Rose Recommendations - which blend is for me?

[HighPriestessIce]

I'm looking for a nice rose scent too...

Something fresh, tart but not sweet at all...

Like a rose garden after the rain, under the sun...

 

And something more heavy, lush, like a bouquet of roses, in a closed room, with velvet drapes and precious woods...

 

So far I've tryed Two, Five and Seve, which was a total miss....

Ouija, that was nice, but not what I was looking for...

 

Any suggestions?

 

I love rose scents <3 I'm determined to try them all. So far Whip is my favorite. It's a nice heavy rose, nice and dark, but not sweet at all.

 

Peacock Queen might be another one for you. Though a bit harder to get.

"In dramatic contrast to the soft innocence of Snow White and the dew-kissed freshness of her sister, Rose Red, this is a blood red, voluptuous rose, velvet-petaled, at the height of bloom. Haughty and imperious, vain, yet incomparably lovely to the eye, but thick with thorns of jealousy, pride and hatred"

 

Black Rose and Harlot aren't bad either :3

 

 

[gloom bear]

Hmmm, I have a similar track record - I think I'll have to track down some Silentum Amoris.

 

 

The roses that have worked for me

 

Rose Red (7 bottles worth)

Peacock Queen

Silentum Amoris

Rose Moon

London

 

None of the other roses have come up at all. 2,5,7 was a total wash. Parlement of Foules was particularly disappointing.

 

I think a big bottle of London is next. Its superbly Tea Rose.

 

[cinnamonster]

I have a tough question...I am rose up to high heaven in most things. I do like rose, but I don't want to wear single note rose. Can anyone suggest something that has a tiny hint of rose, like a teeny amount so that when my skin's done with it it will be a balance between rose and the other notes?

 

My mum and I both tried Haunted Palace...

on me: ROSE

on her: sweet orangey floral

 

Sadly, we both preferred it on the other more!

 

On a chemistry note, does anyone know what skin type amps up rose? Is there any reason behind it? I'm guessing it's not because it's my middle name but it is a funny coincidence

[izile]

I'm a big supporter of The Rose. I'd gotten Rose Red and loved it dearly, but decided to try out the GC variation and was not at all disappointed.

 

The Rose reminds me of my Mom's garden, full of antique English roses. As I tend to tell people, "it's not rose perfume or rose oil, or rose scent, it's the WHOLE FREAKIN' BUSH!"

[Apple]

I have a tough question...I am rose up to high heaven in most things. I do like rose, but I don't want to wear single note rose. Can anyone suggest something that has a tiny hint of rose, like a teeny amount so that when my skin's done with it it will be a balance between rose and the other notes?

 

My mum and I both tried Haunted Palace...

on me: ROSE

on her: sweet orangey floral

 

Sadly, we both preferred it on the other more!

 

On a chemistry note, does anyone know what skin type amps up rose? Is there any reason behind it? I'm guessing it's not because it's my middle name but it is a funny coincidence

I have the same problem. I do like the scent of roses, but on my skin they just get out of control. I don't know what skin chemistry issue is at fault, but you might check out these threads for more info:

 

Rose is a rose?, an inquiry into all note variants

Blood Type & Favorite Scents/Notes

Your diet's effect on skin chemistry, How diet and food can affect skin chemistry and oils

 

I've had okay luck with a few rose blends, namely:

 

Nemesis

Titania

Alice

Croquet

Three Brides

Baghdad

Wanda

Kali

Les Infortunes de la Vertu

Zorya

Black Phoenix (no rose listed, but it's definitely in there)

The Blasphemare Reliquary

Maiden

 

Now, I didn't necessarily like all of these, but the rose component didn't end up screaming. I seem to extra-amp rose at different points in time, and I've noticed that Alice, Maiden, and Nemesis (all of which I like most of the time) are very susceptible to whatever hormone or dietary fluctutations are responsible for the amping... most of the time the rose is just a background player in these blends, but every now and then it's a bit too assertive.

 

It is a mystery.

Edited July 17, 2009 by Apple

[decenda]

I love all these reccomendations!

 

I was having a hard time finding rose-themed scents that i thought paid a just tribute to the rose---I just ended up buying rose essential oil. It is insanely expensive but it's just so magical when you wake up thinking I WANT TO SMELL ROSES!

 

 

[greenranger]

I also like the smell of roses, but haven't had much luck with rose scents. They amp on me, and there are only a few roses that I have found that really truly behave on my skin.

 

Therefore, it is my pleasure to recommend:

 

Snooty Rose, from the Garden of Live Flowers, in the Mad Tea Party section. It has red rose, oud, plum, bergamot, and red sandalwood. On my skin, the rose did not scream, pout, throw things or amp uncontrollably. It just smelled like a lush, spicy, full, deep red rose. After many hours it did dry down to mostly sandalwood with some rose and plum.

 

Oh, and my husband liked it too! Or at least he said it was ok, which for him, on any perfume, is amazing praise!

[LunarAwe]

I hope this is the right thread for this question. I sent an imp of Arkham to a friend (trying to rack up the recruitment points) because the scent really reminded me of scents he wears. He loves it. Today he told me that he wished it also had a rose note that didnt overpower the rest. I know he can layer, but I am wondering if rose fans out there have any suggestions for a BPAL scent that is like Arkham but with a hint of rose?

 

thanks so much!

 

[Fury]

I scanned the thread and couldn't find what I was looking for- and I'm so sorry if it's already been answered - but what rec's do you have for white roses? I LOVE Katrina von Tassel and would love a close GC equivalent, or any other LE suggestions similar? My favorite are sweet, sugary or honey rose blends, and I do like Faith (or Hope? eh..). I unfortunately have also given up on getting ahold of BPTP's White Rose, sadly. Any suggestions for less rare LE's or GC's?

[Apple]

I scanned the thread and couldn't find what I was looking for- and I'm so sorry if it's already been answered - but what rec's do you have for white roses? I LOVE Katrina von Tassel and would love a close GC equivalent, or any other LE suggestions similar? My favorite are sweet, sugary or honey rose blends, and I do like Faith (or Hope? eh..). I unfortunately have also given up on getting ahold of BPTP's White Rose, sadly. Any suggestions for less rare LE's or GC's?

For white roses, have you tried these?

Magdalene

(Sin & Salvation) - A bouquet of white roses, labdanum, and wild orchid.

 

Moon Rose

(Rappaccini's Garden) - A crisp, pale, almost translucent rose dusted by moonflower and midnight dew.

I also noticed the new limited edition scents:

Clarimonde

(2009 Halloweenie, Literary Vampire series) - Pallid skin musk, white roses, and a languorous vapor of Oriental perfume.

 

The Last Rose of Summer

(2009 LE, live until Sept. 6) - A quiet, solitary scent: white rose, frankincense, Arabian sandalwood, neroli, orris root, and patchouli.

For sweet roses, you might check out:

Alice

(Mad Tea Party) - Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot.

(Reviews of

Katrina van Tassel

often make comparisons to

Alice.

)

 

Black Phoenix

(Diabolus) - Our signature oil. A dark, languid scent. Promotes hedonistic tendencies and extreme self-love. You won't stop kissing mirrors for a month.

 

Chuparosa

(Bewitching Brews) - The Hummingbird of Love, the Rose Sucker. A potent, benevolent, merciful love blend.

 

Jezebel

(Ars Amatoria) - A gloriously decadent blend of honey, roses, orange blossom and sandalwood.

 

The Knave of Hearts

(Mad Tea Party) - Crushed roses and blackcurrant tarts.

(Extremely sweet, buttery, sugary, and foody.)

 

Seraglio

(Ars Amatoria) - Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel.

(I amp rose to high heaven, so this one was

very

rosey on me. If you don't amp rose, it might not be as rosey as you would like.)

 

Two, Five, & Seven

(Mad Tea Party) - A huge bouquet of squished rose petals: Bulgarian rose, Somalian rose, Turkish rose, Damascus rose, red and white rose, tea rose, wine rose, shrub roses, rose, rose, rose…

…and just an itty bitty bit of green grass.

Edited August 5, 2009 by Apple

[hlemonds]

Okay. I really like the soft scent of real, fresh roses. I do not like old fashioned rose oil, as it is too strong. I've tried a couple of rose scents (Black Rose, Persephone) and i amped the rose all to heck. I got zero pomegranate from Persephone, just overwhelming, headache inducing rose. So what i'm wondering is this: Is BPAL's white rose note a lighter, less intrusive rose. I want a blend that has a rose element, but that isn't OMGROSE. I ask because Last Rose of Summer has me very, very intrigued, but it's rose.....

[jizatt]

The scents with rose in that I've actually liked (either I love the rose, or it doesnt amp to take over the scent)

So what I'm trying to figure out is which rose I like and which one I dont

 

mostly rose, liked:

*Spellbound (favorite)

*Black Rose (2nd)

2,5,7

Rakshasa

Jezebel

 

could barely smell anything:

Harlot

Les Bijoux

Blood Rose

Lucy's Kiss

Queen Mab

Eve

 

Did.Not.Like.

Chuparosa

Miller's Daughter

Old Venice

Marguerite

Psyche

Les Fleurs du Mal

Wildfire

[tielan]

Persephone, Whip, Peacock Queen, Rose Moon, and Parliament Of Foules are my 'heavy' rose notes - I find that the rose doesn't go soapy on me when it's a heavier rose.

 

Spellbound, Victoria, and Viola were good to start with, but they don't last very long.

 

Helena and Harlot went soapy on me, though. I think it's the thinner rose notes - my chemistry needs notes that punch it in the face, and light, fresh rose doesn't do it so well...

 

[Xylis]

i love the sultry, sensuality of whip. to me, it's like a single stalk of a rose in the midnight, sexy and grounded by the light tinge of black leather. like others have said though, it's a very pure rose smell ie, a single solitary dark red stalk rather than a bouquet. while i love it, i'm still looking around for a more complex blend before i commit myself to upgrading my imp to a 5ml bottle.

 

having said that, i absolutely loved it and so does my fiance. (: i'm going to give psyche a run next. i love roses! <3

[violetgrimm4]

I love the smell of roses they make me feel feminine and pretty but roses hate me *weeps* I bought imps of london and 25+7 hoping to put them on and be transformed into a sexy siren and all that happened was the rose became so strong it almost gave my OH an asthma attack which is not the sexy effect I was hoping for!

 

I got a rose single note in a swap I did to test in the hope that on its own maybe it will be better but no once again my long suffering partner almost got gased again!

 

Mostly now I am avoiding rose but I had joined a decant circle for the new DD blockbusters and bought an imp of gothic horror before any reviews went up when I go it I HAD to put it on my skin since it smells live heaven in the bottle and it works it works OH so well!

 

So my recommendation is for gothic horror its a good rose for folks who can't normally wear it

 

Oh and I don't know if it has it in it but on me scherezade smells like It has rose in it!

[Sniper]

Snooty Rose from the Mad Tea Party collection is very nice. It tends to turn a bit sweet on my over time, because everything does, but it retains the rose note for a good four hours. It reminds me very much of the way the pink wild roses that grow all over western Canada smell early in the morning, plus a bit of sugar.

[Xylis]

me again

 

okay, so i'm on the quest to find my grail rose scent and so far, i've tried:

 

- whip - gorgeous, dark rose

- rose red '08 - totally didn't work on me. i hated how the green-ness of the sap made it so sharp

- 2, 5 & 7 - a very sweet rose, wasn't as green as rose red, thank God

- black rose - i much preferred the drydown to the initial scent

- blood rose - another sweet-ish rose on me

 

so anyway, out of all the rose scents so far, whip is still my favourite by a mile. but i was just wondering if there were any other rose scents that have a rose note similar to whip, but tempered with something else. whip is gorgeous but i suspect that not everyone around me shares the same undying passion for pure rose and i'd hate to end up head-inducing.

 

any recommendations for a rose scent that isn't green or incense-y? i'd prefer if it wasn't so sweet since i already have quite a number of sweet rose scents (with hope currently on the way!)

[HamletsKeeper]

Ok, so someone just frimped me what has to be the best scent ever! It's LE and not to be found anywhere except in the odd decant. It's just not cost effective for me a buy a decant plus intl shipping. It's...

 

Her Voice

 

While not a strictly rose scent I absolutely adore this scent in the wet phase which on me is perfect pink roses on the bush with dew. I can smell the rose, the water, the leaves and grass. So what I'm looking for is a pungent, dewy, green rose. I've read all the reviews for this scent, the entire thread of GC - LE equivalents and now this thread and haven't found a rec for anything that smells like Her Voice.

 

Pls help.....

 

Now rose scents I've already tried that were an absolute failure....

 

Rapture - no roses at all just jonquils....wtf?

 

2,5,7 - I haven't tried it but all the MTP scents I have tried have been absolutely vile, so not willing to either.

 

Queen Mab - I swear this was distilled water in a bottle because it had ZERO scent on me. Not even a tiny whiff of anything....so disappointed about that.

 

Other notes which are anathema to me....patchouli (now known as the anti-christ), ambergris amps until I have mens cologne, incense. Musk, except arabian musk and a very light white musk, otherwise it's all wet rodent on me. Spice. Leather and smoke, they amp until I smell like a bag store.

 

Other notes which are heaven on me....amber (vanilla goodness no powder) benzoin, all woods, honey. Have not tried actual vanilla yet. Any florals except cereus and possibly moonflower. Calla lily tends to become a single note scent on me. Frankincense, myrhh & opoponax. Green scents.

 

After reading this thread I've decided to try....

 

Pontarlier

The Rose

Moon Rose - this will conclude whether moonflower is that rotten melon note I've been smelling.

Pride

Persephone

Rose Cross

Endymion - sounds similar to my current favourite, Les Bijoux

 

I'd love to find a rose scent with a similar character to Her Voice, any help you can give would be wonderful. Or if you happen to have a bottle of Her Voice you don't want.....just wishful thinking there...

 

[Apple]

Ok, so someone just frimped me what has to be the best scent ever! It's LE and not to be found anywhere except in the odd decant. It's just not cost effective for me a buy a decant plus intl shipping. It's...

 

Her Voice

 

While not a strictly rose scent I absolutely adore this scent in the wet phase which on me is perfect pink roses on the bush with dew. I can smell the rose, the water, the leaves and grass. So what I'm looking for is a pungent, dewy, green rose. I've read all the reviews for this scent, the entire thread of GC - LE equivalents and now this thread and haven't found a rec for anything that smells like Her Voice.

Despite your aversion to the Mad Tea Party scents, I would encourage you to try Two, Five, and Seven... it's very rosey and damp with a hint of green (the one caveat is that it is also very sweet). The Rose, Moon Rose, and Pride all look very promising, and you might also consider these:

Black Hellebore

(Rappaccini's Garden) - The scent is a pale green herbal, darkly rooty, with a faint rose and peony-like overtone.

 

Deep in Earth

(Ars Moriendi) - Rose geranium, Spanish moss, Irish yew, and graveyard dirt.

 

Séance

(Bewitching Brews) - A mysterious, enigmatic blend of dry, mellow rosewood, crushed rose leaf and the slightest touch of warm hazel.

 

Zombi

(Ars Moriendi) - Dried roses, rose leaf, Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth.

These were all damp and rosey on me. I didn't find Pontarlier to be particularly rosey, but your mileage may vary. Maybe also:

La Belle Dame Sans Merci

( Bewitching Brews) - The name translates to "The beautiful woman without mercy", and is the title of an old French court poem that was later revamped by John Keats. A bewitching seductive scene, rife with mystery and foreboding.

 

London

(Wanderlust) - Venerable Victorian Tea Rose… twisted, blackened and emboldened with wickedness.

 

Lucy's Kiss

(Ars Amatoria) - The gentle scent of rose and a blend of Victorian spices.

 

Othello

(Illyria) - Arabian musk with two roses and a bevy of Middle Eastern and Indian spices.

 

Wicked

(Diabolus) - A sophisticated, womanly scent: rich myrrh and jasmine draped in the subtlest rose.

[HamletsKeeper]

Despite your aversion to the Mad Tea Party scents, I would encourage you to try Two, Five, and Seven... it's very rosey and damp with a hint of green (the one caveat is that it is also very sweet).

 

The Rose, Moon Rose, and Pride all look very promising, and you might also consider these:

Black Hellebore

(Rappaccini's Garden) - The scent is a pale green herbal, darkly rooty, with a faint rose and peony-like overtone.

 

Deep in Earth

(Ars Moriendi) - Rose geranium, Spanish moss, Irish yew, and graveyard dirt.

 

Séance

(Bewitching Brews) - A mysterious, enigmatic blend of dry, mellow rosewood, crushed rose leaf and the slightest touch of warm hazel.

 

Zombi

(Ars Moriendi) - Dried roses, rose leaf, Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth.

These were all damp and rosey on me. I didn't find Pontarlier to be particularly rosey, but your mileage may vary. Maybe also:

La Belle Dame Sans Merci

( Bewitching Brews) - The name translates to "The beautiful woman without mercy", and is the title of an old French court poem that was later revamped by John Keats. A bewitching seductive scene, rife with mystery and foreboding.

 

London

(Wanderlust) - Venerable Victorian Tea Rose… twisted, blackened and emboldened with wickedness.

 

Lucy's Kiss

(Ars Amatoria) - The gentle scent of rose and a blend of Victorian spices.

 

Othello

(Illyria) - Arabian musk with two roses and a bevy of Middle Eastern and Indian spices.

 

Wicked

(Diabolus) - A sophisticated, womanly scent: rich myrrh and jasmine draped in the subtlest rose.

 

Those are some nice outside the box recs thanks. I can't imagine how I missed both Jezebel and Wicked which sound like something I would entirely like anyway. I don't think sweet will be a problem either.

 

Of these recs I've tried Deep In Earth which is just all dirt on me. Sadly I don't enjoy BPALs dirt note which has strange memory associations for me so I won't be trying Zombi.

Edited November 9, 2009 by HamletsKeeper

[HamletsKeeper]

So I thought I might start listing which rose notes work for me and which don't for the purposes of helping others find roses that work if they have similar skin chemistry. My skin amps sweet and greens. It turns musks into spiced vanilla and brings out any sugar\honey\vanilla note. Also works with watery florals. Of the rose scents here's what I tried...

 

Rose Scents That Show Up On Me

 

Seraphim - strong rose note but I hated the incense backdrop which smelled like a New Age shop.

 

Poisson D'Avril - I love the aquatic flavour of this rose scent given by the numerous bulb flowers in it. My skin loves all versions of bulb flowers. The rose in this is like pink roses with sugar frosted petals in the morning mist. Beautiful and still my favourite rose scent so far. Very light and wearable but long lasting. A rose version of Amsterdam. I just did a search and found out that Lenten Rose listed in this scent is actually a helebore and not a rose at all. That's why it works for me.

 

Viola - I occassionally get wafts of rose out of this but it's very powdery. I don't know if it's the tea rose listed or the rosewood which is giving this smell. I will have to try another tea rose scent to see what happens there.

 

Rose Scents That Don't Show Up On Me

 

Whip - no rose in this at all on my skin. Just green stems and leather. I suspect it has a watery rose note which my skin just eats up.

 

Rapture - devoid of all rose and ended up smelling of narcissus. Similar rose note to Whip I suspect.

 

Black Rose - doesn't retain the rose note and the musk and amber are cloying.

 

Peacock Queen - a very traditional rose scent that completely disappears on my skin within 30 secs and becomes plastic.

 

Pink Snowballs - I smell rose only very fainty in the bottle and it goes on my skin as pure snow white. No rose at all

 

Les Bijoux - I detect no rose in this at all.

 

Queen Mab - also no detectable rose in this one.

Edited December 2, 2009 by HamletsKeeper

[emily2531]

I've been in love with Katrina Van Tassel, but now my bottle is running low. I'm so sad because it's the first rose that I ever loved and could wear. Often rose scents give me a headache. The sweeter roses seem to work for me. Roses described as "green" seem to give me a headache, as do very strong roses.

 

I also really love Queen Mab, but it's a complicated scent with rose in it and I'm looking for something more rosey.

 

So I'm putting together an order, and I'm probably going to get a full bottle of Alice even though I haven't tried it. I'm also going to get a bottle of O now that I used up my frimp.

 

I'm going to get a pack of 6 imps, most of which will be rose blends: Jezebel, Harlot, Seraglio and Spellbound.

 

I'm also probably going to order imps of Haunted and Ravenous because I love Shalimar, but I haven't been able to wear it because the leather note in Shalimar smells like cat spray to me. I'm hoping that Haunted or Ravenous will satisfy my Shalimar craving and not make me think I have to clean the cat's box.

 

Any other suggestions? I really want a soft sweet rose, combined with honey and/or amber, vanilla, cream, etc. And I want rose to be the main floral note. I'm a little worried that the carnation in Alice might be too much for me, but I'm going for it anyway.

 

TIA

 

Edit: I was looking through the Yules and saw Pink Snowballs. That looks interesting! I can't wait to read more reviews of it, though.

Edited November 12, 2009 by Soledad

[HamletsKeeper]

I've been in love with Katrina Van Tassel, but now my bottle is running low. I'm so sad because it's the first rose that I ever loved and could wear. Often rose scents give me a headache. The sweeter roses seem to work for me. Roses described as "green" seem to give me a headache, as do very strong roses.I also really love Queen Mab, but it's a complicated scent with rose in it and I'm looking for something more rosey. So I'm putting together an order, and I'm probably going to get a full bottle of Alice even though I haven't tried it. I'm also going to get a bottle of O now that I used up my frimp.I'm going to get a pack of 6 imps, most of which will be rose blends: Jezebel, Harlot, Seraglio and Spellbound.I'm also probably going to order imps of Haunted and Ravenous because I love Shalimar, but I haven't been able to wear it because the leather note in Shalimar smells like cat spray to me. I'm hoping that Haunted or Ravenous will satisfy my Shalimar craving and not make me think I have to clean the cat's box.Any other suggestions? I really want a soft sweet rose, combined with honey and/or amber, vanilla, cream, etc. And I want rose to be the main floral note. I'm a little worried that the carnation in Alice might be too much for me, but I'm going for it anyway.TIAEdit: I was looking through the Yules and saw Pink Snowballs. That looks interesting! I can't wait to read more reviews of it, though.

You might also want to try Victoria from the Gaiman scents. On some people it's rose dominant, on others more vanilla. It's described as a soft tea rose, so it isn't a thick heady rose nor a green one. It's rose, stargazer lily (one of the lightest lily notes) and vanilla musk. All the reviews agree it's a very soft fragrance. It's unimpable but you might be able to pick up decant off the forums. An I think I saw Katrina Van Tassel up for grabs on the sales forum yesterday. Edited November 12, 2009 by HamletsKeeper

[Alchemist]

I'm looking for a signature red rose scent which has the gothic feeling

 

...waiting for your recommendations

[HamletsKeeper]

Hmm...maybe Gothic Horror from Dark Delicacies? None of the GC rose notes I've encountered so far I would describe as dark or gothic. Black Rose doesn't smell much like roses and is very sweet, powdery and cloying.