Les Tourterelles de Zelmis

I had ordered a sample kit from Oriza L Legrand cause I really wanted to smell their cult fragrances: Chypre Mousse and Relique D'amour. Although I adore Relique, Zelmis is by far my favorite among the samples I tried out. I'm the greatest fan of old school geranium-rose scents, so of course this one was going to be my jam. It's a waxy, thick, deep geranium rose that makes me think of an early 20th century woman. Quite an anachronistic rose scent: not powdery or sweet or "coquette". She's a deep, thick, jammy, green, geranium rose. I just found out that it is actually a remake of an early 1900s scent, and it absolutely smells like it. It has an aura of "old femininity" which I adore. It's something my great-grandmother would have worn when she was a young, beautiful, yet simple woman. It's not a really complex scent, but it grew on me much more than other frags. It basically comes out as a solinote rose scent, but those few notes are so well blended and so evocative. Its "deep velvety rose" nature is addicting. I can't stop sniffing my wrists. If you like roses and antiques, you really should get a sample of this! It doesn't last too long, but it's perhaps because I've used very little of it in order not to run out of my sample and keep smelling it all day 🙃. I might consider getting a full bottle someday. I've seen comparisons with Tea Rose, which I just ordered for my rose collection. I hope they actually share that same "velvety, red, geranium rose" vibe.

Probably the most feminine fragrance I've tried that i actually liked and would consider getting a full bottle of. Somewhere between a cacophony and an orchestra of rose and other red flowers but the peppercorn holds it in check, just masculine enough to keep me around. Almost one note, not the sense that there is only one note, but that instead it is mostly a number of variations upon that one note of ROSE. At the heart of it these various roses and germaniums come together into something less light sweet girly rose or jammy candy gourmand rose but more like an almost too ripened a rose. A rose that could wilt tomorrow and is throwing out everything it's got in the darkest corner of the garden. Wringing every last bit of it's glorious ROSE-ness out of it's own existence while it still can, right on the razor's edge before that saturated sweetness turns to rot ... but not quite. An almost animalic rose? Vegetalic? Less reminding you of something that is alive but more of something at the zenith of the fullness of it's life that is about to expire. .... and then! right there at the end underneath it all, beeswax and honey, a single ray of sunshine and life and renewal pierces the foliage to find the ROSE. The cycle begins again. I can't stop smelling it.

This is a deep, blood red, velvet rose with dark green nuances. And it is gorgeous! It has a spicy, herbal quality - that to my nose reminds me of bay leaf (maybe it's the combination of pepper and ivy?). The beeswax deepens and thickens the scent and gives it a soft and a barely there stickyness without ever going too sweet. This is not a gourmand rose, it's a deep, voluptuous, dark green, herbal rose - with warmth and depth. Les Tourtorelles de Zelmis (the doves of Zelmis) has a yin yang quality as well. Sometimes it feels very feminine, and smells mostly of rose and honey - and other times it is a vibrant herbal (bay leaf-esque) rose, that feels a tad more masculine. It gives the scent a beautiful poetic heart, it evokes the feeling of two lovers in a constant flux. The changes in the scent comes with temperature fluctuations. The warmer it is, the more herbal it seems to be. At least that is how it behaves on my skin. I really like this rose, and that says a lot because rose is not my favourite floral note. I may even adore this scent! And I definitely want a bottle. :) Longevity is above 6-7 hours on my skin, and sillage is a steady medium (until the last couple of hours when it becomes more of a skin scent).

Deep blood red rose on climbing vines, intertwined with unruly ivy and ascending above a bed of tart, garden-green pelargonium: this concisely summarizes my experience with Les Tourterelles de Zelmis. Expect no rose water levity, no sweet, jelly-like rose confit: these blooms come with a peppery, lemony start, a deep, yet fresh, leafy voluptuous heart and a dark beeswax finish. It evokes the darkest corner of a courtyard garden at that moment of the day where the sun just reaches through to quench its thirst, heating up the waxy foliage and throwing the scent of these garnet roses, flushing the velvet of their petals. The turtle doves (les tourterelles) coo from the ledge of the stone wall and the thickness of this shaded nook contrasts with the expansive blue sky.

If a deep red, velvety rose from a pristine garden was captured and put into a bottle. Although it is not the most complex fragrance out there, it is perfectly executed and is a must for every rose lover. The geranium is also very much present and reminds me of my grandmother's garden. I do agree with a previous comment; it can be compared to a waxy lipstick scent but without the excessive powder and sugar you usually get in such fragrances. It is beautiful and feels vintage. I love to combine it with Muguet Fleuri from Oriza, it's such a beautifully pristine combo that I plan to wear if I ever get married. Longevity is good on me, it easily lasts all day. Sillage and projection are moderate, but certainly not weak.