Red Rose

[Miss Lynx]

Red rose buds, with amber, clove, tonka, Indian musk, fir, and tobacco.

What a wonderful surprise this was -- and White Rose as well, to a lesser extent. I usually fear rose, because even though I actually like the scent (in moderation) my skin tends to amp it really strongly. But at first sniff, neither of the BPTP Lupercalia roses smell all that strongly rosy -- even on my rose-amping skin! They're both really nicely balanced. The rose is noticeable, but it doesn't by any means overpower the other notes.

White Rose, which I'd really only gotten a decant of because the circle I joined made the two a package deal, was nicer than I expected it to be. But this one is absolutely amazing! I had high hopes for it, despite my rose issues, because it does contain a lot of notes that I like, but I'd been a little worried the rose would overpower them. Thankfully, it doesn't at all. It does hold its own nicely against the earthier notes, but in a way that just makes the whole thing exquisitely well balanced.

It's a little bit like what you'd get if you mixed perfectly aged Spellbound (aging that scent, for me, makes the rose mellow out and blend better with the amber and musk instead of dominating them) with Red Phoenix and a dash of Three Witches, or something along those lines. Gorgeous, earthy, sexy, spicy goodness.

It's funny -- for all that rose scents tend to cause me problems by amping up tremendously on my skin, I do actually like rose, so I keep trying different scents with rose in them hoping for the perfect rose scent that really works on me. Parlement of Foules was pretty close, Blasphemare Reliquary was even better, but I think this one just topped them both!

As it wears down over time, it doesn't stay quite as lovely and complex, and it does become more rose than anything eventually. But even at that stage, it's a pretty damn fine rose.

All in all, a definite winner, and I will probably be trying to hunt down a bottle in the swaps. In fact, I'd better get on that soon, given how frequently I find myself reaching for this decant. I think it may be a new Top Ten pick for me! Especially with spring here now, I'm wearing this about every second day or thereabouts.

Grade: A+ Edited April 13, 2009 by Shollin

[SeaLady]

I ordered these gems unsniffed, and I'm glad I did.

 

Red Rose in the bottle: Clove party!

 

On the skin: This is a Big Bad Sexy. Definitely Indian musk (though it's like red musk), with clove and dark resiny incense, and some tobacco which is more like a cigar than anything else. It's like a humidor full of dark sexy and some earth, with a little red rose bud sitting pertly on top. On my skin, the rose is light and sweet. I liiiike this. I like it in the pants.

I'm thrilled, because rose is a doom note on me, and I only ordered this because other rose non-lovers said it was safe. They were right!

 

This reminds me of: Scherezade, Minotaur, Schwarzer Monde, Rose Red. Leather chairs and glasses of dark and delicious drinks, and hopefully a burlesque show.

[CynicalPink]

Imp: The clove and tobacco give the imp an almost chlorine type smell. I dunno...

 

Wet: Oh that's better. It's spicy, but there's other stuff there. The fir is interesting, as is the tobacco. Not getting rose scent from this so much as the idea of a big bad red rose.

 

Drydown: I'm really surprised how much I like this one. It's pretty masculine, but it's not oozing testosterone

 

Overall: It's pretty cool. Not sure I'd wear a ton of it, but when blended with the love that is White Rose, it's a much more "me" scent.

[jessu]

I get mostly tobacco and clove, backed by rose and musk. I love the spiciness of it but the indian musk, on me, smells... cheap. I agree with a previous comment that it smells like the bottom of a makeup bag. Kind of dusty, with some generic, mixed up, nondescript fragrance.

I want to love this SO BADLY though, so I think I will keep it a while and see if it gets better with age, which I suspect it will.

 

 

[Lamia]

In bottle it smells of cinnamony roses woof!

 

On skin, it smells hot, turning to the hot creamsicle of Ahathoor that I loved so when I first tried it.

 

The cloves are snappish in the background, the fir adds a sharp top note, and the tobacco is deep. This is quite extraordinary, I shall have to hunt down some White Rose, darn...

 

EDITED TO ADD:

 

Later, after lengthy drydown, this has turned to smoky roses. It reminds me rather a lot of Glasya

Edited March 23, 2009 by Lamia

[kikithepirate]

Augh, so much clove, that's all I can smell besides the faint hint of rose. It reminds me a lot of Clemence when I open the bottle, actually. I would never wear this alone, but it's absolutely lovely when layered with the White Rose.

[catattack]

Wet: spicy, clove, Old Spice (but in a good way) *ducks*

Drydown: Spicy musk. I never got any rose, which is fine because rose is hit or miss for me.

Overall: For a "rose" scent, this is on the masculine side. It's really an amazing scent. I'm sure a lot of people missed out on this because the rose scared them away. On me, it's a spicy, earthy, musky scent. Not floral at all.

[magikalbrownies]

WOW WOW WOW WOW

 

normally im not into the whole i-wanna-smell-like-granny rose scents but geez...this is a definate good one.

 

it has just the right amount of spiciness to just give the rose a good kick in the hiney.

 

i smell some definate clove and the curbs the overall ROSEY scent.

 

on the wish list. im hunting this one down, stat.

[thelaurenator]

This is a really beautiful blend that commands attention. It's a bold red rose with fir and clove. This is a truly stunning and unusual interpretation of the red rose. Combined with white rose, the unity set becomes just feminine enough for me to wear, without being "just another rose blend." It's really a breathtakingly beautiful combination.

[PurringPulsar]

Red Rose

 

In the bottle: oh, I can smell fir and clove and amber here!

Wet on skin: I get a lot of fir here, as well as clove, smoky tobacco and a sexy musk.

Dry on skin: whoa, this is incredible. This is deep, smoky, dark and sexy rose…in fact, I can’t even smell the rose. What I do smell is clove, tonka, tobacco and musk, with a bit of evergreen fir and sweet amber. the clove is dominant, and smells bittersweet, smoky and sexy. It’s like the clove in Mort de Cesar. The tobacco is reminiscent of the Illustrated Woman, but much nicer, less burnt/masculine. The musk is of the dark, sensual variety…a little bit like Siberian musk perhaps, but less sweet. I can also smell the amber. I am reminded of a scent from another company which I love-Agni by Cobalt-which is fir, amber and incense (and clove?)

After a while: the musk becomes darker and sexier, almost like a red musk but not as red/spicy? It’s hard to describe other than it has a dark, slightly feral (but not civety) feel to it which makes me go rrrrowww! It has a blood musk feel, actually. Especially when coupled with tonka and clove. I must say that the clove note in here is remarkable-strong and spicy and smoky. I also love how the amber adds that golden glow to it all. At this point, I smell a hint of rose, and this is a rich resinous rose, like rose incense.

Verdict: I think this is my favourite of the Roses set. This is a wonderful rich spicy incense-rose scent, even if the rose isn’t that obvious here, it’s still stunning. It’s got one of the best clove notes ever, strong and smoky and darkly spicy. The musk is sultry and sexy and delightful, and the fir adds an interesting hint of evergreen sap. The amber makes this wonderfully resinous and the tobacco is subtle yet adds it’s smoky touch, and under these warm, sensual and exotic notes, there’s a core of red rose which doesn’t take over the scent but enhances it, much like the rose in Blasphemare Reliquary adds a little something different to the resins. Wonderful scent with great aging potential!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes!

If you like this, try: Illustrated Woman, Mort de Cesar, Hexennacht 08, Blasphemare Reliquary

[tapestry]

Where with White Rose I didn't smell much at all in the bottle, Red Rose immediately gives me flashbacks to The Illustrated Woman. I'm assuming it's the fir note here standing in for Illustrated Woman's pine, tonka standing in for IW's vanilla, plus similar musks and tobacco t'boot. It's intriguing and sexy without question, the kind of scent you want to wear on a night of conquest. Mentally I associate the color amber and dark, dark reds with this oil.

 

Wet I still get a lot of Illustrated Woman vibe, but the cloves come out to play. Although every now and again I feel like I can catch a whiff of rose, it's always fleeting and always faint. And it really isn't rose buds as the Lab describes, but more like a bastard child of rose and carnation -- a vaguely rosy scent that has carnation's spice (the cloves, presumably), and brings to mind a full rose that has bloomed and blown, having reached its peak.

 

After some wear, this is a gorgeous blend of notes where one flows into the other without any real noticeable points... except for the rose. I lose a lot of the rose on drydown and walk away with a deliciously spicy scent, but not a rose one. This does wear for awhile, though, which is nice. White Rose disappeared quickly on me, but the heavier notes in Red Rose almost guarantee that it won't need to be reapplied quite as often. (My skin chemistry eats lighter notes, though, so your mileage may vary.)

 

I haven't layered the two Unity blends yet -- that's tomorrow -- so I'll be updating my reviews to add that impression later.

[jewelbug]

I was so happy to get a bottle of this at the most recent ECWC!

 

Bottle: A spicy rose. Smells like nutmeg to me, rather than clove, and reminds me of Winter of our Discontent. I'm not normally a rose person, but this has that musky spiciness that I love so well, so its worth a try!

 

Wet: Smooth, spicy (like shub or gingerbread spicy), with amber and a light muskiness--very little in the "rose" realm.

 

Drying: This is a glorious spicy musky blend, and has very little to do with rose as far as I can tell. I do get hints of something green along with the spice. This strikes me as "christmas-y" somehow, but maybe that is still becuase it still reminds me of winter of our discontent--and maybe the fir, too. Its lightly sweet, but not at all cloying.

 

Dry: Settles into a subtly spicy, musky amber (slightly powdery) with hints of rose and fir. I love this. I think its like a less sweet, less citrusy, less creamy, Winter of Discontent. The throw starts out pretty light on me, a spicy sexy skin scent, but I swear it gets stronger as time passes. Lasts 7+ hrs.

 

Special notes: Combined with its partner, White Rose, this is equally beautiful. The combo provides a perfect balance of sexy spicy rose musk and pure, sweet coconut orris, and I swear I get a light berry tone from it. Awesome creation!

[Eemia]

I don't like wearing this on its own as much as I like it paired with White Rose. But it has its own bold appeal. Oddly enough I could barely notice the rose and usually my skin adores rose. Mainly the strong spices stand out.

 

This has a smoldering quality that I really appreciate. Heavy on the clove and lightly sweet. The amber is very faint and hasn't bothered me at all or turned cloying. The overall smokiness is beautiful and unexpected.

 

When its dried down I find it more loveable than wet. The spices are more calm and worn in and the dry quality of the rose disappears. Almost smells like a lovely incense at this point. It's a very heavy scent on me though so I have to be careful how much I apply and when I wear it. Either have to stick to cold weather and/or nights only type of wear. I bet this one will be gorgeous when it ages too.

[eoifemacbeth]

Finally got around to testing the bottle I've had chilling in my bottle box for almost two months now.

 

In the bottle: OHGODFIR. Why did you all entice me with your descriptions of clove and Indian musk? Dirty rotten liars, all of you.

Wet on my skin: FIRFIRFIRFIRFIR. Oh, man. I'm going to be really pissed if this turns into a pine party.

Drying: I smell a little tobacco and maybe a LITTLE clove if I imagine it really hard, but mostly it's fir and rose. It's also a little choking---there's SO MUCH fir, and that's a note I really don't like. I'm really, really hoping the clove and musk come out more on the drydown... as it dries, sure enough, there's definitely more clove, trying really hard to balance out the fir. It's kind of failing, but I appreciate the gesture.

Dry: Yeah, not for me. There's rose and clove and musk, but the fir is so huge it's making me ill. Swap.

 

Verdict: If I could find the exact same scent without fir, I think I'd love it. As it is, it's too strongly piney for me. Sad.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Slightly greenish brown dark yellow oil. Tobacco, fir, velvety red rose, rich musk with spicy clove, and a golden sweetness underlying it all. Almost masculine, and surprisingly dark.

 

Wet: Tobacco/fir/clove domination! This is woodsy spicy and quite manly, but also sort of luxurious and decadent. The musk is so deeply sexy, especially in combination with the tobacco. The amber is perfumey, reminds me of the note in L'Estate. Not TOO sweet from the tonka, though it's a tad sickly.

 

Dry: Clove amping like crazy, as usual on me - it's woody and sweet as well as spicy. Still lots of woodsy tobacco and fir - these all overpower the musk and the rose, which is in distant third place. The sexy warmth of those latter notes is pretty awesome, though I have to sniff through the other stuff.

 

Summary: The clove-tonka combo is making me ill, and fir which is just a bit too close to pine makes the mix even more nauseating. The other notes cannot redeem this on my skin, alas. Sink. Strong throw & impossible to remove, alas.

 

 

[tinyvulture]

A BEAUTIFUL, sophisticated, dark and mysterious rose. I love it. To me it smells of dried red roses –that powdery yet concentrated deep rose scent that comes with age. Add to that the spicy kick of clove and tobacco (think clove cigarettes and you’re not far off) and the amber, musk and tonka, which tease out and enhance the warmth and sweetness of the rose. I only vaguely smell the fir when I inhale sharply – its astringent quality is noticeable then. This is so well-blended – I don’t find the rose overpowering. It mixes in so smoothly with the other notes. Rich and complex, possibly my favorite rose scent.

[gingiemay]

This just didn't work on me, the rose was wilted and oppressive and the tobacco just smelled like cigarettes instead of the rich layering I get from Mictecuacihuatl.

[cranberry]

This is my favorite of the Unity Set, and is becoming one of my favorite BPTP blends. The tobacco and clove set off the rose so well and make this such as slinky and sexy scent. Rose has about a 50-50 chance of working for me. Oftentimes it can go sour and too bright. This rose behaves so well here. And there’s just a touch of evergreen to provide lift to the spiciness of the clove.

 

Initially, this is all rose, tobacco and clove. The tonka provides softness and a slight sweetness. As it dries the fir becomes more noticeable and blends so well with the clove setting off its spiciness. The scents smells like it would feel velvety and lush. There’s a resiny richness here and it all combines to create an amazing scent. I don’t get an amber blast, but I love amber and it must be contributing to the richness and warmth of this scent.

 

When the Warrior Queens came out, I was exited to read that Ysabel was similar to Red Rose. Sadly, that blend didn’t play nice with my skin chemistry, and turned sour as it dried. So, they are similar, but different enough so that one went horribly wrong. So if one doesn’t work for you, the other may.

 

Going back to Red Rose, this is simply a stunning blend. Every component adds to the beauty and lushness of this scent. Red Rose and White Rose are gorgeous layered, but I like Red Rose on its own best. Not tempered by the softness and sweetness that White Rose provides.

 

Gorgeous!!!!

[isisonearth]

Imp: Hot house rose that blends seamlessly into the piney bite of fir. It puts me in mind of a xmas wreath my mom had. Evergreen boughs with big, velvety red roses.

 

Wet: Drier more mellow notes of tobacco and spice join the evergreen and rose. The tonka adds a creamy note that is very complimentary to the White Rose companion scent.

 

Dry: Warm and complex. The red rose is only occasionally noticed in its rich envirnoment. It reminds me of a holiday party with expensive tobacco, cloved oranges, guests in costly and exotic perfumes of the East and crystal cut vases of perfect long stemmed red roses decorating the tables.

[Monster]

In the bottle: Clllloooovvveeeee! A smoky sweet clove, not as dry as the clove in Clemence but not like a baking pie clove either. It's somewhere in the middle. Just perfect.

 

Wet: Rose and clove. Spicy rose! I already like this a lot more than White Rose. I'm not detecting any of the other notes, this is just sweet clove and rose.

 

Dry: This softens up quite a bit as it dries. The clove mellows out as the rose blossoms even further, taking center stage...but it's still not screaming ROSE on my skin. Underneath it all there's a nice, spicy, musky base. It's just beautiful.

 

Overall: This is a spicy, incense rose. The rose note is a lot stronger in this one than White Rose (which is softer, prettier and more femenine scent). I just love this. The Unity set sounds like it would be a floral lovers set but, in fact this was made for resin, spice and incense lovers. I am SO glad I snagged these. Love love love Another fine example of Beths superior perfuming talents.

Edited July 27, 2009 by Monster

[Muppetk]

Spices and musks. Very smooth & lovely. But except for the wet stage where it's light, the rose is almost invisible. (in-nose-ible?) Am starting to think of this as more of a layering scent. Have tried it two different times of the month, so it's not my skin chemistry monkeying with me. How odd. I've never had this un-rosey a rose scent before. The throw is certainly respectable about, I'm getting wafts while just sitting here at the computer... But again, no rose. Methinks it'd layer beautifully with a light & fresh rose. Maybe Eustephanos or Pothon Meter (sp?) or maybe Rose Red. *snicker*

 

I officially need to start layering this with numerous floral scents!

[topazphoenix]

Red Rose is spicy, cloves, cinnamon, smoke, and a teensy bit of musk? It has the feel of being dry and kind of low density..layering it with White Rose provides a base that Red Rose can spiral from. Red Rose adds depth and spicey complexity to the pair of roses. But I can also see wearing it on its own, it reminds me slightly of Mircalla because of the clove. Very pretty.

[fieryredhead]

I love Red Rose. I'm finding I am a huge fan of the Lab's rose note & add cloves in to boot? So good! I was worried about the tobacco note as I don't know how it works on me yet but it really works in this one!

 

This was the first scent I ever put in my scent locket and it was heaven to go around smelling this all day.

[edenssixthday]

Red Rose - Well, shoot. Why did this one have to come out when I was in my "I need to save money and not buy BPAL!" phase last year? It's GORGEOUS. On me, it's mostly rose, clove, and fir, but the amber, musk, and tobacco are there in a more subtle way providing a nice base for the first three notes. I usually amp clove, but I don't with this blend. It's the perfect amount of clove to spice up the scent. Overall, it's an absolutely stunningly gorgeous, warm, spicy, super sexy rose scent. I love it and am bummed I didn't get a bottle of this back when I had the chance.

[alterosen]

I really wanted to love this one but, alas, it was not to be.

 

Even after a year of aging, the fir & tobacco are very bitter & make my eyes burn a little.

 

I can sense the rose & clove somewhat but the overall effect on me is ashy rather than intriguing.

 

Mixing with White Rose sweetens it up briefly, but it returns to something unpleasantly harsh on the dry down.