I’ve been wearing this scent for several days now (it’s rather strong and has great lasting power, so I apply only a small amount to my wrists), and I can’t get the phrase “powdery fresh” out of my head. Unfortunately, that makes me think of the Shower to Shower powder (“Have you had your sprinkle today?”) that my great-grandmother used to wear, which in turn makes me think of slips and housedresses. Probably I should not be saying all this to you, because now you’ll think this perfume is an old lady rose, and seriously, it’s anything but.
The notes in Sa Majesté La Rose are Moroccan rose absolute, gaiac wood, clove, white honey, and musk. The opening of this scent is all rose, or more specifically rosewater, because it’s clean and fresh, yet strong. Crisp pink cotton sheets hanging on the line some cool spring morning. The gaiac wood and clove give it a sweeter rose-on-the-vine scent as it warms on the skin. Every time I bend to smell a rose, this is the scent I expect but rarely find. The white honey and musk lend it a slightly powdery quality, but it’s not dusky. It’s…well…musky. A soft musky rose, but still clean.
For a scent close to pure rose, go to this one. So many fragrances seem to offer a twist on a note, or seek to turn our notion of what’s beautiful or expected on its head. I appreciate that, I do, but I also appreciate a scent that seems to pay tribute to the thing itself, a simple, graceful blossom offering its face to the sun.
*photo from Aedes
