Elephant & Roses

Very pleasant! A different animalic rose. Rather than a voluptuous, old-fashioned civet + heavy floral combo, here we have a tender, sweet rose that is barnyard animalic. She used great caution with thyme because thyme can be so overwhelming. Here it is used in such tiny doses that it comes off as a little minty. Moving into the heart of the perfume, this mintyness becomes more of a grassy scent, which plays so well with the ambergris to create the scent of a clean stable. These days, farm animals are fed all kinds of nasty stuff: man-made sludge, chemicals, hormones. It is incredibly sad. But those of us who are familiar with grass-fed animals are aware that the scent of a farm is rather nice, sweet, and animal poop smells grassy and a little sweet due to the digested hay. It's a nice aroma! Elephant Roses nails it! Very cute and thoughtful concept that is well-executed. It is barnyard fecal, yes, but nobody would notice except the wearer. Sillage is very light, but for a scent such as this, I would not want it any stronger.

This is a very unique fragrance. I am not sure about how I feel toward it. I am tempted to love it because of how unique it is. First it smells herbal, not sure if that is thyme or just hay and herbs. I cannot call this a rose perfume because the roses are just a hint. Then it turns powdery, and here I can sense , just a little, the rose powder . While in the powdery phase it aquires a lactic quality where I can distinctively smell something milky , kind of sweet, don't be turned off but it's kind of like breast milk. The whole perfume , although it is more like a water or body mist than like perfume, smells ,after the initial herbal opening, like the skin of a newborn infant. Is it animalic ? Well, in a way, because newborn babies, puppies and kittens kind of smell the same when they are just out in the world. . Soft, warm, milky, powdery, humid, and just a little fecal. Who knows, maybe baby elephants too... It is a very strange one indeed .... It is clearly not sexy, nor elegant, but very comforting.... Like a warm barnyard. The lasting power and the silage are close to zero, this is a skin scent. I think I love it, or at least I feel strangely attracted to it and want to spray more and more.

Having thoroughly enjoyed MCG's Rrose Selavy, I had to try her other rose creations. Elephant & Roses instantly stole my heart, in spite of it's intimate projection. I love aromatic rose perfumes that integrate fragrant herbs, and this one does that wonderfully well. It's not green: as the name suggests, this perfume evokes the color grey. The dry, slightly salty thyme note is addictive, and blends beautifully with the rose to create something that's perfect for a midseason day when you want something not too loud, but unique. The ambergris, vetiver, sandalwood and unlisted leather combine to create a base that's distinctive and extremely pleasant on skin. In warm weather, the animalic notes become more pronounced. Love this unusual rose!

As curious as a baby elephant... unusual and intriguing. Elephant & Roses opens with light, fresh rose petals, crushed herbs and vetiver reminding me of Bond No. 9 Washington Square, but at a whisper of its volume. Slowly the fragrance warms with some soft suede that turns into musty, well-worn leather. I agree with reviewers who say that it smells a little like a barnyard, but like warm, animal-slept-in hay. I like this rendering of ambergris which gives depth to a very soft scent. This scent is joyous and natural, like going to your local petting zoo on a hot day; flowerbeds of spend roses and dried grasses.

Perhaps Maria's weirdest concoction: damask rose meets elephant dung ... but it works! It shares with favourites like Sideris and Cinabre a fresh, natural summery vibe, of floral scents caught in a warm breeze, alongside an earthier, dryer note of drying grass and old wood. Lovely!