Bal de Roses

Keiko Mecheri BAL DE ROSES really took me by surprise. Given the name, I was expecting something more along the lines of some of the other rose perfumes of this house, which really focus on the rose note. Instead, I find BAL DE ROSES to be primarily an oriental perfume, and although I would not say that it smells like BAL A VERSAILLES, it does remind me of it in spirit and texture. This composition no doubt contains only a fraction of the ingredients contained within even the reformulated version of BAL A VERSAILLES, yet the overall effect seems similar to me. I'm sure that the name is going to set up some dashed expectations for this perfume, and it may receive lower evaluations as a result, but I generally think that the naming of a perfume and its quality are two completely distinct issues. In this case, the perfume is really quite nice, for what it is: a fairly heavy oud oriental. The oud is strong and has a quasi-leather quality to it, according to my nose. Like CUIR FAUVE, another member of the Bespoke series, this perfume offers a fairly strong dose of oud, so that should be good news for oud lovers. I would say that the rose and jasmine embellish the oud, rather than the other way around. The ylang seems to be contributing to the oriental quality. The overall lightness of the florality--relative to the leatherish oud--makes this a good choice for gents, and I do think that this composition is completely unisex, even leaning ever-so-slightly to the masculine side. I would have guessed that saffron and amber are present in this perfume as well, but they are not listed among the notes. Nonetheless, there is a richness to the overall composition which reminds me of some saffron-rose and dark floral amber perfumes as well. Whatever the notes may actually be, this is a beautiful creation which I recommend for testing by all amateurs of all things dark and oriental. For those who in the past have found the perfumes of this house to be too subtle and demure: your prayers have been answered. BAL DE ROSES has big sillage and excellent longevity and is not shy in the least. I actually find this eau de parfum to be closer to parfum concentration.

This is a Katherine Hepburn-eqse fragrance, blurring the lines of fashion between femininity and masculinity. It’s a fragrance for sharp tailoring and minimal dressing – tuxedo jackets, black satin pants and slicked back hair. Whether you wear a stiletto or lace-up is entirely up to you. It’s the ylang ylang element that struts it’s stuff up front the most in Bal de Rose. On impact, I think of freshly showered men or women. Bow tie optional. The styling of the ylang ylang in Bal de Rose is more masculine given the support crew of Oud and Tuberose, not to my personal preference, but the execution is confident and distinctive. In the heart of this fragrance there are no girly, sweet or prissy roses to be found. In fact, after the initial 20 minutes, and well into the next six hours, I struggle to detect any presence of rose. I do however get hints of leather peeking through and a subtle mint. The no show of rose does surprise me. Perhaps it was because I tested Une Rose from Frederic Malle days before and was expecting similiarly round, buxom blooms. So this particular take on rose (Tuberose and Taif) catches me off-guard. Interesting enough my daughter smells rose petals. So I know it’s there, I just am not any getting it. 12 hours on and Bal de Roses is powering on with the resin. Excellent silage (one squirt plenty) and wonderful longevity. 24-48 hours and the base notes are still humming. And a small miracle - I circle back to a fresh sample – finally, a whisper of rose. Katherine Hepburn wearing a touch of blush perhaps?

I expected different after reading a name "Bal de Roses", funny enough - this is not so much about roses. Rose stays in the background on my skin and makes the other notes shine. Also there is no oud on me, so that is a pity. What I get from the first sniff is an opulent and rich smelling jasmine combo with ylang ylang - almost buttery. Very soon tuberose joins in and this turns to be a full white floral for me. The quality is amazing and silage is perfect. Rose in some moments appear as a "soapy feel" in the background, but never gets the leading role in "Bal de Roses" even though the name suggests it should. All in all - this is a lovely white floral, I did not get any oud or leather as others suggested, so it is purely feminine on my skin, very elegant. As it retails for 275 EUR for 50 ml I must add that even though the quality is over the top, the composition is not worth the price tag.

Strange enough, the listed notes make no sense to me, but I tested Bal de Roses on paper only and not on my skin. That's not probably the best way for this type of perfume. I smelled a distinct rose fabric conditioner edge and this is not usually a compliment but in this case and with a Keiko Mecheri it is just descriptive of the scent, not a negative opinion. All Keiko mecheri are so complex and carefully built and blended, then the result is often simple and straight to the point of a vision. I actually really enjoyed this perfume on the card, I could not stop sniffing. I will try on skin.

Bal de Roses is an interesting composition, and as others have said the actual rose notes are not dominant- the tuberose, ylang and jasmine are far more noticeable. However, the most prominent note for me is the oud. As with almost all Western perfumery uses of oud, I find the oud to be too prominent and not properly balanced. With more spices, maybe more resins this could be very nice, but it is not anything I would buy.

This is resinous and vintage smelling. Big dose of benzoin and tonka, something like oud...and dark dried roses, roses that are ancient and crinkled. This is the type of scent that makes you feel meditative and serene. Not sexy, not pretty. It feels almost incensy. I think I would buy a full bottle but I already have a few scents like this.

My nose must be broken. After copping a whiff of Bal de Roses, I thought, "I know what this is, it's the smell of the trough-lollies", ...emanating up from the bottom of the boys' urinals at school. That was the 80's, and it's a smell you never forget. Yeah, yeah, other than that, it's a great fragrance...

Does anyone know if this fragrance was reformulated when they changed the bottle? I just ordered it and luckily I smelled it before I purchased it. It was totally different and not in a good way

Has anyone on here owned Keiko Mecheri's Attar de Roses? Does Bal de Roses smell anything like the Attar?