Diabolo Rose

Having never been all that much of a "rose" guy, as far as perfumes go, I was astounded, at having my breath truly taken away, by the (no less than) EIGHT large sample vials from Les Parfums de Rosine that icekat was gracious enough to send to me in my last package. Until that point, I had only ever smelled Rose d'Homme (and adored it), but now that I have THESE lovelies...I consider myself a true rose perfume fan! How boring, I thought, to have a House that JUST makes rose perfumes; PdR is ANYTHING BUT boring. They have taken the Queen of Flowers and distilled her myriad of essences in amazing and simply stunning compositions. On seeing the name printed elegantly on the vial in gold script, I had os-magined this to be "Devil Rose"; something dark and fierce, bordering on sinful, that could make some more light-hearted floral fans run screaming for the nearest bottle of industrial strength sanitizer. What greeted my nose, upon dabbing some on my inner forearm, was simply astounding! Imagine, if you will, a rose in midsummer; in full bloom, after it is open fully but before the petals begin to wane in color and drop to the ground. Surround it with the most heavenly mint you can imagine (for me that is spearmint) and light translucent citrus notes. Like the Parisian drink (lemonade with mint syrup) this is cool and demulcent, somewhat calming and very refreshing. Some ROSE scents are just TOO MUCH, this however is so natural and beautiful; capturing the true aura of the rose and framing her with bright and refreshing aspects. All the heart notes are growing in my garden, right now. THIS smells better than my garden does....sharp green aromatic tomato leaves, lily-of-the-valley and two roses combine with the creamy "pee-knee" (what my nieces call peonies) blossoms to create something utterly floral and earthy, without ever really muddling the intrinsic grandeur of the rose! Tea, in the base of all places, keeps the otherwise oriental notes of sandalwood and amber "light" and playful; while a very clean musk sneaks in, while you are not looking, to augment the seductive qualities she already possesses (as if she needed it!). Another reviewer mentioned "rose in a blender" perfumes, THIS is not one of those...more like someone gently squeezed pure rose essences into a bottle and skillfully blended it with sunny greens and other fancy stuff. This is not (I repeat NOT) your grandmothers "Roses, Roses", but a timelessly superlative olfactive offering from a house that doesn't mess around with trends, it sticks to what it knows ROSES, and does it very well. Sillage: very good Longevity: excellent Overall: 4/5 A few days before trying this scent, I dabbed on some LPdR Rose d'Ete (summer rose) from a small sample sent to me by someone else...it is lighter and a bit more summery; however Diabolo Rose, to me, is a perfect summer floral perfume. Heavy enough to be provocative, but brisk and green enough to keep back summer's heat and humidity-without a single hair frizzed or out of place. Parfums de Rosine: keep doing what you are doing! I never thought I would say this, but I LOVE rose perfumes...when they are done RIGHT. These guys truly know their roses and each and every one I have smelled (so far) has been outstanding!

The mint is momentary but so marvelous! This special, unique, combo of top notes sparkle, and dazzle my mind and nose. For once I can say I have found what I consider a "happy scent". The bergamot adds a lively feeling, not a citrus note, but a vibrant touch. Once the top notes fade off, there is resounding rose and petulant peony. The rose is slightly sticky or resinous, but made airy and lighter via the addition of tomato leaf and lily of the valley. The tomato leaf is prominent, the lily of the valley shy..and the tea...is a healthy green or white tea. It has been steamed strongly with young leaves plucked right off the bush. The herbacous, but soft, tea note, and dewy tomato leaf, interact, keeping the scent fresh as spring and sunny as summer for hours. The tea note also reacts with the rose, so well; an inviting and intriguing mixture the two make. The sandalwood, amber, and musk, quietly play in this enormous and elegant garden. So many contrasts of form and flower here, fantastic!

I just sprayed some tester onto my wrist just a little while ago, I think this is the best rose perfume I've ever smelled. First whiff was Bulgarian Damascena Rose Oil. It has that disticnt sweet honey smell about the rose... After about 20 minutes, I noticed mint and bergamot. It's not a strong or loud perfume with super sillage, but this is the only rose perfume that I ever thought smelling like the real rose flower (other perfumes have a nice rose smelling but it is in different quality as this)... I am seriously thinking of buying this! This is an elegant, perfect rose.

This a lovely 'fresh' yet warm scent, great for warm weather. It's basically a warm minty rose, with bergamot and peony lingering in the background. Staying power is not bad, sillage is okay. Definitely work-safe. Can't go wrong with this if you like light rose scents and/or if you're a fan of the Rosines line.

Diablolo, sounds mean. loud ,heavy to me but sure that is not the case with that lovely summer fragrance, the mint in here is great in the opening and then the roses take over just wonderfully, then my second favorite flower the peony let detect itself beautifully..very nice perfume indeed.