Elizabeth of Bohemia

[filigree_shadow]

Incomparable loveliness: the perfect rose oude.

 

It probably is the perfect rose oude -- Beth does tend to get these things exactly right! -- but I'm picky about roses and this isn't the one for me. I like roses dewy and petaly and mixed with notes that smell watery. This one is very definitely perfumey. Not like Grandma scent, though, which roses tend to do on me, fairly frequently.

 

A must try for people who like rose scents.

[VioletChaos]

This is for the 2016 version.

 

In the Bottle: A really lovely rose concrete.

 

Wet On Skin: Wow. this reminds me so intensely of this rose perfume my grandmother wore when I was a little girl- but it's NOT an "old lady" rose *at all*. It's fresh, and sweet and just the rosiest rose imaginable.

 

Dry Down: This is basically a True Rose Single Note. I could see using this to amp up other rose blends, as well as wearing it when I just really crave pure, perfect rose. There is no morph, no change. It remains true from bottle to dry down.

 

In All: a worthwhile addition to any collection, but certainly if you want a straight-up beautiful rose, this is a keeper for sure.

[lady_pandora]

Early on, this is straight-up rose, a pure and perfumy rose, I want to say tea rose but I'm not always good at telling roses apart from each other. Gradually a hint of wood starts to show up, and it smells like a rose incense stick.

 

There's a big and sudden turning point at around a half hour, on me, where the oud wood suddenly stands up and says "I'M HERE!" and the smoky wood aspect comes out more dramatically. But by an hour, it's really well-blended, rose and the woody oud note in roughly equal measure.

 

Hours later, there's an interesting twist where the oud seems to take on a patchouli-esque tone, like the sexy funk of Sin or Lust, much more carnal than what came before. The rose is still present and pure.

 

This is really interesting, and I'm so glad I ordered it! It's not quite like any of my other roses.

 

ETA: Way way way down in the drydown, like 8 hours after applying, I get the same weirdly sexy oud scent that I get from Sinus Amoris, and amazingly, the rose is still hanging out. Mmmm, nice.

Edited February 21, 2016 by lady_pandora

[kscha2017]

2016 Luper, fresh from the Lab and eagerly, generously applied ... eye-watering, sinus-clearing ROSE OUDE (yes, in all caps)! It is elegant, regal, sophisticated, rich, deep, attention-grabbing. I have not a single item of clothing good enough to wear with this. It's perfect.

[bitterstar]

Elizabeth of Bohemia is who she says she is: an incomparably lovely rose oudh. I agree with those who have said it's a perfumer's rose as opposed to a garden rose, but I think that's down to the oudh, which imparts a woody sweetness. This is a black velvet cocktail dress sort of scent.

[Atrous]

Bohemia does a complete turn around during its time on my skin.

Starts out as a very pungent, perfumey rose single note.

Just when I was going to give up (about 45 minutes) the Oudh starts coming out.

Several hours later, its mainly Oudh with the rose lingering in the background.

 

Really pretty but the first hour or so are tough to get through because the rose smacks my nose around. Once the Oudh comes out it does a good job taming it.

Oudh tends to become better with age for me so do expect this scent to get better, at least so the rose doesn't assault me at the beginning.

[LiberAmoris]

2016 release:

 

Ooof, yes, this is very pretty. Elizabeth of Bohemia is a truly perfect rose oude. This is straight up red rose and oudh on me, and it's perfect in its simplicity. The oude gives depth and a sense of maturity...this is a regal rose perfume. Although I already have dozens of BPAL roses in my collection, there can never be enough.

[yakiguri]

(2016 version)

 

Either it's me, or my bottle is too new, but I don't smell oudh at all in this. This is pretty much a rose single note on me, and if I didn't know better I would think I had a bottle of The Peacock Queen instead. Every now and then the oudh peeks out a tiiiiny bit but overall it's all rose.

 

I'll put it away for a few months in hopes the oudh gains a bit more confidence and comes out more.

[annemathematics]

on me, this is a gentle, smokey rose. rose + oudh!

the rose doesn't feel deep and dark and velvety as does the one in peacock queen, nor is it bright and green as in rose red. it's also different from the rose in my beloved london. elizabeth is beautiful and unique among my bpal rose blends. on the dark pink-to-red end of the spectrum, refined, classic and classy, a touch dry due to the smoke. alas, she's a little on the short-lived side, as are a few of my beloved bpal roses.

[Haltija]

Another beauty to add to my rose collection and a bottle is definitely required.

 

So simple, yet so unbearably stunning. The most lovely dry woody rose that smells womanly and regal for sure. I feel like I belong in the Renaissance era when I put this on and that alone makes me happy.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: An elegant, sophisticated, grown-up rose.

 

Wet: A little drier, almost spicy, but very true to ITI. It's like the drugstore English Rose body splash I wore in junior high grew up, went to college, maybe did a year abroad in Europe, and now wears black velvet and diamonds and probably owns an art gallery or something.

 

Dry: It grows deeper and broader over time, with the oudh actually being distinguishable as itself, but overall, it's a fairly linear drydown, and I mean that in the most wonderful way possible.

[suslee]

2016 version

 

Oh my, this is so beautiful. When wet, it reminded me a lot of my Haus of Gloi pumpkin butter in Rose City which is "aged rose patchouli" hahahah but now that it's been an hour and a half, the oudh has established that this ain't Rose City, it's Elizabeth of Bohemia. Through and through. Also at 1 point, I felt like I had a little difficulty breathing since I was in my room with the door closed while testing it so that may be a testament to the range and strength of its throw. I love this and it makes me feel more confident and elegant!

[d0gbones]

SO pleased this came back! Rose and oudh are two of my favourite notes, so I'd been dying to try it. It's definitely heavier on the rose than oudh, which is kinda disappointing, but it's still a gorgeous, deep, velvety rose. It reminds me a ton of the Post's Red Roses And Old Bones atmosphere spray, but without the dusty nose-tickling note.

Edited April 20, 2016 by d0gbones

[freyasfae]

This is the perfect rose oudh, and I had to give it a try because I thought I might like oudh combined with my favorite floral, but nope, oudh is definitely not for me. The rose is more prominent than the oudh on me but it has that fruityness of oudh to it.

[PrinceofcatS]

I'm so glad I ended up leaping for this after all. I had decided not to get it because I was ordering Somewhere or Other (which hates me, it turns out) but I panicked and ordered it the last day the Lupercalias were supposed to be available. (It looks like they're still up, but I didn't want to risk it.)

 

Oudh is in a lot of the same perfumes as patchouli is, and so when I hate a scent that has them both, I seem to think "Oh! I must not like oudh!" and recently i realized I just hate patchouli. I loved the idea of a rose-oudh, but I've tried two (Tom Ford Oud Fleur and Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme) and hated them... and yes they do both have patchouli! So I realized I had a good chance at liking this one after all. Then a friend of mine brought me a rose oudh candle as a souvenir from her honeymoon and I was so much in love with the scent I had to try Elizabeth of Bohemia to see what it would smell like!

 

Indeed, I keep forgetting this, but I really like oudh. I can't really tell where oudh starts and ends when blended with the rose, which I like in this case. The crisp woodiness of the oudh renders it almost green with the rose here, which comes out wild, velvety and fresh all at the same time. It puts me in mind of a rose bush left to its own devices, covered in beautiful blossoms, but also deadly with thorns. It does feel very elegant and sophisticated, but not automatically black tie.

[PeculiarHeroine]

I'm a serious fan of rose perfumes. I love them in just about any combination. And this is, as everyone has said, a perfect rose ouhd. This is lush, rich, and voluptuous. A very nice blend indeed. The ouhd gives this strong rose a sweetness, which helps to ground it a little.

[Missy_killer]

In the imp: Strong rose, pretty soapy. Smells like the rose is lightly coloured.. Like white or cream.

 

On me: SOAP! Holy heck, this is a white soap. Come on rose, don't leave me like this! I have even started to like some rose-scents, don't do this to me now Unfortunately Elizabeth never changed from the white soap-stage. After putting it on my skin there was not even a trace or rose left, just soap. Darn it.

Edited February 12, 2017 by Missy_killer

[VetchVesper]

2020 Version

 

I would never have risked grabbing this one for myself.  It triggered my p'oudephoboia.  However, I'm happy to report, the oude is well behaved and lovely in this, a reminder of why I don't always scream and run when I see the note.  

 

Elizabeth of Bohemia has a very true rose with a rich, gently woody backdrop.  It's perfumey and velvety, womanly and classic.  While the Peacock Queen smells powerful and haughty, this one smells elegant and regal and lacks any fruity tones.  If you love roses, fear not the p'oude.  You need to give this one a try. 

[puellacaerulea]

2020 version: So I never understood what people were talking about when they talked about p'oud. This was never an issue I'd had with oud blends before.

 

Reader, I now know what people are talking about when they talk about p'oud.

 

In the decant, it's a very true, fresh rose with just a slight hint of woody backdrop. Then I applied it, and then p'oud happened. That weird, vaguely fecal smell does eventually settle down and I get rose with slightly hay-like woods, but that fecal stage is a bit tough to power through. I'll hold onto my decant because I want to see how it fares in a scent locket, but can pass on a full bottle.

[Casablanca]

2020

This is a red rose-lover's blend. 

 

I get a deep and fresh red rose with some light citrus-orange tone over a gentle, woody oudh. It's regal and elegant, and just a bit bright on me from this citrus hint, rather than showy.

 

The bit of orange-like citrus burns off quickly, leaving just the velvet-pillow depths of red rose, with a little supporting oudh.

[Kytha]

Reviewing the 2020 version! Someone upthread said this is a rose scent that makes you feel like you belong in the Renaissance era -- I submit that it makes me feel more like I belong in a Dutch Golden Age painting -- this leaves me with a sort of golden, rosey terracotta impression that doesn't really morph that much. Just a purel, plush rose scent I want to sink into. 

 

I also have the hair gloss version of this, but I prefer the perfume oil -- the poo/toilet quality comes forward a bit more in the HG version, while the rose stays dominant and lovely n the perfume oil.

[tinyvulture]

Elizabeth of Bohemia - I just tried "The Madam" which is a dryer, dustier rose. This is a lush rose...the oudh, WOW, it makes the rose so JUICY and VIBRANT. Rose amplified x100. Need a bottle.

[alyelle]

2020 version, via my decanter, and with a good 3 week quarantine/bottle rest on each side of our borders - no bottle shock here!

 

Imp: pure rose, with nary a trace of oudh about

 

Wet: lush red roses and green woody stems; what even is oudh anyway? (Disclaimer: I know exactly what oudh is. :P)

 

Dry: this went accidentally all over my fingertips during application, and gave off a very strange inky petrol undertone. Thankfully that was short-lived. By the 15 minute drydown, and until I showered before bed, this was an exact replica of one of my favourite commercial perfumes, Penhaligon's Elisabethan Rose. (That's great to know, because when this runs, I can go back to Penhaligon until the next time it comes up in Lupers). And like Penhaligon's, it lasts forever, so RIP to my office and colleagues if they don't appreciate the rose garden walking among them.

 

Heavy throw, still powerful at the 10 hour wear mark.

Stars: ★★★★★

[hhelix]

This is gorgeous. It’s perfectly balanced, perfectly wearable. The rose is smooth with fruity aspects, deep and voluptuous, velvety and rich. The oude is very quiet in the background. I actually hope it comes forward more with aging. Medium throw and wear length.