The rose bushes in my garden are buried under a thick layer of snow. All my back yard needs is a lamppost and the hoof prints of a faun to make it look like Narnia. But Valentine's Day is approaching, so we think about roses. A few years ago I wrote a blog post titled 'Rose Perfumes for Anti-Rose People'. I listed seven rose-themed fragrances that made me overcome my general aversion to the scent of this flower. I still love them very much; not only that, but others have joined them. Taking stock for this pre-Valentine's Day blogging project, I can say that while it may not be my favorite note ever, I do enjoy many rose perfumes and products. Here's a list of twelve rosy ideas and thoughts:
Perfumes:
I won't repeat the ones from my previous list though I highly recommend you check them out and give them a try if you haven't yet. These are the ones that joined them since:
1. Neela Vermeire Creations- Mohur. A Spicy rose, a trip to India, a beautiful fantasy.
2. Tauer Perfumes- Une Rose Vermeille. A gourmand rose bursting with joy.
3. Aftelier- Wild Rose. A summer day in the most beautiful rose garden.
4. Providence Perfume Company- Rose Boheme. Dark, dry, and a little goth.
5. Le Labo- Rose 31. A very twisted and cuminy rose.
6. DSH Perfumes- Rose Vert. An abundance of color and texture.
More Perfumes- Vintage and Goners:
7. Pierre Cardin- Rose Cardin. Retro and fun.
8. Coty-La Rose Jacqueminot. A heartbreaking beauty.
Bonus round: Vintage Guerlain- Nahema.
Skin Care:
9. Rosewater facial spray by Reviva Labs. A little cheap thrill that delights the skin before and after makeup, ingredients include rosewater, aloe, and hyaluronic acid ($5.49 on puritan.com).
10. Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask. A guilty pleasure if there ever was one, but does wonders for winter skin with quick and visible results ($158 at select department stores).
Nostalgia:
11. I know that I've mentioned these before: rose petal confiture/jam. Once upon a time there were jars of these coming from Hungary and/or Romania. I have no idea why they disappeared from the shelves, but I wish local growers would offer organic rose petal jam.
12. When I was a young child family members from my paternal grandfather's side came to visit from Bulgaria. The main gift souvenir (at least as far as my interest were concerned) were little vials of real Bulgarian rose that smelled incredibly heady. I think my mom used the occasional drop of the oil in her bath water; I just remember the magical scent.
These were my dozen roses. Many thanks to Ayala of Smelly Blog for organizing and inspiring this blogging project. Please visit the other participants to see their fragrant roses:
Images: hprints.com, myvintagevogue.com
Everyone coming back from Bulgaria brought one of those light brown rustic-looking vessels with the glass vial inside, didn't they? So dense!! (still have some).
ReplyDeleteAnd yes to rose petal preserve. I need to send you some, it's so easy to find locally.
I will definitely check out some of your choices, as I'm also an anti-rose rose lover ;-)
E., sometimes I think that a huge part of my anti-rose thing is a result of a certain interpretation of the note in mainstream or popular nice perfumery (hello, Montale!). My favorite indie perfumers (natural or not) have completely changed my mind about roses, and even the husband never complains about them (he's reallyanti-rose).
DeleteOne day I'll have to visit Greece. I have a feeling I'm going to love everything about it- the cuisine, landscape, and your endless beaches. Love from snow-covered NJ.
Great choices! le Labo's Rose is among my favourites too.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of rose confiture, I bought a jar at Versailles. I know that's not the most accessible of places, but I know it's available there.
Ines, a rose confiture from Versailles sounds as decadent as it gets. My next visit to France will have to include tours of both Versailles and Grasse-- if I can ever drag myself out of Paris.
DeleteGreat post! I am/was a Rose Hater until I was convinced to challenge my confirmed antipathy when I read a blog about diving into and learning to love a particular note that was found to be personally offensive. I read a review of Aftelier Wild Roses and decided to order a sample all the while certain I was wasting good money because I despised any and all roses. Of course, I once again proved myself wrong because I really enjoyed it and have since worn my sample out. Dont know if I will spring for a FB, but that experiment taught me a valuable lesson. I am bookmarking your previous post and look forward to exploring your suggestions since we seem to share the same fragrance DNA- Sisters by another mother maybe? =)
ReplyDeleteRamona
Ramona, hearing this thrills me to no end. I've found that my favorite perfumers can make reconsider my feelings towards certain notes. A good example is Andy Tauer's interpretation of muguet in Carillon.
DeleteYou need to drag yourself to Versailles if nothing else. :)
DeleteI've been there only once and ever since I want to go back. In spring if I can so the gardens are in full bloom.
God, that is one wonderful place to spend time at (I was going to say a day but that is no longer enough for me).
You chose some great rose perfumes (and images!) for Valentine’s Day Gaia, thanks very much for including Wild Roses!
ReplyDeletexo Mandy
It's my pleasure, Mandy. Happy Valentine's Day!
DeleteI love le labo too.
ReplyDeleteAnd this project is exquisite.
Thank you all.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy.
Thank you! I made so many new discoveries through my blogging friends.
DeleteThank you, Gaia, for participating in the Dozen Roses blogfest!
ReplyDeleteWhat a selection of imagery to go with the rose theme. No one but Sophia Lauren could pull of a green dress and yellow roses with so much sensuality... And biting roses is probably the next best thing to breakfast any given day ;-)
You are the 2nd, no - the 3rd - blogger to mention Mohur by Neela Vermiere. I just have to go and get me some!
And what would I not give to get even the shortest whiff of Coty's La Rose Jacqueminot?
I have rose petal jam that I believe is from Armenia and it's amazing. I think it's the same one that Victoria Jent from EauMG has listed, and you could get it in Eastern European delis, or online (though I had to go through about 10 links that don't actually *sell* it to find this one): http://www.bakerymarketplace.com/product_info.php?ID=97&products_id=201&osCMall=ddceufgy
P.s. The Narnia series are now the bedtime story in this household; and I wish we had some snow for better atmosphere... Happy Valentine's Day!
Thanks for the link to the jam. I'll have to order some, as my craving is now through the roof thanks to everyone's mentions of foody roses.
DeleteAn email is coming your way ;)
If you can't find any let me know. I am pretty sure I still have some extra wild rose petal jam from one of the wildcrafted jammers from the Sunshine Coast!
DeleteOh Gaia, I'm salivating at the idea of rose jam! And there's Elena breezily reporting on the ease of finding it in her part of the world. I must...I WILL track some down. (BTW, I love all the photos you chose.)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Katie! Finding and choosing photos is always a delightful part of the process and puts me in the right mood to write.
DeleteI'm on a mission now to locate a Greek deli. I know there has to be several ones around here, but all of a sudden all I see are the Italian places with their distracting homemade fresh mozzarella and thigh-inflating desserts.
Choosing the images is half of the word... Some posts just won't work without them. Not my strongest point.
DeleteYou certainly do have us all drooling over the idea of rose jam! I want some too...
ReplyDeleteI have not tried Le Labo Rose 31, but it is on my must-try list now of course.
Lovely list and sentiment Gaia.
XOXO,
T
Trish, coming from the city of roses, you should be able to make some yourself come June or July... I will check with my Russian delis and see if they have any. I bought mine online at the time (and it lasted for years - I'm more of a rosewater person than a rose jam, apparently). There are several artisan jam makers here who make wild rose petal jams that they harvest in the forests.
DeleteAyala, I will be on the lookout now! XO ~T
DeleteGaia, you must try Liz Zorn's Anniebelles Rose. Juicy!
ReplyDeleteWe had some crossover :) You mentioned some great rose perfumes!
ReplyDeleteI really do wish that someone in the states would offer us organic rose petal jam. I imagine they'd do very well. There's so many of us that want that in our lives.