Imbolc Blessings to you!
This is NOT my favorite time of year. Maybe that’s why Imbolc is one of the Sabbats that I connect most strongly with. It’s a promise — Spring is coming. And, it’s a call to action. Time to prepare. We can do something now to make the days ahead better. Sweep out the house. Cleanse your body and your thoughts. Clear space for new beginnings. Plant seeds. Brigid is bringing the light.
When I was sorting my perfumes for downsizing, I found a bottle of Celtic Rose from Alexander McQueen. I don’t recall ever wearing this perfume, so I chose it for today, to honor my Celtic roots. Celtic Rose was released in 2018, and is an Eau de Parfum. The perfumer is Nadège Le Garlantezec.
Celtic Rose is a Saks Exclusive fragrance in the U.S. A description from their website states:
McQueen Collection Celtic Rose draws on the depiction of the Celtic rose as an asymmetrical knot which in turn inspires the Celtic rose compass, a universal symbol of protection, exploration and a traveler’s return home. The gentle scent of rain drenched rose petals is restorative, taking care of the heart, while spicy, peppery thorns protect and empower.
Celtic Rose starts off as overwhelming pink pepper. It’s very sharp and has a citrusy bite. There’s a fuzzy-peppery, expansive aromachemical in the base. The scent is quite “pink,” but not especially rosy to me. It’s more like a mashup of the top notes of Bleu de Chanel with Dior Sauvage.
As time went on, kept going back to the description and puzzling over it. I struggled to find anything “gentle,” or “restorative.” To me, it remained sharp up top and scritchy-scratchy in the base. All thorns and no rose. There was a little bit of a “cleaning product” vibe to it, to be honest.
After more than a full hour, some of the astringency of the citrus facets began to fade, but the piquancy of the pepper remained. A slight hint of musky rose became evident.
After about four hours, Celtic Rose seems to be a light skin scent of mainly pink pepper and ambroxan, or some similar aromachemical. I would be very surprised if it weren’t actually stronger than what I perceive. I think that I’m just fatigued from smelling it for so long. It’s the opposite of “restorative.” It’s a bit harsh.
Celtic Rose is a very modern take on a rose perfume. Far too modern for my tastes, I admit. But beyond that, I don’t understand the inspiration and didn’t find the scent compelling in any way. I can “not enjoy” something but still appreciate it, but this wasn’t one of those.
When I think of Celtic roses, I think of the poetry of Yates, and this is definitely not that. There’s nothing about it that says “Celtic” or “rose” really. The only thing from the description that seems accurate is the part about the spicy, peppery thorns. Perhaps my expectations don’t match up with the perfumer’s vision, but all would be forgiven if only it smelled good. Sadly, it doesn’t.
