Rouge Velours

Just about the prettiest thing I've smelled all year. I got back into fragrance in a big way in 2021, after getting a mild case of Covid and temporarily losing my sense of smell. Not being able to smell any of my beloved bottles was truly one of the most heartbreaking experiences for me, since I love fragrance dearly. Thus I set off on a new quest to "smell all the smells" after I recovered. The Vestiaires de Parfums line contains my all-time favorite fragrance ever: Tuxedo. I have been sampling all of them as I can, to see if there are any worthy contenders to the crown (so far nothing has come close to matching Tuxedo's brilliance, but perhaps someday...) All things considered, Rouge Velours is probably my favorite out of the Vestiaires line so far. It is a slightly linear, woody, patchouli based rose paired with pink pepper and white tea. The fragrance pyramid is much simpler and pared down from many of YSL's brilliant 1980's creations, but this lends the fragrance an air of modernity. It definitely smells "new" to me. This fragrance is a chypre-leaning floral that is a more laid-back and quietly sophisticated rose with an ample base. Staying power is decent, projection is only so-so. I did have to reapply once during the day, but it luckily performs reasonably well on clothing. More fresh than sultry, and more high tea than nightclub, this is a lovely grown-up scent that would be a safe blind purchase for those who love both a good Turkish rose and patchouli.

I just blind bought a dupe of this and it arrived today. According to reviews it is exactly the same as this one. I’m not a huge rose scent by itself lover but I’m always looking for rose done differently and i have quite a few that are all very different. I wanted something vampy and dark for the fall winter season This delivers!! It’s a deep dark red rose with the rich earthy sweetness of patchouli that reminds me of coco mademoiselle or coco noir. But it has this white tea note that reminds me of the spa like aroma of tea fragrances that blends so nicely with the deeper dark rose and earthy sweetness patchouli bringing a tad of softness to all that weight, plus the pink pepper that brightens it up just a tad more and then that lovely woody vetiver in the end. I don’t pick up a lot on the Jasmine but maybe it’s just that well blended bc this isn’t just straight up rose. Yes you smell a lot of the rose but it’s rose done differently due to all those other notes that come together with it so nicely! This is not a juvenile bubble gum pink candy marshmallow fragrance. This is adult, this is sophistication, this reminds me of perfume from the 90s. And I’m all here for it! I love it!! I would love to be able to own this original one someday day but the ysl prices are hefty! I love a lot of this line from ysl!

Rouge Velours is a scent of two halves - it has a beautiful rosy opening, but dries down to an unexpected woody jasmine scent. Masterfully composed with high-quality ingredients, it is a twist on a classic. RV opens with rosy pink pepper, paving the way to a powdery pink rose note, as smooth as the velours of the title. There is a clean white musk note in the background, adding a little animalic softness, while earthy patchouli complements the rose, forming that classic accord. I don't get much iris, but it most likely enhances the powdery texture. It becomes woody as it dries down thanks to the dry vetiver note. The patchouli remains, but the rose fades, giving way to sweet, slightly waxy jasmine. The jasmine dominates for a while, but curiously, rose re-emerges when the jasmine subsides. It remains musky, fading to a musky skin scent with remnants of florals and patchouli remaining. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. Feminine-leaning and transeasonal, this is a really good example of a rose-patchouli scent, but with a jasmine detour. RV seems predictable at face value, but kept me guessing. Impressive. 4.5/5.

@l'enfant divin The nose is Carlos Benaim, who I'm not usually a fan of. In this second review, I want to emphasize the complexity of this scent. It is indeed rose-patchouli heavy, but there is much more to this scent than that. First, the main axis: rose and patchouli. Perfectly combined. I am usually not a big fan of patchouli unless there is a syrupy counterpart to it, and here, the rose is exactly that. I assume in the summer this axis overpowers anything else as the patchouli grows in size. Now I must highlight two important facets complementing the rose-patchouli. The white tea is definitely recognizable. I have never smelled a tea fragrance that I could wear, but this is it. It brings a bitterness that plays down the syrupiness of the rose. Had it been more present I would have had to pass, but this is just fine. Additionally, I have to mention that this fragrance has a classical vibe to it, without being vintage (which I can't do), probably due to the iris and jasmine. The result: an elegant, classical yet modern rose-patchouli. Very femme. A good addition to any fragrance collection.

♥️ Oh • My • Gosh ♥️ Have I been living under a rock??? Where has this been all of my life??? This is L O V E at first sniff and as this fragrance evolves on my skin, I cannot sniff it enough 😵💫😵💫😵💫 I am just head over heels for Rouge Velours. This is a Red Rose in all its splendor. She evokes a young vampire whose skin is like porcelain, her hair is so dark it has a blue tint to it and she is dressed in red velvet from head to toe (Rouge Velours translates as Red Velvet in English). The Rose is ever present but the Jasmine makes its appearance after a while with the patchouli and it just smells m a g i c a l ✨✨✨✨ I think that the tea and Vetiver accords add a great deal of freshness and a certain dimension of “youth” to this scent, keeping it from going into grandma territory. I love the patchouli in here. It’s not earthy and dirty, it’s deep and dark but oh so balanced with the Rose and it’s probably why it feels “gothic” to me... All in all, I NEED Rouge Velours in my life, right now ♥️ it is THAT good ♥️