The Peacock Queen

[alyelle]

2020 version.

 

In the imp: Thick, dew-covered, velvet-petalled red tea roses. Heaven.

 

Wet: My mother had roses the colour of blood growing under her bedroom window when I was a child. This smells exactly like those did. Big, heart-shaped petals, tiny water droplets gathering amongst the sepals, and the merest suggestion of an old wood stem. I'm praying this doesn't turn powdery on me - rose scents have behaved so well on me for the last four or five years, but I'm always afraid they're going to suddenly go back to that horrible baby powder, pot pourri morph they used to do.

 

Dry: !! It doesn't turn to powder!! HUZZAH. That may honestly just be because there's no time for it to do so; my skin eats this up. Medium throw, but it barely lasts 4 hours before it's completely vanished. That said, I can always reapply, and I will absolutely buy bottles of this the next time it's released. 

 

Stars: ★★★★★

[LavenderCoffee]

2021 decant:

 

Not sure if I'm imagining it, but it seems like there's a hint of dewy green at the very beginning while this is still wet that gives the impression of a freshly cut thorny stem.

After that, it's like living in the center of a perfect, dark red rose. It's stunning, but also a little unsettling in its relentless rose perfection. Not much throw on me, either - almost like a black hole of red rose. 

[Threemoons]

As others have noted, this is two things:  1)  A very "old school" rose perfume - reminds me of when I actually was gifted a bottle of rose oil, aka "rose butter" a zillion years ago that was hand-pressed and 2) REALLY nails the "expensive, Valentine's Day top-tier florist super red roses" thing.  You know that scene in American Beauty where the girl is just laying naked in a room full of rose petals, as more are showered upon her?  Like THAT.  Perfect in what it is.  

[Miyabi]

I'm trying the 2021 version, and this is so much better than 2018. No funky old lady potpourri, but fresh, sweet, and more shy and reserved than haughty. I love it. 

[Riezky]

2013 version

This was instant love. Deep, lush, sweet, velvety, beautiful red rose. No morphing/powder, lasted several hours. There is something incredibly soothing about this scent to me, to the point that I’m happy wearing it as a sleep scent as well. Need more bottles!

Edited May 26, 2022 by Riezky

[MolyH]

I have a very old version of Peacock Queen, and I remember how much I loved this when I first opened it and tried it on. It's an extremely confident scent, one that holds nothing back, a lush, velvety, dew-covered, blood red rose in all its glory. Then I set it aside for a while and didn't wear it much. Tried it again today, after what must've been five years or more, and it's aged into...nothing. I can't smell anything except the faintest, barest hint of rose. Not sure if this is a problem with every version, but it makes me very sad. I need at least one rose scent in my collection. Maybe I should try a more modern version of this scent, if I found one available.

[HerbGirl]

2022 version- Yes. Full, velvet red rose. I don't think aging does Peacock Queen or Rose Red any favors but they are delightful new.

[crystaltongue]

Reviewing the 2022 version: Peacock queen is a far more civilized rose than Rose Red. It is an expensive hothouse cultivar, and opposed to the wild deep forest fairytale rose. But it is lovely all the same. Classic, sophisticated, and just a little wicked. I love using it as a layering scent with other things, to turn all scents into rose scents.

Edited March 15, 2023 by crystaltongue