Roses, Pearls, and Diamonds

[lookingglass]

Red roses, dazzling crystalline musks, and pearlescent coconut-tinged orris.

 

I was craving more rose at this start of Spring (Whoso List to Hunt, Pink Snowballs, and Spellbound are my faves, but... . I love coconut, orris, and musk. I don't know how I've overlooked this scent for so long!

Wet, this is aaaall big, plush, velvety rose. It takes quite a few minutes for the other notes to emerge, and when they do, it's subtle. I notice the orris coming through, drying some of the juciness of the rose...it reminds me of a bath bomb. I wouldn't guess there was coconut here, but it's adding a delicately sweet creaminess that orris could attempt to claim herself. It takes many more minutes for the delicious musk to take the stage, at once both fresh and creamy; they twinkle like the musks in Fae (my favorite white musk blend). The fresh roses are always the star of the show but do have some costume changes: plump, slightly powdery, then tangy...slightly lemony.

I would recommend this if you are looking for a rose scent that is just a bit more complex than a single note. I adore it.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Frimp in an order

 

Initial Thoughts: Crystalline musks and coconut are a yes. Roses generally are a no because they hate my skin. But as it is passing through my hands, we'll try.

 

In the Vial: Interesting. My first sniffs give me coconut and gentle musk without a trace of rose.

 

Wet: And there's the rose! Immediate green-stemmy floral, though the other notes are keeping it from going full-on cooked collard greens so far.

 

Drydown: There is an uneasy detente between the rose and the other notes. It keeps teetering between a lovely light and smooth musky floral and my usual nightmare rose.

 

Verdict: The detente is so annoying as this scent is actually *almost* a good rose on me, but not quite. Very regretfully passing it on.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Briefly very herbal before the rose emerges

 

Dry: A beautifully balanced rose. I get just the faintest hint of coconut. This is truly lovely. Something about it reminds me of my family cottage, as a child. Which is a priceless memory, and I may need a bottle for that reason alone.

[KosmikFade]

I've been eyeing Roses, Pearls and Diamonds since I found BPAL, and I was lucky enough to receive a frimp in my last order. As a rose lover I would say this is a very unique rose blend.

 

On initial sniff I imagined this is how a rose parade in Thailand would smell. There is coconut, but it doesn't over power the rose. It's a balanced blend that is rose and coconut when wet and then sweetens on dry down to bring the other notes to the party. I love this unique rose and I'll definitely be adding it to my bottle wishlist.

[freyasfae]

In the bottle and wet, this is rose with crystalline sharpness, but it almost immediately as it dries down, the coconut starts dancing about. The drier it gets the more the orris comes out, and it does start to border on powdery, but I don't really mind that as this is overall coconut rose which are two of my favorites, and BPAL has, unsurprisingly, made these two work beautifully together. I love rose and love alternating my scents seasonally, so I think this is a summer rose with the coconut or when it's winter, and I need some tropical brightness.

[joopjoop]

Huh. Well that was a bit of a let down.

 

I'm wondering if something is off with my body chemistry lately because I get no rose from this imp at all. On me this smells remarkably like the base for Tom Kha Gai soup (without the lemongrass) - coconut with something slightly savory and herby beneath it. I wore it for three hours hoping the rose would emerge but no luck - all coconut soup. I'm going to rest the imp for a few months and try again because I love coconut and I love rose and I would love to see how they work together.

[Kay Torres]

In the bottle this is perfectly gorgeous and smells exactly like its description.

Wet: I've been looking for my HG rose scent. This isn't it. My skin eats the rose, just like it does in Alice (which is why I layer my Alice with Hope). I've been told that orris smells like violets. That's never been my experience, and it's definitely not the experience here. This smells like those coconut covered marshmallows that you can buy at the grocery. It's perfectly lovely and it smells like lazy summer days spent sunning on the beach, but absolutely zero hint of rose. Sad panda is sad. I'll try layering with something more rosy tomorrow and update.

 

* I guess these notes just don't work for me. No matter how much or what kind of rose I layer this with, it still winds up smelling like coconut covered marshmallows.

Edited July 27, 2016 by SunsetKay

[Bassmastadroog]

Ha! I've found a rose blend that works! I haven't been able to give up the search, because I am one of those who receive the blessed grandma powder instead of rose with most scents. This is juicy, creamy, and a very 'round' type scent! Fresh too! Definitely red, despite the other scents! Upon application/dry down for me...the entire time is just rosy, and I feel the other notes just exist to transform the perspective of the rose. I'll have to decide if this is really my type enough to warrant a bottle, but for people who fear the rose...this one will probably work for you!

[roseus]

Beautiful creamy pink rose! The orris doesn't overpower and go weird musty sweet like it usually does on me. The coconut is very creamy but the actual coconutiness of it is quite light. Smells like a princess! Good back up for when some of my other creamy pink roses run out.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Intense musky roses.

 

Wet: Red roses accompanied by musk.

 

Dry: The red rose still dominates, backed by the musk, and slightly sweetened by the coconut. Normally, orris is a problematic note for me, but this hasn't veered into baby powder territory on me yet. I think one of the rose notes is Bulgarian rose, as it reminds me of Love Lay Upon Her Eyes and Two, Five, and Seven.

 

After a while, the orris note comes out more, so that it's the red rose, followed by the coconut-tinged orris, and some light musk.

 

Verdict: I hesitated on testing this one for a while because of the orris in it, but it doesn't end up turning the scent to baby powder on me. Huzzah! While I enjoy it, I have a few other rose scents that are similar to it. So this one won't be a bottle purchase, but I'm glad I got a chance to try it!

[achildoftime]

This is a very feminine rose perfume. It smells very dainty and delightful. I don't think I get any coconut at all, but I do get a beautiful musk to keep the soft roses company. It's bright and smooth. If I ever want to reach for something that makes me want to just wear something with all of the frills and twirl, this is the one.

[spookyumbrella]

This is a pretty one - and I can smell every note! The plush rose, the bright musk, the delicate orris and the tiny tinge of creamy coconut.

 

Overall, I'd call this scent "round" if that makes any sense - there nothing sharp about it - all rounded and smooth. 

 

If you like rose at all, give this one a try. Its unique, well blended and very pretty.

[Lucchesa]

Roses, Pearls and Diamonds is primarily a rose scent on me.  Rose can go wrong on my skin, but this one is lovely.  Early on, I can smell the coconut, but it doesn't last more than an hour on me.  The orris is contributing a gentle dryness that I think is helping keep the rose from going sour on me, and the musk is really subtle.  It ends up as a long-lasting, realistic rose.  I wish the coconut lasted longer on me, but this is quite lovely if you like roses.  

[donkehpoo]

I'm sure it's already been mentioned.. but the name totally reminds me of Prince.

 

Wet: STRONG rose, and coconut! A bit of a powdery note as well, that I'm sure is coming from the orris.

 

Dry: Coconut-scented baby powder. 

 

With my skin, orris turns to powder most of the time, and rose has about a 50/50 shot of that happening as well. If rose works well on your skin, this would be a lovely coconut-rose scent.

[monocainsheresy]

Rose and creamy orris over warm coconut - what I imagine extremely high-end sunscreen smells like. Uncomplicated and lovely.

[Mermaid-on-Land]

A beautiful rose with a creamy vanilla. Oh wait, no, on reading the description that’s the “coconut tinged orris” which is an absolutely beautiful note in this! It’s a very pretty and coconutty light floral that plays perfectly with the freshness of the rose. The musks are a light, sparkly background note. It’s so funny how the orris perfectly invokes the creaminess of pearls and the musk is the crystalline quality of diamonds! I really like this one, it’s elegant and while it’s not quite light in a crisp, clean sense, it’s bubbly and fun for a sweet, warm, gourmand scent.

[niffler]

In the imp: Roses and sweet coconut, glamorous in a very femme way. Not bad, a little more floral than I usually like but one I was willing to give a try anyway as it was a frimp.  

 

On my skin: Truly sickening coconut when wet. Like punch me in the nose, steal my sense of smell and kick me in the gut creamy coconut. I don't know what's going on here, maybe the orris is interacting with my skin in a weird way. It takes a while to fade back to roses. The roses themselves are quite tasteful, which surprised me. Unfortunately not a scent I'll be wearing again.  

[Hesper]

In the bottle, it's...mostly coconut. A strangely sharp, unpleasant coconut: I can detect orris powderiness in it, and something…weirdly herbal under it? Where are my roses? As it warms on my wrists, the coconut mellows out to something a little less piercingly artificial. The musk comes out now, and I do start getting pale white impressions from it—rounded, soft pearls, for sure, but no roses and no diamonds so far...

 

A little too pale and dull for me, and that unpleasantly bittersalt green lingers underneath it. Rotting rose stems and muddy pearls floating in coconut soup…

 

Actual rose emerges later, a powder-drifted floral sweetness. An ethereally uplifting,  pink and delicate rose—but after the rest of the scent, it’s neither pretty enough nor unique enough for me to like this perfume very much. A pity; I love the original fairy tale, and it’s such an evocative series of notes, but I far prefer the velvety petals and richness of Asses Plus Long (picked as a comparison for being another "gem" rose).

Edited April 26, 2021 by Hesper

[frizzlechicken]

I've been dying to try this one for a while and got it as a frimp in a decant circle - a great surprise!! I get a strong blast of coconut on application, but as it's drying the musk is coming out. The roses are very faint but they're the fresh-cut type, like the scent when you cut their stems. I'm absolutely loving this. 

[bkwy.aesthetics]

This one was a very unexpectedly bright and beachy scent! I thought this would be much more rose-heavy, but to me it is more of the orris & coconut taking the lead. I want to sit out on the beach with a Mai Tai while wearing this. Very luxurious 💕

 

In Bottle: Bright, fresh, clean! Has a very mentholated top note, but it is very balanced out by the creamy, powdery notes. The coconut is the source of the creaminess and it is also slightly sweet: definitely more the meat of the coconut than the husk. The iris is what I suspect the powdery floral note comes from, and at this stage the rose is not detectable, but is likely amping the floral notes in the iris as well.

 

On Skin: The mentholated crystalline musk softens and begins to blend into the other notes. The rose immediately amps up and becomes the forward note. This is a fresh, red rose right off the bush. There is a very green quality to it that only adds the the freshness of this scent! The orris and coconut are still going strong though, and that creaminess is adding a softness to the fragrance.

 

Dry Down: Softens very gracefully and doesn't change much after it interacts with my skin chemistry. What a lovely perfume!

 

Wear Time: 7-9hrs

 

Throw: Light (4-6in); becomes a skin scent about 5 hours in

[RoseThornAndOak]

@lookingglass absolutely nailed it on this blend. This is from an aged imp, back around the time it came out and it is still a gorgeous scent all these years later.  In the vial, it is a sweet, glittery, almost gourmand coconut rose. It reminds me of the beach a little bit, but not in an overtly sunscreen or plastic way. The orris tempers the coconut so it is not too cloying, and thank goodness, I get no play-doh from this. It feels more high end, but not like a conventional perfume. 

 

If someone waved the drydown in front of me, I'd've guessed maybe Egyptian musk and rose. It is a light musky rose in the end, soft and demure. It is kind of like if Pink Snowballs had less balls, which is odd considering how soft Pink Snowballs reads but has surprising throw and staying power. This one is much more of a skin scent in the end, and airy.

 

I love this. Not sure why I didn't upgrade to a full until now. I feel like this GC blend gets taken for granted, it is so sweet and unassuming, like the character.  This blend deserves more accolades, imo. This is great for those moments you want to feel like you just walked out of a fairy tale. <3

 

If you are a fan of Pink Snowballs, Snow White, Katrina van Tassel, Poinsettia Gown, Cassia Aromatics' Rose Milk, and Solstice Scents Rose Mallow Cream, but maybe found these too loud or cloying and wanted something more similar to Asses Plus Long, go for a dance with Roses, Pearls, and Diamonds. 

Edited September 7, 2021 by RoseThornAndOak
grammar edit

[Laughing Seagull]

Testing a ~3 year old imp.

 

Roses, Pearls, and Diamonds is doing a tightrope walk on the line between grandma's bathroom and a rose and coconut cream ice cream. Orris pulls it towards granny's powder room while the musks struggle to keep things polished and sparkly instead of dusty.

 

Has an absolute supernova of a throw when first applied which becomes smaller but still above average after drying.

 

For a little while (like 40 minutes) this flips back and forth between granny powder room and rose ice cream before eventually settling on rose milk and sunscreen. Beachy!

 

I like it, but I don't love it at this point. I'll be coming back for more tests later.