Essence No. 1 Rose

Essence No. 1 Rose by Elie Saab is a unique fragrance that balances a rich, dark rose with a light, powdery touch. While there are only roses in the note profile, there is a bit of spiciness and a hint of woodiness that add depth without being overwhelming. In the opening there is a smooth creaminess that becomes powdery as it settles on the skin. The blend of different roses make this fragrance more complex than the note profile would suggest. It has a natural floral sweetness that never feels cloying or heavy. It's a pleasant experience from the initial spray to the gradual fade. Versatile enough for nighttime in warmer weather or any occasion in cooler seasons, Essence No. 1 Rose carries a sensual, almost gender-neutral appeal. Though leaning feminine, its dry rose quality makes it intriguing for men seeking a rose fragrance. The rose is a little dryer and the sweetness much more natural than with more feminine leaning rose fragrances. The projection is strong for the first 2-3 hours, easily reaching well beyong arms reach. After that it settles into a more subtle, intimate aura that lingers for 6-8 hours. The seamless transition from bold to subtle enhances the overall allure of the fragrance. A subtle resemblance to MFK Oud Satin Mood caught my attention, both being creations of Francis Kurkdjian. While not identical, the rose in Essence No. 1 Rose feels like it could have laid the groundwork for Oud Satin Mood, showcasing Kurkdjian's distinctive touch. The presentation is beautiful and classy, with a heavy, high-quality glass bottle featuring a magnetic lid. The simple matte black box complements the fragrance, underscoring its place in the brand's exclusive range. The only downside is the atomizer, which, while good, is comparable to average designer offerings. Despite its discontinuation, Essence No. 1 Rose remains available at some discounters, usually priced between $100-150 CAD. Considering its quality and elegant presentation, it's a worthwhile investment for fragrance enthusiasts.

3/5/24 This fragrance has just bloomed, it's gorgeous, just gorgeous. It smells unlike any rose I have and if your on the fence, try it.. That woody vanilla note melds with the rose beautifully. Another FK rose that I love. This is such a hard review to write because I've only had about 10 days and it's evolving nicely. I will admit to loving the initial spray so much that I bought a second bottle, having learned the bitter lesson of dc'd fragrances. This one won't be reformulated bc they don't make it anymore. I literally hurt when I smelled the reform of Stella Absolute years ago and a rose scent that I love is one that's hard for me to find. Now about the scent. When you first spray you get a lovely floral sweet (not sugar, caramel or fruit) rose with an undercurrent of something green or brightish. Not enough to take away from the rose, but enough to liven it up. The rose doesn't turn sour on me, which Bulgarian rose oil can, but smells more like a sweet taif or centifolia mix to my nose. Definitely something resinous, balmy. Like a great quality woody vanilla, not cake vanilla or sweet vanilla tonka. It's just a really beautiful scent that's hard to get across in words. Anyway, I love it but not sure if it's a safe blind buy bc as its opened up over the last days, there's a spicy hint of something that's just really made this fragrance go to an 11 out of 10 for me. It's still all rose, just with supporting hints delicious woody vanilla and a resinous underpinning. Longevity is about 3 or 4 hours, but it's more of a skin scent by the time hour 1 is up. That's changing, though, as its been sitting........ but I don't think this will ever be a room filler. It's a personal scent and I'm fine with that bc I really do love the way this smells.

I treated myself to a bottle of this fragrance for a number of reasons. I love exploring rose perfumes, and as it happens (and through no design of mine) it turns out that Francis Kurkdjian is the nose behind several my favourite fragrances. I also find Elie Saab fragrances to be of good quality and reliably elegant and well-balanced. Onto the juice... I can see why in some markets this would be considered a unisex fragrance. It's rose with a warmth that comes from woods, resins and some spices. However in Western markets, I see this as appealing more to women, and the man who would purchase this would likely be someone who is keen on exploring options outside of what is admittedly a narrow band of olfactory experiences typically found in men's fragrances. Put it this way, I don't see this being a popular Father's Day gift! The juice is without a doubt Turkish delight. But for those of you who like the taste and smell of rosewater or have used it in food yourself, you will know what I mean when when I say that it's more that kind of Turkish delight rose than the smell you get as you eat the sugary sweet confectionery. I found that the fragrance that lands up on my clothing smells of Turkish delight rosewater with a delicate powdered sweetness. Whereas what ends up on my skin develops into more of a warm vanilla rose with a green stalkiness. I do wish this projected a bit more, and I wish it lasted a bit longer on my skin. True to my prediction, like the other Elie Saab fragrances in my collection, it's elegant and classy.

I just bought 2 back up bottles. This is a deep,velvet beauty! Essence No. 1 is a rose solifleur with enough character for me to wish to wear it out, not just for lazy Sundays or to go to sleep, so I am wearing it today :) I simply adore the opening of this. It ́s spicy rose; full of character. She has "get up and go" and reminds me a little of the presumptuous rose of "Le Petit Prince". The spicy rose gives way to jammy rose in the heart, while the drydown is clean and powdery fresh rose. Since rose scents are fragile molecules, same as citrus, I always wear rose scented cream on the areas I apply perfume to extend the longevity. This way, I can get aproximately 4 hours of fragrance. To be honest, I get better longevity out of Acqua di Parma Rosa Nobile or LOccitane, but Essence No.1 has bite and I love the way it transitions. I love it so much that I bought backup bottles and am willing to go through the trouble of spraying again, so you decide. In my view, this is a natural and voluptuous rose that has enough presence and body to be worn from spring through autumn. I can take her to the office, out for coffee and shopping, and that ́s what we ́re doing today! LOOOOVE<3

Ellie Saab Essence N1 This is the rose that dances whirls, twirls all the while morphing into different rose varieties. It quite literally is a rose that changes its nuances thru the wearing. Its supported by a light vanilla ribbon weaving through the petals of rose and cedar to add structure. Sometimes the rose smells like rosewater infused confections, sometimes a herbal aspect, a touch of sour moment, and other times.. a fresh velvety deep pink rose with dark red jam on the edges. Never veering into the heavy, red, dark gothic variety. Longevity is long, sillage is moderate. Note it is not in the gourmand sense of a rose dripping in caramel, or drown in a syrupy quagmire. This is a lithe, supple shapeshifting rose that moves in and out of its light gourmand aspects. Make no mistake, this is a floral and its masters thesis is rose. Notes: Centifolia Rose, Damascena Rose, Turkish Rose, Bulgarian Rose, Rose Absolutes from Grasse and Turkey, Vanilla and Cedar

Happy to have a small decant of this. Pre acquiring that, the reviews here were all over the place. I definitely didn’t expect a red rose (which it isn’t) but it’s a seemingly simple and yet very nuanced little number. On first spray a clear and bright rose with spicy tones. A pink pepper/clove note - very light but present which was interesting. I can see a reference to Tocade with that lovely vanillic/tonka undertone. I also get a creamy, honeyed mimosa note (similar to The One Essence) under the lightly candied roses. A gorgeous fluffy almost sparkling white musk under it all and then cut with a shiny lemon note. It’s subtle but very interesting. The notes shifting a bit like water. I really find this interesting and while it leans fem slightly, those light spicy notes and it’s warmth would smell wonderful on a man. Definitely worth exploring and so far seems FB worthy.

I find this to have many similarities with MFK Oud Satin Mood, both the EDP and Extrait. This omits the oud effect and focuses more on a balsamic vanilla base. Combined with the rose, both airy and slightly gelatinous, this is extraordinarily beautiful. While I could wear this, I prefer my OSM Extrait as it’s darker and heavier. I almost swapped this away, but decided to keep it to gift to a future girlfriend somewhere down the line. This is what I would love a dear person of mine to wear and personify. I think it’s that beautiful. It’s complex, it shines bright yet has a certain deep and slightly darker side to it. It is discontinued and will soon disappear, but at this very moment it’s being decluttered from discounters’ shelves. Just get it while you can. EDIT: seems like this and Essence Oud are not discontinued, just repackaged. Other Essences are discontinued sadly.

This is a strange take on the rose! it smells interesting, crispy, not fresh, unique and medicinal. I can't even describe it. I collect rose scents and this is not something I smelled before. This is powdery, , but not soft , it's balsamic and not sweet at all, at least in the middle phase. In the dry down it sweetens somewhat going into a woody powdery area. Still, not a gourmand, this is a mature perfume that I find impressive in its originality. I was expecting something in the lines of Montale Highness Rose ( looking at the notes ). It is nothing like that. Presentation is beautiful, the bottle is heavy and substantial, the juice is dark cognac colour. Buy. at your own risk, sampling first is highly recommended .I love it.

Spicy rose. Tea rose. Velvet rose. Skank rose. The most unexpected sensation is a rose that has been left too long in the vase and it’s past its prime....and I love it. Kind of a skanky, spicy rose scent. In addition to rose, there is a bit of musk, a bit of vanilla and some kind of wood rounding out the base. I’m going to stop testing these Saab/Kurkdjian creations, because every time I do I want the bottle. I’m not even a big rose fan yet I love this one. Definitely in the top 3 Rose scents. Stunning. Edit: I agree that it smells like Tocade, but I had to give my bottle away because I found it unwearable on my skin. Rose No. 1 is easier to wear, a little more complex even though the ingredient list is much shorter.

The first blast of this fragrance reminded me of Caron Rose Eau de Parfum and Rochas Tocade Parfum. The different layers of Rose scents could easily be identified by the variations in tones, textures, intensities and sweetness. The Rose scents in the fragrance ranged from airy fruity to sweet and powdery, to dense to voluptuous and to dark and sensual. There is also a somewhat gasoline vibe intertwined with the different Rose scents accented with lightly sweet, balsamic and woody Vanilla. Although the scent is rather dense but it doesn't seem to have much projection from my cooler than average skin. One has to be a true Rose lover in order to fully appreciate and enjoy this gorgeous Rose fragrance.

I can't believe I went so long without this perfume as a rose lover. And I can't believe how cheap it is and how little it's talked about for a Francis Kurkdjian creation! I ADORE this delectable powdery rose. I don't really think of this as a "floral", but rather as a sophisticated gourmand, a Parisian patisserie in a bottle. It is light and airy, not cloying, and it removes all of the facets of rose that I sometimes dislike, such as synthetic screechiness and overly matureness, it is very well rounded. I often layer it with Frederic Malle's Lipstick Rose and Maison Margiela Lipstick On and it makes the most feminine, powdery, lipsticky, nostalgic, cosmetic (rose + iris + violet) concoction ♡

A very pink rose it has some freshness to it, a touch of greenness and some kind of middle eastern kind of feel to it. It’s not a loud or baby powder rose or at all like tea rose. But it does have a nice touch of powder. It has most of the aspects of rose that I like. I’m not sure what to make of it and I’m undecided as to whether I would want this. I initially thought it disappeared quickly but it didn’t, it’s subtle and has weak to moderate longevity. I wish samples were available as I feel I would like to revisit it and get to know it more. I think the reviewer below has pretty much nailed it.

Elie Saab Rose (2014) - Vanilla Rose - a sadly under-appreciated discontinued line created by #franciskurkdjian that has both technical mastery and quality ingredients. I get a Citrus accord at the start, then comes out these big beautiful roses. Fresh and not jammy roses that has a beautiful radiance to them like a sheer dress. The floral accord is supplemented by a Vanilla, Amber, and Tonka base - yet wonderfully balanced with the #roses. Off notes, reminds me of dewy morning garden walks and rose-flavored sherbets. The morning elevating one’s step.

Oh my... how did I not discover this one sooner? This is not just a rose scent, it’s an entire rose garden in bloom. Layered, nuanced, and beautifully blended, like several varieties of rose woven together in perfect harmony. It feels lush without being heavy, elegant without being “perfumey,” and it has this effortless depth that makes you want to keep smelling your wrist. I own several rose fragrances already, and honestly, none of them come close to this. This one makes the others feel one dimensional. Absolutely stunning.

This is a delicious multifaceted creamy, musky vanilla rose that lingers for hours. On me it is reminiscent of Turkish delight but in an elegant, mature way. I don’t find this fragrance juvenile in any sense. It can be worn any season except high summer- is gorgeous as a stand alone fragrance but layers beautifully with sandalwood or vanilla. Can be worn day or night. If you like fragrances like Narciso rose musc or rose musc noir( minus the bergamot note) I think you would really enjoy this perfume

I was completely and totally influenced by this one, but man oh man am I glad I blind bought this gem! This is, IMO, a very sexy rose. It's straight up rose with maybe a little musk. A very warm, enveloping rose. You're putting this on if you want a little somethin' somethin'. A real masterpiece from the French perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. This has since been discontinued, but you can get a bottle the normal resellers for around $50. Honestly, I'm considering buying two it's so delicious!

I’ve been testing this for a week and I can say that this is the most boozy and jammy rose fragrance I have ever smelled. The opening isn’t fresh, it’s like candy rose liquor and within a few seconds the green stem peaks through and there is definitely vanilla and amber in the base. It is exquisite. It’s very unique but that’s what I expected from MFK. I am so in with the entire Essence line, it’s a hidden gem... just about to order Gardenia next!!

Powdered violet dust over dry rose petals and cedar wood. The opening carries an aromatic herbal freshness, but the heart quickly turns into a sophisticated rosy-violet accord with a distinct lipstick nuance. It feels textured and velvety rather than sweet. The dry down is where it shines: dry woods, powder, soft resins, and faded violet makeup tones lingering close to the skin. Elegant, mature, slightly retro, and beautifully composed.

I started my perfume journey shunning everything with rose in it. But as time have passed I've expanded my perfume horizon and I find myself drawn to perfumes with rose. This perfume is a gorgeous candied lemon rose. When I put it on I immediately think of hard candies or turkish delight with lemon and rose. On my skin the perfume projects quite good and the longevity is around 7-8 hours. I would also love to smell this on a man!

Mid-20’s guy, lover of floral scents. Not gonna say this is unisex but this isn’t girly sweet. Whether you think that makes it smell like an old lady will vary, but this scent is delicious. It does start like rum/brandy meets rose jam. The booziness fades to mouthwatering sweetness, and the flavors are powdery flower. This isn’t red rose, or Arabic rose, but a very elegant European rose served on a white powdery platter.

Thank you @christianne1 for pointing out the CC logo *inside* the cap. Goodness! I thought something was wrong with my nose at first when I couldn't detect any real roses, so I sprayed more. Turns out, my bottle is indeed a fake!! I probably cannot get back my money so I simply keep the bottle for display and use it as room spray... :(

This is a rose done to perfection to me. It's taking you for the journey. It's sweet, warm and spicy, and also green and fresh at the same time. Absolutely beautiful and addictive! I really like simply an elegant, heavy glass bottle and presentation. My no 1 rose scent of all the time 🥰

Sweet fizzy powdery and vanilla rose. Sillage relatively soft. Comforting and easily wearable. As it wears I keep getting delicious whiffs of the fluffy, airy and powdery vanilla rose Turkish delight in the air. I am persuaded to obtain a full bottle while it’s still available.

Essence No. 1 Rose is a slightly sweet, velvety semi-gourmand rose. Vanilla is not listed but to my nose there's a vanilla essence in the opening and a slight spiciness in the dry down. Absolutely gorgeous.

very real expensive roses scent . very sophisticated , a rose sexy scent that you can wear for night time . good thing we can still find it in middle east i heard it's not easy to find in other countries .

This is like a sweet, rose liquor that somehow also manages to be powdery & wispy. Very feminine. Beautiful night time rose perfume. So good!!

I really enjoy this rose. It's somewhat light and fresh, but has an underlying vanilla sweetness. Very pretty!

Recommend Layering No.4 Oud with Essence No. 1 Rose. 1 to 1. Really beautiful.

+ This is gorgeous. I mainly think of it as a deep, dark red rosy vanilla. There is a spiciness (cinnamon bark?) to this scent that makes it unisex and easy to pull off by men especially if they have an oud or amber to layer with it. I think I'm reminded of Rose flavoured Turkish Delights! LOL. How fun! It's easily gourmand. I get waxy vanilla, delicate petals, and candied roses after the fragrance dries onto skin. EDIT: I wore this last night layered with Ambre from the same line and I could smell the two on myself for a good few hours, so I perhaps I was wrong about sillage. I did 3 sprays of each. My mother-in-law said I smelled really good. So sillage is low but not totally skin scent as I said in other reviews of this line. Beware this line is for people who enjoy modest scents with sillage and longevity are both low to moderate. EDIT: May 2020. I just realised that this smells a lot like the syrupy rose notes Oud Satin Mood and L'Extase Rose Absolue.

Several types of rose appear together right from the start, with a fairly strong concentration. What stands out most is that the fragrance doesn’t use the usual citrus or fruity notes as an introduction. It goes straight into the rose itself. The different rose varieties layer over one another: Damask rose brings a rich sweetness, Turkish rose adds a slight spicy edge, and Bulgarian rose carries a thicker, honeyed, almost jam-like character. (I couldn’t really detect the Grasse rose.) The vanilla in the background doesn’t make the composition sweeter; instead, it softens the rose. In the end, cedarwood closes the fragrance. Why use four types of rose in Rose No.1? My guess is that the intention is to present the many facets of rose—from sweetness to powderiness to a subtle woody structure. Both longevity and projection are very good. Personally, I think it works especially well in autumn and winter.

The pyramid is incomplete here. The right notes - according to Francis Kurkdjian - are: damascus rose, bulgarian rose, turkish rose, May rose (aka Grasse rose), vanilla, musk, benzoin, cedar. Edit: I now got a chance to sample this one. It first starts with a dry/fresh rose, then will keep going with a soft vanillic rose, to end up putting the focus on a peppery cedar (and patchouli?), with some rose-y amber in the background. The top appears very unisex to me (like Habit Rouge EDP is), but the base leans towards masculine. A beautiful concoction by FK, that unfortunately is shy on performance (like most fragrances of this line). Still, it will for sure please many, and at reasonable pricing, could be totally full bottle worthy for me.

Vintage, a bit powdery, old lady rose with a bit of medicinal, woody finish. Totally not a fresh or youthful scent but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Totally a great alternative of Guerlain Rose Amira, though a bit less fruity and far cheaper. Oh, and the packaging is quite luxurious! There's a black matte box with a lid and gold lettering, then a velvet sack, then a simple but super elegant, heavy bottle of thick glass.

Laurelien, A la Rose is much more fresh, green and woody, IMO. Actually, for me this is similar (especially the opening) with Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud.

This is a thick, spiced, smoky rose. I presumed maybe a clove, incense, a resin perhaps. Almost a gourmand element to it as well.

in one line: this a very pleasant rose skin scent. I feel like this could also be great for layering. 8/10.

Smell very good, mature rose. But last less than 3 hours, so sad.

Really wish there was a Meh option. I like it. It's nice. It smells like sweet spicy roses, but the silage is poor as is longevity. For the price of a full bottle, it's just not worth it. This is a pass for me. Edit to add I tested it from a mini bottle from Fragrancenet. I think I'll put this in an atomizer and see if I get better results. Update - it does project and last longer when sprayed on. Smells prettier too.

I've had this one for about a month now and it is so very weak, honestly the silage is about two inches: you need to put your nose right next to the skin to detect it. It is not even moderate. I know perfumes continue to maturate - not just cheap Arabics - so I really hope this one improves given time. Very similar to the rose in Oud Satin Mood to my nose; I do like it but it's just such a bad performer.

Way too masculine, heavy, smoky, dry. Maybe good for layering or so. Not pleasant and not unpleasant, maybe it is something I would rather smell on somebody else, not myself. Any way, those are my first impressions. I am going to give it a chance, it may grow on me, or maybe the season is not right for it.

I blind bought this, and I am disappointed. It smells like a baby powdery, dusty, medicinal rose. One reviewer compared it to Sweet Tarts which tbh, smell better than this. I think maybe they meant Sweet Hearts, those nasty Valentine’s Day candies that are powdery hard little pastel hearts with love messages. This fragrance smells oddly similar to those candies. I am a person who used to think I didn’t like rose perfumes, and now I am reminded why. This is exactly the type of rose scent I don’t like. For context, I now love rose perfumes like Diptyque Eau Rose (both versions), House of Bo Rosario, Regime des Fleur Little Flower, PDM Delina La Rosee, Liis Rosestruck.... to name a few. To me these are fresh, bright, dewy, citrus roses. If you love these too, you may not like Essence No. 1. I will give it some time, try it in fall and winter, and update this review if I change my mind.

As soon as I got it from another seller, I immediately tried this on me and it felt awful. I love rose fragrances but this one smelt awful on the 1st try. Opening smelt like rum which I didn't really like. After a while, it developed into a powdery, sweet rose smell. I want my rose smelling mature, full and earthy. I have Lipstick Rose but that one smelled lovely. I dont mind a powdery rose, but this one, hmm I'm really not sure. The booziness doesnt go away. It's like an old, expired perfume in my opinion. It is not a safe blind buy.

I had high hope for this one, I know it wouldn't be ground breaking but what I was expecting is a high quality rose that's good for daily wear, unfortunately to me it feels like an old fashion powdery nose of some designer cosmetic products. Same as the No2 Gardenia from the same series, both of them smell slightly plastic-ish on the skin.

This one was so hyped up and after months of looking for it, I finally got my hands on one and I was so so excited for it - it smells AWFUL on me! I was expecting a sweet jammy rose that's almost a gourmand but what I got was wet earth that had been scented with a sweet rose and some sort spice (like cinammon) thrown in there, which, just made it smell musty and outdated to me. It made no sense because the notes listed here are just four kinds of roses but I found a blog that listed vanilla and cedar which then made sense because that earthy note in there smells like if you were walking in woods after it had finished raining. Unfortunately to my nose and on my skin, the cedar is the most overpowering note and it just smells completely out of place in what would have otherwise been a stunning rose fragrance. I am so so disappointed and absolutely detest it on me!

I have 50 rose fragrances, since I became orphan of Stella McCartney. FrancisK. is my favorite perfumer. But I hate this perfume. I am trying for 8 months now, and it is so powdery that I cant stand it. I have dupe of oud satin mood and that one is really similar, also little powdery. But nothing is bothering me in that cheap dupe. This I cannot wear, like biggest rose lover ever. How possibly I cant like 4 different roses made by Francis K? crazy

No thank you. I love a good, strong, single-note rose. But this? I have two words for you: sweet tarts. Smells just like the candy and it turns my stomach. I'm a little confused by the positive reviews because this is a disaster if you ask me.

I'm an enormous rose lover and was so looking forward to this one but was extremely disappointed. I was expecting deep dark roses but instead got pink and yellow at best and to be honest it doesn't resemble actual roses to me. It smells more pink floral and sweet. Nothing at all what I expected. For it to only have rose notes listed, it strangely does not smell like rose to me. I was expecting a very realistic blend of rose oils and absolutes creating more of a soliflore type rose but I swear I get more mainstream sweet floral. I'm so glad I didn't pay an astronomical price to try to get this to the US. I got an official sample instead from someone who visited Paris. On a side note, for some bizarre reason this rare and not even popular fragrance is being counterfeited. I bought one on EBay a couple months back (not what I am reviewing obviously) so I wanted to warn people about this. I knew the box was wrong immediately but when I took the cap off and saw the Chanel CC logo inside I knew we had a problem Houston. So sick of these counterfeiters. They even copy rare Harrods exclusives. Ugh.

Smells too mature for me. It started off with sweet fresh rose then it dries down to a powdery lipstick rose that I feel like I've smelt on my teachers or someone who is in their 40-50s. It's a very put together elegant kind of powdery rose with sweetness which I can picture someone with luxury fashion sense pull this scent off very well. Unfortunately, I am not like that even though I've passed my mid 20s. It's a familiar scent as well...a familiar powdery rose scent I feel I have smelt somewhere. The bottle and the cap is lovely though. It's the magnetic kind of cap, very luxurious kind of bottle. I was excited for this one but I am rather disappointed by it because I am not into this kind of scent yet...maybe when I am much older. Oh don't get me wrong, I think it's a beautiful scent but it's not for me.

Essence No. 1 Rose smells like the velvety petals of a deep red rose after it’s begun to dry. No cinnamon, fruit, amber, resins or earthiness. Just a dusting of sugar to make it more palatable but it’s in no way sugary. Somewhat of a pot pourri rose. This is what I wanted La Fille de Berlin to be, which is gorgeous as well but has something deeper, something extra that takes away from the pure simplicity of the rose 🥀 This is romance in a bottle. Francis Kurkdjian has a magic touch when it comes to roses. He creates the most high quality aromas that are praiseworthy precisely because rather than relying on a complex mish mash of notes, his rose fragrances beckon to the inherent beauty of the flower.

Just received my bottle of this discontinued beauty. The listed notes absolutely cannot be the whole story. I understand why this Tocade is listed as a "reminds me of", it is definitely in that family, but this has so much more rose than Tocade! There's a very vintage vibe going on here, in the best way. Possibly, some natural ingredients that aren't allowed anymore. Also contributing to the vintage vibe is that this has zero sweetness. It is ambery and woody (not amberwoody!), powdery, spicy, just a little animalic and a tad boozy. It feels like it's going to be amazing for the fall season ahead. I need to spend more time with this to give it a better review, but I love it!

When I first smelled this from the bottle, I was like "ooooooooo" because I was getting a smoky turkish delight. But on my skin, the rose smells less boozy sweet and more boozy bitter--that way that roses smell when they're just starting to wilt. I'm sad to say that bitterness took over my nose and keeps bringing on a headache whenever I smell it now. Interesting that someone else said they smelled dried roses in this one, so in this way it reminds me of a gourmand Guerlain Nahema with monster performance. I'll have to try it again in the fall to see if my experience changes. Roses are so complex and Francis Kurkdjian works with them so well.