Cinabre

A powerful and compelling scent. The opening is a thick and velvety witch's brew: a concoction of rose petals, ginger, and opoponax (lending a little earthy quality, though never smelling like dirt at all). Warmth flows through this blend - Cinabre is not overtly spicy, though it definitely heats you from within. As it dries, I smell rose and amber in a powdery way. I'm reminded a bit of Burlesque, also by MCG, in its powderiness and mature femininity. I also smell similarities to Nanshe by Nishane in the texture of the scent, which is thick and powdery and velvety. The opening is quite strong but I'd say the lasting power and sillage are moderate after the first hour.

Questo profumo per me è stato amore e passione appena sentito. Comprato nel 2012,è una fragranza affascinante,piccante e pungente inizialmente,un odore stregato,mistico e insolito,crepuscolare,cremoso in alcuni momenti,dorato e rosato. Non so come altro descriverlo perchè non sta bene su chiunque,ma su di me è fantastico. Come un drago rosso del medioevo,un lavoro di alchimia,stregoneria e magia rossa.

No words to describe the beauty of this Scent... Thank you Maria Candida for what you do!!

I was slightly dreading unboxing my latest sample from MCG, fearing that it might be too female-leaning for my taste, but I need not have worried. Cinabre is perfectly unisex and has convinced me that "rose" or "floral" scents need not be excluded from my fragrance shelf. I am a keen gardener and there is a parallel here to my relationship with rose plants themselves. I have always found them difficult to grow - too thorny, too straggly, too demanding etc. Then, one day in summer, a neglected rose tree sends forth arrestingly beautiful blooms and, after exposure to a day's heat, their fragrance lingers on the air, with warm, heady notes, softened with a dash of sweetness. That's the impression Cinabre has made upon me. Having neglected this for too long, I now find myself returning to it and wanting to prolong its musky sweetness. Unexpectedly lovely. Unfortunately my partner took a dislike to Cinabre and stirred up my original fears ("It's an old lady's fragrance"), so I will try to temper/masculinise it when I wear it next time, with Gérald Ghislain's excellent Olibanum range. Or just wear it anyway!

Surprising, because the opening is very old-style rose plus pepper, and I thought oh no, then it morphed into a really lovely vanilla benzoin scent, I just wish the drydown was stronger for longer. Not my type of rose (think Floris) but the composition becomes really beautiful after the opening blast of rose. I was expecting cinnamon and thankfully, it's not sharp like that. So altogether a great surprise. 8/10 x

I like this deep red scent. It ireminds me of the night at the opera for the intensive roses, sweet smell of make up, the dusty velvet seats. The opening is quite loud, dynamic and spicy red roses in full bloom. Later the violet calms down the rose and overall the scent becomes more comforting, woody and a powdery

Warm, spicy scent, warming, pleasant, slightly sweet in a floral way.

The peppery ginger topnotes are the best part of this scent on me. Unfortunately, they are fleeting--as in seconds. Next comes a resiny-rose that is not flattering with my chemistry, to say the least. It ends in a powdery vanilla rose that isn't distasteful, just not my cup of tea. Wish I could have liked this one, but after three solid tries, I have to conclude, it's not a love match.

This is a perfectly nice rose with a hint of violet on a sweet vanillic base. Sadly to get there the fragrance goes through a terrible musty ashtray phase that lasts an hour at least. The notes in the description are lovely; ginger, rose, opoponax, so a reminder to myself to always sample first.

I smell the ginger to start, then I get baby powder and rubber tree plant. I don't like either of those smells, so this isn't for me...

I came to this perfume with zero expectations and nearly total ignorance of the house of Maria Candida Gentile. I had a vague recollection that this is a natural perfume house, and of course from the name I knew that it had to be Italian niche--what else? What I found in my sample vial of Cinabre was a powerful oriental perfume with a sharp and bitter facet verging on some kind of leather. I've tested enough perfumes by now that nearly everything reminds me of some other perfume or another. To my surprise, Cinabre does not smell like any other perfume I've ever encountered. The opening is quite strong and spicy, but the base is rich and heavy. It must be a super-concentrated dose of opoponax which is imparting the leatherish quality. I do not consider this to be primarily a rose but an oriental perfume. I should say that something in this composition stings my neck upon application, but if it is true that this house is all natural, then perhaps I should not be surprised, as essential oils are sometimes irritating to my skin. Probably the ginger in this case. Oddly enough, as this perfume dries down, it starts to smack of baby powder! All in all, in this is a unique creation, I must admit. Not sure that I'd want to wear it very often, but I applaud the effort obviously invested in this complex, nonlinear creation made of high-quality, natural ingredients.

A fascinating fragrance, one of the best perfumers there today. Smells like roses, ginger and some spice like pepper, some balsamic note and a touch of vanilla sweetens the fragrance, but only in the right measure, reaching almost perfect balance, that if, more sweet and soothing in its final phase. By describing it in a simple way, I would say this is a spicy pink, semi-sweet. Maybe you have a moment too pink-metallic at the start, but as it dries, it changes completely and comes more sweet and balsamic. My perception was more like Alfarom, I feel more resinous than spicy. Like almost everything I've tried Maria Candida, has great quality ingredients and conveys a sense of handcrafted perfume, frankly spectacular and very difficult to find these days, including niche brands. The perfume, though quite transparent, has a great longevity, exceeding 9-10 hours with ease and moderate trail. I would comment that in fragantica have classified as female and I do not think so much, but I see it rather unisex and well ... it gives me the same thing and I think to buy for my enjoyment. :) Of all the roses I've tried, believe me that there have been many, this is one of the best. A beautiful and exciting perfume, a prodigious perfumer. 8/10

There are certain roses I enjoy, but I can't say I'm the biggest fan of the flower itself, so I always approach rose dominated fragrances with caution. To be perfectly clear "Cinabre" is not my kind of rose, I knew it instantly, but I don't have any negative feelings towards this scent nevertheless, it does develop nicely and the quality of the scent is superb. "Cinabre" opens with a blast of pepper, for me black pepper is what dominates the scent, the pink pepper accord appears only at some points, making this a bit sparkling/fruity (yes, pink pepper does that to my skin). The rose itself is very soapy, reminding me of bulgarian rose oils - very clean, green and 'thorny'. I can't say I enjoyed the opening, but "Cinabre" developed very nicely - heart and dry down is still spicy, but not soapy anymore - almost warm, I get lots of creamy vanilla toning the scent down and I must admit I enjoyed it very much. Silage is mediocre and it lasted not as long as I hoped it would - 5 hours. Worth a try if soapy and very spicy rose scents are the kind of thing you usually go for.

A dark rose with piquancy, Cinabre stirs up the regal perfumed flower in a shredded ginger and prickly pepper glaze, elevating the treble and the sharp, metallic aspects so that the opening is invigorating, even penetrating. The anchor is this beautiful, plangent, opoponax and benzoin that pulls Cinabre into an "faded memory, " rising like brume on the skin. I stress this brume because while full and diffusive, Cinabre isn't thick or heavy at all. Its magic is in its very translucency. I put Cinabre in the wistful category of fragrances, one where I begin to become very aware of the passage of time. Some fragrances make me forget about time, but something like this reminds me that it unrelentingly slips through our fingers. It's the olfactory equivalent of opening up old shoeboxes, reading love letters from long ago, notes and postcards from old friends, and fast fading memorabilia. It's another one of Maria Candida Gentile's works that feels poetic, and gives me pause.

I'm afraid I can't really contribute anything original. Like the others, I concur that the spicy ginger pepper opening is lovely but oh so fleeting. After that I too get a very strong oily/resinous rose which smells more like amber to me than vanilla or opponax, along with a persistent powder and there it stays. The sillage is mid-range which is perfect, any more and I think it would most likely make this blend cloying/unbearable. The longevity is also decent, it's still going strong after 5 hours and doesn't seem like it will be weakening anytime soon. For me this scent is a fairly simple and linear powder, amber, and rose scent that doesn't really move me one way or another. In all fairness I like my rose a bit on the dirty side and this does not fit the bill. It's not bad, just not my taste.

Severe and invigorating. I've to admit that despite I'm not among the biggest fans of rose-centered compositions, this is quite a fragrance. The astringent quality provided by pairing the peppery ginger and the rose is definitely interesting. Personally I find the initial phases of Cinabre to be the most compelling. Just like a burning whiplash, but I guess this type of severity is something that won't appeal to many. IMO the fragrance evolves into a slightly more conventional, yet incredibly satisfying, resinous-rose drydown with just a tad of sweetness...good stuff. Rating: 7/10

Black rose made of sea-salt quartz. This isn't a typical rose like fragrance, it's more of a salty pepper, ginger, benzoin, then roses. The sharpness gives the idea of major roses cause mainly roses accompanies peppers. Later it goes pepper, roses, opoponax hand by hand, the Victorian age kind of fragrances, too thick roses, and overly dominant. It's ok, but personally i don't like dominant roses fragrances, as this would be a good take on roses for roses lovers.

You know when you like something but at the same time you say "Damn! if it was not for "that" I would have loved it". That thing to me it is an excess of vanilline and maybe of opoponax. The acid/sweet contrast is too disturbing for me. Nice old fashion lipstick-powder notes in a velvet aura. Reminds me Hammam bouquet and also Amber Ylang Ylang/tangier vanille by "Lauders". Those are better more focused, this fragrance seems a messy compared.

A stunning "go big or go home" rose. This is a bright, plush rose in a warm peppery cloud. It's thick and rich with benzoin, resins, and opponax. I own her other rose scents Rrose Selavy and Burlesque, and each have such a distinct and strong personality and each one is a completely different take on rose. This is my favorite rose to wear in winter; it's the perfume equivalent of wearing a red velvet dress.

I just got some samples from Maria Candida Gentile and as a first impression I can say that I totally fall in love with Cinabre: this is dense, dense and dark rose as you can only smell in some vintages like Actuer or Aramis 900. I have plenty of rose-centric scents, but this is full bottle worthy. Please consider following me on IG @alexolympia6