Karenina

Karenina is gentle in spirit. Its a warm, soft floral. Karenina in my wearing is carnation supported on a bed of alluring ylang ylang with frangipani, gardenia, and a well restrained carnation and cloves adding texture to the powdery violet that adds femininity to the fragrance. The warm base supported by vanilla, cedar and musk gives a plush dry down to a light tropical oriental floral. The green notes air out the rich story. Karenina nods to the past while solidly blooming in the present. I think all grand fragrances do have a nod to the past of classic perfumery, or in this case a look into the flower train to Russia. I dont get a solid "vintage" feel as some of the usual "vintage" base notes are not present, and I believe it was carefully selected to keep the story well rooted in the present. Its a unique modern romantic fragrance. A delight to wear. Longevity very long lasting, Silage moderate to full depending on amount used. If you liked Enslaved, this would also work for you. EDIT: Now Discontinued. Ps. The cloves in the base and violet roses keep haunting me this could be an entry as a cousin to Caron. The winter floral just shines and is very unique to modern perfumary. Such a gift this one is...the dupe oil is not the same. I have both

Karenina is rather rare and unheard of compared to most Roja creations, despite only launching in 2016; its swift discontinuation is saddening, but understandable. For this esteemed floriental is nothing short of a vintage-style beauty, laden with golden-age florals and musty furniture. Carnation lies at the heart, with a pronounced clove-like warmth, its spicy facets smoothed out by vanilla and soft buttery florals. Speaking of florals, there are tons of them - sweet, soapy, powdery, a touch fruity, dressed up in sparkling aldehydes whilst the warmth of the carnation stops it from rising endlessly into the sky. There’s no denying Karenina’s heavy inspiration from classic French perfumes of the 20th century. To me, this smells like a sister to Enslaved; whilst they both centre themselves around a strong carnation note, Karenina opts for a more floral journey rather than that of a chypre. I can see why this didn’t sell, it’s simply far too old school for most to appreciate, in fact I’d even say this is one of his most dated creations of all; a world away from where the house sits today.

This has got to be one of nicest feminine scents I've ever smelt. My wife and I were looking for wedding scents for each other for our wedding day, I picked this one for her. We decided on a destination beach wedding in Florida, so I wanted a scent that would emulated a beautiful woman standing on a beach, flowers in her hair, soft and gentle, while capturing the natural sweetness that surrounds a tropical paradise. This scent nailed it! Roja Dove's inspiration of "Karenina" stems from a love story. The main reason I selected this fragrance was because of the Frangipani note which happens to be the traditional flower of Hawaiian matrimony, also used for making leis. This is a softly sweet floral, mainly a mix of rose/frangipani/carnation scent with vanilla at the base. A distinguish woman that walks past you with this on will leave behind a mesmerizing trail of love, a love that has found her. This is a true love story written in perfume.

This is a pretty, sweet, oriental floral. It is heavy on the carnation with some sweet supporting flowers. This is not like Guerlain. Faintly faintly reminds me of Caron Bellodgia vintage. This is soft but not soapy. The green notes are definitely there. It does go on with a metallic violet in the top then the sweetness rises then the carnation and musk do their thing to even it all out.

It's an $18 bottle of "White Shoulder" sold for hundreds, with the only notice is some of the floral notes more pronounced. That's probably why it got cancelled.