Taif Roses

As a perfumer and perfume enthusiast myself I sought out for my wardrobe a soliflore of each of the flowers I love the smell of that most exactly smells like the living flower and in the case of the rose, each type of living rose, but not living or even having been to the region where Taif roses are grown I had to just go by if the perfume to me is a convincing living rose or not, and I really feel that it is. Being a soliflor it's not about top, heart and base notes but instead about rose from the moment it's sprayed on till the last traces vanish into the air like a floral ghost. What I especially love about this perfume is that it's not cluttered with a bunch of other distracting notes that blur the rose in the olfactory sense. Montale being a luxury perfume house does use plenty of premium quality natural rose absolute so they don't need a bunch of other sweet things to sweeten away the peppery or citronella facets that are unfortunate tagalongs in poor quality rose absolute, so the fine quality absolutes let this damask rose of Taif stand on its own with the help of some geranium which is the secret of the great sillage and remain very true to its name and very natural smelling and NOT like a rose perfume or a perfumer's creative abstract take on rose. I find the whole idea of there being such a thing as a perfume meant for men or women absurd and even more when it comes to floral soliflors. I have asked all the flowers in my greenhouses and garden and none have ever answered that their scent is only suitable for a male or female to wear. A flower is a flower, a miracle from nature and something everyone should appreciate and enjoy regardless of sex, so why should perfumers try to restrict it to one sex or another? I, like many men who follow my own judgement of taste and style, pay absolutely no attention as to whether a perfume is for men or women, or for a red Irish Setter, if I want to smell like it, I wear it, but sadly there are men who would really do like the women's version better but ultimately buy the one for men just because they cannot bear the stigma of wearing perfume for women. But when I myself look at the Montale rose perfumes I do tend to try ones like Taif Roses because it is intended for both men and women because that indicates to me that it is most likely a bit less sweet, which is a quality that I do like. So, for me this very natural smelling rose perfume is a winner and I am happy to have incorporated it along with Highness Rose into my wardrobe. I will sum things up by saying that it's a high quality realistic smelling damask rose perfume that is no more of less sweet smelling than fresh roses and it does have geranium in with it but that is to increase sillage, so it's not something you are going to notice. Keep in mind by putting on one spray everyone around you the rest of the day is going to be smelling roses. It lasts hours and hours and you don't need to refresh it. I have heard that it is going to be retired. It is still all around online at very reasonable prices so if you like it, like I do, you night want to squirrel away your own little stash like I am.

A pure, beautifully authentic crimson rose in full bloom embraced by fresh greenery. Drops of lemon & dollops of honey add natural sweetness & vivre. A lovely, robust soliflore. This is actually the only Montale rose I’ll keep; the others are either too medicinal (Intense Roses Musk and Rose Night), lean too masculine for my taste (Roses Elixir), or evolve into something I don’t want to smell like.

The very pure Rose from Taif is One of the most wanted Rose in the world. Taif roses is an agressive rose soliflore, bright, crisp, lemony with a touch of honey. This eau de parfum is elegant, fresh and very strong perfectly suitable for any season for occasions taking place both during the day and in the evening. Montale Taif Roses is Sweet and Exciting like the first kiss. Happy as a smile.

fresh cut green stems of long roses and then soft dry down of petals.

My first Montale fragrance that is not a sample. At first spray, it smells like roses, and then it turns into soapy roses. Needless to say, I was pretty worried about that but then thirty minutes in, it started to turn a little sweet before turning to a truer rose scent. It stayed pretty linear on me throughout, smells floral but definitely edging on the soapy side without turning L'Occitane-soapy (thank goodness). What's interesting, however, was that those around me said it smelled like a feminine, powdery rose. And what is more interesting, is the fact that those around me could actually smell it. I know people say sillage on this is good but I'm the kind of person with skin that eats up even the strongest parfum so imagine my VERY pleasant surprise when ppl within 6 feet radius (who happens to be cooking) could smell it even over the scent of food. I think this fragrance will require a few more tries for me to get a better handle on how true the rose scent stays on me, but so far, I'm very impressed with the sillage (longevity on me is 3 hours, though), and also impressed with the fact that I had more than four random strangers complimenting me on the scent! Edit to add: Tried the fragrance again today. As an experiment on its sillage and strength, I sprayed it on right before going in to eat Korean BBQ (those of you who had Korean BBQ - the kind where you grill the food yourself - would know just how strong the food scent is and how it lingers), I'm pleased to report that Taif Roses won. The projection of this is pretty nuclear, but in a much needed and good way. The only thing I wish is different is the way the scent reacts with my skin, on me it does turn a bit soapy.