Mystic Rose

The Elixir Of Dreams These days ZARA is offering us four new fragrances dedicated to the queen of flowers, the rose, which inaugurates a new chapter, Chapter No. 8. I like to call them the Four Roses, like the Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey “Four Roses”. Mystic Rose is the third fragrance I tried in the store, after C'est la rose and Rose Temeraire, and it is the one that impressed me the most with its austere, dense, animal musk, earthy, and woody character. Reading the first reactions, I am pleased with how perfumes are so subjective. Given that I adore the rose, both as a flower and as a perfume, and I appreciate how it works in modern fragrances, unlike other people who have already tried and described it, Mystic Rose has a very masculine impulse. A dark, amber, mystical rose, with a woody background soiled by camphoraceous patchouli. There is no trace of sweetness or creaminess, which makes it very desired and coveted by lovers of purple roses, not cloying and not gourmand. Mystic Rose announces itself with fresh, sour, slightly citrusy, slightly soapy, but mostly acidic accords. Not sweet at all, blueberry is bright, tart, and bitter, and perfectly balances all the sweetness that rose and other unknown ingredients can provide. I got the slightest bit of fruitiness from the blueberry, but not sweetly. I let a few minutes pass, and the perfume changes, releasing humid, dewy notes of wet and musky earth. It shares the same feeling as the Middle East attars. The participation of amberwood is clearly perceived, with that facet that resembles patchouli, and which mixes in unison with the velvety petals of the rose, damask I would say. My feeling is that there is also pure patchouli oil besides the amberwood, modern and not saccharine. A purple, camphorous rose, sometimes soapy, but with no caramelized or gourmand trace. Although they are two totally different perfumes, the combination of blueberry berries and rose petals brings to mind the extraordinary L'Ombre dans L'Eau EAU DE TOILETTE that unique sensation of acid and greenish rose. When the perfume enters the central or heart phase, the presence of the rosy nuances is accentuated by a touch of geranium, which strengthens the rose without sweetening it too much. Now the fragrance takes on implications midway between the odour of cloves and turpentine. There is something that makes it herbaceous, woody, and terpy with camphoraceous and thymol notes. The rose is now vivid, real, and fresh, like a bouquet of freshly cut red roses in the early morning in which we can smell the flowers, the leaves, the cut stems, and the stiffness. In the dry down, the spicy woods came off a bit smoky to me, with a clean sweet musky floral woody odour. The muskiness is that of animalic, green, and musty underwood, and not the white and laundry musk. Other than amberwood, the woodiness comes from cedarwood, which appears woodsy, balsamic, and earthy with just a touch of sweetness. The powerful presence of patchouli that I felt at the beginning now occupies a place in the second row, but remains clearly perceptible. What remains is a pink, woody, and earthy trail. After studying it for a few days, my first impression is confirmed. Mystic Rose for me is the one that, of the four roses, meets my tastes the most. Dark, dirty, earthy, and woody, this rose is well suited to the evening and night events of the spring and autumn months. Like most rose essences, the performance is adequate. I would say between four and six hours of duration in which you can perceive the variations. I haven’t had the chance to test it on myself yet. The climate outside is still a bit harsh. As soon as the first warm days of spring appear, I will put it to the test. That said, from start to finish, it remains a genderless fragrance, with a virile impetus that could also appeal to a male audience. Mystic Rose is not a sweet scent, so those of you who dislike sweet scents can safely wear it. A rose well done! My impressions are based on a bottle I’ve owned since February 2024 (BC 40330).

If there's an idea of an old school rose fragrance, then Mystic Rose must be it. There's barely any sweetness here, the rose note, being the most prominent, appears green, bitter and in your face (in a good way). I'd say best suited for the mature audience, who adore rose notes, without underlying or lingering sweetness. I had a difficult relationship with this little gem. Whilst being a rose lover, and, having purchased it in blind, I struggled to appreciate its facet in Mystic Rose. The rose note appeared dry, somewhat earthy, resembling an echo of heavy rose florals released in 70's or 80's. This doesn't mean this juice smells outdated but for some reason, I believe that it would mostly appeal to floral aldehyde lovers. What started off as a puzzle, borderline disappointment, turned into a love relationship to me. It most certainly isn't a safe gift / safe blind buy, I strongly suggest sampling this juice before making a decision regarding purchase. Sillage and longevity are exceptional, this fragrance lasts decent 6-7 hours and projects enough to attract compliments. I love the powdery, comforting drydown. It's my cold season winner and definitely has enough "personality" to become a signature juice. Thumbs up for Zara.

Mystic Rose is such a beautiful dark, lightly spicy, sheer rose with an elegant lipstick-y note that makes me think of sophisticated ladies from my youth. I was super-impressed with it when I smelled it at Zara and bought it on-the-spot. I'm unfamiliar with TF Cafe Rose, but I think it does smell a lot like the now discontinued Elizabeth & James Nirvana Rose (which has some vetiver in it that MR doesn't have), and which I've always enjoyed. One thing I love about Mystic Rose is that it has a darkness and sophistication without being heavy or overwhelming like Portrait of a Lady or Armaf Club de Nuit Intense -- both beautiful but too much for me. Mystic Rose lasts about 4 hours and then I just happily reapply.

This one is surprisingly beautiful. Radiates femininity and makes me feel super comfortable. It’s a bit mature, 2 years ago I wouldn’t have worn this but now I do. It’s super rosey but the woods also come through, even though to me they rather smell like spice than wood. Which is good for me bc I‘m not into woody scents. Yes, the blueberry/cranberry is kinda there but it’s submerged in the other notes and does not stick out- but it beautifully adds to the whole scent.

Elegant, sophisticated, sensual, dark rose. I get Portrait of a Lady vibes, but more spicy. You don’t get the fruitiness from the raspberries like POAL has in this fragrance. It goes straight to the spicy, woody rose. It’s well done, a good buy.