Rosa Absolute

Rosa Absolute from Molton Brown is a very nice spring/summer rose fragrance. I love roses but most rose fragrances on my skin turn powdery and for a long time I struggled to find a rose perfume that remains fresh and clear if you know what I mean. Rosa Absolute on my skin totally remains fresh and clear. The opening of Rosa is a big punch of pink pepper with some juicy berries and a tiny hint of patchouli, soon after the rose makes her appearance. It's fresh and clean and sweet. The middle phase is a combination of green peppery geranium with some slightly earthy patchouli and clean fresh sweet rose. For the first 2-3 hours sillage is good, afterwards the whole fragrance becomes a soft skin scent but still pleasant. It is not very long lasting but it is so lovely and fresh for spring and summer especially if you are looking for something that is not fruity tropical or a powdery rose.

On me this opens as a big jammy rose, sweet but not sickly, with the hint of pepper tempering it and preventing it going into the sugar rush side of sweetness. After about 20-30 mins the sweetness dies down and the rosy heart peeks through. I'n not a big fan of patchouli but this just blossoms on my skin into a rich spicy rose. The sillage is moderate, and considering it's an EDT, the longevity is great on me, as I can still smell it a good 8 hours later, albeit I have to nuzzle my nose into my wrist to get a whiff. When I bought this, I also won a full size bottle of the matching body lotion, so tried layering with Rosa Aboslute and got an even longer 16 hours wear of this scent :o) All in all, I find this is a gorgeous autumn/winter cozy Rose scent - well done Molton Brown!!! And as Jayssen mentioned below, at this price point you can't go wrong!!

Pretty, bloody stunning if you ask me. Rosa absolute is a bright, upbeat rosy fragrance which although not highly original does have very good quality and an intoxicating smell. It reminds me of loads of rose scents with lighter, musky chypre type bases but what was most striking was the similarity to the liquides imaginaires line and their boozy take on this genre. This is a rosé champagne of a rose scent, with all the sharp characteristics, bubbles and all, but as it settles you get a lovely powder as the rose stops projecting so much and becomes a potent skin scent. I love it and it’s not a question of bravery because I’d wear this no problem, I’m just not sure it’s all that suitable for a man. Something about it says feminine to me.

I absolutely love this. Like stepping out into a Rose garden after a summer shower. Thankfully I don't get any raspberry which along with apple and mint are my least favourite perfume notes. Great for layering and today I'm wearing it with a really skanky oud oil, Kayali Vanilla Royale, and a dusting of TF Plum Japonais. Totally unisex for me (I'm 60 yo male). Gorgeous with any musk or oud although I do prefer it with really animalic ouds. I don't get a lot of patchouli it just seems like the string of a rose kite that is soaring over the city. Projects well for around 2 hours then becomes more of a close bubble remains on my skin for around 5 hours. Great value if you are searching for a pretty realistic English Rose. Makes me happy!

I can't really see the resemblance between this scent and Portrait of a Lady... To my nose they have distinctly different personalities. Portrait of a Lady is a spicy, smoky patchouli and rose fragrance with a slightly brown, almost gritty texture. This fragrance, Rose Absolute, is a jammy rose liqueur with faint green nuances. It dries down to a sweet, fruity rose smell. It's a lovely fragrance, quite cheerful and happy. It reminds a bit of Lush Rose Jam. Sillage starts off medium, but becomes a pleasant skin scent after about an hour or so. Longevity is around 5 hours on my skin.