No, it hasn’t been rosy this week for me. It’s been quite stressful, mostly translating into working late every day. However, I’ve smelled good during (most of) the long hours.
In 2022, I wore rose fragrances for the first 2 weeks of February and documented them (Roses, rain or shine and Rose, c’est la vie). I haven’t been following any patterns deliberately this year, but about 3 days into the month, I realized I’d unconsciously been reaching for rose perfumes, so figured I’d continue through the week.
Some of these are making repeat appearances, but a few are new.
February 1 (Saturday): Paul Smith Rose by Paul Smith—I found myself missing London for no particular reason, and this “masculine” rose lifted my spirits. A cool blend of violet, rose, green tea, and magnolia, supported by reassuring woods and musks in the base.
February 2 (Sunday): Contradiction by Calvin Klein—Eucalyptus was mentioned somewhere, maybe more than in one context, and I remembered that this was the secret note that lent this hairspray rose its cold blast. The 90s called…
February 3 (Monday): Une Rose Chyprée by Tauer Perfumes—Somehow my bottle of this beauty has sat neglected in my curio cabinet without a single wear in all of 2024. This assertive rose amber is so juicy to my nose, thanks to the magic of citrus and cinnamon in the opening.
February 4 (Tuesday): Red Queen by 4160Tuesdays—I promise it didn’t occur to me that the day matched the brand name until just now as I’m writing this. Warm, resinous, and musky, with the rose note elevated by a dollop of raspberry jam and fumed by incense. I also keep envisioning Helena Bonham Carter’s character in Alice in Wonderland (2010), with her heart-shaped hairdo, shrieking “Off with their heads!”
February 5 (Wednesday): Little Song by Meo Fusciuni—This was my Christmas gift from my other half. The memory that lingered after my first sniff in Rome and second sniff in Berlin last year had made me wonder whether this was one of those rare perfumes that felt really “me.” I don’t think it is, after all. It’s a distinct coffee scent that smells neither fresh nor stale, and I mean that in a good way—it’s intriguing, dry, and… hollow? The effect is to make me feel like I’m chasing a shadow. The rose dances between the light and the shadow. Listed notes: pink pepper, ginger, bergamot; coffee, rose, liatris; tobacco, Bourbon vetiver, civet, musk, labdanum, and sage.
February 6 (Thursday): holy_wood by Nomenclature—I thought I must have written a post about this before, under an “I bought this for the bottle” heading, but my search came up empty. In truth, I liked the scent even more than the bottle when I first smelled it five years ago and bought it on the spot. A rose-patchouli neo-chypre, made with all synthetic ingredients! I’m not sure if some of the aromachemicals have gone off, but now this perfume is unfortunately fusty and sweaty. My other half walked in the apartment and said the whole place smelled like body odor, but he knows perfume well enough by now to suspect the differential diagnosis of “an earthy patchouli.” He let me spray his wrist to prove that holy_wood was the culprit, and soon enough, the Clearwood® was showing its ugly side. I do like the bottle design, though.
February 7 (Friday): Oud Vibration by Roos & Roos—I first smelled this at the perfumery Cherry Garden in Budapest and thought I’d finally found a specimen of the rose-oud genre that could fill that gap in my collection. Its longevity on the blotter well after my return from that trip further convinced me, and luckily I found an older bottle online at a great price. It’s the tessellating pattern design from when the brand was still called Dear Rose, although the box is for the new version. The powerful rose and oud duo (hey, a palindrome!) is dressed in raspberry and what my nose interprets as incense, which is not listed—rather, clove (which I dislike, but fortunately don’t pick up on its own here) and cardamom are, so I’m guessing they contribute to that impression.
Of course, I should also mention my olfactory nightcap, deadofnight by strangelove nyc. In this potion, according to the brand website, oud is blended with Damask rose, violet leaf, vanilla balsam, sandalwood, amber, and musk. It’s rich yet airy and floral… and very expensive, so I only wear a single spritz at night as I retreat into my cocoon.
When do you reach for rose, if you do?
Nose Prose 
I wear rose scents often; some years, I’ve done a “Roses de Mai Marathon” on my own blog! I just bought Ann Gerard’s Rose Cut from a niche perfumery that still had some bottles, and I look forward to enjoying it when I get home from our current trip.
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I’ve enjoyed your Roses de Mai marathons! Looking forward to your thoughts on Rose Cut, as I’m not familiar with it or the brand.
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Hope you’re not feeling so stressed-out. What a fine rose selection. Great pics too. Always up for a rose.
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Thank you! Roses are always there for you… and forgiving, too, when you’ve neglected them for a while in favor of other notes!
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I did a month of roses a couple of times in the past, but this year is somewhat off, so I only did my traditional Valentine’s rose perfume wearing – Annick Goutal Rose d’Amour. I might do a couple more in the upcoming days, if I feel better (caught some bug and balancing between well and sick).
Loved your “oud duo” find and great photos. Too bad about the Nomenclature scent: who could have thought that an all-artificial number will spoil sooner than many “mixed-media” perfumes!
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I hope you’re feeling better by now, Undina. That’s great that you have a Valentine’s Day perfume – what a romantic name, too! Mine is Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady.
Maybe it’s not the synthetics in holy_wood that have spoiled, but my nose that has changed… I really don’t know.
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It seems most of my collection has rose in it but only 16 are rosecentric. My roses lean towards the baroque. Lyric Woman, Voleur de Roses, OJ Ta’if, Calligraphy Rose are all winter warmers. JML Velvet Rose & Oud recently joined the cast.
Surprisingly, I am not a fan of the majority of Lutens roses other than Rose de Nuit. The rest are too bright & too sharp.
Summer roses are the Paul Smith, Goutal Rose Pompom EdT, Paris & Tocade.
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Great selections! I think I had a similar experience with the Lutens roses when I tried them, although couldn’t pinpoint it like you have.
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I’ve noticed that the scent of roses certainly helps alleviate stress. I hope the upcoming days become a bit easier in terms of work, Nose Prose.
Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a trend in my perfume purchases. I’ve bought more rose perfumes than ever before. One perfume that has been on my wishlist for many years is Rosae Mundi by Profumum Roma. However, it’s quite expensive.
Of the perfumes you mentioned, I’ve always been captivated by the bottle design of Calvin Klein’s Contradiction fragrance. The eucalyptus note add an intriguing twist to the floral blend. I particularly adore the “rose and a strong coffee” photo that accompanies the fragrance. It perfectly encapsulates the essence of Little Song. Deadofnight remains an intriguing fragrance that I have addied to my sample list, after your suggestion.
When I reach for rose, I usually like mine smokey, with a touch of charcoal or vibrantly fresh.
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The smoky rose is one I love as well, especially when I smell it out in the wild. Now I’m curious about Rosae Mundi—the notes list looks deceptively simple, but it must be more than the sum of its parts.
As for Contradiction, I’m pretty sure the long cap was real metal when it first came out, much more satisfying than the current plastic replica!
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I genuinely believe that the notes suggestions for Rosae Mundi don’t provide a comprehensive overview of the perfume. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’ve been captivated by it since I received a sample in 2012. It’s genuinely a delightful perfume.
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Hopefully the work stresses settle down for you, Nose Prose. I know most of these other than the 4160 Tuesdays and the Nomenclature. Your description of the 4160 is intriguing, sounds a bit like the theming around Queen from Eau de Boujee.
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I’ve only tried the candle, Queen Jam, which is fruity but not resinous. It looks like Queen has raspberry and opoponax, which are also prominent in Red Queen, so now I wonder how similar they might be.
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