Essence Rare

What a beautiful fragrance and the most 'beautiful' of the PdV line. It was an easy blind buy after I tried a PdV sample pack containing mostly fragrances that I appreciated but would never wear. These were 11, 16, 23, 25 and Les Clochettes. I am a guy but do not mind slightly fem leaning fragrances, although I would say this is totally unisex. I have also tried 1, 47, 56 and Amour, but out of all of these I like Essence Rare the most. It is a more refined and classy Jubilation 25 of FDB NY Intense and has this beautiful Chanel-like powdery golden aura surrounding the berry fruit accords, which are never too sweet. It doesn't come across as too mature, like much of this line, but has all its strong suits: ie pure class, expert blending, amazing complexity, and a price which puts it at £250 for 50 mL which is in the Killian Xerjoff price point and not crazy. I have a sample of "The Oud" coming so lest see how that is. My other Rojas are Elysium (both), Enigma (both), PDLN 2, Isola Blue, Turandot, Manhattan, and RDHP 15. The closest to this is Turandot...which is better? Depends on the person, but Turandot evolves more while this is more linear.

The perfume really smells in the direction of Jean Couturier. I can really say that it is finer and I like this version more that JC, and smelling like that one, it brings with Sisley too. But the difference is in the powdery notes, this one is very fine and creamy, round, and that raspberries note, which I generally do not tolerate in perfumes, this time is very nicely outlined and brings a note of sweetness but still slightly sour, which JC doesn't do, and Sisley has that awfully sweet and aggressive honey, which is in antithesis with the other notes. Here everything is very well combined and balanced, and it is a perfume I would wear with pleasure to a dark satin blazer suit in the evening, at least I hope to do it soon. I really like it.

A really pleasant and exceedingly well constructed parfum. Tried it at Harrod's and bought on the spot. It's got a lovely blackcurrant opening and it dries down to a slightly powdery woody chype scent. It's no surprise that the ingredients just smell of the highest quality. Not cheap, obviously, but that's to be expected for PVD. My only issue was that too quickly dissipated on me -- but what a difference when I put it over Molecule 01 and then it becomes practically eternal. With that combination, it's a winner (for me).

I thought this would end up being to feminine for me however I was very wrong. The fruity notes come to life in the top of the fragrance as well as the citrus. Then as the fragrance dries the Jasmine and woody notes take center stage. It is a beautiful fragrance and I enjoy it very much. It's a year round fragrance and is defiantly signature scent worthy.

Wow what a beauty Open up fruity blood orangy tangy then jasminy then woody musky what a transition very well blended wow love it i want a bottle now

Essence Rare surprised me, simply because it doesn’t feel like Roja’s usual style. It opens up with a juicy cocktail of sharp, tangy, rindy fruits including blood orange, raspberry and blackcurrant. Usually when Roja utilises fruits they come across very gentle, powdery and soft whereas this scent is very bold and zesty. A floral heart provides some powdery touches to the fruits but mostly paved way for a base of green, vegetal nuances mainly coming from the palma rosa and patchouli. There’s a hint of creaminess from the oakmoss and Sandalwood which helps to smooth everything out but this is very subtle. I think Essence Rare is a fantastic scent if you love very juicy, tangy and rindy fruit notes in your perfume. Personally this is not a love for me but I can see the appeal, there are many others from the Pierre de Velay line I would rather own.

This smells like a vintage Sisley chypre to me-maybe a cross between Eau du Soir & Soir de Lune. Maybe more like a much tamer Soir de Lune. Beautiful but projection is lacking (strong at first but goes close to skin pretty quickly).

A very young-hearted fragrance. Reminds me of the way some of the girls smelled in middle school in the early 2000’s. Quality stuff here, of course. In my mind, it’s really better suited for teenagers. Sweet, candy-like pink and purple flowers with some musk underneath, though it does have an interesting Chypre twist as it dries that becomes intriguing and more mature.

While it's not unpleasant, it smells like a drugstore nail polish remover I had once.