A Forgotten Rose Perfume Oil

Smells like rosewater and lasts about as long. Ok, I'm being factitious, yes there's a bit of pepper and musk but, still, that's it. Perfectly pleasant and worth the twenty quid I paid for it but no more. If you want an idea of what it smells like, try Yardley English Rose or if you want something that's a full on, realistic rose scent that really lasts; get Tea Rose from Perfumer's Workshop.

This had a lot of potential and also the rose here is very pretty, but the musk has some smoky/barnyard nuances, which makes this rose smell dirty, but in a bad way. It is compared to another Gucci A Song for the Rose, I would say A Song for the Rose is a bit lighter, brighter rose, which projects nicely, doesn't just sit packed on your skin as Forgotten Rose. It's in oil concentration, so behaves differently and, of course, has that oily smell to it.

This smells lovely but has absolutely no longevity on me. After 3 hours the perfume has disappeared completely (no exaggeration). I can only write that up to either a bad production batch (unlikely) or weak formulation (probable). Comparing this to Dior's Rose Elixir Precieux it is like comparing an 'eau de cologne' to an 'eau de perfume' where the latter lasts for 12 hours or longer. As an experiment, I put both perfume oils on this morning (11 hours ago). The Gucci perfume had no scent left after 3 hours. The Dior perfume oil is still smelling as if I put it an hour ago. Oddly, both perfume are based on the essence of the same type of damascena rose although from different countries (Gucci uses rose from Bulgaria and Dior from Turkey) so the difference shouldn't be big, save for differences between manufacturers. The Gucci perfume oil is a very light formulation of the rose, almost as if they were holding back on the concentration, and the pink pepper is quite subtle but just enough to add some spiciness to the oil. The dry-down leaves a delicate rose with a soft musk but disappear much too soon. This is a shame because I added this to my collection in order to have a rose perfume oil that was a little lighter and smoother than my Dior and would provide me with more options when layering. However given the high price for this 20ml perfume oil, I must confess that I'm terribly disappointed. I had high hopes for Gucci's new exclusive range and to be honest, I really do love the violet/orris perfume oil but there is nothing in this rose perfume oil that justifies this high price. To save you from the disappointment I would steer clear of this one. If it is a rose perfume extract you're looking for, the 'Dior Rose Elixir Precieux' is a better option. That notwithstanding, I do suggest that you try Gucci's other perfume oils like the violet/orris ('A Kiss From Violet') which is both rare and beautiful or the woody ('Ode on Melancholy') perfume oil where cedar and sandalwood plays softly together. Unfortunately, this time and with this perfume, Alberto Morillas let me down.

I get why this rose was forgotten