Aqua Allegoria Rosa Magnifica

Hurray!!! The search is over. I've found my perfect rose. This is it!!! A true garden rose among a bed of violets. Soft, but very present, with a very light powder. It's old fashioned, for sure, but that's what I love about it. It reminds me of a more well-mannered Tea Rose. Much softer, yet very present with lovely silage and great longevity. Missk said that it reminds her of potpourri. In a way I get that. A mix of fresh and dried roses, like what would be on a non-maintained living plant, where the dried roses on the bush have a very concentrated, slightly spicy scent that mixes with the scent of fresh roses. But what saves it from smelling like something you put in a small ornate bowl in the bathroom is the iris and the violet notes. The violets are subtle, airy, a little green and dry, and a perfect complement to the roses, keeping the scent from smelling like room freshener. The iris adds a delicate, powdery touch. This is not a dry scent, but it's not sweet either. It really is perfectly balanced. While linear, I don't mind that. It is the same beautiful scent that lasts all day. Even now, more than 10 hours later, I can still smell it clearly. That's an anomaly for scents in this line. Usually, they have soft to poor silage, and longevity on the line of a refreshing cologne splash. This is a real compliment getter too. I wore it to work, and everyone fell in love. They all wanted to know what I was wearing and where they could buy it. I can't believe after so many years of searching, and purchasing, and testing dozens of rose scents, I finally found the ONE. I was beginning to think this scent was only in my imagination. But no, here it is, and it is everything I hoped for and more. I'm head over heels in LOVE with this beautiful rose scent. To me it is total perfection. I love it!

When I first sprayed Rosa Magnifica it actually reminded me of Ungaro's Diva. Very green, almost biting chypre but that tone goes away after about 5 minutes. This becomes a very beautiful rose on a bed of violets. It melts on skin to make your skin smell like it has married roses and violets. It's funny after wearing this perfume for about 1/2 an hour I kept thinking of that poem we all know; Roses are red, and Violets are blue. It smells like that poem. I received this sample and most everything I will be testing in the next few days from a lovely friend I met here. I am sure this perfume is vintage. It doesn't smell like what they make today. Such a pity. I just tested 2 from the Aqua Allegoria line and I really liked them but if they are making those over this then Guerlain is making a big mistake. Rosa Magnifica is hands down better than the newer perfumes I tried in this line which were the Rosa Rossa and the Rosa Rossa Forte. Rosa Magnifica last longer, projects much better and just smells better. And while I like fruity notes in perfumes (my husband adores them) I am getting rather tired of having them put in EVERYTHING! Seriously we need to move away from the cute girly trend, although nice and fun, and easy going/casual and come back to making truly feminine and womanly floral perfumes like Rosa Magnifica. Perfect red roses combined w/ perfect blue violets. I was considering buying Rosa Rossa Forte (my husband loved it) but I would rather have Rosa Magnifica hands down.

Oh, this smells like clover! Not roses, as I was expecting. I owned a scrumptious, brandless soliflore "White Clover" perfume a few years ago and this is its twin! It opens with a clovery blast of Springtime, so if anyone has springtime allergies, beware, it is sneeze-worthy. As it dries down, I smell lots of spicy-musky hyacinth and iris with the clover, maybe a hushed whisper of the rose and violet. If I psyched myself into thinking this was a "rose" (which I won't), I would say it was a VERY green and VERY powdery rose. Compared to Perfumer's Workshop Tea Rose, it is far less sour and sharp, but more leafy green and talcum-y, and to me obviously less rosey. They last about the same amount of time (6+ hours depending on the day) and after their initial blasts have rather close silage. All blooms have been cut off this rosebush, the stems and leaves pulverized gush, add hot water and chill, for a fine teatime thrill, douse with gin for a ladylike flush. 2019 note: Five years later and this perfume is starting to sprout little ivory-pink rosebuds. Okay, Rosa, I see you!

UPDATE: I PULLED IT OFF I went to Macy's (never again) to get my sis a b-day gift. The saleslady tried to convince me to buy a men's fragrance. I told her that I had all of the fragrances I want for now. I asked to smell Versace Versence and she gave me a wierd look. I knew right then and there she had no true knowledge of fragrances. But she was head-over-heels about what I had on and wanted to know what I was wearing. I smiled and told her that they don't carry it in her store. Still dying to know what had me smelling so fresh, she insisted on knowing. And she was shocked to find out that it was a fragrance marketed to women - Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Rosa Magnifica. Anyone who got close to me wanted to STAY close. I'm now convinced that it is quite possible for a man to pull off a floral aldehyde. The aldehydes begin to fade in about 3-5 minutes and the rose is perfect on me. A DEFINITE replacement for all of those aquatic fragrances that define mediocrity. I'm ordering a few more bottles to keep in my collection.

A duet between leafy-green, palest-pink dewy tea rose and lightly sweet and melancholy violet, Rosa Magnifica is delicately Victorian yet it is rendered in the direction of modern with the powder dialed down and a certain aqueous, watercolor quality that is the olfactory equivalent of ripples on a reflecting pool. Its transparency makes it feel meditative, a cool-hued rose for contemplation. Never feeling showy and bold, it isn't going to bring one to their knees (unless it takes very little), but it is an effortless beauty, so lucid, so minimalist, like the poetry of Ezra Pound: The tea-rose tea-gown, etc. Supplants the mousseline of Cos, The pianola "replaces" Sappho's barbitos. Christ follows Dionysus, Phallic and ambrosial Made way for macerations; Caliban casts out Ariel.

I love this...then I don't. It is a softly sweet, very classic rose. I do like pure unadulterated rose...rose water-esque even. And this meets that requirement. But it fades away very quickly and leaves just a sigh. And I need more than that. Perfumer's Workshop Tea Rose is a little sharp and acrid, Brosseau's Ombre Rose too powdery (musk rose?). YR's Rose Absolue is too sweet, thick and cinnamon jammy...though inexplicably I just bought more on eBay. My perfect rose was Floris Red Rose (discontinued) which was rich, natural and extremely long lasting. Guerlain's AARM approaches that and then wimps out. The scent is marvelous, but it lacks enough depth to carry it through more than a couple hours.

An oldie but goodie ! It smells like a vintage rose , a little green a little powdery , no sugar, vanilla , Patchouli or fruit added . It is a rose in full bloom , mature , almost past the prime , but proud enough to keep its head up, strong enough to take your breath with its scent . I am a rose lover and , although this had adelhydes , I still love it . It’s comforting , womanly, elegant . Too bad it’s discontined, as I find it much better than the newer Rose based Allegorias . I paid a small fortune for my bottle as my previous was almost finished and I don’t regret it all all.

What a lovely Rose-Floral fragrance! It is light and fresh although initially it is a bit sharp which I believe comes from the Iris note. It settles nicely into a delightful traditional Rose with what I detect also of some Hyacinth. It is a bit soapy but ultra feminine. I like this for the purpose it serves as a romantic perfume. Not for those seductive or sultry moments but more for when you want to have teatime with the ladies. I am glad I found a bottle for a steal at an estate sale and I love it as does my seventeen year old daughter. 9/10

~Wow~.....Just opened up my brand new Aqua Allegoria Rosa....and it really is "Magnifica"....My head is literally filled with roses!.....This is my first Guerlain perfume...I'm more than impressed :o) Starts off with loadness(not for long) and then softens to the most wonderful hiacynthy scent.....Very girly..very pretty...conjures up images of a 20's style garden party with beautiful tea dresses and vintage cars....I'd say a summer scent for sure...and romantic *sighs*......This one is a keeper :o)

This is a true feminine rose. This is fit for a woman, a queen at her leisure. I envision a woman gazing over her balcony into a lush green 1-acre lawn full of flowers and chirping birds. She slips on her silk robe and walks down her spiraling staircase into a grand foyer. The Butler offers her her favorite tea after she smiles and says good morning. She walks out of the back door into her 1-acre garden sits down, sips her tea, take a deep breath and smiles. Rosa Magnifica.

This is my favorite rose based fragrance ever! I loved Guerlain's "Nahema" when it first appeared in the late 80's, I think, but it can be extremely strong and rather cloying--this scent is a much better balance and lasts well without being over powering. Those who hate roses will NOT like this--but I certainly do--in fact, I love many of the Aqua Allagoria scents--I just wish I could find them anywhere near where I live.

I don't know why, but I was lead to buy this... I smelled it and felt relaxed in an instant... I can't imagine a man pulling this one off AT ALL, but I love the scent... My gf is an "aquagirl", so I guess I'll just keep it for aromatherapy....

It really reminds me of L'Ombre Dans L'Eau Diptyque, I could swear there are some sour berries or currant here. Airy, elegant, fruity, cold, hiacynth-rose. Somehow smells 'motherly' and a litle vintage. Charming. :)

Out of the gate this was hyacinth and even Easter lily gangbusters. That quickly was subsumed to a sharp, green rose. Very pretty scent. There seems to be some underlying musk, as well.

Strangely for an Aqua Allegoria this is a little strong. I think the hyacinth makes me a little nauseous. I love it after it has settled or if I dilute it a little with rosewater .

I had it and I want it back!! I feel great, confortable, relaxed and girly with this fragance :)

Opening is pure hyacinth to my nose – green, slightly watery, and a bit pungent. Soon, rose takes center stage. I used to think this was a dewy aquatic rose scent, but after testing Tea Rose, I’ve realized how powdery this actually is. Despite that, this retains a fresh, almost transparent quality. I also get hints of green rose stems and powdery sweet violet, and I like how this is almost a rose soliflore, but not quite. If you’re used to modern sweet rose scents, this might scream grandma to you, but I don’t care. I don’t think this is similar to Nahema or Tea Rose. They’re both much greener and more pungent, in my opinion. Rosa Magnifica is softer, more powdery and romantic, and “easier” to smell. I get an image in my head when smelling this: In the morning, you bring inside some pink roses from your garden. They’re still slightly wet from last night's downpour. You put them in a beautiful porcelain vase and set it on your vanity. As you sit down to do your makeup, the scent of your face powder mingles with, but never surpasses, the intoxicating aroma of the dewy roses. I have my mother’s bottle from the early 2000s. My dad gifted it to her, but she never wore it much, since she didn’t like roses back then. I can’t believe we used to use this perfume as a bathroom air freshener when I was a child!! That should’ve been a crime! Longevity and projection are moderate. I get about 5 hours of wear, but the sillage is very intimate during the last few.

Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria ROSA MAGNIFICA is not for those at all ambivalent toward the rose. This is all or nothing: if you cannot fully commit to the rose, you will want to avoid this fragrance. If you worry about smelling like a lingerie drawer or the rose water used sometimes for therapeutic purposes, AA ROSA MAGNIFICA is not for you. For true, unabashed rose lovers, Guerlain delivers roses, roses, and more roses, delicately framed, but roses dominate from beginning to end. One spritz of this edt will land you immediately smack in the middle of a bed of roses from which you will not emerge for several hours!

Dab on a little Aqua Allegoria Rosa Magnifica and inhale a big bouquet of red roses and hyacinths, with bright, watery green notes that turn up on the dry-down. It's a cheerful, extroverted, daytime fragrance, and it might be enjoyed by those who love a vintage chic aesthetic. To me, this is a straightforward scent to be enjoyed for what it is. It would be wrong to expect this sweet lady to unfurl tales of drama and intrigue throughout your day. Instead, dab a little on, let the cheerful floral juice fill up your senses, and let rosy petals scatter behind you as you skip through your day.

I am a bit surprised that no one has mentioned a similarly with Annick Goutal's Rose Splendide, particularly the opening when they are both more fresh and green. They part ways about 30 minutes later, when Rosa Magnifica begins to morph into a Nahema rose that has been sheered out a bit. Very lovely offering, I definitely prefer it to the AA Rose I already own - the rather juvenile Rosa Pop. It's more sophisticated than the bulk of AAs past and present, but given that I already own both Rose Splendide and Nahema, I won't be pursuing a fb.