Rrose Sèlavy

This starts with an enormous punch of rose, in both scent and sillage - I applied only a small dab and someone over 6 feet away soon remarked that I smelled like a giant rose. A nice, pure, multilayered rose. Before 30 minutes have passed, strong herbal notes emerge, though they're very hard to place. It becomes like handfuls of soft, maybe slightly wilted pink rose petals doused in a blend of herbal teas. Quite unisex, to my nose. After a few hours, it goes in and out of a distinctly feminine rose - plush, slightly powdery pink rose. Hints of cosmetics rose, like a lipstick rose. But just as I fear it has dried down to something dull, a new facet will emerge and then vanish. Rose candy. Rose leaf. A bright greenish citrusy note, almost like bergamot. After 7 hours, I do agree with "green licorice rose" - not green + licorice, it doesn't at all have the pungency of black licorice, but somehow a mid-toned green licorice. A good deal of rose leaf, I think. A lovely and intriguing fragrance, elegant and soothing. The play between the feminine rose and more masculine herbal rose seems perfectly appropriate for the inspiration. I feel comfortable enough wearing it as a man, but probably not to the office. Fantastic sillage for the first few hours, a bit quieter after that but not low. Stops projecting around 10 hours or slightly less, but still slightly detectable on skin after that.

I am in awe of how well this is made. For once, I get the feeling that the perfumer behind Rrose Selavy actually grows roses and knows how they smell as an actual plant in a garden. This is not your basic "green rose". To me, those types of scents often bring to mind cut stems and bouquet water, always making me think "florist" rather than "garden". Rrose Selavy captures and amplifies the true notes one gets from smelling complete rose plants up close and personal in an actual garden. There's greenness, but it's an aromatic green. There's a resinous, almost balsamic note from the sepals. A gentle clove-like spice. Rrose Selavy is what the actual body of a rosebush smells like, but with each facet highlighted and amped up. What is also fascinating to me is the way the different roses used here aren't just all mashed together, but take turns presenting their scent profiles. The rose in the opening is a deep red rose. The tea rose then makes itself known. Then the centifolia. And finally a true damask. It's the exact impression you get in the garden, going from rosebush to rosebush to sniff the different roses. This is not at all a girly rose, nor does it seek compliments. Rrose Selavy is unisex, confident, grounded, and completely unique.

A natural yet bloody anise rose soliflore. There’s a green aromatic anise that persists through dry down, almost like crumpled spearmint leaf, but the overall impression is one of realistic velvety dark red petals. The slight metallic aspect reads as bloody. This isn’t a happy fragrance. However the naturalness keeps it from being too austere or jarring. This also isn’t a dusty rose potpourri. It’s the head of the flower snipped off the living bush and run over on a shady cobblestone street. A lonely beauty.

Initial impression: Hot vapours of warm cloves rising from my skin. Warming up to: Rose petals steeping in vinegar Main character: Steamy spices and various rose extracts in acid. Development: Green, sharp, metallic aspects of rose, anonymous and not so engaging, take over once the very warm spice notes dissipate. I like this scent but I would love it to feel more rosy, with that diffusive and sweet freshness of rose otto's, or the charm of living Rosa damascena. It feels mainly spicy and weirdly acidic and a bit thin.

Green licorice rose! Cheerful yet interesting --unisex? I want to meet the man that pulls this off, he would be something special indeed!

Almost smells like when you open a fresh pack of cigarettes. I dig it!

I enjoyed my sample and would wear it with confidence.