Cologne Discussion: "April Flowers" - Celebrating All Things Rose

[SRock]

Well gents, April is upon us and our first (hopefully of many) B&B themed months is here. This is "April Flowers" and our intent is to celebrate all things rose. You will find discussions about Rose scented products throughout the forum.

Feel free to jump in and out of the discussions however you choose. Personally I'm going to try and stick to Rose scents for the entire month (if I can) but that's not to say you have to.

So what Rose scented EDC or EDT will you be using in celebration of all things rose?

I'll be using C&S #88 and C&S Dark Rose and my Mrs. will be using C&S Light Rose.

[Cuttingboard]

I used Trumper's Rose this morning.

I believe the saying is, "April showers, bring May flowers".

[Evbo]

Great idea! I'll try to "rose out" as much as I can this month.

[Sterling Cooper]

Opus 1870 as my mainstay with samples of C&S #88, Dark Rose & Rose to mix things up.

[SRock]

I believe the saying is, "April showers, bring May flowers".

J/K we know that of course, but it didn't play into our plans so we went this route!

[SRock]

I used C&S 88 this morning.

So what is your favorite Rose scent and how do you compare it to others?

[The Nid Hog]

I went with C&S 88 yesterday. That's still my favorite rose fragrance.

[The Knize]

<So what is your favorite Rose scent and how do you compare it to others? >

I find 88 to be an endlessly fascinating scent that fully deserves the attention it gets and all of the words that are written about it. But I cannot say that I am drawn to wearing it all that often. There was a time when I would have said that I liked C&S Dark Rose better than 88, but I do not think that true these days. (I have never really had enough Dark Rose to fully explore it. I do know that I like it better after a bit of dry down than on its initial attack. To me it evolves to be more masculine after being very sweet at first.)

I like SCS's Rosa Damansca (sp? Bulgarian rose) as much as I like 88 to wear. It seems to have much of what 88 has, without being quite so in your face. A little more accessible than 88 but along the same lines. It may lose some of the profundity along the way compared to 88, which is something of an overall loss but a practical gain to me.

Pen's Elisabethan Rose is a very nice pure tea rose, but seems too feminine when worn by itself. I sometimes layer a bit of it over something with a lot of leather. K!0 actually seems to work. Just a touch though.

Floris No. 89 is nice, old, tradtional, and perfectly acceptable and classy. It does not bowl me over with excitement or much draw me to it, but it is very nice, for sure.

There is something about DC 1913 that I really does not appeal to me. From the description it is something I really should like. Old, classic, arrogant, perhaps. But there is something that seems stale and not a good rose accord to me about it. Maybe some day I will come around and crave that scent.

Pen's Castile to me seems very floral and rosey in the beginning for a while before it starts to dry down and becomes a very pure neroli. I like the last part better than the first part, I guess because the first part seems rather feminine. But I would say that the quality of the rose scent is very high.

M&L Colonia de Rose smells very good to me for about $2 a bottle and is a nice sort of aftershave that blends with any of these others.

The B&B special rose and sandalwood glycerine shaving soap is my favorite rose scent of all time in any form, methinks.

Cyril Salter Wild Rose shaving cream (I hope I have all of that exactly right) smells wonderful and is a very uplifting scent to be shaving with. It might be a bit too rosey for a scent that stuck around all day. Probably a very good example of how what we often smell as rose is really not rose at all but geranimum. I think this shaving soap is scented only with geranimum.

Mysore Rose bathsoap smells very nice, and is kind of deep, but the scent is quite light compared to, say, the sandalwood version.

I do like the scent of rose!

[SRock]

<So what is your favorite Rose scent and how do you compare it to others? >

I find 88 to be an endlessly fascinating scent that fully deserves the attention it gets and all of the words that are written about it. But I cannot say that I am drawn to wearing it all that often. There was a time when I would have said that I liked C&S Dark Rose better than 88, but I do not think that true these days. (I have never really had enough Dark Rose to fully explore it. I do know that I like it better after a bit of dry down than on its initial attack. To me it evolves to be more masculine after being very sweet at first.)

I like SCS's Rosa Damansca (sp? Bulgarian rose) as much as I like 88 to wear. It seems to have much of what 88 has, without being quite so in your face. A little more accessible than 88 but along the same lines. It may lose some of the profundity along the way compared to 88, which is something of an overall lose but a practical gain to me.

Pen's Elisabethen Rose is a very nice pure tea rose, but seems to feminine when worn by itself. I sometimes layer a bit of it over something with a lot of leather. K!0 actually seems to work. Just a touch though.

Floris No. 89 is nice, old, tradtional, and perfectly acceptable and classy. It does not bowl me over with excitement or much draw me to it, but it is very nice, for sure.

There is something about DC 1913 that I really does not appeal to me. From the description it is something I really should like. Old, classic, arrogant, perhaps. But there is something that seems stale and not a good rose accord to me about it. Maybe some day I will come around and crave that scent.

Pens Castile to me seems very floral and rosey in the beginning for a while before it starts to dry down and becomes a very pure neroli. I like the last part better than the first part, I guess because the first part seems rather feminine. But I would say that the quality of the rose scent is very high.

M&L Colonia de Rose smells very good to me for about $2 a bottle and is a nice sort of aftershave that blends with any of these others.

The B&B special rose and sandalwood glycerine shaving soap is my favorite rose scent of all time in any form, methinks.

Cyril Salter Wild Rose shaving cream (I hope I have all of that exactly right) smells wonder and is a very uplifting scent to be shaving with. It might be a bit too rosey for a scent that stuck around all day. Probably a very good example of how what we often smell as rose is really not rose at all but geranimum. I think this shaving soap is scented only with geranimum.

Mysore Rose bathsoap smells very nice, and is kind of deep, but the scent is quite light compared to, say, the sandalwood version.

I do like the scent of rose!

Excellent post/observations! Thank you.

What's everyone else's take?

[Obsessed]

There is something about DC 1913 that I really does not appeal to me. From the description it is something I really should like. Old, classic, arrogant, perhaps. But there is something that seems stale and not a good rose accord to me about it. Maybe some day I will come around and crave that scent.

DC 1913 is an interesting case. I got a decant recently and I think it's a really nice scent; a pronounced rose note, yet clearly masculine. At the same time, it's just not something I could see myself using regularly; it's a little over the top, and, as much as I liked it, I felt a bit self-conscious wearing it.

[The Knize]

Great thread. Thanks for the compliment on my earlier post, SlagleRock, but you really should not encourage me! (And I apologize for the excess of typos.)

I wanted to add some more scents to my earlier list and set out some additional thoughts.

But first, in response to Obsessed, I am clearly in the minority in not being drawn to DC 1913. I would never want to discourage anyone from trying it. If one is making a survey of important rose-oriented scents, DC 1913 almost has to be included.

Now ones I inadvertently left off, including a very important one, and a discovery I made that undermines all of my comments here.

First, Pen's Hamman Bouquet. A very old and important. To me predominately rose-- a dark rose, Otto/Turkish rose, it is said, although not as a “dark” as some modern ones, like 88. Dusty, dirty, late-Victorian, complex, mysterious, evolving . In my imagination what the late 1800s dandy or rake would wear. To me there is a lot going on besides rosy baby oil, as suggested by some commenters.

Second, Pen's Elixir. Supposedly something of an update to HB, which makes sense to me, except when I compare them side-by-side, the HB is loaded with rose while rose is a minor element in Elixir. Which, I admit, does not make sense update-wise and means Elixir does not belong on this list. (Opus 1870 and Endymion also have rose, but perhaps not enough to be subjects of this thread. Folks should feel free to disagree!)

Third, GFT Coral Skin Food. Smells very pure and tea/Bourbon rosey to me, so maybe substantial geranium. Seems for some reason not feminine though. Maybe Thayers rose witch hazel should be on the list, too. Smells great, but is light, with little tenacity.

Fourth, and leading to “my discovery”--C&S “Rose.” An obvious one. Like Pen’s Elisabethan Rose, marketed as feminine, but useable as unisex, especially layered with something clearly masculine.

By memory, I would have said that C&S Rose and Pen’s ER smelled nearly identically. Both light, fresh, tea/bourbon roses, not intended to be anything other than linear, one accord, “simple,” straight forward scents. Each the epitome of a “soliflore.”

But putting one of the back of each hand, they were far from identical, although each seemed pretty much all of the foregoing.

I happened to have the C&S sample card in front of me: “essence of delicate bourbon rose intertwined with a green thread of fresh geranium. At the heart, warm, floral notes of ylang ylang and soothing mimosa mingle with exotic, velvety undertones of patchouli . . . .” So, I thought, that is impressive. Real perfumery at work. Ylang, ylang, mimosa, and, of all things, patchouli, and it all adds up to my nose to be a simple, linear tea rose? That is skill. That is magic. But with that write up in front of me, concentrating I think I can smell those elements, especially against the Pen’s ER, which really does then seemed to be a simple and pure high quality essence of rose petals.
I am thinking, what an amazing comparison—the “real thing” in Pen’s versus high scent-maker art/magic of C&S.

That is what I was thinking until I looked up Pen’s description of ER: “playful and wistful interpretation of the classic British rose. The head notes of geranium and aldehydes make this fragrance sing and dance while camomile, violet and of course rose swell the heart notes, filling your senses with the intoxicating aroma of bruised rose petals. The surprising base notes include musk, amber and sandalwood . . . .” Rose is listed only as a middlenote.

So, I apparently know nothing and should not be commenting in this thread at all!

Pen’s ER still smells to me very much a simple natural tea/bourbon rose scent and still seems very, very consistent and absolutely linear beginning to end. I did also notice that the C&S Rose has a medium tenacity, with a fairly consistent gradual fade into non-existence. But the Pen’s ER has very, very impressive tenacity. It drops down in intensity early on, but then seems to hold at a specific level for an amazingly long, perhaps record setting, time. Pretty interesting for something that is not overpowering when first applied.

[SRock]

Great thread. Thanks for the compliment on my earlier post, SlagleRock, but you really should not encourage me! (And I apologize for the excess of typos.)

I wanted to add some more scents to my earlier list and set out some additional thoughts.

But first, in response to Obsessed, I am clearly in the minority in not being drawn to DC 1913. I would never want to discourage anyone from trying it. If one is making a survey of important rose-oriented scents, DC 1913 almost has to be included.

Now ones I inadvertently left off, including a very important one, and a discovery I made that undermines all of my comments here.

First, Pen's Hamman Bouquet. A very old and important. To me predominately rose-- a dark rose, Otto/Turkish rose, it is said, although not as a “dark” as some modern ones, like 88. Dusty, dirty, late-Victorian, complex, mysterious, evolving . In my imagination what the late 1800s dandy or rake would wear. To me there is a lot going on besides rosy baby oil, as suggested by some commenters.

Second, Pen's Elixir. Supposedly something of an update to HB, which makes sense to me, except when I compare them side-by-side, the HB is loaded with rose while rose is a minor element in Elixir. Which, I admit, does not make sense update-wise and means Elixir does not belong on this list. (Opus 1870 and Endymion also have rose, but perhaps not enough to be subjects of this thread. Folks should feel free to disagree!)

Third, GFT Coral Skin Food. Smells very pure and tea/Bourbon rosey to me, so maybe substantial geranium. Seems for some reason not feminine though. Maybe Thayers rose witch hazel should be on the list, too. Smells great, but is light, with little tenacity.

Fourth, and leading to “my discovery”--C&S “Rose.” An obvious one. Like Pen’s Elisabethan Rose, marketed as feminine, but useable as unisex, especially layered with something clearly masculine.

By memory, I would have said that C&S Rose and Pen’s ER smelled nearly identically. Both light, fresh, tea/bourbon roses, not intended to be anything other than linear, one accord, “simple,” straight forward scents. Each the epitome of a “soliflore.”

But putting one of the back of each hand, they were far from identical, although each seemed pretty much all of the foregoing.

I happened to have the C&S sample card in front of me: “essence of delicate bourbon rose intertwined with a green thread of fresh geranium. At the heart, warm, floral notes of ylang ylang and soothing mimosa mingle with exotic, velvety undertones of patchouli . . . .” So, I thought, that is impressive. Real perfumery at work. Ylang, ylang, mimosa, and, of all things, patchouli, and it all adds up to my nose to be a simple, linear tea rose? That is skill. That is magic. But with that write up in front of me, concentrating I think I can smell those elements, especially against the Pen’s ER, which really does then seemed to be a simple and pure high quality essence of rose petals.
I am thinking, what an amazing comparison—the “real thing” in Pen’s versus high scent-maker art/magic of C&S.

That is what I was thinking until I looked up Pen’s description of ER: “playful and wistful interpretation of the classic British rose. The head notes of geranium and aldehydes make this fragrance sing and dance while camomile, violet and of course rose swell the heart notes, filling your senses with the intoxicating aroma of bruised rose petals. The surprising base notes include musk, amber and sandalwood . . . .” Rose is listed only as a middlenote.

So, I apparently know nothing and should not be commenting in this thread at all!

Pen’s ER still smells to me very much a simple natural tea/bourbon rose scent and still seems very, very consistent and absolutely linear beginning to end. I did also notice that the C&S Rose has a medium tenacity, with a fairly consistent gradual fade into non-existence. But the Pen’s ER has very, very impressive tenacity. It drops down in intensity early on, but then seems to hold at a specific level for an amazingly long, perhaps record setting, time. Pretty interesting for something that is not overpowering when first applied.

Another excellent post! This is exactly the kind of discussion and compare/contrast we are looking for in these themed threads!

[StylinLA]

Trumpers Rose shave cream pulled me into male rose scents. Coral Skin food in heavy use for me as well.

This month I'll use Le Labo Rose 31, Domenico Caraceni 1913, Pens Hamman Bouquet and Creed Windsor.

Personally, I find all the above except Rose 31 to be fairly dressy, near formal scents. It'd be tough to wear any of them on a regular daily basis unless I were some sort of "magnate" which I am decidedly not.

Hamman Bouquet and Windsor are both sort of odd and not of this age.

DC 1913 is probably my favorite, but I can see where many can't see wearing it often. Impressive juice. Great, manly use of rose. I like it at work. For many guys, this would be a perfect "tuxedo" scent. Washington Tremlett Black Tie is another in this category. Very aptly named.

Rose 31 is the sexiest and most contemporary of this group; the best for dating. Probably best as a night time scent.

I mostly like the popular C&S No. 88, but it has a foul note that occurs periodically when I'm wearing it as do all the C&S scents. I've concluded from a lot of threads about it that some people get the same note and many don't.

I've tried a lot of rose prominent scents...

L'Aritsan Voleur de Roses. Patchouli and rose. Kind of earthy. Though unisex, probably worn more by men. I like it, but passed on it.

Tauer Incense Rose. Strong stuff. Just didn't sit right with me. Maybe leaned too feminine.

Montale Black Oud. Potent, potent stuff. Rose pretty overwhelmed by the oud. Oud is kind of an acquired taste in perfumery. It's intense and some might think sort of rank. Not "funky" rank, just odd.

Zino Davidoff. Haven't tried this one and I should. It was just discontinued. It's in the category generally called "powerhouse." Frags from the 80s that are super potent by today's standards. I kind of like a lot of those. A lot of guys are really high on this one.

[SRock]

I mostly like the popular C&S No. 88, but it has a foul note that occurs periodically when I'm wearing it as do all the C&S scents. I've concluded from a lot of threads about it that some people get the same note and many don't.

88 is what pulled me into rose scents. I don't get a foul note from it at all.

[The Nid Hog]

Zino Davidoff. Haven't tried this one and I should. It was just discontinued. It's in the category generally called "powerhouse." Frags from the 80s that are super potent by today's standards. I kind of like a lot of those. A lot of guys are really high on this one.

That's very interesting. I've never tried the EdT--only the Aftershave, so this is a surprise to me. The aftershave is bergamot and lavender, much tamer that Bois du Portugal or even Third Man. I found it pleasant and unremarkable. I never got the slightest hint of rose--I wonder how different the EdT is?

The rose fragrance that I'd like to try this month is Alain Delon's Iquitos. Sadly, it's out of production and what small quantities are still available are quite expensive. I'm not sure why I'm interested in Iquitos, but I'm sorry that I missed it.

[Silk]

It's Hammam Bouquet for me this month. I come from an Hellenic background, but I'm big enough to admit that I may be mistaken for a Turk / Bulgarian by people who don't know better (dark hair, black eyes), so I think I carry the rose scent off pretty well.

I also noticed that you mentioned C&S Dark Rose; one of my favourite colognes (and guilty pleasures) is Paco Rabanne 1 Million. I will admit that the "gold brick" atomiser is painfully tacky, but this is lovely juice—and it's also a dead ringer for Dark Rose (to my nose). I wonder if anyone else has found this to be the case?

Well gents, April is upon us and our first (hopefully of many) B&B themed months is here. This is "April Flowers" and our intent is to celebrate all things rose. You will find discussions about Rose scented products throughout the forum.

Feel free to jump in and out of the discussions however you choose. Personally I'm going to try and stick to Rose scents for the entire month (if I can) but that's not to say you have to.

So what Rose scented EDC or EDT will you be using in celebration of all things rose?

I'll be using C&S #88 and C&S Dark Rose and my Mrs. will be using C&S Light Rose.

[Obsessed]

I like Hammam a lot (despite the attacks perpetrated on it from time to time ), but its started seeming a bit too heavy as the weather has gotten warmer.

[texbilly]

I have never been a big fan of strong florals and rose in particular will elicit "old lady" remarks from my wife. And yet, I (and more importantly, my wife) have fallen for Caron Third Man in a big way (thanks again, Nid ).

What a wonderful and complex fragrance. There is an abundance of floral notes competing for attention (including that dastardly rose) but I think it's deep enough and balanced by its herbal and earthy notes to not over power or over powder. Every time I wear it, I discover something new.

Being my only true floral, I proudly submit it as my contribution to April Flowers!

[The Nid Hog]

I have never been a big fan of strong florals and rose in particular will elicit "old lady" remarks from my wife. And yet, I (and more importantly, my wife) have fallen for Caron Third Man in a big way (thanks again, Nid ).

What a wonderful and complex fragrance. There is an abundance of floral notes competing for attention (including that dastardly rose) but I think it's deep enough and balanced by its herbal and earthy notes to not over power or over powder. Every time I wear it, I discover something new.

Being my only true floral, I proudly submit it as my contribution to April Flowers!

i'm glad that the Third Man has found a good home! I really like it once you've had it on for a while--that's when it's at its best.

[StylinLA]

That's very interesting. I've never tried the EdT--only the Aftershave, so this is a surprise to me. The aftershave is bergamot and lavender, much tamer that Bois du Portugal or even Third Man. I found it pleasant and unremarkable. I never got the slightest hint of rose--I wonder how different the EdT is?

The rose fragrance that I'd like to try this month is Alain Delon's Iquitos. Sadly, it's out of production and what small quantities are still available are quite expensive. I'm not sure why I'm interested in Iquitos, but I'm sorry that I missed it.

I don't know how rosey the EdT is Nid. Just going by BN comments. Someone always mentions it when male rose frags come up.

Here's a notes writeup:

"It starts of stingingly fresh with lavender, palisander, clary sage and bergamot at the top. The heart is composed as an elegant floral bouquet of geranium, rose, lily-of-the-valley and jasmine. Warm and manly components lock the composition down: patchouli, cedar wood and sandalwood, along with a tender touch of vanilla."