basically hides behind the saffron which amazed me. I often find saffron "foody" in a way, makes me think of heavvy pots of thick, pasty.. well.. food. This doesn't, it's golden! Luxuous and beautiful, deep and very easy to love!

This is an excellent everyday rose. It's elegant without overwhelming or being g a solely evening scent. The rose attar is very clearly rose de taif, the quality shines through. The only downside of the perfume is it doesn't last the whole day so you need to refresh by evening.

That sounds so good on me, and I think it similar to Midinight Oud Juliette, but I think it darker notes of saffron with rose and oud very dark, it fascinates me. So I would rate it: Smell: 9/10 Projection: 8/10 Longevity: 9/10

This smells absolutely fantastic, I have not sampled many feminine frags but this one is gorgeous. I’d definitely buy it for a significant other. Sold as an EdP now, Incorrect top note listed. Should be: May Chang flower

Another masterpiece from this house. An exceptionally well crafted homage to Rose, revealing all the most alluring and mysterious facets of this majestic flower.

The perfect dark and feminime rose, so wearable!

These guys below compared it to Montales, which got my curiosity up. Having applied it for the first time it did actually reminded me of Montales. Now I was thinking - i liked so far Black Oud from the Montale oud roses versions (although i did not test all of them). I even had a little sample of Black Oud. Now I was thinking - never a better chance to find out which oud rose i wanted to add to my collection. Dark Rose or Black Aoud? so now i have both Montale's Black Oud and Dark Rose on my skin - I can do my little backstage comparison study. By description we are talking about two very similar fragrances - as well as going by the intensity of the notes. Main players for both will be aoud, roses, patchouli and musk. So Dark Rose - all true the previous reviewers - this a powdery/saffrony/aoudy take on rose. To me it is almost transparent, not heavyweight. It is a nice fragrance and yes there is going to be a but. Most probably i would be a big fan had I not smelled Black Oud before. I mean Dark Rose is quite rich and dark but next to Black Oud it would compare as David Copperfield to Gandalf. All in all is a nice fragrance - but to me price value ratio is also important. So I shall go with the Black Aoud. More pleasure for less money :) If you do not like the tarry smokeyness of Black Aoud - Dark Rose could be a good point to start. P.S: the drydown is surprising - it smells like HONEY :)

I am seriously impressed. In 2003, nearly ten years ago, Czech & Speake put out apparently the first rose, oud, and saffron perfume, and it was a good one--I'm assuming that this 2009 reissue is essentially the same composition. I am also beginning to realize that rose, oud, and saffron perfumes have a lot in common with one another, and I would be hard pressed to identify the house from which they came. DARK ROSE is especially nice because the oud is actually detectable. I've been noticing of late that many so-called oud perfumes contain imperceptibly small amounts of oud. It's possible, of course, that I am hyposmic to oud, but since lots of other people have made the same complaint, I think that it's safe to say that perfumers should probably up the ante on this precious note or else just get out of the oud game, because we've really had enough oudless "oud" launches by now. Have we not? This is a gorgeous presentation of saffron as well. I am baffled as to how this can be a cologne, when so many niche edps have much worse longevity than this. Hats off to Czech & Speake for creating a beautiful perfume and humbly characterizing it as a mere cologne! (Not to name any names, but often in niche perfumery what happens is exactly the reverse...) This creation is completely and utterly full-bottle worthy and is going straight onto my wish list. Bravo!

I've tried many fragrance with the Rose & Oud or Rose & Patchouli combinations before. The former tends to turn sweet on me while the latter seems to generate this strange saffron-like scent on my skin (I like saffron, but I prefer it as food). This one, however, definitely exceeded my expectation. At first spray I got a rich rose, there's a tinge of sweetness that goes away pretty quickly after the first five minutes, and after that the oud comes through and seems to complement the rose quite well. My body chemistry is a bit unusual in that most fragrance never smell the way they're intended to on me, but in this particular case, the scent works in my favor and comes through as a true, deep rose with a light leather scent. It's rich without being heavy, refreshing without being light. With that being said, the scent does stay close to the skin so for those who are looking for sillage (like yours truly), this may not be the most ideal. Nonetheless, I'm keeping this in view as its performance and scent are definitely good enough for me to break the no-cologne (due to poor longevity) rule.

I have very little to add to all those fitting descriptions... This scent is warm, smoky, oriental and somehow Middle Eastern. The rose is dark indeed, mature and "sad" somehow at the beginning (perhaps as if already wilted a bit) and a bit overshadowed by the Agarwood, which - despite being a bit medicinal, of course - is actually quite tame and pleasant and doesn't seem to linger for too long on my skin. For me the start somehow personifies an old fashioned rose scent, something I used to despise before getting more interested in fragrances... Very soon the rose becomes more prominent and as if it lifted it's tired head (maybe after a dose of fresh water), it is also more optimistic and jovial. :-) I've put it on in the morning and thought that it's really quite generic rose, slightly gloomy even. And then I went out and the surprisingly strong, warm morning sun combined with the very cool breeze somehow carried around me those beautiful, light, but luxurious puffs of this dark, but now cheerful oriental rose. I am enjoying this one, although it is in my opinion a bit overpriced.

Before Montale, before all the aouds came out, I remember smelling Dark Rose in a niche shop and felt absolutely charmed in spite of its weirdness. WoW! this was really shocking back then and in a positive way! It was a deep, bright red rose soaked in aoud which I identified as "dentist smell" back then and I hate the dentist cabinet! Very long lasting, too. I'm talking about the first release. With more awareness the strong medicinal smell of Aoud became more of a woody note to my nose. I much prefer the Montale now, but Dark Rose was my first experience with aoud-rose combo and a glorious one!

The deepest darkest rose fragrance I have ever come across. This is elegant, mature and packs some serious oomph! I can pick up the initial decadent saffron note in abundance. The combination of rose and sandalwood is lovely, but spray only a little as the whole concoction can be a little heady! You have to love rose to wear this perfume, as wearing it transports you to a moonlit garden filled with fragrant roses. I'm wearing this during the day but think it's much more suited to the evening. Good sillage and long lasting (about half a day on me).

Now that I joined Fragrantica I re-post my review of Dark Rose by Czech & Speake. I bought this fragrance two months ago and I love it. It's a very decadent and dandyish scent. Saffron, oud and patchouly makes this rose maliciuos, sensual and dark. The persistence is good, and I think it's one of the rare rose-based fragrances that a man can wear without problems.

I really like this rose! I got some on the sleeve of my jacket, and days later I couldn't stop smelling it. I thought, "What was I wearing and why don't I wear that more often...?" Then I remembered my sample. Another one on my want list!

Oh, I really like this fragrance! It's sooo deep, middle eastern rose, interesting, womanly, long-lasting, quite sweet and a little syrupy. It smells like a misterious exotic palace. If you like orientals and rose smell give it a try!

My sister bring me this perfum from Italia.Its strong and smell spice azafran

Dark Rose - not as dark as you would think. This fragrance opens with a very bright and feminine rose, may chang and lily - soft and smooth florals which compliment each other well, with not much detection of anything darker than this. In the heart you are greeted with a sour sharpness from the musk and cedar wood, however this combination with the florals results in a slightly synthetic outcome. As it dries down, a sweet saffron and earthy patchouli present themselves and mix with the florals. Unfortunately to me this seems to create something very reminiscent of a bathroom cleaner, very soapy and slightly sharp. With the sample I have here, I cannot detect any oud or even oud accord which is disappointing. Overall this is a pleasant soapy floral autumn scent for women, however it does not live up to the price tag attached.

I have a rose garden and specialize in antique and old fashioned varieties that have the strongest fragrance. Of course the fragrances vary from tea to apple to clove. But none of them smell like plastic, and that is the note I am getting with this. When I first sprayed it on myself I got this strong "Department Store Cosmetics Counter" odor, though I do have to say it reminded me of a rather posh one. I keep waiting for it to settle into a less artificial perfume but it's not happening. I am getting this single note and am very disappointed that I am not smelling what others are sensing. So far my favorite rose fragrance is Cannabis Rose--it is complex, fresh, and herbal--as if you have rubbed your fingers on the sticky stem of a moss rose.

Rose oud fragrances never seem to work on me, no matter how I try. I got a sample of this from the London Czech and Speake shop, as I wanted to make sure it suited me before forking out. I'm glad I didn't buy it outright. The rose top notes are very thin, combined with a somewhat cloying saffron. Other reviewers have mentioned 'plastic', which is what I got...somehow plastic and ozone, like an electrical circuit that has melted. The oud is present with a faint patchouli and gives it depth, but it scarcely lasted an hour on me before fading away almost entirely, leaving a powdery musk afternote. I love Czech and Speake's Neroli, so was expecting something similarly fabulous, but, for me, this fragrance was very disappointing.

Dark Rose had a permanent place on my mental 'to try' list, and actually I didn't think I could get over it so quickly. A bit disappointed, but also glad that it's not ànother dark rose I really crave for. It opens spicy and rosey, something that made me think "oh so nice and oh so familiar". But it dries down within half an hour and for another hour there's nothing more left than a classic potpourri smell. Sorry for the negativity, but couldn't make anything else of it!

I read the reviews and decided to buy it online I wish I didn't .. It's very strong . It smells like Arabian oil perfumes very heavy .. It's good for ladies over 50

This lasted all of two minutes on me and the rose was smothered ( in a vile act of rosicde)by agarwood. A revolting experience.

I half suspect that the sample of Dark Rose I purchased is on the turn, but I will attempt to review it anyway. I can still smell the heart and drydown well enough. Dark Rose is a heavy scent, there's no doubt about that. Most fragrances that feature oud as a dominant note will usually succumb to the potency that comes with it. It's unfortunate that my sample is stale, because right off the bat I can tell that Dark Rose is a fragrance I would really enjoy. Surprisingly, the rose and oud accords are so strong that I can barely detect the patchouli. It's in a similar vein to those Arabic perfume oils, however it's not so concentrated. It smells quite luxurious on the skin, like a fragrance that only the rich would wear. From what I can gather, Dark Rose is guilty of being rather linear, however I believe this is mostly in its favour. Like Miss Guerlain remarked in her review, it is easy to detect each and every note in Dark Rose. As you would expect, Dark Rose has excellent sillage and longevity. This fragrance is fairly difficult to track down in Australia, however I have read that a store in Bowral stocks this brand. An odd place for a fragrance of this calibre to be available. I must admit I had a bit of a giggle.

How sad I am this rose falls flat on my skin! I like it from the bottle but on me it gets lost, gone! Where is my spicy rose, my patchouly, where? I gave it time, and days to develop, but ... no way it can like me or I can enjoy it! Rich, luxurious rose ... where is it? It's not on me. I have tried one up to five or six sprays at a time, but the wave to carry me away did not arrive... it stays sharp and goes to no direction, the notes do not sing, they are like a guitar out of tune, with screeching accents and out of place noises. I shall put this away for later, maybe we'll get to terms. Will try it in both cold and hot weather, will try it on my husband even. The best until now was to put a basis of patchouly on my skin and spray Dark Rose on it: I enjoyed it. Next I applied a tiny dab of Pour une Femme Caron and I was in heaven. dark Rose, why do I have to struggle with you, what other combinations of scents do you want me to make so as to tame you? Who knows? Is there a secret to this, people?

Dark Rose was originally released in 2003 with notes of saffron, agarwood, rose, sandalwood and white amber and then discontinued (date unknown). In 2009, following the oud-hysteria, Czech & Speake re-launched it in an edc spray. Dark Rose is fantastic but, if smelled today for the first time, it is definitely not original. It seats somewhere between Montale's Black Aoud, Malle's Portrait of A Lady and Amouage Homage but it lacks the Montale's obscure power, the Malle's sophisticated elegance and refinements and the humongous opulence of the Amouage. That being said, if you're looking for a dark/gothic oud/rose concoction but you feel like not daring too much, this is a terrific option. Me? When it comes to dark fragrances I don't like to compromise. Rating: 7/10

A moorish rose - somewhere in the middle east standing in a rose garden with the scent of the bazaar drifting over you! If you like your rose with a touch of oud - and a smattering of middle-eastern mystery ..... then this is for you! The oud, saffron and rose really stand out on the top notes and the middle notes coming through are not as harsh as I would have thought but come together deliciously to create a sensual, almost, honeyed scent! Quite what I wasn't expecting!!!! Classy and recommended!

My favorite in the Czech and Speake lineup, and worthy of a bottle. Light aoud and spices compliment a rich, slightly soapy and wilted rose. The dankness of the rose is very simple and linear, but quite lovely. The eastern influences clearly make this fragrance a contemporary niche offering, and I can see its appeal. If you're a rose lover, not having this one is a mistake.

Unusual rose scent. Elegant and very feminin. The saffron is coming very clear in the opening, the rose just hiding in the first minutes. Then it's just comes beautifully and starts to grow on me.Rose infusion with oud and musk.I like the light soapy tone in it. As I said: this is a very elegant,sophisticated, luxury fragrance.

Similar to Roja's rose ouds, though obviously less nuanced or refined. This does smells luxurious and expensive, it is a nice rich scent especially suited for the evening. Unisex and extravagant, a thick and viscous texture, clearly inspired by the Middle East but not in a way that wouldn't appeal to a Western nose.

A lot of heady red roses and saffron blended with syrup. Good balance between spiciness and sweetness. Glad this dark named rose does not have aoud or pachouli, for I like saffron must better than pachouli or aoud

This is definitely a rose scent but I smell something plasticy that lingers. Also powder. Alas, it can't move to a love due to the fake note that lingers.