Disclaimer: I purchased this.
Day 4 of the Atelier Cologne advent calendar brings us Rose Anonyme, an oriental floral fragrance launched in 2012 that leaves me a bit ambivalent. I like it, but......well, let's start with the story first. Apparently we have a jewel thief who may want to get caught, enough to leave a rose in place of the diamond she just stole. All I can say is that Atelier seems to like the elusive, longing phase of romance between star crossed lovers quite a lot, based on their stories.
- Top notes: Begamot from Calabria, ginger from China, Turkish rose essence
- Middle notes: Turkish rose absolue, incense from Somolia, velvet oud accord
- Base notes: patchouli from Indonesia, papyrus from India, benzoin from Laos
I have a small travel-sized sampler of this that I bought a while back, so I've had experience with Rose Anonyme prior to this advent calendar. While rose based perfumes are not something I seek out, I'm not adverse to them either, and the opening phase of this one is the best part Rose Anonyme's journey for me. Bergamot and ginger give the rose both a freshness and a spicy twist, keeping it definitely in the unisex realm. There is a slight sweetness and warmth that lasts for about 15 minutes, and then something goes wrong on me and I start to smell soap.
That's when my ambivalence sets in. I'm not sure which note is going soapy on me (papyrus perhaps?) The Somolian opoponax incense is supposed to be a more earthy sweet balsam lavender scent, and benzoin is a soft, warm vanilla-like note. So I don't know what is going soapy, but something is not melding with my skin chemistry. I saw one comment online that said Rose Anonyme smells like a rich, unmarried doctor from Scottdale, AZ. She fleshed out a day in this doctor's life that had me laughing (he stops by Walgreen's on the way to clinic). Not as romantic as a lady jewel thief leaving roses as her calling card, but more reflective of the kind of life I lead. I'll continue to wear Rose Anonyme, and weather could definitely be making a difference, as it was COLD the last time I sampled this. I don't remember the soapiness as much during the warmer weather months. Hmm.
In fact, it snowed in Mobile Friday night. That's quite an event for us - you'd be surprised how excited people get for a dusting of snow down here. It does make it seem more Christmas like, I'll give it that.
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