La Colle Noire (2018)

Just bought a huge bottle — mostly because I want to be able to spray indiscriminately, plus the idea of running out ruins me. Lol. It’s a gorgeous, watery, ethereal, lightly fruity rose scent with a thin veil of honey over the petals and a lightly spiced white musk at the base, then blended to perfection. The musk sort of reminds me of the slightly sweet musty smell of a wet rose garden, but in the best way — nothing sickly. It’s sweeter, and blended to perfection. There’s a bit of depth to it underneath the beautiful roses that you almost don’t notice, unless you already know it has woody notes and you’re trying to find it. I think it’s a perfect signature scent for an elegant, traditional (yet comfortable with her femininity) boss lady who has a playful and flirty side. It is also quite sensual, yet somehow appropriate for anywhere. My artistic interpretation of this scent is: A young and lovely Cinderella, confidently strolling in the palace garden at dusk, playing with rose petals.. dropping them in the water fountain... the smell of fresh dew and leaves on the ground... waiting for her prince to meet up with her. He is slightly late, but she doesn’t really notice. She knows he will be along soon. She smiles when she thinks of him, remembering the way he gazes at her... Her gown is long; a veil of white organza over a blush pink slip, with the tiniest Swarovski crystals sparkling in the moonlight... her hair trailing behind her in beautiful, soft, long, sexy, ballyage-like beige-blonde curls. She is sweet and innocent — mostly! — and completely lovestruck, with a glint of playful mischief sparkling in her eyes. He is about to propose. She knows it.

Sampled a few from the Dior Privee Collection store (Lucky, Holy Peony, Rose Kabuki, Rouge Trafalgar, Belle Du Jour). My personal opinion - this was the most sophisticated and had the best longevity of the few I sampled, based on the perfume sample cards. Although I must say, most of the fragrances from the Dior Privee Collection are really pretty florals on the opening and middle notes. Like walking around different flower patches in a lush garden. Went back to the store to purchase a small bottle of La Colle Noire. On first spray, the rose really comes through. To me it's a deep, sparkling, elegant rose. Interestingly, I got more oud/woody basenotes from the dry down on the card, but more musky base notes when the dry down developed on my skin. Very pretty, elegant, and inoffensive. Maybe some may not absolutely love, but can't see anyone hating this honestly. If I had to imagine a person wearing this - a pretty, expensive-looking girl who's kind of a people-pleaser. Anyway, I love this perfume :)

Before I got interested in perfume, I hunted down a discontinued bottle of Balenciaga L'eau Rose (a Paris flanker) because it was a sentimental bottle (my husband and I were dating when I wore it). It is overly sweet and has poor longevity, and I ended up paying $270 due to scarcity. So dumb. But perhaps, if I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, I would have purchased Dior's La Colle Noire because it's just so much better. This is less sweet, more grown up, better balanced. I get quite a bit of tartness--lemon, raspberry. This is a rose scent, fresh and tart. The longer I have this on, the more I like it--the scent deepens developing and rounding with counterbalanced, woody notes. So pretty--mature without being dated, elegant, and undeniably feminine in the classic sense. I may buy a bottle of this--I have many rose scents (Diptique, MFK, Bvlgari Rose Goldea, Balenciaga Roseabotanica, D&G Rose The One, etc.), but this is by far one of the best.

This smell is magical. I visited the Dior flagship boutique in San Francisco today and I bought this for my favorite woman in the world. My friend loves Peony and Rose with a touch of sweetness and this perfume delivers perfectly. The Honey and Lemon notes bring the Rose and Peony together magically. The Rose and Peony smells stay up front and pronounced after the dry down. As soon as I smelled this fragrance I loved it. Ashleigh is a big fan of J’adore and the Blooming Bouquet Ms. Dior. I have bought almost every version of J’adore for her and she has loved them all. Original J’adore is her signature scent. The La Colle Noire reminds me of a very refined Chloe Rose but the La Colle Noire is more sensual and sexy imo. Just smelling this makes me want to give Ashleigh a hig and be taken away by wonderful smell of this perfume. It is absolutely sexy and unforgettable. I know I will be buying a bottle of this every year for my favorite friend.

Truly beautiful! Smells exactly like a fresh rose. Good longevity. Has the classic Dior elegance, i.e. only those you allow to draw near you will be graced with smelling this aroma. And that’s the point, La Colle Noire is graceful and confident and doesn’t need to fill the room. Here, Dior has mastered the art of being transparent yet present; a wonderful experience all the way through. P.S. Other reviewers comparing this to MFK A La Rose or Parfums de Marly. I haven’t smelled those and I’m sure they smell great, however the medium and large sized bottles of La Colle Noire are easily half the price per mL if the other houses. I’d wager this is one of the highest quality rose scents for the money! Edit: I sprayed some just before bed, the next morning I’m still getting beautiful wafts of musk and sandalwood as I prepare my morning routine. I am so in love with my 8.5oz bottle, bout to rip it up this spring and summer 😍