Rose Recommendations - which blend is for me?

[LadyMedb]

So... Rose Red and Peacock Queen are back, and I want to get myself a rose scent. Because I like roses. Buttt London seemed a very astringent rose to me (if that makes any sense). Too sharp, almost acidic. o_O

 

I loved the rose in All Saints and Midnight Mass (I could swear there's rose in Midnight Mass). But London doesn't like me as much as I try to reconcile myself to it.

 

Is the Mirror Mirror pack for me? How is Rose Red compared to London?

 

Rose Red is fuller than London (think ROSE straight from the florist), Peacock Queen is similar to London but deeper (think roses sitting in a room with maybe some incense) and darker. I'd really try both to see which works better for you, but I'd almost say PQ would be better. It's really, really, relative with these roses, though, so keep that in mind...

Edited November 2, 2007 by LadyMedb

[Phaedra]

So... Rose Red and Peacock Queen are back, and I want to get myself a rose scent. Because I like roses. Buttt London seemed a very astringent rose to me (if that makes any sense). Too sharp, almost acidic. o_O

 

I loved the rose in All Saints and Midnight Mass (I could swear there's rose in Midnight Mass). But London doesn't like me as much as I try to reconcile myself to it.

 

Is the Mirror Mirror pack for me? How is Rose Red compared to London?

 

Hmm...well I think the "rose" that you are smelling in Midnight Mass is probably myrrh. Myrrh has a sweetness to it that could maybe smell floral to you (as we know, everyone's nose is different). Rose Red is a very crisp, true rose to me. It's got a definite "chilly" tone to it too. Some people describe it like LadyMedb has as roses from the florists cold fridge. Peacock Queen is warmer and softer to me. London is sweeter than both and sharper. It smells like tea roses in a garden to me. I think you might like Peacock Queen a tad more than Rose Red because it's a bit softer and warmer. I agree that you might have to try them both though. (heh- I guess that's not very helpful ) But hey, if you get them both and only like one, you'll have no problem swapping or selling the other one

[303marlena]

I too have been trying to discern if there is a particular pattern to the origin of the rose in the oil or whether its completely random, or just due to the other oils in the mixture--but sometimes I really like the rose scents, and others I just cannot wear at all.

 

Rose Red--is a pure, red rose, just as the description suggests. I love this one but since I only have a smidgen, haven't worn it to see if my skin chemistry kills it.

 

The Empress--is a lovely pure rose smell with some slight greenery in the background. This one works okay.

 

Peacock Queen--yuck! Whatever rose is in this smells like soap on my skin. hated it (in Men On voice)

 

Persephone--Very much liking the rose in this, maybe because the Pomegranate balances it out

 

Harlot--Get it off! Which doesn;t make sense, I love both Cinnamon and rose, so what gives???

 

Rose Cross--perfect, the incense balances the rose nicely, it didn't turn to soap

 

Maiden--just meh for me.

 

London (tearoses) smells good for me, but not as "juicy" as Rose Red.

 

Has anyone figured out the differences between the Moroccan rose versus the Bulgarian? I seem to like the former and dislike the latter (or it dislikes me).

 

Another thought I had was that maybe its the pure rose oil (absolute) that smells good and its the rose-geranium that isn't so great...

 

Anyone else out there have an opinion on this???

[ivyandpeony]

...

Another thought I had was that maybe its the pure rose oil (absolute) that smells good and its the rose-geranium that isn't so great...

 

Anyone else out there have an opinion on this???

 

Rose geranium isn't an actual rose - it is a member of the geranium family but the scent of rose geranium essential oil does have a floral quality reminiscent of rose that gave the plant its name. I smell a lot of herbaceous, spicy notes in it as well - to my nose it really does smell like a combination of geranium leaves and roses. But it may be that those spicy green geranium notes don't agree with you, so those rose geranium blends aren't working out.

 

I did a quick search for rose geranium scents for you and got: Ligeia (from the Maelstrom series), Rage, Resurrection of the Flesh, Garden Path With Chickens (although I don't smell it in there at all!), Vicomte de Valmont, and possibly Kostnice (although it's listed as geranium rose). I am pretty sure it's a major component in the PMS Panacea, Bitch, also.

[ifinena]

Pls bear in mind that I am new to bpal.

So far I have tried the following rose scents:

 

Rose Moon : gorgeous roses, lots of them. I was unlucky enough to spill the entire hard-to-obtain LE bottle on my desk and on myself and the carpet at work. Everybody was "wow, what a lovely smell" or "thankfully it's a good smell, too". It still smells, even though right next day was the annual deep cleaning of office premises. My heart broke for this spill

 

2/5/7 : Lovely rose scent, but to my nose the predominant scent is something else, something boozy?, wine-y?, not the roses.

 

Rose Cross : I got this as a hopefull substitute of Rose Moon. It does not deserve to be a substitute for anything, it's a gorgeous blend of itself. Simple and elegant, the incense (?) balances out the rose beautifully.

 

Silentium Amoris (res.) : Maybe my favourite rose blend so far. It is not only roses, though.

 

Moon Rose: Lovely scent, very wearable (for me), I will be getting a 5ml soon. Again, though, the predominant note, to my nose, is not of rose, but of something a bit fresher.

 

La belle aus bois dormant : I love this too and is definitely in my 5ml wishlist. Rose-y yes, but I think it is listed with plumeria which is a very dominant note to me.

 

I can definitely see myself getting Mirror Mirror, I can't comment on them though, since I haven't tried them in any incarnation, yet (I am waiting for a few decants from this year's yule scents)

 

ifinena

Edited November 4, 2007 by ifinena

[euterpe414]

I too have been trying to discern if there is a particular pattern to the origin of the rose in the oil or whether its completely random, or just due to the other oils in the mixture--but sometimes I really like the rose scents, and others I just cannot wear at all.

 

Rose Red--is a pure, red rose, just as the description suggests. I love this one but since I only have a smidgen, haven't worn it to see if my skin chemistry kills it.

 

The Empress--is a lovely pure rose smell with some slight greenery in the background. This one works okay.

 

Peacock Queen--yuck! Whatever rose is in this smells like soap on my skin. hated it (in Men On voice)

 

Persephone--Very much liking the rose in this, maybe because the Pomegranate balances it out

 

Harlot--Get it off! Which doesn;t make sense, I love both Cinnamon and rose, so what gives???

 

Rose Cross--perfect, the incense balances the rose nicely, it didn't turn to soap

 

Maiden--just meh for me.

 

London (tearoses) smells good for me, but not as "juicy" as Rose Red.

 

Has anyone figured out the differences between the Moroccan rose versus the Bulgarian? I seem to like the former and dislike the latter (or it dislikes me).

 

Another thought I had was that maybe its the pure rose oil (absolute) that smells good and its the rose-geranium that isn't so great...

 

Anyone else out there have an opinion on this???

 

I have not reached a conclusion with this, either, but I have the same problem. At first I thought it was certain roses (tea rose, aminly) that I could not wear, but then I found a few blends with tea rose in it that worked for me (Rose Moon, I think, and the Atrocious Attic) extremely well... really my rose successes are quite random....

 

what worked:

 

The Haunted Palace

Three Brides (I think this may be my favorite rose blend besides Rose Red)

The Atrocious Attic

2, 5 & 7

Persephone

Harlot

Rose Red

Rose Moon

Lady Luck Blues

Rakshasa

Lucy Westenra

 

what didn't:

London (the worst of them all, smelled like acetone on me)

Maiden

Rapture

Kurukulla (I love lotus but the rose in this was icky and sharp)

Whip (the leather in this gave me a headache, but I think the rose was ok)

Spellbound

Rose Cross (this was also reallly bad on me)

Moon Rose (pure soap- but moonflower works on me in other blends)

Lucy's Kiss

Baghdad

 

 

Seriously, I have no idea what the deal is....but at least there are rose blends that love me b/ I do love the smell of roses

I'm really anticipating trying out Peacock Queen to see how that goes, too!

[ivyandpeony]

Wow, euterpe414, if I ever figure any of this out I will definitely share with you, because we have got some similar DNA or something. You have some things on your lists I didn't think to include when I made mine (and I included some you didn't), but everything on your YES list works on me, everything on your NO list doesn't.

 

I had approached my analysis a little bit differently, like marlena did, by rose type. If anyone's interested to see it, here it is... if not, feel free to skip it and continue the rosy chatter

 

The Yes List:

 

Bulgar Rose (Psyche… : but not Gypsy Queen)

Bulgarian Rose (Rose Moon)

Damask Rose (Maiden)

Damascus Rose (Abhisarika, All Saints, Utrenyaya)

Gallic Rose (Pontarlier)

Moroccan Rose (Three Brides, Harlot, Lucy Westenra… but not: Rapture, Pride)

Musk Rose (Kali, Titania)

Red Rose (The Haunted Palace, Pulcinella and Teresina)

Somalian Rose (Harlot, Queen Mab)

Tea Rose (Euphrosyne, Marie, Rose Moon, Wilhemina Murray)

Turkish Rose (Bearded Lady)

White Rose (Parlement of Foules, Snow Moon, Ace of Hearts, Eternal, The Reaper and The Flowers, Ophelia, Dublin)

Yellow Rose (Schlafende Baigneuse)

And in general: Alice, Rose Red, Rakshasa

 

 

The No List:

Sumatran Rose (Desire)

And in general: Black Rose, Blood Rose, Desire, London, Lucy’s Kiss, Moon Rose, The Peacock Queen, Wildfire

 

I will have to go through & make some additions, like Kurukulla (although I am not sure if it's one or more of the roses, or one or more of the lotuses that do it in for me).

[euterpe414]

Wow, strange indeed! Oh...your list reminded me of a few I forgot- there are just so many good BPAL rose blends! (man, how did I forget to put Alice on this list though, whoops!!) I'm sad to see that the Peacock Queen is on your 'no' list, though!! I'm still going to cross my fingers

[Nia]

I wonder if there's this in the lab: a rose-jasmine-neroli (or orange blossom in another shape other than neroli) scent without much else. Especially, without lilies or myrrh.

[PersephonesChild]

I think the rose in Silentium Amoris is the same rose as in Persephone-- they both don't work on me in the exact same way.

 

Tea rose is very distinct from that, and it my favorite rose-- it's in Marie, and I think Zombie as well.

 

Bulgar rose has a sharper scent to it to my nose, and thinner-- it's in both Baghdad and Seraglio, and gives them their similar scent.

[loverstreet]

I was fortunate enough to enable my sister this holiday season ! After going through my stash, she decided that ROSES where her favs. However, I have almost no experience with BPAL rose scents, because rose on my skin becomes the raging Hulk (ROSE SMASH!!). For you rose lovers out there, what's the most popular?

 

She also favors grassy scents, so any rose/grass combo would be lovely also.

 

Thanks for your help!

[Aevalin]

I was fortunate enough to enable my sister this holiday season ! After going through my stash, she decided that ROSES where her favs. However, I have almost no experience with BPAL rose scents, because rose on my skin becomes the raging Hulk (ROSE SMASH!!). For you rose lovers out there, what's the most popular?

 

She also favors grassy scents, so any rose/grass combo would be lovely also.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

In general I'm not a rose fan for myself, but I really like Rose Red - it stays (IMHO) pretty true to what real roses smell like after it hits my skin. That's a big thing for me

[erraticprophet]

I love Rakshasa. It's not a straight rose, it's sandalwood with rose and patchouli.

 

I also really love Delirium. It has apple, rose and lemon, but I feel that those help to balance the rose nicely rather than cover up its fragrance.

 

For more straight rose, I like Pride. The narcissus in that just fades away on me and all I smell is ROSE.

[Inanna9]

I'm having a love affair with Rome right now. Such a delicate, pretty rose. It reminds of the note in Agony of Longing (minus the pear and sweet stuff). You have to like your scents on the crisp, herbal side to appreciate this one, but if you do, it's awesome. Top 5 BPAL for me.

[polesiren]

Rose Red makes me sneeze every time I try it I do think it's beautiful "true rose" however.

 

I LOVE Zombi,it has a bit of dark earthiness to it, as well as Black Rose,which is also a bit darker, and Harlot...more subtle but the rose comes to the top on me quickly!

 

I guess I prefer(or rather my chemisty does) the not-so perfect roses,those with a bit of dirt or other blended it...

 

Three Five Seven (which I fought for on Ebay,LOL!) smells like nothing aftre 3 minutes,seriously,it goes away but I have read that others love it!

 

Penciling in Pride on my "must try" list...

[hackess]

Rose Red, for sure. My absolute favorite rose scent ever.

 

Peacock Queen is a lot like Rose Red in that it's a nearly perfect pure rose, but it's darker and a little bit green.

 

Two, Five and Seven smells like a bouquet of all kinds of roses, and yes, even green grass. She'd probably love this one.

 

London is probably my favorite GC rose: it's dirty.

 

Hope is sugared rose -- very girly and sweet

 

Lucy's Kiss is another girly rose to me. It's powdery and soft.

 

Zombi is a very heady rose, covered with dirt. If your sister likes grass, maybe she'd like dirt too?

 

Rose Moon is barely rose at all on my skin, but it's a gorgeous complex blend with patchouli and smells kind of like a good room incense.

[Christine Daae]

So! I am going to be placing an order before the 15th (backup Yules, dontcha know? ), and I would love some reccommendations for rose scents I might like! I'm thinking of getting a rose-centric imp pack.

 

Rose is my favourite note, ever, in perfume - and I've tried a lot of the Lab's roses. I was wondering if you lovely ladies (and gentlemen!) would have any recs based on my preferences, as follows:

 

Rose Scents I Have LOVED:

Peacock Queen

Lucy Westenra

Alice

Maiden

Moscow

 

Rose Scents I Have Liked:

Iambe

Parlement of Foules

Spellbound

Hymn

Seraphim

Seraglio

Kurukulla

Rose Cross

Psyche

Lucy's Kiss

 

Rose Scents That Didn't Work:

Rose Red ("funeral homes" - I think the 'cold' note was the culprit)

Persephone ("feet?")

Hope (headache-inducing D:)

2, 5 & 7 (also "feet")

Zombi (didn't like the "dirt" note)

Ophelia ("cherry cough syrup")

La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente (I don't know what went wrong)

Ouija (too dusty)

Thanatos (too masculine)

 

Rose Scents Where The Rose Didn't Show Up On Me:

Rapture

Mata Hari

Eve

Delirium

Feu Follet

Marie

The Reaper and the Flowers

Rome

Venice

 

I can't think of a rose blend that I didn't like, only ones that didn't work on my skin (but smelled lovely in the bottle). So! Any suggestions?

[Leopard403]

I don't see many mentions of Whip here, so I figured I'd add it.

 

Whip is, I believe "black leather and damp red rose."

 

It smells like the perfectly polite but secretly naughty boy who arrives for your first date holding a rose bouquet and wearing the new bomber jacket he got just to impress you.

[LadyLuckless]

I would love to have a nice, sweet blend of vanilla and rose. I'm eyeing Stardust's Victoria (Graceful vanilla musk, tea rose, and stargazer lily) and Excolo's Euphrosyne (Gardenia, tea rose, vanilla and jasmine). Hope of Carnival Diabolique sounds good to me too, but I'm a little afraid of violet, and I'm way too new to this to hit the swaps yet, so the Hope/Faith set would be out of the question for me.

 

If I can't find a vanilla rose scent I guess I can always try layering, I'd just really like to find one!

[persephanise]

Euphrosyne smells exactly like lemon drop candies to me. I don't get rose or vanilla from it all. (It's very pleasant but...)

 

hmmm, vanilla plus rose. I'm gonna have to look through my stash and see if anything strikes me...

[LadyLuckless]

Lemon is completely not what I'm looking for, so Euphrosyne sounds like a no go... I tried Valentino's Rock'n Rose a while ago, and got in my head how gorgeous those two notes could be together. I really want to find a vanilla rose without that commercial-y <edge> on it... if that makes sense...

 

 

 

Euphrosyne smells exactly like lemon drop candies to me. I don't get rose or vanilla from it all. (It's very pleasant but...)

 

hmmm, vanilla plus rose. I'm gonna have to look through my stash and see if anything strikes me...

[erraticprophet]

I would love to have a nice, sweet blend of vanilla and rose. I'm eyeing Stardust's Victoria (Graceful vanilla musk, tea rose, and stargazer lily) and Excolo's Euphrosyne (Gardenia, tea rose, vanilla and jasmine). Hope of Carnival Diabolique sounds good to me too, but I'm a little afraid of violet, and I'm way too new to this to hit the swaps yet, so the Hope/Faith set would be out of the question for me.

 

If I can't find a vanilla rose scent I guess I can always try layering, I'd just really like to find one!

 

Euphrosyne smelled just like flowers and honey on me. I do amp anything sweet so ymmv. I recall smelling the gardenia and jasmine in it but no or not much tea rose to make note of it.

 

I recently got frimped Lucy's Kiss. That turned out to be a very soft rose on me. I think I prefer the bolder red rose. It was just a bit too dainty for me. I can't wait to try out the Mirror Mirror pack I ordered. It should arrive any day now.

[tartchef]

Oh rose afficionados, help a girl out? I have awful, wretched luck with most florals, and rose is the prime culprit. It smells lovely in the bottle, but as soon as it gets within my personal gravity, it explodes in a cloud of stale "tea rose bouquet", like the bottle of rose eau de toilette that you got as a gift from your friend's Avon-selling mom back in 4th grade & promptly spilt all over your bed. (yep, true story)

 

So far, I've just categorically avoided any BPAL that mentioned rose. I like resins & incense, so it's been pretty easy so far, but then I get things like Parentalia, The Clod & the Pebble & The Passionate Shepherd doing the come-hither dance & I waver... so I appeal to you, the experts of all things rosa, to help me overcome my fear & find a rose I can wear with confidence.

 

Rose scents I've tried so far, with no luck: Rose Red, Khajuraho, Euphrosyne, La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente, Phantom, Nemesis, Thanatos (with all the resiny goodness, I thought for sure this would work...), Ostara, Hymn & Zombi... Pontarlier was so close, but went triple-milled soap in the end, and Spellbound was gorgeous in the vial but an awful powdery mess on my skin.

 

Now that I look at this list, most of what hasn't worked so far has problematic notes beyond just rose (jasmine, gardenia, amber, lily). That was precisely why I tried Rose Red, to get a feel for rose unfettered - alas, it was soapy & sharp straight out of the vial, to my nose. :sigh:

 

So, any recommendations as to where to go from here? I'm tempted to try 2, 5 & 7, hoping the grass note will temper things; Pulcinella & Teresina, as labadnum & woods work well; Rakasha, Persephone & Rose Cross. I also have a bottle of Lotus Moon sitting on my desk, daring me to give it a whirl... Thoughts?

[blktauna]

I don't see many mentions of Whip here, so I figured I'd add it.

 

Whip is, I believe "black leather and damp red rose."

 

It smells like the perfectly polite but secretly naughty boy who arrives for your first date holding a rose bouquet and wearing the new bomber jacket he got just to impress you.

 

Sadly whip smelled like old athletic tape on me. No rose at all.

 

[ladysaphira]

I need help - I love the smell of roses but my skin is defeating me. Every scent I've tried with roses the rose seems to fade almost instantly .

 

This is weird because otherwise I've had almost no morphing of scents when I put them on my skin. Has anyone else had this problem? Can anyone make recommendations of rose scents that don't act like the other scents on their skin? So far all the scents with rose notes that I've tried are:

 

harlot

eve

zombi

her voice

knave of hearts

vinland

sugar moon

versailles

 

I smelled a little rose at first in Eve and in Zombi but even those two faded in minutes. Scents like Harlot are weird on me because I have a background of cinnamon with nothing in the foreground... Help me please? I have a random room scent that smells like roses which is so old I don't know where I got it - but I would love a BPAL rose scent!

 

~Becky