Rose Cross

[chrisann]

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.

Wet: Old lady rose. Oh, no! I do well with Beth's rose blends, but this is not starting out too promising.

On a while: Yep, cloying, icky, cheap rose perfume. Kinda, drugstore-ish on me now.

Dry down: Not really a stand out rose perfume for me. I'm okay with this, because, Peony Moon and Rose Red more than satisfy my lust for rose!

[glass_cat]

Actually this is a blend whose description caught my eye more than once while browsing the BPAL site planning orders, but somehow it never actually made it into any of my orders. I'm sure you guys know how that goes... so many choices! The labbies must be psychic though, because this last time it showed up as a frimp, much to my great delight.

 

Very nice scent... really. I'm a sucker for rose blends, so it had that going for it right off the bat. I don't think I've ever tried anything with frankincense in it before, as I was worried it would be too strong for my nose, which is most attracted to light fruity florals, so I didn't know what to expect, but wow... these work very nicely together and balance each other perfectly. This would be a wonderful blend to try if you are someone who likes either rose or incense notes, but are easily put off if they are too strong and overpower the blend.

 

Although I already have several bottles of rose-based BPALs already, it looks like I'm about to have one more. Part of it is the sheer beauty of the scent itself, but a lot of it has to do with the way this brings back very pleasant associations when I wear it. Back where I used to live in California, there was a particular mission I used to visit often. The church portion of it was still a real Catholic church that held regular services, but the rest of the time it was completely open for tourists and the public to walk around in. I used to literally spend hours in there because it was so beautiful and seemed like such a peaceful place to be.

 

This blend smells exactly like the inside of that church did, especially since it had rose bushes growing directly outside that you could smell faintly through the open door when you were in the church itself. As a result, when I wear this, the same peace literally floods over me. It's a wonderful feeling. Apparently the "church smell" had a lot to do with frankincense, which I'm not sure I really realized or thought about before. I always just thought of that smell as "church". Now that I know that though, I might have to take more frankincense blends out for a spin and see if we get along.

 

[dronzeka]

Oh, this is so lovely. The only other BPAL rose I've tried so far is Parlement of Foules, and I find that really sharp, somehow - I think it's the sandalwood on me.

 

Rose Cross, on the other hand, is peaceful, sweet, and lovely. It's definitely ROSE, but there's no icky cloying fake drugstore rose here - just something very pure and clear. In the bottle, I smelt pretty much nothing but rose, but on, as it's dried, the frankincense is providing a lovely bottom note that balances out the sweet airiness of the rose perfectly. It's not really something I can pick up on its own, but it adds that lovely depth to the rose. It (Rose Cross, not the frankincense) has got quite a lot of throw, too.

 

I feel so serene wearing this.

[femmefatale]

Hmmm, not sure about this one. It started it VERY rose, then took on an incensey rose smelml, then got a bit powdery.

Strangely enough though, I can't stop sniffing my wrist. it seems there is something right there on the edge that I can't quite get to.

Will keep the imp, but will have to wear it a couple more times to make up my mind about a bottle.

 

ETA: After wearing it for a while, I really like this. It really is a nice blend of incense and rose. It reminds me of something I can't quite put my finger on, but it makes me feel a bit wistful. Quite possibly bottle worthy.

 

ADDED 11/27/08:

 

mmmm.....lovely. Smells like delicious rose incense. I really like ths one.

Edited December 3, 2008 by Shollin

[White Falcon]

I really love this one. Not for perfume but to use in my healing room where I treat clients. It has a very high vibrational feel to it and creates a sacred atmosphere. I'll be using it.

[jessiesquash]

I love roses (and particularly the Lab's rose) but I have yet to find THE rose blend. I should have known this was a no-go for me because of my experience with Parlement of Foules. There's something about the sweetness of the resin and the sharpness of the rose that turns my stomach. In the bottle I could already tell it wouldn't be good. There was something sticky sweet that made my nose wrinkle. On it was the same. Sacharine coated rose petals. Yuck.

 

And the quest continues.......

[filigree_shadow]

On me, Rose Cross is mostly sweet frankincense with a little bit of rose. The rose seems like kind of a green rose (what I usually think of as a thorny rose). This isn't really a soft scent -- I don't mean it's strong, I mean it's kind of hazy. Not round. But it has a simplicity that I like.

 

I hope that people who like frankincense will give it a try; it's pretty combined with the rose.

[Jilara]

An instant favorite! I love roses, but a lot of rose scents and I don't work together, going quickly to soap. But with frankincense escorting milady rose, here, suddenly I get all the best of them both. It instantly amps up and is ROSE!!! With a lovely undernote that's all the best qualities of frankincense. Lots of throw, too.

 

It's great for about 3 hours, then starts to go soapy on me, sigh. I guess that I should take that initial 3 hours and not complain, just reapply.

[Iceblink]

I give up on frankincense. I amp it ridiculously, and it doesn't smell good on me at all. Rose Cross is yummy, warm roses for about 5 minutes and then the frankincense tramples the roses into the ground and amps...and amps...and amps. It smells burnt and churchy. I'd love this if it would stay balanced between the two notes, but nooooo!

[Ophelia193]

Out of the bottle: Rose, with a hint of Earthy incense.

 

On the skin: Similar to in the bottle. Mostly rose, the frankincense is very light. A little to flowery for me.

[joiedecombat]

Rose is not a scent that I personally like to wear much; I like to smell it, but as a perfume it just doesn't suit me, for reasons I have a hard time defining: too mature, too traditional, too important a scent for me to want to wear. For that reason, I mostly avoid BPAL's rose scents, not because I dislike them but because I know they aren't likely to be my style.

 

Rose Cross, however, I had always wanted to try just because of the way it was described, and now that I have I'm not at all sorry that I did. Initially it's a strong and somewhat soapy rose, but as it dries the rose blends with the frankincense... and while it's still a mature, important scent, perhaps even moreso than the other rose blends I have tried, there's something about it that fulfills the lab's description of it. I can believe this as a holy oil, and while it's not something I'll wear often, I love it.

[curlykitty]

This scent was in my first BPal order. I was immediately drawn to it since I have always love the scent of roses, but this rose is different. It isn't your grandmother's rose scent. It is really wonderful! I can't specifically pick out the frankincense but I'm sure it is responsible for the underlying notes that I can't put my finger on. I have worn this scent for a couple of days completely ignoring the other imps in the order. I think this may be a big bottle purchase.

Edited April 4, 2007 by curlykitty

[cranberry]

At first I was bit hesitant to try this as the rose blends are a crap shoot for me. Sometime they work and oftentimes they don’t. Well, I’m glad I tried this. It’s a lovely greenish red rose and blends beautifully with the frankincense. Very pretty.

 

Similar roses for me included Rose Red and Séance.

[dixiehellcat]

(waves to cranberry)

 

The previous scents I've tried that contained rose didn't smell like rose on me at all, strangely. Now this, this smells like rose. Like my favorite rose body stuff I got last Christmas from a dear friend. Rose and nuttin but rose. hehe. Very nice for when I am in that mood.

[LadyCrow]

In imp: Sharp, astringent.

 

Wet: The same, almost citric.

 

Drydown: Rose + frankincense on me = bug repellent. I smell like I sprayed Deep Woods Off into the crook of my elbow. If this actually keeps bugs away, great, but my chemistry urgently hates this perfume.

[500ml]

I was immediately interested in Rose Cross as it combines two favourite notes of mine, frankincense and rose. Sadly the frankincense fades pretty quickly after applying as I really did like the combination of the two. I'm left with a slightly dusty rose, which is quite beautiful in its own right, but it's not the scent I was hoping it to be. Still, another fine rose perfume oil.

[ariansdreams]

In the imp: Sacred oil indeed! The frankincense is very prevalent here. The rose is there, but almost as an afterthought. This intrigues me, because the early reviews seemed heavy on the rose. Hmm...have to see what this does on skin.

 

Wet on Skin: The rose is coming out, definitely. This is a huge, dewy, blowzy rose. The frankincense is just making this that much more delicious. I could also see this as being amazing in an oil burner.

 

Dry: This becomes comforting and toasty. I really like this oil. I'm not sure I'd use it enough to merit getting a 5mL, but I'm definitely keeping my imp.

[Analise]

I got an imp of this in an ebay order and I kind of was hesitant to try it. Rose and I don't always get along so well. But this morning I grabbed it out of my imp box and gave it a try.

 

I'm so glad I did.

 

While I don't think I'll be wearing this one often enough to justify getting a bottle? This is a lovely scent, probably something I should be more likely to wear say, on a Sunday to go to my grandparent's church, or just when I want to feel especially ladylike (instead of a Friday at work where nobody really cares anyway and I'm dressed all casual ). It's rose, yes, but it's not ROSE, and it's a little warm and a little almost sweet (not sugary sweet just...sweet, a touch) and just generally fab. Hee.

[CrazyPretzel]

A frimp from the Lab!

 

In the imp: Rose, wet rose, a bit fainter than I expected.

Wet on me: Still a fullblown rose, still faint.

Dry on me: For heaven's sake, why isn't this stronger? Usually I do pretty well with both rose and frankincense, but just now they're not doing anything special.

 

This is nice enough but not strong enough to warrant keeping, especially since I have so many beautiful rose blends clamouring for my attention. My imp is very full, so I might as well experiment with this again later before deciding to swap it or keep it.

[Tulliver]

In the vial the rose scent was actually overpowered by the frankincense. I didn't mind TOO much since I'm a fan of incense-y scents anyway, since I use a lot of it at home and have done for years.

 

On the skin - wet: WOW! The minute it touched my skin the rose scent just exploded out of it. I mean it was EVERYWHERE. I only put a teeny bit on my forearm to test it, but it was almost engulfing. And it was incredibly beautiful.

 

After 10 minutes - Somebody earlier mentioned Rose Turkish Delight, and I have that. It's not bad - but if it stays like this, then it's not a scent I'd wear to go out. Definite room scent material though. It is very lovely.

 

After 30 minutes - Oh... now the frankincense is coming back and the rose is receding just a little bit. Oh now... this IS special, and in a very good way indeed.

 

After 2 hours - This is a stayer. In every sense of the word. It stays on my skin, it stays in the room, and it DEFINITELY stays on my order list, just upgraded to 5ml.

 

This is STUNNINGLY beautiful. It will be an excellent pacifying scent - I suffer from chronic anxiety depression. It's just SO soothing and I think it could also become an invaluable aid to meditation and/or just "quiet" times.

[nnaylime]

Pekeana insisted I try this after learning several of my other favorite scents had rose as a foundation. I love it! I can't really smell the frankinscence outright (though I can tell there's more there than just rose), but the rose is rich without being cloying, and it's a very warm scent.

 

In that vein, my favorite thing about it is that it seems to smell "better" and even a little stronger when I'm hot. I love to put it on before sunbathing or working out as it just gets richer as I warm up and it blends with whatever in my body chemistry.

[theseagrows]

i had mixed feelings about trying this one, but i recently got it as a frimp from the lab and now i've had a chance. i love rose and it is hit or miss, but frankincense often doesnt work. the rose in rose cross smells like a rose when it is wilting, it has a sour undertone, possibly from the frankincense, but i'm not totally sure. i usually get a lead-like scent from frankincense, but it's not coming through like that here. unfortunately this just doesn't work with my skin.

[petitekitsune]

This is the first oil I've ever tried from the Lab, given to me by an enabler friend who was cleaning out her box -- and I'm thoroughly wowed.

 

In the imp, it was very spicy -- my clumsy hands spilled a little on my fingertips when I was trying to get it open, and now my quilt smells like spicy, incensey rose. Of course, not wanting to waste, I put what got on my fingers -- just a couple drops -- behind my ears and on each wrist. On me, it's delicious, rich rose with a hint of something darker and sacred-smelling.

 

Also, it's been coming up on four hours and I still, well, waft. My skin, which has reduced perfumes to nasty celery-scent before, seems to be holding onto this and not letting go. Exciting! I may be addicted~

[mazikeen]

At first, very rose-y, and yes, as people have stated, not an old-lady sort of rose. The spicy note underneath cuts the excess floral, and keeps it nicely grounded. Unfortunately for me, as it dries the spice goes away and its all rose rose rose. (Yes, a nice rose, but still a rose nonetheless.) It faded out nicely after a few hours-- it did have decent staying power, but yet politely didn't overstay its welcome.

 

Even though I've never been interested in rose scents, I tried an imp based on the lovely description. Unfortunately, it wasn't what I was hoping for. The rose does "work" on me --it smells exactly like it sounds like it should, rose with a hint of frankincense-- but it's just not the kind of scent I'm interested in. (I prefer dark & spicy scents, or those with a super crisp, almost mentholated aspect.) Nonetheless, I will wear this imp. It seems like a nice option when doing something wholesome, like visiting grandma on Easter or something.

 

 

Added later--

I love the description (which was why I ordered it in the first place) and as it's especially relevant right now, I tried Rose Cross before bed after a day when I needed to clear my head and mood. There's no getting around the rose, yes, but c'mon-- "rose" is in the name, whaddaya expect? There is enough of a incensey/earthy base to it to keep things interesting. After a bit, I got a lemon scent, too. Just a touch, in a nice fresh way. It still faded fast.

 

While this still isn't my normal sort of scent, there's enough going on in this one to keep it interesting for me-- a straight-up rose scent for people not interested in rose, perhaps. I'd like to try this in a scent locket one day so see if any of the other notes come out more, or if it lasts longer.

 

The imp is a keeper, but a bottle is unlikely (although not out of the question). Rose Cross has a soothing quality. Instead of grandma's house (as I mentioned previously) instead I'm saving this for those moments when I do need a little spiritual healing, as the description suggests.

 

 

Added much much later--

Still nice, but a rose is a rose is a rose. I burned the rest in an oil burner, which smelled lovely.

Edited January 21, 2009 by mazikeen

[Kimiko]

imp: Yummy light rose. ooooh.

 

on me: This is a "bright" rose scent on me. Very nice and a perfect counterpart to "black rose" on my skin I love it very much and plan on keeping it.