Rose Cross

[Eros]

A profound symbol of an individual’s personal initiatic process, spiritual refinement and evolution, synthesis, grace found as a result of trial and suffering, and the alchemical process by which we transform the raw essence of our souls through light in extension. This is a holy oil, a representation of the triumph of spirit over matter: purest rose with sacred frankincense.

In imp, more frankincense than rose. Once on, due to my chemistry never failing to amp it up, it's mostly rose. A beautiful, fresh red rose that fortunately doesn't give me a headache. After about 15 minutes the frankincense shows itself just enough to add a touch of sweetness.
Lovely!

[rhubarbbear]

in the imp i smell frankinsense, and virtually no rose. kind of green/evergreeny. nice, but makes me hesitant to try it. i'm more into roses than frankinsense.

 

on my skin the frankinsense still predominates, tho the rose peeks out a bit. what rose i do smell stays true, not soapy, so that is excellent!

 

i like this one much better than i would have thought at first sniff. it seems very calm, centering and powerful. definitly has big bottle possibility!!

[wingedcorset]

Rosey and woody. This kind of faded back and forth between the rose (gorgeous) and the frankinsence (blah) all day. A goegeous scent, but not for me.

[looneyluna]

I got this as an imp with my first order. The moment I opened the imp I knew it was for me. The scent of rose and frankinsince together is very relaxing and spiritual to wear. I am a fan of rose scents, and particularly liked how Rose Cross was not "old lady" roses but rather more of the vibrant beauty of rose tempered by the spiritual scent of frankinsince.

[perfumediva]

i am soon realizing that although i love the smell of roses..

 

rose turns to soap on me--every rose blend ends in powdery talcumy yuck soap..and this one had a plastic note or something

[rinoastar]

Let me start out this review the way I would have before I found BPAL: I hate roses. Now I'll start it the way I would now that Beth's rose scents have kicked my butt: Beth's roses are gorgeous, delicate beings crafted by the fae.

In the bottle: Rose and spices.

Wet: Spices and fresh, fresh red roses first plucked from the garden. The rose has a slightly lemony tinge to it, and it smells fresh, clean, and--gasp! dare I say it?--holy.

Drydown: The spices and the roses are competing for dominance and my love. The spices are mellowing and sweetening, and before I know it, the roses have won. They're perfect, sweet, almost supernaturally beautiful on my skin, just sour enough to keep the scent from being cloying, and sweet enough to keep me coming back for more. Truly lovely.

Later: Unfortunately, this oil fades very fast on me. Why can't every Rose Cross stay like every Gluttony? I don't think the staying power of this warrants a big bottle, but the scent--while it lasts--is stunning.

[Kittyflop]

This is a solemn and dry rose. What must be the frankincense lends a very earthy feel to this scent. It’s beautiful for when I want rose without the sweetness. Makes me feel… what’s a good word – contemplative? Reverent?

 

The throw is medium, and the staying power tremendous – I put this on around 11:00 am, and could still smell it the next morning!

[Sycorax]

Lush, vibrant roses, that last for an eternity. That's what this was in the vial, and that's what this was on my skin.

 

I have very mixed feelings about Rose Cross. On one hand, this was a nearly pure floral, that managed not to be old-ladyish. Well done, Lab! The frankinence grounded the perfume without causing it to become cloying, and it was nicely feminine without being all that sexual. Wearing this made me feel very calm.

 

On the other hand, there are only so many roses that a person can take, and I prefer scents with a little more complexity to them. I wish that the frankincense had come a more to the foreground.

 

I think I'll hang on to the imp, and give it a few more tries. THis has certainly lasted longer than any other BPAL scent I've tried - it hung on for a good ten hours, and change.

Edited December 7, 2005 by Sycorax

[herongale]

preconceived notion: My guess is that I am going to like this, but it is going to smell like rose, and I am going to have a hard time distinguishing this rose from the other 45489739 million rose varieties that also smell good on me.

 

in the imp: ... maybe I spoke too soon. In the imp this smells like roses and red wine, almost like communion wine, with the wine actually dominating. The effect is stunning and surprising.

 

wet: But wouldn't you know it, on the skin it turns pretty much into pure rose. *pouts* Yes, I love rose, and yes, this is lovely. But my relationship with rose is a given. I want that red wine scent to linger but no dice.

 

drydown: Bah. A rose by any other name STILL WON'T SMELL LIKE LOVELY HONEY COMMUNION WINE ON MY SKIN, no matter how much I plead with the powers of the universe and call upon the alchemical processes which transform and illuminate the soul.

 

verdict: Another nice rose, but not distinctive. I would wear this without hesitation anywhere, however.

 

post-conceived notion: my affinity for rose is a double-edged sword at times.

[empi girl]

Rose. Not too sweet. Not much frankincense that I can tell. Amps up on me, unfortunately, so I probably wouldn't be able to tell anyway.

[inbigtrouble]

ROSE!

 

Wow, this sure is rosey. Straight up rose with a hint of soapiness. If you do not like rose, please be forewarned: this is like being hit over the head with a giant rose. It is like diving deep inside a giant rose and curling up in its velvety petals.

 

This is a lovely scent, but it is not light on me, as some other reviewers have said. It is quite strong. So much so, that I would hesitate to wear it out, as I don't like my perfume to be really noticed by others (it makes me self conscious and fearful that I am offending someone; weird, I know).

 

I don't get a bit of the frankincense, which is odd to me. I really like frankincense.

 

So, yeah, unabashed rose.

[yellowrose]

Both in bottle and wet: Hello. Black Cat? 'zat you?

 

Drying: Not as greeny-herbal as Black Cat. Rose, rose. rose. Only rose.

 

With three great rose scents that smell very different in the collection -- Moon Rose, Black Cat, and Love in the Asylum -- Rose Cross seems redundant, especially because, on me, none of the incense ever makes itself known. These are great rose scents I love.

 

This experience has made me reconsider ordering Rose Red and The Peacock Queen before the Yule LEs vanish. It's not that I'm not adventurous, I just love Black Cat and need a 10 ml of it badly.

 

ETA: The lasting power of this rose is four hours max. Not such a long time before it fades to a whisper.

Edited December 15, 2005 by yellowrose

[danuv]

Wet I got plenty of rose with something else going on in the background but as soon as it dried the rose went away and I was left with a slightly sweet soapy dusty smell that I guess is the frankincense.

[blu°]

Rose Cross

 

I officially love this and want to bathe in it.

 

Here's what I put down in my bpal testing excel list:

 

Det hätt ich niiiiieeee bestellt. Ist aber grandios. Die Rose überhaupt nicht Omi-mäßig. Total schön und rein und frisch und saftig. Dann mit dem Weihrauch. "holy oil". Ist echt schön. Wie ne Madonna fühlt man sich damit. Sowas hätte ich mir von Ave Maria Gratia Plena erhofft.

 

That's German.

 

I'll translate:

 

I'd neeeeever have ordered this. But it's gorgious. The rose in this isn't the least bit granny-like. It's absolutely beautiful and pure and fresh and juicy. Then there's the frankincense. "holy oil". Really beautiful. I feel like a madonna. This catches about the feeling that I had hoped for when ordering Ave Maria Gratia Plena.

 

Further: I don't find this, as others have said, soapy at all. It's very very juicy but intermingling with the soft frankincense smokiness. Plain lovely. And it lasts a lot longer than 4 hours on me. Maybe eight or so, haven't counted.

[SeaMonkey]

I was hoping this would be more frankincense and less rose, but it was almost all rose

[Fefferbella]

Another Frimp from the lab:

Roses!

 

Thick, sickly sweet roses with a hint of woodsy frankincense... Sadly the rose note goes soapy on me as it dries.

 

Would be very pretty as a room scent or linen spray.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Pure red rose

 

On Skin: This is a dry red rose… taken even deeper with the beautiful note of frankincense. I generally don’t like rose scents, but this one is very beautiful. If someone around me had to wear rose, I’d ask them to wear this one. It is so full and lovely, and the incense sweetens and helps tame the tartness of the rose. All rose lovers must try this scent!

[nekhbet]

This is the first imp I tried from my first order. From all the great reviews here, I almost ordered a 5ml... but I'm glad I tried it first.

 

In the vial... I get a pure sweet rose scent.

 

Wet on skin... turns almost immediately into soap. Smells exactly like the decorative rose soaps my grandmother keeps in her bathroom... rosey, sweet, soapy.

 

After about ten minutes, the frankincense comes to the fore, very sweet, earthy and grounded. The rose/soap scent is very faded at this point.

 

Alas, when dry, all I get from this is powder. Soapy powder.

 

I'm so disappointed. I really wanted this one to work. I'll let it sit by for awhile and try it again.

 

ETA: What a difference a week makes! Must be some hormonal chemistry thing, cuz I've tried this again in the past two days, and WOW it's wonderful. The rose is very sweetand the drydown is a smooth, mellow frankincense. Got my first compliment from this today when the SO came home from work. He walked in and said, "Ooh, you smell good! What did you do?" Uh... put on perfume?

Edited January 20, 2006 by nekhbet

[angharad]

A very dry, pale, wispy rose peeks out from the imp. On my skin, the rose is strengthened a bit, but doesn't really stand out. The frankincense hid in the background and kept trying to pull the rose back with it. Light throw and didn't last very long. I'll try it again at some point, but for now, this isn't a favorite.

[desu]

In the bottle: I saw the notes in this one -- rose and frankincense -- and thought, "Why bother? The rose will just turn to soap." But try it anyway I will.

 

On my skin: The frankincense battles valiantly against the rose, but it eventually gives in to The Soap Rose. Ugh.

[tinyvulture]

white roses with undertones of resinous frankincense. this may be my favorite rose scent so far. the rose note is very similar to the one in ouija – it’s clean and soapy, almost tart. i like it a lot, and the frankincense adds depth and makes it more interesting. a beautiful, calming scent.

[hangingfire]

In the imp: Soft rose with a resiny undertone from the franckincense.

 

On, wet: Doesn't change much. The rose seems a little lighter than on first impression, and the franckincense becomes more of a suggestion than a particularly prominent note.

 

Drydown: The rose takes on a dry, slightly astringent aspect, but now it's better balanced with the franckincense.

 

Rose Cross is very similar to All Saints (the 2005 version anyway, the only one I've tried), but AS is a richer, more complicated blend. Not that there's anything wrong with RC, though -- it's a very beautiful blend (and every bit as Catholic as AS and Midnight Mass).

[kourika]

I was hoping this would be a nice rose scent on me, but instead I smell like one of those fancy guest bathroom soaps, the ones that have more soap smell than the scent and are sculpted to look like seashells and whatnot.

 

I think I might be able to use the rest of my imp as a room scent, but it doesn't work on my skin.*sighs*

[PirateMaggie]

I love rose. I love frankincense. Both usually work beautifully with my body chemistry. I've blended rose oil and frankincense oil in the past and loved the way I smelled. Of course I thought that this would work well on me.

 

I was wrong. This oil turned to baby powder and bathroom cleanser and some heavy, burning plasticky smell. It was literally nauseating (I actually dry-heaved) and overpowering and even after scrubbing at my wrists with soap several times, I've been told I smell like a urinal cake.

 

edited to add: this got even worse as the day wore on. Though I scrubbed my wrists multiple times with soap, rubbing alcohol, and betadine, I couldn't get the smell off, and as a result I spent the day with a pounding headache and the worst nausea I've had since the time I caught Norwalk virus. The rose smells like the worst of powdery, cloying, fake-smelling synthetics and I can't smell any frankincense at all. People around me kept wondering who was wearing the "awful old lady perfume." I was also told I smelled like a hospital. This is so bad that I can't even bear to keep the bottle in hopes of swapping. Into the trash it went. If I want to wear rose and frankincense, I'll stick with my tried and true Aveda oils. This blend smelled truly vile on me.

Edited January 26, 2006 by PirateMaggie

[Ayln]

This was pure rose, though it had a sparking quality that I attribute to the frankencense. I like Kostnice better as a rose scent, though. I've recieved too many of this as frimps =x