Queen

I have been so tired of the many well-trodden concepts in perfume over the past five or so years that as of 2024, I felt certain there'd be little in the way of new releases to elicit more than a yawn and a shrug. Who knew that serendipity would come in the form of the tea-time rhubarb rose confiture that is Queen? Oddly enough, instead of playing of the Queen of Hearts (knowin' it ain't really smart) I immediately recall Carol Channing as the White Queen in the made-for-TV Irwin Allen production of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, singing "Jam tomorrow, jam yesterday, but NEVER jam today" as she shuffles and flails maniacally—it's a must watch if you've never seen it. This is no mere simpering confection—it gradually mellows out into a toffee-spread-onto-old-wood opoponax and a resinous smear that gets lost in the forest, much like Alice does before she happens upon her first mushroom. This one has me wearing a Cheshire Cat grin.

Boozy, jammy, tart berry with rose and a splash of amber? Is it rhubarb? Honey? What in the world? This perfume had my senses whirling upon the first spray. Gorgeous and heady. I had never smelled anything quite like it and felt like I found a secret! Love!

Gorgeously radiant, syrupy floral scent. Tuberose, juicy peach, waxy jasmine, bitter greens, rose, geranium, vanilla and a slight smokeyness resembling some sort of vetiver. Beautiful, leans heavily feminine.

Sumptuous rose gourmand. Better than PDM Delina. But then, most things are.