roseus

I blind bought a bottle because I live fast and loose, and this one sounded just lovely.

In the bottle: Beautiful soft wood shavings and light varnish. I had been concerned previously when people said varnish that it would be an abrasive and heavy chemical smell, but it's very pretty actually.

On wet: Wood shavings, varnish, and a little rose mingling in the background.

Dry: Sandalwood and rose-y amber. A soft, dry scent. Definitely leans towards the woody category more than floral.

Overall: Very happy with the gamble.

In the vial: Patchouli, with plum and blackcurrant. Very rich, and just a little sweet. So lovely.

On wet: The patchouli dominates, with the opoponax and fruit sweetening things and just a little smokiness from the vetiver. This feels very velvet-y. It's the color of a deep bruise, but I don't get the fruit very distinctly.

Dry: The patch dominates for the first three hours but after that the rose wafts up gently. From that point on it's a harmonious, but dark combination of rose, patchouli, and opoponax.

Overall a dark, gothic, lovely blend. Definitely leaning towards a bottle.

Edith is so very soft and lovely! The warm gauzy vanilla musk and sandalwood dominate on me. I get just a little of the white patchouli, it lends texture more than anything I think. Underneath everything I get the echoes of oudh and it's just heavenly. After several hours I get more of the grey amber giving some warmth. This lingers amazing well. While it's never a strong scent, it doesn't ever drop in volume. It continues on in it's quiet voice for many hours.

This is so many roses!

 

I had heard that Rose Red and Two, Five and Seven were very similar, and assumed that the latter would be as rose-less and all-green-sap on me as the former - is that not so then?

 

I actually own The Waltz, but I don't find the rose a very strong note in it, so I didn't mention it. I don't think rose amps on my skin, but amber definitely does, so that scent is mostly amber and whatever the champagne musk note is on me.

I would say the only thing similar about them is that they are a fresh rose, not sultry and dripping with musks and amber. To me Rose Red is a chilly pure red rose with leaves and sap. Where Two, Five, and Seven is a whirlwind of roses (though I get a lot of sweet pink rose) with just a little green to complement.

I got Rose Red from the 2015 Yule update with super, super high hopes, but unfortunately, I get very nearly no rose out of it at all; it's predominantly green sap on me. :c I'm now looking for a new rose scent to hitch my hopes and dreams to. I'd really like one that's close to a soliflore, but it's not important that it is one; I thought rose + dew and sap sounded dreamier than just rose, for instance (but dew + sap alone, less so).

 

But I'd also love to know about any lovely oils where rose is one of the main notes. Rose is a background player in so many blends it's hard to go through the rose product tag and find them, and I'm sure it's been in a lot of LE scents that I could probably still track down eventually. I'm especially craving a heady red rose, but I love all rose notes just as much.

 

My rosiest scents are A Young Woman Appealing to a Witch, Alice and Maiden, and I have Fresh and Blooming as a Rose ordered, but I cannot, personally, have too many roses so tell me your favorites!

I would recommend Whip and Two, Five, and Seven. Whip is a lovely wet red rose and black leather. Not the same feel as Rose Red but rose is a main player. I personally love Two, Five, and Seven. To me there wasn't very much green in the blend, just enough to complement all the roses. And there is a lot of them, it's playfully chaotic. Good luck on the rose hunt!

Oh boy! I was gifted this by the roommate when it didn't work for her, and I'm rather glad it didn't!

In the imp: A bright, generic but pleasant berry scent.

On wet: The blackberry blooms here. It's the dark black-purple of crushed blackberries on your fingers. It's sweet but not too much so. It's also pretty sexy to me. I think it's the musk.

Dry: The sage and green tea form a strong base. Very warm, but not heavy. The blackberry is gently floating around, just adding a touch of sweetness. I catch it wafting up now and then. While I can't pick it out specifically there's something sensual here, it has to be that musk. It's an off the beaten path kind of sexy though. It's forest-y without any sort of woody or tree smell.

Overall: This is the first fruity blend I've truly enjoyed. I'm not sure yet if I need a bottle, but I'm certainly leaning that way.

Thank you guys, this was really helpful! I'll definitely be looking into Penny Dreadful and The Lion!

Ooooh I've been wanting to expand my horizons but I haven't been sure where to start!

My lovely roommate gave me this because it wasn't for her, and boy am I glad we have very different skin chemistry! For some reason I never really took a second look at this one on the site, my mistake!

In the imp: Amber, wood, and a little vetiver.

Wet: The sandalwood comes out, as well as the musk. Not getting any floral. Very warm and golden at this point.

Dry: The amber, sandalwood, and musk come together, warm and almost spicy. Very gentle. The woods are soft, and lend the blend some backbone. There is just an en echo of vetiver and violet. I really had to reach to detect the violet.

Overall I really like it, and am considering a bottle. We will see how frequently I reach for the imp.

The Lab generously threw this in with my last order, and I totally thought it was going to be perfection! In the imp I get a lot of fresh lilac and wisteria, a very springtime feel to it. Once on, all the florals get bigger and darker. There definitely was a musty, old lady phase on me. Then that sort of goes away, there is a lovely rose in here for sure. But it stays dark, and as another review mentions sort of creepy.

Well, it has been said before but this is evil grapefruit. Dark, deep, salty, ozone-y, grapefruit. Don't think I'll ever really reach for it, but a very interesting scent indeed.

I got this as a frimp from the lab, definitely not something I would have bought but very happy to try it!

In the imp: vetiver, smoke, leather.

On me this is pretty much the same wet and dry, it just softens a little bit. There is something almost vegetal about this. It's smoky, leathery, and almost woody. There is something green, but not at all fresh.

It's pleasant, but something I'd maybe use in the shower. I'd gladly put it on a man. If only.

Well, this cemented the idea I had about fruit not being my thing. I thought the mandarin and gardenia would dominate but no such luck.

In the imp: sweet musk. Very sweet, like candy, but no particular fruit coming out.

On wet: STRAWBERRY. Artificial strawberry. Nothing else. Then it morphs into Christmas strawberry. I don't know what that means but my roommate confirmed it.

Dry: orange and strawberry candy. Had to wash it off.

Well I was scared to try this. Honey has always ruined things on me, it amps and goes foul and gives me a headache. However my roommate got an imp and I will try anything once.

In the imp: Honey and a touch of vanilla.

On wet: Honey, amber, and vanilla. The honey isn't blowing things out of proportion yet.

Dry: Soft, powdery amber. Sweet (but not cloying) honey. Beautiful! And surprising!

Perhaps there is hope for me and honey.

Oooooh this one is really fresh and citrus-y! I really get the sugared lime. There is a breath of mint around it, it keeps the blend from being super zingy. I get just a touch of grapefruit in the background. Overall a really fun blend, something I'll probably wear in the summer!

Spicy, smooth, and leathery. A little smoky dry. Just like the description. Nice but not my cup of tea!

In the imp: slightly sharp herbs and soft elm bark.

On wet: soft, dry wood and soft green herbs. A little warmth from the musk

Dry: Strong, warm, and powdery. Green and herbaceous but not in a sharp, fresh way. More like dried herbs. The wood is soft and warm, as is the musk. For me this feels gender-neutral but leans masculine.

Overall this scent is very "red" to me, which isn't my thing.

In the vial: primarily dragon's blood, a little bit of musk.

On wet: gets a little bit spicy, with some resin-y sweetness. The musks start warming up.

Dry: creamy and musky, with sweet-ish dragon's blood. Nothing wrong, but nothing really right for me either.

In the vial: Salty water, a tiny bit of lily

On wet: Even saltier. There is something dark and vegetal. Getting a little sharp and soapy.

Dry: Very masculine ozone and salt. A dark version of Lightning, but without the citrus aspect.

This was just too masculine for me, and I'm learning I don't actually like aquatics as much as I thought. But could be nice for those who do!

Okay I wasn't overly impressed with it, but I was too excited to try it and only waited about a month to break it out. I'll give it some time and see how I feel about it in a few months. Overall it was nice though! A sugary vanilla, with a little patchouli and spice. I find patchouli a hit or miss and I really liked it here. But I'm hoping the blend will get the deepness I was expecting with time.

ETA: after giving it a couple months I am ready to sign up for the fan club.

As I make my way around the roses, I wasn't too sure about this one as I don't usually go for fruity scents.

In the imp: very buttery pie crust, and a touch of rose in the background. To me it's not bread-y or cake-y. It's distinctly the warm, buttery smell of freshly baked pie crust.

On wet: the roses bloom and so does the blackcurrant. They completely take over for a bit, making it very fruity and perfume-y.

Dry: Everything balances out. There is a base of buttery pie crust, with lightly sweet blackcurrant, and deep velvety rose.

Overall: it's a very red scent, something I'm not a fan of. It also leans a little perfume-y on me even dry. It's interesting though, and something I may reach for on occasion.

Very happy the Lab frimped this to me! Not something I'd normally get but I wanted an imp to take to Rome with me this spring.

In the imp this was a very herbal, just getting cypress and juniper. Clean and green.

This one stays pretty much the same wet and dry for me. This is golden, herbal, and sparkling. The chamomile comes out and and is warm and golden. It's a fresh chamomile, not like dried chamomile tea which was what I was expecting. Unfortunately I'm not getting any rose from this, but it's pleasant enough.

This is a dark, velvety rose. On the skin the musk and amber come out and add a warmth and spiciness, but rose is the star of the show. A dark, sexy scent.

Unfortunately there was no leather for me, just a wet slightly soapy rose. Very pretty but not what I had hoped for.

ETA: Retested and now this is PERFECT. Pure lovely red rose, with black leather.

In the bottle there was a lot of stem, but on the rose developed beautifully. A pure red rose, with a little chill. Great throw and lingers well.