Rose de Feu

I dont want to appear a philistine, but i doubt i've ever hated a fragrance so strongly! The only other scent i 'hated' so violently was TM Womanity (another, very different, story!). I physically recoiled at 1st sniff. Please dont take offence, but this smelt violently of old-lady knicker drawer. Not a sweet, clean old-lady smell.. oh no.. this developed into a seriously fusty aroma - literally 'dirty' old lady knicker drawer. Ugh! It reminds me of what a 2000 yr old mummified grandma would smell like. I so dont want to be offensive - but this scent offends my nostrils! Scrubber for sure.

Having now reached the bottom of my generous-sized carded sample vial of ROSE DE FEU from the Rosine line-up, it's time to weigh in. This smells quite piquant and reminds me vaguely in wafts of both L'Artisan Parfumeur PIMENT BRULANT and Etat Libre d'Orange ROSSY DE PALMA. I'd say that ROSE DE FEU lies in the space about half-way between the two. This perfume does not smell like salsa (like PIMENT BRULANT), but it does smell slightly more foody and sweet than ROSSY DE PALMA. Perhaps it is the combination of the ginger and the cardamom notes which creates this effect. Imagine rose petals dusted with a light red pepper powder--not as hot as cayenne, but with the same type of flavor. Wearing ROSE DE FEU is like smelling roses through a thin gauze of red pepper. This is definitely a unique presentation, and I'd have classified it unisex, since it seems just a touch more spicy than it does rosey. I would call this an oriental composition, not a floral one, and it would be nice to wear now and then for a change, but I think that I prefer ROSSY DE PALMA, with its more voluptuous blood-red roses. In ROSE DE FEU, the roses seem a bit on the orange side.

My favourite of all the Rosines, after trying every one in the sample pack (which doesn't include Clair de Matin, the latest one). A delicious evening fragrance, the fresh ginger note is very prominent and gives a lightness to the overall effect that some of the others lack.

citrus burst in the top than a green, grassy rose takes over with an almost geranium note then the warmth of musk, patch and especially amber rises in the base