The Secret Sorrows of The Rose

Rose has made a comeback in perfumery in the last decade, there's no doubt about it. Had it ever left? Well...I have composed a top youthful rose fragrances for Fragrance.About.com which you can check out here. In it I revert to this age-old (no pun intended) question: do you feel too young for roses? Many do, alas, myself included. Apparently there are solutions.

I began my perfumephile path as a rose-challenged person (at least in what concerns actual perfume, as I dearly love anything rose-shaded in makeup and use rose-containing skincare with pleasure, like the gorgeous products from Annick Goutal or food-grade rosewater as a toner on my face). You can read my woes on this article: My Troubles with Rose and Overcoming Them one by One.

And overcome I did! I even compiled a top rose fragrances and beauty/food products list, which you can access on this link.

Of course it helps that there are many nuances to a rose. It's not always tea rose, you see, and thank heavens for that!
From the deliciously sophisticated old-school Une Rose Chypree by Tauer, to the orientalized Rose Nacre du Desert by Guerlain and Patricia de Nicolai's Rose Oud, the frivolous cosmetics-reminiscent Drole de Rose by L'Artisan and the thornier Voleur de Roses again by L'Artisan, the personal favorite Mohur by Neela Vermeire, the reckless and spicy Majalis by Parfums de Rosine, the crystalline cool Acqua Nobile Rosa by Acqua di Parma, all the way to Rose Oud By Kilian, there's a rose fragrance for everyone. It just takes a bit of searching. Luckily I try things so you don't have to.

Enjoy the rose articles!