Hollyrose

An instant love on my unending quest for rose perfumes. I have at least 10 more rose fragrances I want to try, and there are already several rose fragrances that I either have a full bottle or want to buy a full bottle, but I am very tempted to grab a full bottle of this because I just can't stop wanting to spray this on me every single day. The patchouli and leather are less intense than expected. The rose is sweet and jammy (due to the black current), the obvious star from beginning to finish. The pepper is moderate and fades quite quickly. I don't really detect the orchid although I have to admit I'm not very familiar with the smell of orchid. This is a simple yet gorgeous rose that is very easy to wear. I known it's an homage to the groupies of the 70s but this reminds me of a young Courtney Love prior to the successes of Hole and her Hollywood career, although she said she never wear rose. To me, Hollyrose is Courtney's teenage whore, with her soft babydoll dress, low-heeled Mary Jane, smudged bright red lipstick, messy hair, smoking and doing drugs - imitating adults, trying hard to look cool and sexy, to be noticed, to be valued and loved because she feels an empty hole inside of her. Courtney wasn't big with leather jackets or combat boots but those are statement pieces in the kinderwhore aesthetic that she pioneered. Hollyrose is a girl who looks like a beautiful, dumb doll but is full of ambition, hunger, rage, and intelligence. Black currant is her childishness and idealism, pepper is her hot temper and combative personality, rose is her sexuality and womanhood, leather is her rebellious nature and armour to the cruel world dominated by men, and patchouli is her hippies influence. The only thing I would like is some cigarette smoke, although that can easily be achieved by smoking. This is a very feminine fragrance that captures the youthful spirit of rock-n-roll lovers, regardless of age, because the souls of such women never ages. She ages like fine wine - she wears grey strands in her hair with beauty and grace, fills her closet with vintage style flow-y dresses, lives in a house with a beautiful garden and several cats. She keeps her vast collection of records and CDs, and photo books filled with memories of her youth, full of pretty boys and wild adventures. People will often wonder how a woman with such an interesting past is content to be living an ordinary and uneventful life anonymously in a quiet town, but she just smiles and says nothing, because she knows deep down that the hole inside of her is no more.

I never write reviews but I feel compelled to write one for this, mostly because I'm confused, but in a good way. My initial impression of this was off base. When I first tried this, the leather was so overpowering to me. I liked that leather was one of the notes, but I thought it was way too much combined with how smoky it was. This is still true when it's first sprayed. It takes awhile to turn into what I like about it, which is something completely removed from the initial smell. Like the other posts have said, it really is a jammy smell. The more it dries down, the more I smell something sortof powdery in a spicy way, but it's so faint, and I wish I smelled that more. (And it reminds me of something I've smelled before and can't put my finger on, which is probably part of the allure for me.) Honestly, the marketing got to me. As a lover of Pamela Des Barres book "I'm With the Band" and all things LA, I will probably like this more than other people. Overall, I like that it doesn't really smell like "perfume" in the candy sort of way. It's feminine without being heavy and syrupy. EDIT, I bought a full bottle of this and despite trying out a lot of different scents, this one is just always good compared to them. It's a bit intense on the first spray, sure, but to me, nothing really compares to it. It's different and feminine and powdery in a spicy-ish way, without being what I would consider to be the bad version of any of those things. It is perfect.

I can't believe how good this fragrance is! The notes on my skin are totally out of the pyramid order. Hollyrose opens with an intense combo of a good dose of patchouli and rose (that seems to be on steroids), then the leather starts to dominate almost immediately and to my excitement, making it more of a dark scent. It's made of high quality ingredients and it feels almost oily. After 20 minutes Hollyrose changes drastically, letting the black currant and pepper to take over. I feel like I'm slowly squeezing the blackcurrant leaves in between my fingers, slowly inhaling this amazing smell so familiar to me from my childhood. The dry down is finally making this fiery scent to mellow down. The blackcurrant and pepper are gone, and whats left is the beautifully blended mature rose and leather. To be honest, I can't tell where the orchid went but I didn't miss it a bit. The projection is fantastic and people around me can smell it. Longevity is about 4-5 hrs. My skin absorbs fragrances pretty quick so I think on someone else the longevity might be much better.

Rebellious bloom This is no dainty garden rose. Holly Rose has a wild streak — velvety petals with a pulse, fragrant with defiance. What begins as a gentle, dusky bloom deepens into something darker, sharper — a rose with a stare. Sometime its delicate petals sharpen into a fierce, rebellious witch, intoxicating and unpredictable. It doesn’t fade quietly. Holly Rose lingers, clinging to skin and memory, announcing itself with a bold whisper others can’t help but notice. A scent of contrast — elegance with a shadow, romance laced with danger. Beautiful, but never tame.

Rich, dark, rose/leather/patchouli scent. The rose is rich and sticky, rather than fresh or sweet. You can really tell the difference of using rose oil rather than a standard rose note. It’s very patchouli heavy, giving it a dense, earthy character. The leather is there, but the other two are stronger imo. It’s a supporting act to give depth, but there isn’t a classic smoky leather more. If you like this style of perfume (which has been done a lot!) then I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Definitely better for night time and cold weather.

the way i want all rose-dominant perfumes to be. this has a really, really nice undercurrent of spice and leather that carries the sweetness of the rose to a really pleasant place. applies sweet and almost fruity, dries down to reveal the leather, but the rose keeps it sweet and not overly heavy. I think I'll have to buy a proper travel-size of this one.

This is the closest to my Nirvana Rose, discontinued. It isn't exact but reminiscent of it. I have been looking for something similar and this is a good one. It layers well with tea rose lotion, and Fleur Fatale by KK, just like Nirvana Rose. This is a room 1015 favorite for me. The performance is good, the price is good too. An FB is in my future.

I love a rose scent, but hate when it's too powdery or sweet. Prefer a bit of a masculine edge in almost everything, which is what makes Hollyrose perfect. When I want to soften the smokiness and leather I layer it with a powdery rose scent. Always get compliments when I wear it.

tender with an edge. truly divine when u need to feel calm but powerful. the scent equivalent of a hot girl smoking cigs in a dive bar. she's on a first name basis with the bartender and rolls her eyes at the idea of going anywhere "hipper"

Opens with a lot of rose, then the leather really comes out to play. I love it but it’s quite synthetic. Not immediately worthy of a full bottle but I’ll happily finish up my decant and decide later.

Love this. It is very true to the listed notes — if you don’t like berries, rose, patchouli, and leather... THIS IS NOT FOR YOU.

I really like this. It's beautiful leather and rose. Would be interested in trying some more from this line.

Wearing this again today from a 5ml tester I ordered from Sniph several months ago. When first testing this back in the midst of winter, I felt the leather overpowered the fragrance. All I could smell was black, tar-like leather. Now I don't mind leather perfumes that pack a punch, but I felt a bit too much like I was wearing the gasoline-infused jacket of a 50 year old Harley Davidson rider. And unfortunately I'm not cool enough to pull that kind of scent off really, so I put it to the side. I don't know if the fragrance just behaved differently that day, or whether my nose picked up the leather much more strongly back then for some reason, but today this perfume seems a lot more balanced. Still leathery, yes, but I can now smell the rose, a whiff of patchouli, and the whole thing comes together quite nicely. It is a relatively simple fragrance though, at least to my nose. All I get is leather, rose, patchouli. Maybe a bit of the freshness of the blackcurrant in the opening, but it fades pretty quickly. A nice scent, of which I probably won't be buying a full bottle, but will enjoy wearing the rest of my sample.

Smoky leather, deep rose, wine, dried fruits. Unisex. A very heavy leather fragrance here, the leather is very strong but very wonderful. Personally, I would prefer this on a man. My husband will be getting this sample. I get images of a wingback vintage leather chair, in a den of a very rich and successful man. Very rich, slightly boozy, the attitude of I don't give a you know what vibe here. Leans male for me but unisex for most. Very animalic dry down. Really like that part the best. Sexy. Edit the more I smell this the more I want it for myself! It is just killer sexy. Update to 💕 8/1/24 wore this sample all day today. Bought a full bottle. My husband and I will share this one. Excellent leather rose fragrance. Great longevity and sillage.

Opening has a prominent, smoky leather and an unrefined, dirty patchouli. Very interesting. I can faintly smell the rose under the leather. After a few mins I begin to smell the black currant. The whole combo is nice. As it dries down the patchouli softens considerably and the rose & black currant become more prominent. The fragrance has a very dry, dusty quality to it. The projection and the performance are good. It's marketed as a unisex fragrance but I think it's more on the feminine side. The idea behind Hollyrose is very clever, I think the perfume really nails this hippie 70s vibe. As a fragrance that captures a very specific place at a very specific time, this works.

The name is misleading. Anyway, this is a Review from a person who does not really appreciate roses in fragrances (sold my Portrait of a lady, lipstick rose, Rose pop by Guerlain, Red Roses by Jo Malone, Rosam by HdP and only lest Mancera Roses Greedy and Montale Roses Musk in my Collection.) I received a small decant of this as a freebie in some swap, I was very long hesitant to try, but God, I was so wrong. HollyRose is a leather-rose centered fragrance. The opening is si smoky, I can basically see the fumes around a rose! It has decent sillage and projection. So Close to Freredic Malle Rose Cuir, I might get a FB of it. I love the work of Jerome Epinette.

I’m not one for writing reviews as eloquently as many others on Fragrantica, but I just received this fragrance and thought I would weigh in. I lived and grew up in the 1970s and I will say that this smells exactly like 1970s Dove soap and an expensive leather jacket. It’s uncanny. My grandmother and many others would make air fresheners out of a bar of Dove, skewered by beads, and placed in many 1970s households. It’s uncanny. By the way, the staying power is eternal.

honestly this is a very interesting rose. I don't get anything "synthetic" here - opens with rose and sour black currant, then melts into rose with leather, then green earthiness of patchouli comes through quite a statement of a perfume but it's really well done feels quite feminine cause it's strongly rose-forward, but actually reading the reviews I could imagine a man getting compliments for it I'm gonna go wear it today in cold crisp weather

I wish the rose note was stronger. The rose is nice and fresh and almost a little dewy, but as it dries down I mostly get leather and smoke. The lingering smell reminds me a little of cigarettes in the best possible way. I really like it, I wish just wish it was a little more... hmmm rosey.

An edgy, jammy rose, spiced and leathered, like a well-worn purse. The black currant reminds me of dry red wine, invoking images of smoke-filled dive bars and not giving a f***. There is something retro about it. Very rocker chiq.

defintely get that classic leather smell thats in most leather scents and some rose, also a bit of the smoke and something slightly fruity. truly tho imo nothing super special. i feel like ive smelt this combo numerous times.

I love this! It's Ombre Leather with a touch of rose! Gorgeous Fragrance! Scent: 9/10 Longevity: 9/10 Projection: 9/10 Price: 7/10

An earlier reviewer made a comment that this smells like the 70's and I tend to agree. It smells old-school in a very classic way. The second I sprayed the tester I was transported back in time to when perfume was really perfume (ie. when perfume didn't need to smell edible) This leathery rose won't appeal to everyone and I definitely don't think it's unisex. It gets a bit more masculine as it dries down - the rose & black current fade leaving not much other than leather & patchouli behind. However, the opening is so rose-forward that I can't imagine a man wanting to wear it. All in all, I feel like this is just a bit too old-fashioned. It's nice, but it feels like it's been done many times over the years.

In the opening and throughout the wear, there is lot of leather and almost as much rose. Leather is a weird note for me- I like smelling it in this perfume and in others but I don't want to smell like it. This smells very upper class lady. I was expecting it to be slightly hippy-ish with incense, and I only get a tiny bit of incense or smoke after the opening. It gives old money vibes. This is a 360 days a year 24 hours a day scent- it will work for any weather if you like the scent.

This reminds me of places that I'd go to in the 90s whose walls emanated with old cigarette smoke, combined with lingering various heavy perfumes lingering in the air, combined with fruity, syrupy drinks. It's what I'd imagine I'd wear to a biker gathering. This was a blind sample, so I also expected something soft and floral, and while this is pretty much opposite that, it's an interesting scent that is fun to visit.

This is not your typical rose fragrance. It has nice elements and the cashmere on my skin makes it smell like rose and leather. It is definitely better than the powdery POAL, etc.,it is very modern, and I would describe it as unisex. Sillage is a bit weak though and it doesn't have the projection on Cherry punk for instance.

Citrus bug spray and pepper and LEATHER. Not my style. But my brother might like it. Giving it to him to try.

With a name like "Hollyrose" I was expecting something soft, floral, and sweet. But this "Hollyrose" is a tough chick! For me, the opening is a blast of new suede. It is very close to a "new car" smell to me. The rose is there but it takes a bit of drying down to really perceive it. I don't even want to call this one a floral at all. I also smell something fresh and green in the mix. Maybe a hint of lemon? The whole combination is a rubbery, chemical smell. I can't say I want to wear it myself, but I can see the appeal.

I can't get over the patchouli note in this one, it muddies up the rose a lot. Very cloying, almost "run to the sink to wash it off" territory. Not a fan of rose scents since they often cause headaches, but I've smelled better roses than this (Rose of No Man's Land by Byredo comes to mind) This is the last of my discovery set samples I've tried. Room 1015 is interesting - all samples caused a reaction in me, and I either loved them or hated them. No boring middle ground, which I consider a good sign.

I don't know what's wrong with me but I really did not get the leather/animalic part of this fragrance everyone's talking about in the other reviews, apart from the slightest suede-y aspect to the rose. I found this very powdery sweet-sour. Not for me.

I REALLY wanted to like this, but it was too strong and chemically. I LOVE their Cherry Punk scent, but this one was a big miss.

strong leather mixed strangely with the roses.. cloying...

Black currant, rose, and patchouli. Then leather. Very synthetic. Cloying and sickening. Made me sick.

Heavy synthetic leather, cigarette smoke and dark rose. Don't like it at all!

I don't get a lot of rose. I get a bit of incense, a lot of patchouli, a weird artificial plastic note. It reminds me a lot of the discontinued MAC purple Shadescents (I have reviewed this one). It reminds me of the time in my life where I wore that MAC perfume. So saying - this wore me. I did not wear it. I don't think I have space in my life for as bold a scent as this. I wish, because I would have loved to be a 60s/ 70s flower child/ club rat from LA, or at least smell like one. It really is 'purple' as a shade. EDIT: Does the drydown have an artifical musk of some sort? Not warm, an umami scent, like clean, healthy vaginal discharge. Or humming fresh plastic on a circuit. Weird.

This was the unexpected nice surprise from Room 1015's discovery set (nothing beats Sonic Flower though). Couldnt stop thinking about it and going back to my sample so bought a bottle for my birthday, although not an everyday scent im so happy to have this is my collection, im so drawn to this scent. This is a glamous girl in the 70s walking down Hollywood Blvd wearing a fresh rose perfume, a limousine pulls up with a famous band and they wisk her away for a crazy night filled withh sex drugs and rock and roll. When she wakes up in the morning this is what she smells like, you can still smell her rose perfume but its mixed the smell of leather and cigarettes and her own muskiness.

I am a 40yo male and I love and wear this. To me it’s a total femme fatale scent, but still leans slightly unisex to my nose, so I feel a guy can pull this off. Anyway, to me it’s about as straight up ashtray of a perfume as I have encountered. But I love it for this... it’s the used to be cool, aging hippie who now just has a raspy voice and reeks of stale cigarettes and vintage perfume. Yes, it sounds dated, and does feel dated in some way... You have to be feeling confident that day to wear this, as it could easily wear you. But if you have the confidence for this, it can be a totally killer scent.

It's 1862, and your family has called you home from London to the ancestral manor to meet your new suitor. The drawing room the two of you sit in is adorned in plaid rugs and mounted stag heads on the wall. A fire roars cheerily in the corner. Your new suitor is very handsome. He is still wearing his hunting leathers and he smokes from a carved ivory pipe. You've worn fresh red roses in your carefully coiffed hair just for this meeting, and you think to yourself, "But isn't he a little too old for me?".

This is practically similar to Frederic Malle ‘Portrait of a Lady,’ except that it has slightly more leather and patchouli and less of a fruity, jammy raspberry undertone, at least on my skin. I think that I rather like Laboratorio olfattivo ‘Rosamunda’ which is the most balanced and middle-of-the-bunch of the fruity and rose chypres in terms of being neither fully unisex, and neither masculine nor feminine

Well, there's a very sour rose. There's not enough leather here. Usually I like leather scents, including the most heavy ones, but this one didn't work out at all. Usually I have no problems with blackcurrant, but here all its unfriendly sides were revealed. On my hot skin it plays with all its toilet+bed facets. Not animal secretions, but human ones. It's not that it's unpleasant, but very obscene )

This is a brand that is just sort of hidden in obscurity. This opens with a pleasant smoky leather and then transforms to rose mixed in with the notes listed above. I like this fragrance a lot. I like the concept behind the brand Room 1015. Room 1015 still has a website up and running, but it seems like lack of marketing just made this company mostly invisible. Very intriguing fragrance.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bought this before Christmas last year because “holly,” right? Didn’t stay with me long enough to make much of an impression. Well! Now that it’s hotter than Hades, I get it, and I love it. Definitely worth trying a sample if you can find one. But the negative reviews definitely mean try it before you go all out.

Smells like your lover bought you a luxury car with leather seats that has a huge bouquet of red roses in it . Surprise!!!! Well, I can dream, but really that is how this smells. I love it!!

This perfume really cemented for me that I really hate rose and leather as a combo :( I tried!