Elisabethan Rose

There came a day that is every perfume lover’s dream and nightmare: the day I had to choose a wedding scent. I stumbled upon Elisabethan Rose mistakenly in the London-Heathrow Airport. We were having a destination wedding in a castle in Ireland and had the worst luck traveling. Our flights were cancelled and delayed, and we were stuck for two days trying to make it to my wedding. I was flying separately from my partner, and was alongside my grandmother, uncle, and parents. I was flooded with so many emotions and the genuine fear that I might miss my own wedding. We had given ourselves plenty of time, and still, everything that could have gone wrong did. When we finally arrived at our new connection point in London (not on the original flight plans at all), the immense relief I felt was overwhelming as we were now only an hour’s flight from our destination in Ireland. My mother and I had popped into a shop while waiting for our gate information, where I accidentally discovered what would be my wedding scent. Elisabethan Rose marked in that moment a new beginning for travel, starting over, and hope. This of course moved into my wedding day. I had originally packed Luna, The Favourite, and Dries Van Noten’s Soie Malaquais intending to choose from one of those, but Elisabethan Rose stole my heart. My mom bought it for me as a gift, making it even more special. The scent couldn’t have been more perfect for our wedding. We had a handfasting ceremony in walled gardens in front of a jasmine arch full of all white florals, including a variety of roses. There was a small pond beneath where we stood, full of lily pads. It was cloudy and had been sprinkling on and off all day. This is Elisabethan Rose. It is so hauntingly beautiful. Melancholy and bittersweet, joyous, feminine, airy. Fit for any bride or princess in a castle. I am not a rose lover by any means, and I think every person can find their perfect rose with enough effort... I tried for years, and now I’ve finally landed on mine.🤍

Hoo boy. I revisited this one after my sample went un-used for over a year. I don't remember why I didn't love it before, as I LOVE rose in any form. Now, I tried it just moments after pulling the trigger on a full bottle of Duchess Rose after agonizing over it for a LONG time, and I am having a crisis because I can't decide which I love more and am wondering if I will regret my Duchess Rose purchase (I got a good deal anyways and I am not seeing any deals on Elizabethan Rose so I guess that makes my mind up for me). Its opening is fresh, fairly realistic rose without being too green or powdery. A little sweet, pink, a faint trace of that 'mature' quality many dislike rose for (but i love). This is probably why I didn't love it before, as it really shines in the drydown. I must not have been patient that day. 30 minutes out- I know what the notes say but personally what I smell is a berry sweetness that reminds me of the Eos pomegranate raspberry lotion. The rose is still there, and there's a little woodiness, but its soapy and clean and sweet, with that girly berry smell. 2 hours+ is where I started to realize I misjudged this perfume and wondered if I regret not purchasing this one instead. I know Penhaligon's is notorious for their scents not lasting, but this one has a drydown that has been lasting hours on me and its gorgeous. The wood is more prominent, and the rose and berry sweetness are perfectly balanced. Its clean, its soapy, its girly but sophisticated. It never goes sour on my skin or clothes, it stays bright and clean and woody. If I ever see a good deal on a bottle of this I will 100% purchase. I think I will comfort myself by telling myself its a little more 'pink' and girlier than coveted duchess rose, and a little soapier than I use as an everyday where or work scent. The two are fairly similar, not sisters but cousins. But I would say Coveted Duchess Rose is more floral and maybe less soapy/powdery.

This. Is. Sensational. I finally had a chance to visit the Penhaligon's shop in Paris and explore the collection to my heart's content. I didn't have any real agenda, other than to put scents to names. (I've admired the house digitally / from afar for quite some time, but just felt like getting a sample kit was too much of a crapshoot with a collection this big.) Once there, I went straight to the ones I'd heard of: Lily of the Valley, Empressa, Halfeti, Alula, Bluebell, The Favourite, Luna, and Babylon. Then there were the ones the store associate introduced me to: Solaris, The Coveted Duchess Rose, Blenheim Bouquet, Artemisia, and, ah, Elisabethan Rose. There were other highlights, of course (Solaris is divine, but smells too similar to something I already have – Unforsaken by Kerosene; Blenheim Bouquet is super refreshing, citrusy, and just a little bit more interesting than it pretends to be; Halfeti is, expectedly, very, very lovely, but I have too many ouds at this point!). Anyway, when I smelled Elisabethan Rose, my jaw genuinely dropped. I'm not particularly a rose girl or a floral girl. But I mean, if this is what rose can be, I'm down. From reading a few of the reviews here, it seems like the almond isn't coming through for a lot of people, but on my skin, this is like the light yet musky yet dainty yet delicious rosewater biscuit I never knew I needed in perfume form? Adore it. And probably never would've spritzed it had I not been directed to it by the ridiculously knowledgeable store associate. I don't need more perfume, and yet here we are.

I LOVE Elisabethan Rose. What a beautiful soft rose smell. I like describing perfumes with moments and scenes. So here we go. This is how Elisabethan Rose smells like to me: Imagine you walk into a late spring garden. It's about May/June. It's an English cottage garden with several different types of roses. It has also a lot of other flowers blooming at the same time. You walk into the rose section with all the different roses and you take a whiff at one of the pink roses. Whilst you take this whiff, you will mainly smell this pink rose, but you will also smell it's greenery, all the sister roses next to it and the rest of the blooming and green cottage garden in the background. It feels very English in the best possible way. I can imagine this being the perfect perfume for an afternoon tea, for anything related to spring and early summer. It's a sophisticated daytime perfume. It is very ladylike. I am also happy to report that I can smell the main rose throughout the day, blending in more and more with the cottage garden backdrop. Meaning that on me it has a long lasting scent and stays beautiful for many hours. If you are a rose lover, who loves the scent of lighter spring roses, then this is for you. It is not a heavy, but a lighter perfume. It's stunning, it's soft and well blended.

This is just indescribably beautiful. It smells so authentically rose-like without smelling like plain rosewater. I think it's the nutty notes that make this smell unlike any other rose perfume. It's so refreshing on a hot day; I'm really enjoying this one during the heatwave we've got in the UK at the moment. But I think this can be worn any time really, as that slightly sweet plum note gives it a little bit more depth and stops it from being too light and watery. It does have an odd sort of sourness in the opening, which is not my favourite part, but if you wait for a few minutes that does fade and it becomes softer with just a hint of sweetness. I love this one so much that when I first got it, I wore it every single day for nearly a month, which is something I never normally do. I don't tend to wear the same perfume more than once a week, but I just couldn't get enough of this one and only had to stop because I was starting to become noseblind to it after wearing it so much. I feel like this is the only rose I will ever need, and I just pray this never gets discontinued or heavily reformulated. Sadly Penhaligon's does seem to have a tendency to discontinue some of their best scents.

I’ve owned this fragrance since 2019, and even as someone who doesn’t typically gravitate toward rose scents, I find this to be a work of art in a bottle. It is clean and soapy, but in a rounded way... there's no sharpness to my nose. I don't envision a sprawling garden; instead, I see a solitary, magnificent rose... specifically, a close-up of sparkling, red velvet petals paired with juicy berries and dewy greenery. There is a peaceful, refreshing coldness here that somehow remains comforting, like a misty field at dawn. It has that sense of calm and clarity that you only feel in the early morning hours. It is delicate and flowy, evoking the grace of Audrey Hepburn’s pink chiffon dress in My Fair Lady or the regal presence of Belle in the ballroom scene of Beauty and the Beast. It is the olfactory equivalent of Tchaikovsky’s Pas de Deux from The Nutcracker. The longevity and sillage are both impressive...it maintains a consistent presence without becoming overwhelming. The packaging is as exquisite as the juice inside. This is such an evocative, one-of-a-kind scent that has everything I look for in a fragrance.

Elisabethan Rose by Penhaligons is an amazing fragrance that truly highlights the rose. From the initial spray, I immediately recognize the familiar and refreshing aroma of rose water, reminiscent of what you'd find in a supermarket or grocery store. What truly sets this fragrance apart for me is the prominent nutty opening, featuring distinct notes of hazelnut and almond. I associate these nutty facets with a creamy texture, and in this perfume, they provide a beautiful thickness and body that anchors the fragrance. While the base notes do offer a musky touch, the rose remains the undisputed star throughout, even after the dry-down. It's unmistakably a rose fragrance from start to finish. In terms of performance, its boasts good longevity and silage. Despite its strength, it's not overpowering, making it perfectly suitable for office wear. I frequently receive compliments when I wear it, with people often asking about my perfume. It's a remarkably fresh daytime fragrance that exudes quality and, while certainly at an expensive price point, it's a scent I absolutely adore.

I have both versions of this perfume. I have the Vintage and the newer one. I actually like the newer one better .I'm in love with the hazelnut and Rose combination. This opens very peppery to my nose. I get a lot of spicy carnation mixed with sweet soapy Rose and cinnamon and loads of hazelnut. The hazelnut reminds me of the hazelnut in the little individual creamers. It's sweet nutty and slightly bitter. The middle phase the hazelnut is still holding on but not as strongly and now the perfume becomes slightly sour, sweet, with Jammy plum ,Rose and musk in the background. The dry down reminds me a lot of Kenzo flower in the air but a more grown-up version. It smells like raspberries to me, mixed with Vintage Rose soap. Elisabethan Rose is very beautiful, has great sillage and great staying power. I don't get in the mood for Rose's very often when they're fresh or soapy. I normally love my roses very spicy, dark, Woody and Smokey or smelling like lipstick but in the springtime when it's wet and warm outside this smells absolutely stunning.

This is not only one of the most elegant rose fragrances I've ever smelled, it's one of the most elegant fragrances I've ever smelled period. For me, what makes Elisabethan Rose so unique is that it evokes imagery of Waterford crystal vases and delicate strands of pearls and chilly English mornings in the gardens of a large estate. It's so different from your typical almond-rose, spicy rose, peony-rose, honey-rose, or gourmand rose. It's a dewy, cold, proud red rose with a green stem and a vaguely nutty, somewhat powdery undertone due to the hazelnut, violet, and orris. There's nothing sweet or youthful or warm here—only rich, chilly opulence. Rather than airiness, there's a beautiful clarity to it, as if you're looking at a rose in a beautiful crystal stand. You could imagine a wealthy, haughty grand old dame wearing it—but it also doesn't smell grandmotherly or fussy or stale in any way. It's pure maturity, elegance, and refined class. Wearing this truly makes me feel like a duchess from another time!

This scent threw me for a loop, honestly! When I first put it on, it started out with daintily like Rose de Grasse. Oh great, I remember thinking to myself, another lightweight perfume that will just vanish after two hours 🙄 A bit later on, though, it became a little sweeter before turning a bit soapy as the rose intensified- a lot like Philosophy’s Pure Grace Nude Rose. Okay, this is getting interesting, I thought, I’m glad I didn’t second-guess it based on the beginning. Then, the jammy plum note kicked in, turning it into a fancier Rose Jam and I loved it! The plum and the rose are most noticeable on me, but the geranium and black currant temper them well. It’s rich and feminine without feeling too overwhelming, even during a humid Chicago summer day. I especially like how versatile it is when layered; I like layering it most with Jōvan’s White Musk Woman and Salvatore Ferragamo. If it were easier to find and less expensive, I would grab some in a heartbeat!

I’ve never liked any rose perfume before. They all smell incredibly cheap and the rose comes across as very artificial. That’s all I can say about any other rose perfume I’ve tried. Not this one though. Whatever Penhaligon has done here, it’s working. It’s working big time on my skin. It just smells like a real rose. The very minor hazelnut note gives it such a familiarity, I’m immediately transported to my grandparents’ house when I was younger, there is the deep red rose bush in full bloom, sitting next to the blooming flower garden, there are trees, bees, grass, soil, rabbits, the whole building in the village, it just evokes such detailed memories.... When I smelled it the first time, my first thoughts were “I want everyone I know to remember me that I smell like this” It also lasts on my skin well beyond 10 hours, although it was just sitting very close to the skin at the end. Well done, Penhaligon, well done.

A dainty, elegant soft rose with an interesting twist. First spray is a slightly fruity rose with an almost creamy soft texture which could be the almond note. It reminds me a little of Tresor In Love at first. Next the plum note kicks in and it's more of a sweet, tart, jammy fruit-rose in the most elegant of ways. The dry down introduces a musky, woody background but the soft rose and plum jam is still at the forefront. I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I do, the plum adds a uniqueness to the rose that I really enjoy. In true Penhaligon's style this is a stunningly well blended and quality perfume that exudes refined class. I can imagine the wealthy young ladies in regency era London wearing this while attending high society balls in search of a potential marriage partner. This would be a divine wedding scent.

This is my signature scent! I have met two boyfriends (two different boyfriends, two different timings, of course) in this perfume and it is my all time favourite! I have emptied two 100mL bottles, that’s just how much I love this! It’s the most beautiful rose perfumes I have ever smelled, the rose notes really are the only things you will smell. This has a very accurate rose smell, and it’s different to all the other rose perfumes from other brands. I usually use 3-4 sprays and it lasts from 8:30AM to 5:30PM, people can smell it and they always compliment me on how good this smells. The longevity and the scent are both worth the price for me, not to mention how cute the bottle is!

Love love love rose fragrances. As a man it's not as typical to enjoy pungent rose and floral fragrances! But Elisabethan has a delicate woody and fruity quality to it that makes it unisex. I tested this out at Penhaligon's in Edinburgh and I had to get a small bottle of it, sadly it didn't come true. The exotic notes of nuts and violet give this a unique character in the top and mid, it really makes the rose burst and you can smell the green leaves. Sillage is VERY high, it lingers from room to room. Longevity is also a strength, on my skin it lasted about 4 hrs.

I recently ordered a sample of this and I knew I needed the full bottle the first time I smelled it. Indeed, it is a beautiful fresh rose with a burst of tangerine and a slight spiciness. It somehow reminds me of the way your hair would smell after leaving a luxury hair salon. Also someone in these reviews said it can be a wedding scent and I can wholeheartedly agree. This is soft but long lasting and will get you noticed. It lasts on your clothing until you wash them.. This scent is beautiful yet sensual and would make a great signature scent

While I generally steer clear of rose, I bought this the day the Queen died - I had a sudden urge to smell like roses and thought this bottle would make a nice scent memory. I did not expect to love it as much as I do. The opening is fresh and crisp, the dry down is perfectly nutty and sufficiently complex without losing its rosiness. Very pretty and very daytime, without ever being cloying, powdery or soapy. Wow. I want to smell like this all summer, in a softly coloured linen dress. I want my kids to remember me smelling like this.

Ah, but what a pretty scent! On me it develops linearly, with a rose on the realistic side that leans sweet from what I assume might be the fruit, but never cloying. The hazelnut is not toasted, but rather raw, lending it a green undertone that blends deliciously with the nutty almond and the musk. Definitely a daytime perfume, I associate it with springtime but can be worn all year round really. Good performance and sillage, especially when compared to the rest of Penhaligon's offerings. Currently my go-to for daily use!

Divine! I was in the shop, oscillating between getting Elizabethean Rose or The Coveted Duchess Rose, and Elizabethean Rose was a clear winner to me. As a rose scented parfum, I think the Coveted Duchess Rose is softer and more understated, but the Elizabethean Rose just immediately brought me to Turkish Delight. It's so elegantly rosey and fun but still sophisticated. It smells clean, fresh, floral, slightly sweet. It's a statement fragrance, and leaves an undeniable impression.

Really lovely fresh dewy rose with a slightly acidic/citrus opening to my senses. The hazelnut leaf does not assert itself but can be found in the transitional phase, and provides a creamy foundation on which the young green stemmed roses dance upon. Quite a feminine fragrance and it’s pretty addictive too. Reasonably good staying power which isn’t always the case for some of the new Penhaligon creations. If you can get this at a good price I would recommend it.

Very lovely rose scent! It is very rosy but not sweet -- the nutty, woody, and spicy notes dress it up. This is a rose for grownups who are neither "old ladies" nor girls. It opens as a spicy rose, and as it dries down it becomes more of a dryish, woody skin scent but still with rose undertones. I am really loving this! An early Mother's Day gift which I will enjoy very much.