Rôses Berberanza

Rôses Berberanza has a controversial opening, but I don't find it as bad as some others say. It smells like pistachios and hazelnuts, but like the real, savory nuts, not like ice-cream or cake. The contrast of the nuts, the intense, syrupy rose and the boozy rum note can be a bit overwhelming and confusing. I understand where the comments about a fermented smell are coming from. But it's interesting and I don't hate it. After a few minutes the notes come together as one beautiful blend, and then there is no doubt anymore: This is a stunning fragrance. Sweet, jammy, rich, plush red rose for days, on a base of benzoin, safron, delicious vanilla and some other spices and resins I can't single out. The pistachios move to the background and blend in with the other delectable gourmand notes. After the initial blast has calmed down, the fragrance takes no sharp turns anymore. It just stays on for an eternity while it subtly warms up and gets better and better. Compared to Parfait de Rôses, the other gourmand rose in the Maison Lancôme line, this is spicier and not quite as sugary sweet. Don't get me wrong, it's very sweet too. But if Parfait is fluffy and pink, Berberanza is deep red, mysterious and velvety. Ôud Bouquet, the third rose in the collection, is unsurprisingly sharper and woodier than both. If you can afford it and really love sweet roses, it wouldn't be redundant to have them all. This is made for evening wear and for the colder months. I bought Rôses Berberanza over a year ago, and today was the first time I sprayed it on early in the morning. It just didn't feel the same as when I wear it after work or for a night out, even though I wear lots of "night" fragrances in the daytime without a second thought.

My expectations for Rôses Berberanza were sky high, and for once they weren't disappointed: this is the outrageous, candy-sweet, fruity, honeyed, nutty, jammy rose scent of my dreams. I have Mancera's Roses Vanilla and I thought I loved that one, but it pales in comparison to this one, both in terms of power and in terms of sheer deliciousness. As others have mentioned, the opening contains a note that's slightly off, maybe a misplaced tangerine (I can't quite put my finger on it), but that quickly fades, and from the very start there's also this wonderful, powdery rose jam that overpowers everything else. That stays present until the very end of the development, which easily lasts all day, gradually shifting focus from the fruity aspect to the warmer gourmand presence of vanilla and honey. It's the very opposite of an insonspicuous fragrance, and it could easily become overwhelming on a warm day - or at any time if it's not used very lightly, or if you're just not in the mood for it. I wouldn't wear it to work, for instance. But how delightful it smells when the circumstances are just right! It's like a very good version of one of those Loukhoum scents, but with more focus on the rose, and extra everything (raspberry, nuts, vanilla,...) And it's very well-balanced, which is imported in such an outrageous scent - it's extremely sweet, but not in a sickening way. I better start saving up for a full bottle, expensive though it is, because I'm not at all sure my decant will survive the fall, let alone the winter. The only thing to decide is whether I love this one more than its sister Parfait de Rôses - they're both so wonderful, I'm always sure I prefer the one I happen to be wearing...

I spent my day with this beauty.. Stunning! This is made with perfection, there's an opening, a heart and then base notes as should be (most perfumes transit very quickly and often become linear too soon). This beauty lasts 12+ hours, the opening is indeed funky but only lasts for a few minutes, so don't judge it by it's opening. Then the Rose shines, an occidental jammy Rose, at first try it reminded me of Mancera Roses Vanille (Which I have but can't bring myself to like it) but done way waaay better, it's sweet but never cloying nor vulgar. Ultimate Modern Chic. Then the woods join in and I could swear I smell a light Oud that darkens the Rose. This phase lasts for no less than 3-4 hours and then the Rose gradually disappears. Then comes the dry down.. HEAVENLY and lasts forever. It's a Creamy Boozy Honeyed Vanilla and Hazelnut. It feels to me (not the same exact smell) like La Nuit Tresor drydown, I just can't stop sniffing this deliciousness.. This is a true Gem! Well-worth its price tag, but it needs time to develop and unfold. It's like wearing 3 different perfumes consecutively. P.S. The bottle is a joy to look at with a magnetic cap. Lancome are amazing!

Wow!! This is jammy rose and benzoin heaven!! I think if you have a large fragrance collection and you’ve experienced nutty fragrances before, the opening is just that: nutty. It smells like real pistachios. I can sort of see “feet” or “cheese” but not really. This is gorgeous! It reminds me of Guerlian’s Bois d’Armenie but with added gourmand nuances and jammy rose added. It’s very potent after the opening and it has enormous siliage. I mostly perceive the rose, raspberry and pistachio with vanillic woods and benzoin. This is just a first impression. Will update with full days wear. Edit 3 weeks later. Yep! I love this! I love the way the fragrance floats above my skin creating the most fantastic cocoon of fragrance. The raspberry note is the same exact raspberry found in LVEB Oui. The opening is tart raspberry, tangerine and pistachio! Very realistic pistachio and I like it! But even if you don’t, this fragrance projects for hours so after 10 minutes, the nuttiness takes a step back and the beautiful wood notes and benzoin take a huge step forward. I start picking up the rum and tangerine later in the mids.

Having managed to secure a bottle of Roses Berberanza, it arrived today. It is, of course, all that it should be and I live in hope to also secure - somehow, somewhere - a bottle of the others in this sublime line, perhaps most of all also the beyond desirable Parfait de Roses. It is a travesty that Lancome should discontinue these most glorious concoctions and it is hoped that they will eventually see sense and reintroduce the original line without reformulations or other unnecessary trimming of quality. The scented candles I have seen on offer with these fragrances can but be a mere shadow of what the EdPs are. In the meantime, I will treasure Roses Berberanza and keep it for the most special of occasions , even when a special occasion is when I deem it to be so, such as today, an ordinary Monday in August. Roses Berberanza is perfection and I am glad that I have, at least, had the chance to sniff and test the whole line on plenty of occasions before they were, so sadly, discontinued. Please, good people of Lancome, do bring back these beautiful fragrances; I am not alone in wishing for their return.