Rome

[skepticism]

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

I really like this rose blend. It's not sweet rose, but a greener, freshly cut rose. I'm wondering if the chamomile in this blend is Roman chamomile, which happens to be one of my favorite notes. I put some on before going on a bike ride this afternoon to see if any other notes would pop up. If anything did, it was very very subtle fresh wood. But it was still rose on the foreground. Going to have to decide whether I like Hymn or Rome better!

[het4377]

In the Imp: In the Imp, I'm getting quite a bit of lime-y citrus over sharp juniper. A very green fragrance.

Wet: A very strong initial hit of lime, which then fades away to never be seen again in this scent. The juniper and cypress are still the most prominent notes, with the chamomile just starting to peak through.

Initial Drydown: The cypress is staying in the forefront, but I'm now getting clear rose and chamomile notes. The juniper has almost completely disappeared.

Prolonged Drydown: The longer I get from the initial application, the more rosy it gets. after about 2 hours all I get is rose, but fresh clean white/green rosebud sort of rose.

Overall Impression:When I first received Rome from the lab, I have to say I was virtually turned off from ever trying it again. It was a rude unpleasant sandalwood-y (eek, sandalwood! run away! run away!) citronella candle scent monster. I packed it away for a month and a half before I even thought of opening it again, and I am certainly glad that I did! The scent hand mellowed considerably, with the notes blending very well, making it hard to pull out individuals. It made me a believer in the aging of oils! I really love how light and clean the eventual rose scent is, which is not to be confused with soapy rose (ick!). Indeed, this is really more of a distant sophisticated chilly rose. Just like the lab description says, "Refined, austere and graceful". Rome is the sort of scent I would wear to an academic award ceremony, it feels that formal.

 

Overall rating:3

[milo]

I have a heck of time picking out rose notes. I knew I didn't like this one, but I thought it was jasmine. Rose goes sour on me, and this one is no exception. Still, the scent really captures how I would imagine Rome to be before it goes all sour.

[ephemera]

I really want to find a perfume that's based off an ancient formula. Unfortunately, Rome is not that perfume.

 

For the merest of seconds on my skin, this smelled like lemon verbena with a gorgeous, low undernote of something sweet & mellow. Then, poof. Tea Rose. (I find myself wondering what it is about a rose note that causes so many "fresh & floral" scents to turn to an exact replica of my great-aunts Tea Rose perfume from my childhood.) This was a frimp, as I wouldn't likely have tried it on my own. To the swaps!

[Jess2316]

Rome started out with just rose rose rose and a little bit of regular soap. Not like "rose soap" but like rose and then soap..if that makes sense.

 

About a half hour passed and there was some pine all of a sudden! It's weird, I'm only getting pine on my left arm and only wafting in and out. The scent has faded fairly quickly as well..but it's nice.

[savage_rose]

In the imp, I can't smell rose at all. It just smells dry and a bit woodsy, like a very dry, light men's cologne with a touch of something alcoholic and on the rocks. On, the rose comes out a bit...very lightly, and it's sweetness is cut by the dryness of the blend...a very manly rose blend! Although this smells more unisex to me...I like it. I'm not getting pine at all.

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

Wow, this is very sophisticated. Definitely evokes the energy of Roman times! I also really love the way these strong notes balance each other in this blend, because each individual note is quite a powerhouse on its own and can be oftentimes overpowering. Together they become something well-rounded and thoroughly wearable. So wonderful for spring. This is an energetic and completely unique planty floral blend. I'm a definite fan!

[diamondstars]

The juniper is very prominent in this. It's certainly not what I was expecting.

 

It's very fresh and clean-smelling, but not for me.

[asciident]

Wet: Rosy chamomile.

 

First on: Super rosy and nothing else.

 

Dry: Same on drydown.

[magikalbrownies]

i got the same as the poster above me...

 

rose and tons of chamomile.

 

not really my thing...

 

overall: no

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the imp, it's cypress and rose.

 

Wet on the skin, rose is dominant but not overpowering, if that makes sense. The chamomile softens the rose on my skin and keeps it from amping too much.

 

As it dries, it becomes a little more woody, but this is still a rose blend on my skin.

[liquidtrance]

Juniper is strongest in the imp.

On skin, it smells most like the rose and chamomile. Perhaps some of the cypress. A little soapy, but also a bit green.

Not an everyday wear, as all rose/lily scents seem to be. Swap off.

[donnatron]

Imp: JUNIPER! Oh how sharp and dominating you are, sir.

 

Wet: More juniper. Backed by a bit of cypress. Maybe some rose? I so want to smell some chamomile but apparently the universe has determined that I can't.

 

Dry: Rome is a really interesting warm, sweet rose tempered by a bit of a sinus clearing juniper/cypress blend. It's actually very gorgeous and unusual. Love the warm rose against my skin with the really sharp, biting aspect from the juniper. It's not overly complex but it's definitely interesting and I dig that.

 

Throw: Mild.

 

Overall: I really like this. Will ruminate on the imp and determine whether I think it is bottle worthy or not. Although it's a classical formula I would definitely classify this as distinctive and a great option for people looking for an unusual rose scent.

[jewelbug]

Imp: sharp, green, piney, maybe a bit minty/herbal.

 

Wet: Oh yes, definitely some evergreen notes. Evergreen and baby powder with a very slight citrus tone.

Dry: As this dries, the citrus comes out more during the early phases—lemon? I’d call this lemongrass+powder+ cypress, if I had to guess. After about 20 min, its obvious that this powder is actually rose. A strong powdery rose that starts to take over. The citrusy/pine aspects fade completely, and eventually the rose is less-in your face, more enjoyable. It ends as a gentle, sweet, skin-rose scent. Lasts 5-6 hrs.

 

Overall: I liked the rose by the end, but at the beginning, it was far too much for this rose-a-phobe. Passing this on.

[Lyrical]

 

In vial: bathroom air freshener??? or pot pourri.

 

Wet on skin: very sharp and herbal - I'd say pine-y but that must by cypress and juniper.

 

Dry on skin: rose comes out a bit more and balances the pine bathroom cleaner. I can see this being a scent that was worn in ancient Rome, and the concept is nice, but I won't be wearing it myself.

[voorishsign]

Good god. Is that . . . ? Is it . . . ? It's a floral I love! And it's all . . . ancient, and masculine, and not at all sweet, and not at all giving me a headache like they usually do, what's going on here? So yeah. It is possible for me to like a floral. Who knew?

 

On wet: CHAMOMILE Chamomilechamomilechamomile. Mmmh. I love the smell.

 

Drying down, juniper comes out and the whole thing becomes extremely herbal and masculine. God, I love it. Later, there's just a touch of rose, and I normally can't even stand rose - but it sweetens it ever so slightly.

 

Brilliant, just brilliant.

Edited September 24, 2009 by voorishsign

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: woody notes, a bit astringent, floral

 

Wet on Skin: different than anything I've tried so far, woody notes with something sweetening/softening them

 

While Drying: Rose becomes noticeable; interesting interplay between juniper & rose; one of the other notes comes in at end of drying phase - not sure which, probably cypress

 

After a Little While: rose, dusty wood, & something almost lemony

 

Later: goes slightly powdery

 

Final Thoughts: Not a bad rose, but still too much for me I think. Not bad, not great.

Rome earns a 3/5 on my skin.

[CitizenBree]

I wanted to love this. I love rose, I love florals, I'm going to Rome. I bought the imp to try.

 

There's really nothing I can say about this except that it went straight up baby powder on my skin. Not one individual note came out. So disappointed. Will not be keeping the imp. Hope it works out better for someone else.

[Saya]

Mainly cyprus and rose. I'm not much of a rose fan, but I keep on trying. I'm not sure why but this smells a bit stale. Going to the swap pile.

[Djaeno]

In imp: WHOA THAT'S SHARP. I am definitely getting juniper in here! It's really, really strong; almost strong enough to give me a headache right off the bat. That's not looking too good for this scent.

Wet: It remains very strongly... bush-y. I am actually thinking of a cleaning solution or an air freshener when I smell my arm. It seems way too sharp for me.

Dry: After maybe half an hour, the sharp bush smells faded and now I think I can smell the chamomile and the rose. It's definitely gone floral on me. Really strange, how this one works.

 

Several hours later, I can't detect the slightest hint of juniper or cypress; it's all sweet flora, faintly. I'm torn on this one. I want to like it, but it doesn't seem to like me at all.

[grimalkin]

Wet, this had a strong woodsy/herbal smell that I didn't like at all. Now that it's dry, it's turned into a soapy rose scent with a hint of chamomile. I'm not a big rose fan, but it is light and pretty.

Edited December 26, 2013 by grimalkin

[summertimecrime]

Frimped by the very generous lab!

 

In the imp: HELLO, PINE-SOL!

 

Wet: this is a VERY green scent. The juniper is coming through strongly, and as I said before, it has a heavy pine scent.

 

Drydown: Strange, but now I smell roses? Or rather, roses soaked in Pine-Sol..too sharp for my taste.

[obsidienne]

Oh my. I love this. Once the juniper and cypress burn off, this most soft, velvety rose-chamomile appears and caresses your nostrils with beauty. There's a subtle hint of the herbiness from the juniper and cypress, but just barely; overall this changes a lot when it's dry. I normally find the scent of chamomile very off-putting, like rotting weeds, but the way it is playing with the rose here is just gorgeous. It's like pink and gold roses with that soft chamomile. What a surprise!

[raisin]

Well, I'll be darned.

I got a frimp of this and gave it a quick skin test, and instantly recognized the major player, even though I couldn't place it. It smelled exactly like some kind of plant or flower, I was certain, and then it hit me: rose. Only not the artificial rose fragrance note I can easily place (and kind of despise). Rome smells like actual roses.

Sadly, that's all I get from this, but I'm impressed anyway. I may have to rethink my veto on all blends that list rose as a note.

This still isn't for me, but it is very pretty and I'm sure I can find a nice home for it.

[renadams]

In Vial: Like wet cypress tree after rain, plus the sharp scent of a very green cleaning solution (not meant to sound negative--it just really does smell like a fresh, eco-green juniper oil cleaner). Floral scents are not apparent.

 

Wet on Skin: Fresh clipped cypress branches, oozing green sap. A punch of juniper with a hint of chamomile tea.

 

While Drying: On my skin, the juniper lingered longer than the cypress scent and the chamomile (hinting at lemon) with rose began to emerge. The rose was soft, not sickly like some rose scent. The chamomile was decidedly citrusy.

 

Later: The woods have faded into the background but still ghosted, leaving a less lemony chamomile and soft rose.

Overall: I love the sharp, clean smell of cypress and juniper. I have trees in my yard and have been known to stand near them after rain just to inhale. Since cypress and juniper are common on the Roman landscape, they do invoke a certain sense of the ancient civilization. I wish the chamomile were more present, but it's still nice, and the rose isn't that same fake sickly sweet rose you so often smell. It's much more modest.

 

I am considering a 5ml of this one.