Rome

[jj_j]

Refined, austere and graceful. A recipe gleaned from Classical Rome: cypress, juniper, chamomile and rose.

Goes on sharp and green, with the kind of intensity you'd expect from eucalyptus. After fifteen minutes or so, I sniff my wrists and find a very light, herbal rose; in fact, it's all about the chamomile with a moderate rose undercurrent, and is supported quite nicely by a late summer leaf, plucked from the tree and crushed between your fingers.

Surprisingly, this had very little staying power on me. Maybe an hour, at the most. Usually green scents last longer than anything else on me, and this one would have to be touched up regularly. Would be well worth it, though - I think making some lotion out of this and layering might help, as well.

[Lady_Ell]

This one lasted a loooooong time on me, unlike jj_j. In theory I like it, but the rose comes out very strong on me, and I end up with a strong soapy smell, kind of like rosewater mixed with Dial soap. Since strong floral smells make me feel a little woozy, I don't think I'll buy 5 mL of this one, but I think I'll stick with the Imp's ear for a while, and I might try again and see how I like this in the summer or fall. On me it smells kind of similar to Burial, but without the earthiness.

Edited February 17, 2004 by ladylatemar

[TygherRayn]

This one was the very first one I tried on myself after getting my first order, and while I like the smell, I have to be very careful how much I use. The rose tends to be very strong. I kept thinking it was almost baby-powdery, but that wasn't quite right.

 

I think though it reminded me, now that I think of it, of a blend Jason made me at Garden Botanika, back when we actually had a shop in the mall, and could make our own blends. I loved that blend; used the heck out of it too, until it became too alcohol-y.

 

Old Rome is strong on me. After an hour and a half it was still very powerful. Because it's a rose scent, that can become a little overpowering. I'm going to try it again, and see if it mellows better next time. Like ladylatemar, I think I'm going to see if it works better in the late summer/early fall.

[Thanatopsis Azraelis]

Old Rome didn't really work on me. Like ladylatemar, it ended up being sort of a rosy soap smell, but it lasted a very, very long time. I love roses, so I quite like it actually, but the thing is it clogs up my sinuses something awful I guess I'll just have to pass on this one!

[savage_carrot]

It went on very sharp, almost medicinal/herbally....but after drydown changed dramtically into a clear rose....it is a very nice rose too...It doesn't last very long, at least on me..but well worth the layering. I am a huge rose fan and this is great...after some time it does morph into a powdery kind of scent, rose is still the major note in it... it's just beautiful...I really like this one.

[VelvetSky]

I always look forward to Beth's herbal blends, because they all have a sinister, poisonous bite to them that I just love.

 

Old Rome opens with all cypress and juniper...the hard, bitter berries of these trees that smell both fresh and dangerous. This is a very strong blend initially, almost bracing.

 

The scent gradually mellows down into a gentle breath of rose and chamomile (one of my favorite notes), although the sharp green of the wood is still back there. Old Rome is now one of my favorite of the Wanderlust blends, because it's simple, but has a wicked little tang that haunts me.

 

I'm going to be wearing this a lot this winter.

[closedacct]

Rome

 

I absolutely love this and I usually cannot tolerate roses.

 

It has a spicy quality that I found in Wolfsbane, but the rose is much more quiet. It makes me think of painfully bright days that are ice cold. Bundled up with this lovely scent peeking out from my scarf.

 

It will be great to wear this winter. It feels icy and oddly comforting. I am going for a 5ml with this one!!

 

[feline.by.design]

This is an imp that I intend to give away as a part of a holiday gift, however I did want to take the chance to try it and review it before parting with Rome.

 

The rose in Rome is the same rose in Endymion, I am pretty certain. I'm usually one who can't do roses as well, but there is a particular rose component Beth uses that I really like, but I can't figure out which one it is.

 

When wet, the fragrance has the rose element in it, but I had mistaken it for a very sharp, green apple of all things, possibly due to the juniper's influence. The fragrance struck me as being slanted towards the masculine spectrum, but light enough to be worn by any sex. It was very nice... until it began to dry down. On my skin, and it might just be my skin or my nose that detects this, but I noticed a very faint background scent similar to the "cat pee" smells I've found in a couple of scents with civet in them, but not as strong as Deimos or Puck. Again, this was a very faint smell that I could easily be mistaking for something else, possibly the cypress or chamomile.

 

What's nice to know is that after a while that weird smell did fade away, leaving me with nothing but a less-strong version of the green rose smell, and all was right with the world again. In the late drydown, the fragrance does get a bit more unisex, really reminding me of Endymion, with the rose less prominent. It's about maybe two hours now since I've put it on, and I can still lightly detect Rome when holding my nose against the skin. I think that whomever winds up with the imp will be pleased, as long as they ride out the odd civet-outta-nowhere smell (if they get it).

 

-doreen

[quinkel]

Love Rome! It's in the same line as Burial and Omen, but more rose/flover and less strong on Juniper, these are my Sauna/Spa scents. Herbal, clean and uplifting, in the same time relaxing. There is also a sinister undertone like a ghost from Victorian times just passed by, that's the rose... a haunted rose, the same rose that haunts Zombi and again, Burial. The kind of rose you expect on a rusty fence by an old graveyard......gives me shivers and the same time I almost cry for it's beauty.

[cookie]

Heh heh, don't laugh - I wore this while watching Troy today (as (1) the Trojans are the Romans' ancestors, (2) I thought the blend's notes would be fitting, and (3) I don't have Athens). I'm such a dork. But it totally set the mood.

 

Rome was quite sharp and bitter at first, but it never overwhelmed. As the description says, it is graceful and refined. I normally can't stand cypress much, but this blend has a lot of depth. Probably due to the rose, which I didn't notice very much. The rose was just something lurking, pleasing, that made me keep sniffing my wrists. I don't think I'll be wearing this out very much, but I'll be loving it in my house.

[isyche]

Rome was another lovely gift from the lab that hadn't caught my eye previously. It's a soft rose with something oddly sharp/astringent mixed in, which must be the juniper. then the rose fades completely all of a sudden and leaves a really faint herbal scent – the chamomile?

 

It makes for an interesting combination, a fresh herbal outdoorsy rose. I think it might make a better room or linen scent than a me-scent, but I like it.

[darkling]

At first, Rome was all rose. The chamomile then began making itself known with a faint undertone. These two did not blend well together on me. It may have been the cypress as well but the rose took on a heavy, wooden quality.

 

Rome was too heavy on the flowers for my taste. The chamomile was soothing but there are other blends that I prefer for sleep.

 

I tend to enjoy scents with juniper but I could not pick up this note from Rome.

[amrita]

On me, Rome was very strong rose and salty olives. I have no clue where that olive came from-- once again, rose brings mayhem and confusion to my skin.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Oh! I was thinking “The Pines of Rome” before I sniffed this, and sure enough, it’s tall, sap-resiny evergreens lining one of the many roads that lead to Rome. It’s fresh and breezey and doesn’t smell too cold-heavy the way pine usually does on me – I have high hopes. And if it doesn’t work on my skin, my love smells amazing in evergreen, so I win either way.

 

Wearing: Rome agrees with me. It’s a little chilly, very refined and almost haughty – I think patrician is the word I’m looking for. The rose is more apparent on my skin, a crisp white rosebud, still tightly shut, rather than the big soft pink blooms that show up in other scents.

[pekeana]

In the vial, Rome is all chammomile and rose.

 

On me, it welts and smells like old, used soap. There was a cheap soap that my grandparents used to use when my grandpa was alive, and that's what this smells like.

 

And it's making me sick to my stomach.

Edited March 8, 2005 by pekeana

[shelldoo]

this is all cypress, and juniper on me. bright, crisp, outdoors resinous, there is a hint of chamomile peekin in to say hi but it is very shy and runs away

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Wow, that's green. I can make out the cypress and the juniper at first sniff. This just screams green to me. Very strong.

 

Wet: Ew. Herbs always turn nasty on me and this is now exception. I smell like bushes. Plus there's this underlying note to it that turns my stomach. It's green on the throw and in the front, but the background is sickening. Plus I think I'm allergic to cypress.

 

Dry down: I smell like a tree. No ifs, ands or buts about it, this is tree me with a sick background note to it.

 

Dry: I don't know. It's bothering me too much to get there. I can smell the rose starting to come out, but it cannot help this tree blend.

[surf-tormented]

MINT!

 

VICKS?

 

Perm?

 

Weird?

 

What just happened to my wrist?

[Splendid Molerat]

Rome is dazzling cypress and pine for a few minutes, and then falls back to roses and rose leaves, crushed chamomile, and a smoky green background. I'm also getting a little waft of something like green apples.

 

Clean and distant is the overall impression.

[tesao]

the old rome was interesting....at first, the cedar was what came through the most. fitting, as i automatically think of pine/cedar when i think of rome. clean, brisk, bracing.

 

several hours later, the rose came up. it surprised me (i had no idea what the components of the scent were....and the rose was actually nice. generally, rose doesn't agree with me.)

 

it wasn't overwhelmingly FLORAL, if that makes any sense. it was more like older, damask roses, slightly dried and mixed in a potpourri.

[aritei]

This is perfect for a man! Fresh, clean, sexy. . . reminds me of polo sport for some reason.

[Northernminx]

ACK!

Wow I've no idea what's IN this that hates my skin so but wow does it hate hate hate. While this is crisp and refreshing in the imp (I was really looking foreward to this as a result) this turns into facial astringent on my skin. Remember the old noxema face cleaning pads? Yah...thats what my stupid skin did to this once refreshing scent.

 

Gack.

[glampyre]

Rome is an incredibly beautiful scent, and really captures the way that the Roman countryside makes me feel. I love that there is so much evergreen in this perfume. Not only because I love how fresh and clean cypress and juniper smell, but also because it really is a great representation of the abundance of cypress and umbrella pine in Roman gardens and parks. The green is wonderfully balanced by the rose.

[thesibylqueen]

This scent reminded me a bit of Lear, and I'm convinced I smell bay leaf in it! Overall, this is a very clean, astringint scent-- I found it too juniper-y to wear, but I *adore* it as a room scent. The rose/chamomile is almost nonexistant on me, but it softens the overall smell as it dries, and I suspect this would be an awesome fragrance on a guy.

[QueenFae]

A surprisingly wonderful blend. The top note on me is the rose, and it's so beautifully complimented by the juniper and the chamomile in the background. It's light, airy, feminine, and it makes me feel clean and girly. I'm so glad the lab stuck this one in my order as a freebie, rose blends are some of my favorites. Fans of Persephone and Whitechapel will probably love this one. Pefectly embodies what I would imagine Rome to smell like. Love it.