Smyrna

❤️💕LOVE ❤️💕LOVE ❤️💕LOVE!💕❤️💕❤️💕 I have waited to review this, as I find it challenging to put into words how much I adore this fragrance... anyway, can't wait forever, so I had to use some emojis to make it clear 😂 As the name suggests, Smyrna is an oriental dream coming true! This is the first rose fragrance I've come across that proves to me that rose is a scent that I can enjoy on myself. Previously I've loved rose scents on others, but on me they never felt right. Smyrna feels just heavenly. It elevates my mood wherever I am! Whenever it wafts around me, I feel happy and lucky and protected against stress by the scent bubble surrounding me. As with other fragrances from Le Couvent, there is an aromatherapy quality about it that is very prominent to me. It's literally a mood changer. Smyrna is so classy, so romantic, yet suitable for every occasion, every personal style IMO, day or night, hot or cold weather. I'm female, and feel that the fragrance accentuates my femininity. However, scent wise, I think previous reviewers are right, that this is really unisex and can work wonderfully for any gender. If I'm going out, I spray 3-4 spritzes. Lasts the whole night and is a skin scent in the morning. Stays for days on clothes. I think it projects sufficiently for my personal taste, I don't need it to fill the room. Smyrna gets me a lot of compliments from both women and men, so it's really more detectable than I seem to realise sometimes. Highly recommend trying Smyrna if you love rose in fragrances!

Le Labo’s Rose 31 after attending finishing school in Switzerland. Smyrna (perfumer: Jean-Claude Ellena) isn’t a dupe but it is a variation on a familiar theme: a woody, spicy rose for any gender. Sure, it was likely inspired by a couple of scents which came before it: Le Labo’s Rose 31, and L’Artisan’s Arcana Rosa 9, both signed by perfumer Daphne Bugey, but it can stand on its own. I have all three and if I was forced to choose which one to keep, I’d go with Smyrna, easily. Why? Because the Le Labo scent isn’t what it once was - I’ve worn that one since 2008, so I have some experience with it - and Arcana Rosa 9 is basically more of the same, minus the funky cumin angle and longevity. To me, Smyrna is more rose-forward, feels more polished and natural, and has black pepper in place of the cumin, lending a touch of spice without ever veering into body odor territory, a turn which makes the Le Labo scent uncomfortable for some people. Its longevity is superb and it can be had for less than half price of either of its predecessors. I happily scored a new bottle for under $60 and it’s my favorite perfume purchased this year. Edit: I am obsessed. I just pulled the trigger on a back-up bottle.

This underrated French niche house has some true gems in their collection. I own two, Tinhare and Smyrna and I have tested two other last fall during a trip in the South of Europe. All amazing quality, stunning smelling perfumes and very, very affordable for the quality and intensity of the scents. Smyrna is the rose centred perfume from their catalog. It’s such a balanced blend of deep, dark red roses with bright, fresh citruses, soft cardamom, smooth, clean vetiver and a light mix of woody notes. Nothing sticks out or feels out of balance in Smyrna. Smoothness is the best adjective to describe the flawless blend of notes Smyrna. I love how beautifully the citruses notes are paired with the Turkish rose. Goes hand in hand perfectly and creates such an elegant, uplifting scent. Performance is on par with the rest of Le Couvent collection, nothing beastly but having a decent intensity and sillage. For the price, Smyrna is a great choice for anyone looking for a fresh, spicy and sweet in the same time rose scent. In general, you can’t go wrong with Le Couvent fragrances in my opinion! From what I’ve tested or own so far they are the French equivalent of Laboratorio Olfattivo.

DIVINE! The first time I tried Smyrna, I didn't think I would like it and was already thinking about giving it away to my friend. To my nose it was sweet spicy black pepper all the way and I was like "where the hell is rose?????" I hated it so much. Because I was looking for a nice, realistic yet mature rose scent with depth and Smyrna's description sounded perfect! Disappointed and heartbroken, I groaned aloud. It was so loud that my boyfriend had to come out of the loo and ask me if I was alright. I shot my wrist out and had him sniff it, complaining how there was no rose at all. He said he thought it smelt great and quite rosy. ――What? I almost slapped him across the face for talking nonsense but it turned out HE WAS RIGHT. The spicy top had softened and velvety red roses were blooming. Oh my oh my, I loved it, fell in love head first. After complete drydown, rose is dominant on my skin with clear spicy black pepper and warm cardamon in tow. Such a great balance. Mature but not too classy. Appropriate for both casual and dressy occasions. I would love to go on a fancy date wearing a little black dress covered in this scent!

Smyrna is an absolutely delicious rose perfume..both green/vegetable and with this rose note that is neither too opulent nor diluted. For my part, after having tried a number of rose perfumes, two in particular caught my attention.. of the same genre with a more or less similar atmosphere, that is to say spicy: peppery and finally woody. One was Much Ado About The Duke, the other is this.. Without comparing the price of each: the most successful, the most pleasant is that of the Couvent...and yet it is still the most simply put together. I feel like the florist.. I cut the stems of these opulent, fresh roses to form a bouquet ! And frankly all the other notes only accompany this (absolute) rose to make it perfectly realistic ! It's neither masculine nor feminine, it's just natural and I think this perfume brings a significant touch of elegance and appropriateness to whatever outfit you wear ! I was looking for a dark and spicy rose... but I have no regrets about having finally traveled all this olfactory path to find an incredibly luminous rose in its place !