Noire De Mai

Sometimes when a fragrance is described as sexy I kind of give a side eye. But, this is sooooo sexy to me. It does remind me of Noir de Noir but more floral and less heavy somehow. It’s a dark, smoky, rose with smooth woody and deep patchouli undertones. It is a fragrance tailored for a sexy black dress, high heals, red roses on a table, and candlelight. It’s incredibly romantic and when I read the notes I’m left scratching my head. It’s so much darker than you would think. It’s almost magical because in all the gothic romance there is an underlying freshness as well. There are times when this also smells like red wine and roses. Whomever created this deserves a round of applause. No wonder the notes confused me. According to the Veronique Gabai website they are as follows: Bergamot, Mandarin, Rose Centifolia, Rose Damascena, Pink Pepper, Patchouli, and Amber. I knew I smelled patchouli.

Aromatic red roses scent....not in your face jammy like Rossy de Palma or obvious as Roses Greedy by Montale. Beautiful, classy rose. Makes you want to wear bright blue based red lipstick and black clothing This scent does take a few sprays to show itself however I have perfume eating skin. This one and Sexy Garrigue are the best two from this designer. Last longer on clothing for me Office as well as happy hour appropriate Feminine leaning however I would love to smell this on a man...understated elegance. 4-6 hours with 5 generous sprays

Correct notes from the house site are: Bergamot, Mandarin, Rose Centifolia, Rose Damascena, Pink Pepper, Patchouli, and Amber. One of the most beautifully blended and refined scents I own. It’s bright with the citrus and the peppery rose & amber keeps it dark all at the same time. It’s silage is very powerful. I don’t quite understand how the brand is claiming their scents are for layering as two sprays fills a room. And I honestly can’t imagine covering this with anything else, it’s just that beautiful.

This is such an elegant perfume. This is the sort of rose I personally enjoy, far from jammy or overwhelmingly tacky. Similar in a way to TF Noir de Noir but much lighter and brighter, and less dense. All these without losing on the quality or projection. Has a slight smokiness/darkness that keeps it interesting, but it can definitely be worn day or night due to the balancing "dewy" notes. Although apparently unisex, I think this will better suit a woman. A bit expensive imho but overall beautiful!

This is the most beautiful scent I've ever encountered - and I'm not being hyperbolic. I've been nursing a small decant for about 2 years now- and that's why I'll never buy a full bottle. I'm so cheap, I'd feel compelled to save it for "best", and just end up never using it. It is stunning though - smokey rose, resin, moss, and some sort of dark magic. Sexy in a fully grown-up way - no candy winking in the background. Any man or woman wearing this would exude quiet confidence and power.

This is such a gorgeous and wet rose. It's very realistic, super elegant, with woody touches, and especially unique top notes (which are marine and ozonic). This rose is dark and intense, similar to the roses of the 80's and 90's but it does not have the boring citrus top notes, or the "infected" dirty oud base (since oud has become very common and at this point is not a unique ingredient). This rose is very new to me, it's dewy, sheer and marine.

If L’Arte di Gucci were a serious, elegant, but slightly pretentious older sister who happened to have an also elegant but less serious younger sister, this fragrance would be it. It’s soooo pretty, alas the longevity is an issue. Fortunately for me, I’ve held onto that Gucci bottle from the early 90s, and combine them now to tamp down the brutality of Gucci but amp up the endurance of little sister. Grateful that I never culled that Gucci bottle!

This is divine, elegant. Nothing shouty but it is present. First spray gave me fresh ozonic and slightly spicy ginger freshness that settles into a beautiful rose blended. It’s great for summer and now, having worn the travel size i shall have to buy the full. It smells nothing like Very Valentino, which I miss but it’s evocative of it as a perfectly formulated and blended scent where the sum of its parts excel like great orchestra.

A very elegant and mature rose fragrance without the powdery note that makes certain florals smell too old-fashioned for my tastes. After the initial rosy blast, the wood note starts to become more noticeable (without overpowering the rose) and really anchors the fragrance. I got a travel-sized decant and might spring for a full bottle at some point. Definitely a winner for me--just wish it wasn't so expensive.

3/11/24 Update: This scent is magical. After acquiring many rose perfumes, I realize I like this very fresh rose vs a real jammy rose. I was able to snag a barely used large bottle for next to nothing and I am thrilled to have it in my collection. I really enjoy this scent. Does anyone else smell tobacco (maybe pipe tobacco) in the opening?

The greatest rose de mai scent, imo. Slightly jammy, cozy, extremely elegant. Better for sweater weather. Since it is effectively a rose solifore, it is quite difficult to pinpoint what exactly makes this so much better than everything else. If you like rose, this simply necessitates a sample.

I absolutely adore this fragrance, think it is stunning, my man loves it, BUT, to my nose, it's longevity is poor, but it's spillage is moderate. Considering how expensive a bottle is, I'd sure appreciate longer performance. Still, I love this scent!

OMG! This is midnight poison. Can’t understand how, but this is it. Love it and very happy to have one of the best perfumes again.

The best rose fragrance I’ve ever owned. I layer this with Byrdeo Oud Immortel to give it a masculine touch and I’m good to go.

A very refined and elegant fragrance, feels old school in a good way. I was surprised to see citrus in the official notes from the perfumer (as someone else said, they are bergamot, mandarin, rose centifolia, rose damascena, pink pepper, patchouli, and amber) because I barely smell it. I feel like I'm only being influenced by that list to smell it, honestly. This reads as very rose/musk/amber/patchouli to me. It's a deep, rich rose, spiced by the patchouli and pepper that gives it a vintage vibe. I quite like this, though I don't think I need a bottle of it. 8/10.

I am surprised this is not more popular. This is a super sweet, ultra appealing, candied rose. Not a soliflore; there is this very sweet vanilla or some sort of powder. It's not turkish rose vintage-heavy powder. It's a bit gourmand like a rose cupcake. It's not for me though, as I am extremely particular about my rose, and there is no wateriness or transparency- e.g. I really love Stella by Stella McCartney and Chloe. Definitely worth trying if you're a rose fan and if you love sweets. I really think this is a crowd-pleaser and would love smelling it on anyone.

wow this starts off pretty. it's a jammy red rose with woods that read as a bit oud-y to me. does remind me of noir de noir a bit, but i think it's a bit softer and less dense. the amber blooms gloriously and adds a warmth that is *very slightly* powdery. (i love powdery so no problem for me.) i am not sure i detect sea notes or dew drop here but this is a pretty woody jammy rose.

Sweet amber and rose water. It's very feminine but also a little odd. Aquatic notes mixed with amber and moss come off a bit muddy. It's a like but not a love.

Is marketed as unisex but frankly is closer to be for women than men. Very floral, nice and creamy but I wish it was somehow more masculine.

This starts out intense and beautiful - sweet, amber, rose, smells a bit like warm spices or incense to me. (Reminds me a bit of Scherzo by Miller Harris - a rose oud - but that is "skankier") And then *poof* it was gone on my skin within minutes. I like lighter scents in general and don't usually complain about longevity or projection (I just bought Veronique Gabai's Sur La Plage because I LOVED that fragrance so much even though it suffers from the same issue - it disappears so quickly.) This is a lovely deep warm sweet mature rose at first but I can't recommend something so utterly fleeting. Pulled this sample out again out of curiosity and my husband really liked it, and poof it was gone again. Amazing disappearing act.