Leih's Cosmetics Close Look: Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, Which Rose Fragrance Speaks the True You?

Roses in Perfumes

Roses are everywhere.  Find rose perfumes across the fragrance board--Aerin, Chloe, Jo Malone, Maison Francis Kurdijian, Narcisco Rodriguez, Perfumes de Marley, Tom Ford, Tory Burch.  The brands across the spectrum create their own interpretations of this shared ingredient:  roses.

And bouquet of roses can overpower your senses with a slight euphoric feel.  Rose scents are uplifting. Rose oils having healing properties specifically for women.  Women may sense their emotions calming applying this scent.  And I have sprayed different rose scent on my wrists and behind my ears.  Let me go down my list.

The first rose scent I tried was Chloe.  Chloe has two rose scents:  Lumineuse and Rose Naturelle Intense.  Most Chloe fragrances are clean and light--these are Eau de Toilettes.  They are not Eau de Parfums.  I personally liked the Rose Naturelle Intense ($140-180) but I found that most female customers do not prefer it.  They preferred Lumineuse ($135-168)--Jasmin, rose, vanilla.  They may not have grown up with the luxurious experience of rose bath oils or bath filled with rose petals or rosewaters.  Rosewaters have rich history in Latin American cultures.  They bathe in rosewaters.

I have not bathed in rosewaters.  But I have gotten rose body wraps, rose body oils, rose hand creams, rosewaters, etc.  (Refer back to my previous blog of natural skincare:  Jurlique.  I have also used Dr. Hauschka's rose body oils.)  During my twenties, I have received regular facials at Jurlique and have tried many natural products with rose oil.  And rose oils are hard for women to forget.  Because they have healing properties.  But take note:  not all rose oils are created equal.

Rose oils do work on women.  Look closely and see which rose oil it is based--Turkish, Bulgaria, or Morocco.  They vary slightly in their healing properties.  But these are all expensive ingredients.  The last time I shopped rose oils they cost around $60+ for 5ml.  Anything less is poor quality.  Cold-pressed rose oils are the best for preserving healing properties.  Thousands of pounds of rose petals were cold-pressed to yield one drop of rose oil.

Now you can see the $$$ behind the real quality rose oils.  Thousands of rose petals were pressed to get a drop you can dilute with a base oil or body lotion.  And I can smell the type of rose oils used in the perfumes. 

Chloe's Rose Naturelle Intense uses Damascea which is okay.  I recall Bulgaria or Otto more quality rose oils.  The rose balances with the woody scent for this fresh rose scent.  Points for neroli essence.  Neroli beats others in the citrus family: lemon, orange, grapefruit.  The rest of them are cheaper ingredients that can be used effectively as toners or cleansers.  The bottom line:  neroli is more expensive.  My only reserve is the woody scent can be taken down a notch.  (Note:  I could not use Origin's Plantfusion because of the heavy Cedarwood scent and Chloe's Rose Naturelle Intense has cedar and sandalwood.)  The sandalwood alone would have sufficed.    

The best rose oils award goes to Maison Francis Kurkdijian in a fragrance.  But does it smell the best?  A la rose smells like flowers.  It claims 250 roses from Grasse; 150 roses from Bulgaria in each bottle of perfume.  $275 is the price for A la rose.  

The quality of roses is finite for A la rose.  No doubt A La Rose has the best rose oil ingredients.  But the overall rose scent does not appeal to me.  Neither would young girls pick this one.  The base notes or top notes may not appeal to my senses.  Would you pay $275 for good quality of roses in a bottle?  I would but save that for a face or body treatment.

Estee Lauder's Aerin:  Rose de Grasse Joyful Bloom

Estee Lauder's Aerin line have light scents that can be worn by women who seek subtlety.  Aerin is the opposite of opulence.  If you want a subtle scent, Aerin is the way to go.  Some customers have asked me for a fragrance for a wedding.  I would recommend Estee Lauder Aerins for weddings, spring, and summer days.

Rose de Grasse is Aerin's best-selling fragrance.  Rose de Grasse Joyful Bloom's Bergamot and Sandlewood mix well with roses.  And Rose Centifolia is fine.  But the Indian Rose completely alters this scent.  "Made In India," are not typically known for expensive or quality products.  I would not pick this because of the Indian Rose.

Narciso Rodriguez's All of Me

Narciso Rodriguez perfumes appeal to young girls.  I would place his fragrances in the same category as Viktor & Rolf known for Flowerbomb.  All of Me's floral mix of Rose, Geranium, White Peony, Tuberose, and Black Iris take you on a head wind.  I like All of Me for girls.

I would wear this in my teens or early twenties.  But now I am beyond that age group.  It may be the peony which makes the scent too young for me.  I imagine young girls going for All of Me because of the bang of floral notes.  They are grouped well together.  Narciso Rodriguez's fragrances hit the musky notes well.  That is his signature style.

Parfums de Marley's Delina La Rosee marks a new addition to their Delina line.  Girls prefer the original Delina that has been around longer.  I smelled the La Rosee before Delina.  I like La Rosee for young girls.  This has a higher price tag for a young group:  $355.  I like the scent but can young girls afford it?

I would wear La Rosee as a teen or young twenty-something.  The white musk is not too overpowering making this a lovely day scent for girls.💕  I also like that the woody scent is not as strong in La Rosee.💗  La Rosee is a "transparent," scent and that brings out the rose scent more.💞  I like La Rosee best for young girls.💖 

The peony makes this scent young so I would opt for a mature scent.  Twenty-something year old girls and thirty-something year old women can try Delina ($375) and Delina Exclusif ($395).  I sprayed Delina on my way home from the gym and it struck a stronger note than La Rosee.  Stronger notes strike a chord with more mature girls and women.  Delina Exclusif is like Tom Ford's fragrances.  (Tom Ford's fragrances pending review soon.)  Delina Exclusif  has a base note that plays a second cousin to Tom Ford's scents--the musky notes that draw you in hook you for an adventurous expedition.  Save this for the more mature girls; or wear it in the evenings on date nights.  

Again, I would select La Rosee as the best rose fragrance for young girls.💘  Narciso Rodriguez's All of Me would be the runner-up.💕  

Tory Burch's Essence of Dreams:  Sublime Rose

My pick is Tory Burch's Sublime Rose.  Essence of Dreams line peek out as a pleasant surprise.  Shoppers may not notice it at a department store.  I received a sample of Sublime Rose after an online purchase.  I also received All of Me as a sample after purchase.  (The above review briefs why I am not going for All of Me.)  I am going to buy Sublime Rose.

The price tag beats other rose scents.  And it smells just as nice.  And it has the rosewater scent I loved in my twenties.💓  This is the only rose fragrance with rosewater added to the mix!💞  Plus Tory Burch makes affordable products for girls and women.💝  She has said in an interview that her line appeals to girls/women looking for affordable values.  I find the Sublime Rose a good value.  $105 for 1.7 oz.; $140 for 3 oz.

Keep in mind everyone has different preferences.  You may not like Sublime Rose because of the rosewater.  I felt nostalgic for rosewater after I sampled the Sublime Rose.  I prefer less woody scent in rose fragrances but you may like more woody scents.  I would layer on Chloe's Rose Naturelle Intense for more of the rose and woody scent.  It is all a matter of preference.  But rosewater in Sublime Rose made me want it back in my life.