Rose Red

[elbow]

The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut.

 

Rose Red 2014:

 

This is a remarkable scent experience. On applying it to my skin, I got a vivid mental picture of a freshly cut rose: the delicate flaring points of the sepals, the smooth curve of the hip, the glossy texture of the leaf, the purply color shift between stem and thorn. I never realized I'd paid that much attention to what a rose looks like before, but there it all was in my mind's eye. Magic!

 

You might notice I'm focusing on the green parts here. This rose is not fully opened, so the smell is still very plant-y, and it never really did bloom for me. This isn't your grandmother's unkempt, sweet-smelling lazy summer rosebush; it's a crisp deep red, with flawless posture, on its way to a very good florist.

 

(I'm actually turned off by this kind of rose. I like my flowers messy and riotous and capable of thriving without pesticides, so this scent is not for me. But don't let my odd tastes detract from the above review: Rose Red is genius.)

[squareturtle]

Rose Red 2014... I'm a rose lover and have been wanting this for a while.

 

It's not the rose I was expecting. Reviews I've read have often talked about the greenness of the rose and that's not what I get on me at all. In the imp it's a very sweet rose, syrupy almost. Wet, it goes further towards the sweet, almost cloying, like a rose bush that's had blossoms left on to wilt that are fading. I was regretting my purchase until drydown. Sweetness departs just enough to leave a lovely single rose note. Not powdery, maybe a little on the sweet side. It's quite pleasant.

[DevilsCandyCane]

Another Yule I'm very glad not to have bought a bottle of! I love most rose scents - London, Harlot, Eve, but this is just utterly *beastly!*

 

In the bottle it smells like a disastrous batch of Roadhouse - that bitter horrible green dandelion note, as though you're getting the nasty white sap smeared all over your face. When applied, the repulsive green bitterness continues on its foul journey, at which point I was so horrified I smeared it off, but the stench was not to be defeated so easily. With grim determination, the Beast of Garden Feculence clung to my skin, reeking and bitter and profoundly ghastly, until finally the rose actually bothered to show up, and then it smelled...like a granny. Very artificial and unpleasant, total Granny Soap, with the Dandelion of Foulness remnants still lurking in the background.

 

And now, I hasten to the bathroom to scrub it off my skin with wirewool. I haven't met a BPAL I've loathed this intensely in many years, blehhhhhh!!!

Edited January 26, 2015 by DevilsCandyCane

[milo]

Pretty much like roses, only stronger. Like a beautiful red rose, but amplified. I'm starting to enjoy rose blends more and more, and wishing that I kept some of the rose perfumes that I bought over the years. Perfect for this time of year!

[d0gbones]

Not much pint doing an bottle/wet/dry review because this holds the same fragrance right the way through. Freshly cut rose, simple as that. I own this in hair gloss, candle and perfume oil and it's the same amazing scent across them all.

[roseus]

In the bottle there was a lot of stem, but on the rose developed beautifully. A pure red rose, with a little chill. Great throw and lingers well.

[freyasfae]

I can't believe that this smells exactly like a fresh cut rose, there's just the right amount of rose, green, and dirt. Then swirling around it all is this cold dampness that is perfect - great as a winter rose and a rose for all year. Glad I bought a bottle, and I will probably buy another bottle before the Yules go away.

[Teamama]

In the bottle: stem and dirt, with a little bit of simple red rose.

Wet: red rose, with an apple-y edge, and green stem, and dirt (reminiscent of Yorick.)

Dry: 4 1\2 hours after application, this is faint Rose.

 

The throw seemed medium-strong for the first 15 minutes. After that, it's stayed fairly discreet.

 

This is a nice addition to my BPAL Rose garden. I like its stem notes. I'm going to have to death-match Rose Red against Two Five & Seven, because they have a lot in common.

 

Edited to add: 2015 Yule purchase from the lab.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Teamama

[PrinceofcatS]

2015:

 

I wanted to love this, but it's all cold green appley sap with a faint rosewater background that, on me, stays cold green sap until the whole thing becomes nearly undetectable for the rest of the wear time.

 

I'm really, really hoping that aging will bring out more rose to this. I love the idea of a dewy green rose, but, well, I wanted some rose. There's no rose on me whatsoever. And I'm heartbroken because while I love the other rose blends from the Lab, I was dying for a scent that was all rose.

[Cali]

A very damp and strong rose. Not much like the I guess more softer and sweeter rose as in "The peacock queen" which is kinda more my schtick. Much more stem-y green notes in here as well. It's kinda like sticking your nose into a big bush of recently cut roses carefully put into a glass vase of water.

[Bassmastadroog]

I am not a rose person, but this opened my world up. Straight out of the mail I was shocked. Cold, cut rose. This is amazing. It's a 'Bpal experience' more than just a scent test. I grabbed for it this morning while still laying in bed and looking out over the misty mountains through my window and this paired with that as the most evocative thing...I have never been so speechless about a Bpal.

[Cali]

Definately the peacock queen's sappier, green sister. WOW this is green! Peacock queen is the rose for me, but if you're more into the green thing you'll absolutely love this.

Edited November 11, 2016 by Cali

[Casablanca]

2007 version

 

Red rose and cool synthetic dew. The dew is about half-pleasant, half-vinyl.

 

Good throw at first, and a few hours of wear length.

[Missa_Moth]

2016

 

I love this! Like a full fresh cut red rose! The green aspect adds depth to the rose. Definitely a full bottle for me!

[Allumina]

I've always liked the smell of real roses, but never quite warmed to it as a perfume- it always smelled weird on me, too floral and powdery and cloying. This is not that rose. This smells pretty much just sticking your nose in a slightly damp rose. Absolutely lovely.

 

(2016 version)

[joopjoop]

Rose Red is pretty much the perfect rose. It smells like REAL garden cut roses, touched with dew and with the stems still on.

 

I'm honestly not sure if I need a bottle, as I tend to favor my rose scents mixed up with a little tart fruit or some gentle herbs, but this is truly lovely. Every now and then the rose wafts up to greet me and I'm amazed again at how real it smells.

 

A work of art. It's easy to see why this is a perennial favorite.

[Beary Strange]

In the bottle and wet, it's mostly stems, very green, almost astringent. But after it dries down, the rose comes out more but brings with it a bit of soapiness. It reminds me off those little rose-scented soaps you find in bathroom dishes at your grandmother's house. Boyfriend says it smells like rose bath pearls. That said, it's a very pleasant. Maybe not something I'd wear out, but definitely something I'd enjoy smelling around the house.

[Madame Mew]

A big, beautiful, freshly cut rose. I feel like this smelled a lot like The Rose, but when I wore both to compare, this was more balanced but still very green. This almost smells more like a rose than even a rose?! Hahah. ROSE, straight up! This is the most accurate and perfect rose fragrance I have ever come across.

[highpriestess]

This review is for the 2007 version, it looks like there was a 2016 version as well which I'm happy about because the bottle I have is only half full and I think this is one of the most unique rose scents I've smelled. I'm glad to know that it persists and isn't entirely gone forever.

 

Out of the bottle this is real, fresh rose, bright and just plucked. (It seems it aged well)

 

A little extra green on my skin, a little antiseptic at first too, a bit soapy... but that fades.

It's cold, a winter forest full of roses. It reminds me of the place I used to take ballet classes when I was a little girl, strangely.

There's the authentic sourness that sometimes comes through with rose (At least to my nose) but it's very pleasant.

Edited January 31, 2018 by highpriestess

[Lucchesa]

2015 Rose Red.  I don’t wear much rose but this is a genuine fresh-cut red rose experience, from back in the day when red roses actually smelled like something. At first it’s green cut stem and red petals. There is also a dewy aquatic aspect to this scent. It ends up pure red rose With medium staying power. I don’t get much throw but that’s normal for my skin. If you love rose, you need this.

[RobberBaroness]

Rose Red 2016: This is rose candy to me, very similar to Pink Snowballs.  It's sweet and cold and very pink, despite the name.

[Dancing Raven]

This is for the 2019 version.

Wet: sour, sharp, bitter rose GERANIUM. It mellows out after about 20 minutes, but it remains a green rose geranium, rather than rose on my skin. About 1.5 hours after applying, I get something that smells salty in the background, and an hour after that, a mellow white musk. Perhaps there is some ambergris in here to make a skin musk that isn't listed? It's at this point that it becomes a much softer rose (no longer geranium) scent. It retains its crisp green quality. This reminds me a lot of ELDO's Eau de Protection. 

It takes a few hours, but the green softens,  and it becomes a bright, crisp red rose along with sweeter roses mingling in the background. Just beneath the roses, a mild musk serves as the backbone.

Once dried, it is quite nice despite the rocky start. I love roses, so I will hold onto it in hopes that the geranium chills out with age.

4 out of 5 stars. 

[MeggTheRed]

On 1/5/2015 at 3:50 AM, elbow said:

 

The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut.

 

Rose Red 2014:

 

This is a remarkable scent experience. On applying it to my skin, I got a vivid mental picture of a freshly cut rose: the delicate flaring points of the sepals, the smooth curve of the hip, the glossy texture of the leaf, the purply color shift between stem and thorn. I never realized I'd paid that much attention to what a rose looks like before, but there it all was in my mind's eye. Magic!

 

You might notice I'm focusing on the green parts here. This rose is not fully opened, so the smell is still very plant-y, and it never really did bloom for me. This isn't your grandmother's unkempt, sweet-smelling lazy summer rosebush; it's a crisp deep red, with flawless posture, on its way to a very good florist.

 

(I'm actually turned off by this kind of rose. I like my flowers messy and riotous and capable of thriving without pesticides, so this scent is not for me. But don't let my odd tastes detract from the above review: Rose Red is genius.)

This is a Winter 2020 blind bottle for me. I didn’t even read any reviews first, I just went with “I like rose scents”. I was disappointed for about half a day when it arrived, thinking it smelled like absolutely nothing. Upon it warming up and hitting my skin-LOVE. I think I can agree with elbow when I sense the overwhelming greenness of this scent. For me, though, it’s more of a spring anticipation-of-roses-to-come than a clinically perfect rose. I enjoy it for the green bushy-ness of the scent, making me think of rose bushes in the back of your car, going home with you to be planted in your garden, not yet blooming but bursting with potential. It will definitely be a favorite, and I may need a backup bottle.

[Anna-Marina]

Review of the 2020 version. In the bottle this is exactly like smelling a rose bush that's been recently rained on. I'm not getting ozone or dirt, but there is still cold water pooling on the petals. Definitely dewy as the description notes. This was the rare BPAL that I only needed to rest for a day too.

 

I won't do a breakdown of wet versus dry down as it never morphs on my skin. But it's much greener on my skin, than rosy. It's as if someone has been slapping me with the wet stems and I've gotten sap on myself. I adore rose, but unfortunately this is too loud, sharp, and green for my tastes. But it's a very realistic take and its amazing that the Lab can create so many types of roses for all tastes.

[hhelix]

2020:

The scope of Beth’s roses is astonishing. This one lives up to the hype. I get stems, thorns, and rose petals. It’s earthy, green and brown, woody and sharp. Heady at first, then quickly calms down and lasts a few hours at most. I keep reapplying it for the aromatherapy. Smells like lying on the cold earth under a rose bramble while it gently rains. I need a full bottle of both this and Peacock Queen. They are so different.