The Last Rose of Summer

[valentina]

THE LAST ROSE OF SUMMER
'Tis the last rose of summer
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone;
No flower of her kindred,
No rosebud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
To give sigh for sigh.

I'll not leave thee, thou lone one!
To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go, sleep thou with them.
Thus kindly I scatter,
Thy leaves o'er the bed,
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow,
When friendships decay,
From Love's shining circle
The gems drop away.
When true hearts lie withered
And fond ones are flown,
Oh! who would inhabit,
This bleak world alone?

A quiet, solitary scent: white rose, frankincense, Arabian sandalwood, neroli, orris root, and patchouli.

What? I'm first? *Looks around nervously*

I hope this scent doesn't get lost in the Halloweenie frenzy, for it, like the last days of summer, deserves love and attention. I am so not a fan of florals and I consider rose to be a problem note almost all the time, but this scent was too intriguing to pass up. I've found that a "dirty rose" scent can work on me from time to time, and this seemed close enough, although I suspected that this might be more of a dusty rose scent.

In the bottle, my nose smelled all rose and very little in the way of resins. The initial drydown reminds me a bit of what you might get if you blended rose and Anne Bonny -- the sandalwood and frankincese are dry and sharp. After 20 minutes or so, the resins lose some of the edge and it indeed smells like a dusty rose. The scent is lovely, austere and has a rather solitary feel about it, not unlike a lone rose on a rosebush that refuses to stop blooming. This it is not a head-shoppy sweet rose incense scent (and no offense to headshoppy scents, 'cause I love them.) Instead, it is a muted, cool, dusty rose that has an elegance and dignity all its own. It also has wonderful lasting power and good sillage. People who love rose should try this scent and people who are afraid of rose should fear not. Go pay some attention to this fragrance, it deserves it!

[evil_laugher]

Pretty much exactly that. Sharp resin at first, mostly sandalwood in my mind, then the soft rose kicks in. It's all my favorite elements, so I really like it.

 

Edit: My bottle has aged 7 years! The resin is stronger than the rose at this point, though the rose gives it a quirky twist. After 5 hours, it's mostly disappeared from my skin, but lingers in my hair. It feels very appropriate for August.

Edited August 11, 2016 by evil_laugher

[xoe]

For me the Last Rose of Summer is mainly sandalwood/rose. The patchouli peaks through from time to time. And the other notes must just be enriching it, I really can't separate them at all. Sandalwood and Rose are beautiful together. This is my favorite scent right now. Perfect for this time of year.

[melange]

In the bottle, I don't get any rose, just something distantly woodsy like the inside of an old drawer.

 

The initial drydown reminds me a bit of what you might get if you blended rose and Anne Bonny

 

What valentina said. It's a very sharp drydown. On me, the woods are strong and fresh-cut now, and it takes a few minutes for the rose to emerge.

 

However, maybe ten minutes later on my skin, something about the bouquet makes it seem as though the rose somehow reddens and gets what I think of as a wine-y quality. There's nothing like that listed in the notes, of course, but the "resurrection" is really interesting to me.

 

In the end, the scent stays a little too sharp to really be "me," but I'd like to see how this one ages and take it from there.

[RachelElizabeth]

In the bottle, wet and dry on my skin, The Last Rose of Summer is very generic rosy floral... I don't know if I'm amping the rose (which I've never done before) or if my chemistry is just a little wonky at this point in my cycle. It's not an unpleasant floral, just not as unique or intriquing as I've come to expect from BPAL. I can't pick out any of the notes other than the rose once the oil touches my skin - although the rose is definitely not untouched by other notes (I just can't identify them).

 

I'm hoping that either age or a different time of the month will bring out something else in this blend. Otherwise, I won't be too terribly disappointed, since I spilled 2/3 of my bottle the day it got here - if I wind up not liking it, at least it won't be a big loss!

[greenranger]

On me, this is rose, frankincense and sandalwood. I'm not sure it's love, yet, but, I think that it will probably age well. I'll try it again in a few months.

[ivyandpeony]

I love this scent and I am looking forward to wearing it as it ages, too, since the patchouli and resin will only get better and better. Currently, I get lots and lots of white rose (my favorite rose note) and frankincense. Of all the resins, frankincense is the hardest for me to wear - it can get sharp and kerosene-y on me, especially when the blend is new from the Lab. The fact that it isn't doing that here makes me so happy. I wonder if one of the notes that I don't really pick up (neroli, which is not a favorite, or the orris root?) could be tempering that quality.

 

For me, this scent exemplifies the fact that you never know how great a BPAL might be until you skin test it! I might not have even looked for a decant of this due to my dislike of neroli and lack of enthusiasm for frankincense in general. But I was lucky enough to get to the Georgia will call, decided to try it and here we are. I think this one will go over well if you like Parlement of Foules - you've got the white rose and the resin, then the spicy and woody elements of the sandalwood and patchouli to take it in a different direction. Good stuff!

[topazphoenix]

This is extremely pretty and wistful. I'll try to describe it...there's rose. But it's not ROSE. It's just rose. This is a very good rose. How can this be possible? Where is the I AM ROSE EATING YOUR NOSTRILS FROM WITHIN WITH MY PUNGENT THROW? It's so pretty and subdued. Behaving itself. And then there are the resins, making this rich and exotic without being all "I am headshop hear me roar". I'm really happy I got a chance to try this, it's beautiful.

[marared]

I think this pretty much clinches orris root as a death note for me - everything I've ever tried with it turns to soap. This blend is all rose soap, and nothing else. Well, maybe a little bit of neroli - but rose and orris root are stomping over them all, even the patchouli, which normally stands out pretty well on my skin.

[edenssixthday]

The Last Rose of Summer - This is a lovely scent, full of many of my favorite notes. It's hard to say if the sandalwood, the orris, or the frankincense is the dominant note -- they all seem to be in the forefront with the rose not far behind them. It's a very dry, floral scent, kind of in the way tea rose is a dry rose (but it's not tea-rosy at all). Okay, I was going to try to pass this on, but the more I wear it, the more I'm drawn to it. I think with the frank and orris and patch, it'll age quite nicely, too.

[MeiLin]

In the bottle: A rose still in bloom but fading, and dry dirt around it.

 

Wet: Orris root and neroli. No rose. Curious! Luckily I like both. It's sweeter than in the bottle. Wow. Apparently I seriously amp orris root more than I ever knew. None of the resins or sandalwood.

 

Dry: Waiting out the orris root, I finally get the frankincense and sandalwood, more of the latter than the former. A little patchouli, the faintest of roses.

 

It's nice once the orris root calms down,. Sir likes it; it reminds him of the perfume I wore when we first met (Eau de Charlotte). Shadowless Like Silence remains my favorite of the End of Summer series, though.

[Monster]

Hmmmm...The Last Rose of Summer is primarily a sandalwood/rose scent on my skin. The sandalwood (and probably the orris) give the rose a dusty quality.

As this dries more my skin amps the rose. The resins are COMPLETLEY upstaged by the rose at this point. The rose is saying "I'm the last damn rose of summer! I won't die! I won't!"

 

I've been taking chances with rose scents lately since Ysabel and Red Rose (Unity set) worked out so great for me. Last Rose of Summer is a bit too floral for my tastes though (surprisingly, seeing as how there's so many wonderful resin notes in here). I'll have to pass this one along to a better home. Oh well! If you're a fan of rose/sandalwood combinations this will be your favorite scent!

[Aldercy]

I'm surprised I like this as much as I do-- I got an empty bottle of Last Rose from a decant circle and there was enough to test, so I did despite not really being a fan of sandalwood, orris or patchouli. But I think rose works best for me when paired with darker, dirtier scents, so the rose/frankincense/patchouli combination is actually quite nice.

 

It's a smoky, earthy rose. Darkly, decadently old-fashioned.

[angelicruin]

Wet on my skin it's sandalwood, rose, and frankincense. I begin to sniff the orris root as it begins to dry along with a wood note of some sort. Very dusty and sexy smelling on the skin. Glad I took a chance and bought a bottle before my decant arrived.

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this is cloying rose, powdery sandalwood, and an earthy tang.

 

On my skin, this is a resinous, slightly sour (but not unpleasant) rose, dry sandalwood, and an earthy patchouli. Something about the sourness of this scent is really appealing to me. I normally amp up rose, but the rose here is playing nice and fades far into the background as this dries down.

 

For the first fifteen minutes or so on my skin, this is hot, crumbly, dry resins, sour rose, and dry sandalwood. It smells like something very well aged and expensive. Then it suddenly morphs into baby powder (thanks sandalwood) with a hint of rose and fades away quickly after that. It starts off so well and then fizzles so quickly on me.

 

I might keep my decant of this and see how it ages. I like it for the first little while on my skin, but it disappears so quickly and I don't like its baby powdery stage...

[samarablackcat]

Roses. But not freshly cut, juicy with a drop of dew on them (think Rose Red). Roses, as they have been drying for a few months. Dry skeletons of their former selves. Sitting in a vase that has also collected some dust, as they are too fragile to clean without falling apart. Something in here reminds me of Parlement of Foules. White rose and soft resins.

 

Not picking up the neroli or orris, per se, but I am sure the dustiness is the orris. I am hoping as it ages the sandalwood and patchouli will help to keep this from screaming floral, and will come out a tad more.

 

Brings to mind an antique vanity with dried rose potpourri strewn in the drawers.

 

 

The Song "Dead Flowers" by The Rolling Stones keeps playing in my head.

[thekittenkat]

 

In the imp: Each time I sniff, I pick up another one of the scents in this oil.

 

 

Wet: I'm getting a hint of the frankincense but mostly the orris root is overpowering, which I was afraid of. Now there's some of the rose and the sandalwood. The rose is lovely and sweet (I love white rose), and I hope that it can overcome the dreaded orris root.

 

 

The Dry-Down: This is fine, except for the orris root, but not as lovely as I was hoping. Instead, I'll go back to the White Rose from the Unity set. And, it's a very dry scent. I never got the neroli or the patchouli.

[Bamels]

Sniffing the bottle I can smell the resin, and the rose. It's combined to remind me of my Grandmothers dressing table, with all her beautiful jewellry and perfumes. Heavenly!

 

When on I can smell the sharpness of the sandalwood, this is going really well so far! Mmm, patchouli is coming out to play!

 

Once dry it's not as nice unfortunately. I can't really smell the rose. It just smells like a sharp perfume to me. Not sure if I'll keep this or not. Shame.

[Schmoozy]

 

 

My god I love orris root. There is something so familar and warming about sandalwood and orris root together. The Last Rose of Summer is woodsy, dry and very resiny. The neroli gives it a brightness and to be honest the patchouli and rose are just an afterthought here. However the two add a sweetness and darkness at the same time. It's almost like they cancel each other out. This is beautiful. Kinda reminds me of Millers Daughter and The Little Sparrow.

[aquazoo]

Oh that patchouli... it's fighting with the rose. This is not a good thing. Eventually the patchouli fades and I'm left with a salty rose.

 

[zankoku_zen]

So on me, the rose and orris are very predominant on wet - and the orris turns the rose very sharp and sour. As it dries, it becomes more of a rose/patchouli blend, and then completely dries down to a rose/sandalwood blend.

 

Overall, not a fan.

[LadyMedb]

This is a very sophisticated, well-blended dark rose. It's frankincensy like Rose Cross, but dark like the Blasphemary Reliquary. However, it's more delicate than either, and somehow more of a whole than the other two - although the individual notes are detectable, they harmonize a lot more fluidly. It's very smooth - the neroli-ness with the rose up against the resins.

 

I love rose incenses, and I love Beth's rose incenses (I have nearly all of them), so this one was a no-brainer. However, I feel like TLROS is the kind of upmarket, delicate, more "expensive perfumy" smelling version of this formula, and I love that for a change. The only downside to this one is it fades really quickly on me unless I use a lot. No real worries there, though!

Edited October 26, 2009 by LadyMedb

[jtb2008]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I LOVE sandalwood. I get a lot of sandalwood is this. The rose doesn't stand out as much as the sandalwood, and I don't get much patchouli (luckily). This is a great scent. I it.

[rayvn1]

This is the rosiest of the summer's rose blends on me. It's aged a few months and I don't get a whole lot of the other ingredients I'd hoped for. This one is most likely off to the swaps.

[nekogrrl]

I got this in imp form because while rose is generally a death note for me, I wanted to see if the other notes would keep it in check.

 

Let us say.. no.

 

In the imp, all I smell is rose. Wet on skin, I get a tantalizing glimpse of what I had hoped this perfume to be: slightly rosy with patchouli and sandalwood dirtying it up and keeping it from taking over.

 

Then the rose whips out a pair of pistols and shoots the patchouli and sandalwood dead. Frankincense tries to be a hero, but gets cut down for its efforts. The neroli and orris root cower in a corner, and as frankincense is getting shot, make a run for it. Rose doesn't give them a chance.

 

Victorious, rose then proceeds to turn powdery and AMP. Wait, is there a cat? And did it just pee on my wrists?