Persian Rose

When I was first learning to meditate, a wise teacher taught me that often the simplest things are the most powerful. I know that is true of this beautiful perfume in the humblest, simplest bottle. This is a straight-forward rose scent, for those times when nothing but simple, pure, fresh roses will do. It has depth, but its strength lies in its simplicity. I have quite a few rose scents in my collection, but none that I love quite as much as this one. I was expecting quite a lot from this scent that so daringly calls itself Persian Rose. I think that the Persian and the Mexican cultures have the highest regard for roses, and give them their appropriate adoration. Both cultures use roses extensively in every day life, in cooking and eating, gifts, adornment, medicine, beautification, decoration, bathing, celebrations, and even in religious ceremonies. Infact, one of the many names for Mother Mary, the mother of God, is the “Mystic Rose”. I have seen beautiful rose gardens around the world, but the “Holy Grail” for me would be to see the rose gardens in Damascus, the oldest city in the world, the first to cultivate roses and master the use of their scent, but because of the political climate I may never get there in my lifetime. As usual, Pacifica has transported me instantly to the streets of Damascus, where I can feel like the main subject in one of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s paintings, and all I have to do is close my eyes and inhale. Thank you, Pacifica.

This was one of my first fragrance purchases ever, and I assumed that because of its price point and my own inexperience, it would prove to be meager and unsophisticated in comparison with more famous or elite fragrances I felt sure to encounter later. I've now smelt around a range of prices and profiles of my beloved Rose, but I keep coming back to this one. I have only ever had the rollerball, so these are my impressions. Persian Rose is delicate, precise, and honest. There is an gentle play between sweet and fresh, never tilting too far in either direction. When I smell it on my skin I feel like a flower fairy waking up nestled in the center of a new pink rose. It's a dewy spring morning, with a soft sun just rising in the garden. The fragrance feels as soft and cool as a petal against a cheek. There is no soapiness, no jamminess, no clever sleights of hand - none are required. This fragrance communicates the elegance of its inspiration, and I always feel elevated when I wear it. The sillage is intimate, which is my preference (this may be due to the rollerball). I can smell it for 5-6 hours after applying. I think that with Persian Rose for day and Amouage's Rose Incense for night, a rose lover like myself can find indefinite delight. A possible blind buy for a lover of rose or otherwise refined, thoughtful florals.

If you are a rose scent lover as I am, then I encourage you to try Persian Rose! I was looking for a natural smelling rose, and I found it! I prefer this perfume to most other rose fragrances available. When it is first sprayed, I get a wine-like opening note on some occasions and a lemon-rose scent on other days. While it is drying, the myrrh gets heady and sometimes overpowers the rose, depending on how warm I am at the time. I think body heat brings out the myrrh more on a warm day. The roses lean to the Hawaiian Punch side on cool days but they are deeply pure rose on warm days. When I'm quite warm and I apply it, I am amazed that I won't smell any lemon at all, but on a cool day I will smell quite a bit of lemon along with the rose. I have a rose garden with some forty rose varieties in it, and I am impressed at how close Persian Rose by Pacifica comes to a myrrh scented variety I have by the name of Distant Drums. If you are not aware that roses come in a myrrh scented version, you might take a look at Distant Drums. It's a great bloomer and grower and I find the scent of its flowers quite mesmerizing!

This is gorgeous! Persian Rose is an amazing natural rose scent. I actually wasn't expecting to be blown away by this one. I'm a little fussy about rose in a perfume - sometimes it can come across as too powdery, too soapy, too stuffy for my taste. But here it is dewy, velvety and luscious. The intensive rose note is there throughout the full development of the fragrance. In the beginning, the fruity notes help to amplify the delicate sweetness of the rose. I get the sense of juicy mandarin and perhaps some lush, tart berries. I don't get the violet coming through that strongly. It shows up to add a hint of soft powder in the heart notes, but it's the least noticeable note in the composition. The myrrh works wonderfully. It emerges in the drydown, and gives off a sourish-earthy scent reminiscent of crisp-green rose stems and fresh soil. This fragrance strikes me as a very high quality scent, especially so considering the low price point. This is one of the best Pacifica perfumes I've tested yet..and so far it's my favourite floral scent from the line.

When first sprayed, its sourness is strong, but that blends back into the rose after a few minutes. The scent, for me, is spot on: loomi and rosewater. Loomi (or Black lime) is a Persian dried and fermented lime. They are sour and smoky; earthy and citrusy; utterly unique. They’re a necessary seasoning in all sorts of Persian food and drink. I suppose that the smoky myrrh and citrus fruit notes are causing that loomi smell, and I wonder if it was, at all, intentional. Black lime and rose are both such quintessentially Persian scents and flavors. This is not a powdery French rose. Persian Rose lives up to it’s name, with the sweet rose taking the center stage, and exotic black lime drifting though it. Loomi can be soaked in water with sugar to make a “lemonade” type beverage, sometimes with a splash of rosewater, and this perfume instantly takes me back to sipping that beverage in a favorite Iranian cafe... I can’t help but love it.