I knew that I had a lot of rose perfumes. But as I was sorting my perfumes, I was still surprised when the pile of rose perfumes kept growing, and growing, and growing.

Did I buy so many because I just love the smell of roses that much? Or was it because none of them really satisfied me enough to be “the one?” Maybe I just forgot that I had so many things that were similar. The answer is probably a combination of all of the above.

I will end up selling or donating a lot of the rose perfumes. But, since I have gathered so many roses, I’ve decided to concentrate on writing at least a little bit about some of them over the next few weeks (months?). Most of the writing will be quick & dirty. I want to get through a lot of them in a short time. I also need to practice more consistent writing, and just letting things flow and go. This seems like a good opportunity for that.

Essence No. 1 Rose for Elie Saab

This perfume was created by Francis Kurkdjian, and was released in 2014.

Essence No. 1 Rose begins as a bright, lemon-kissed rose with green notes. There is a bit of nasturtium smell to the opening as well.

However, vanilla appears on the scene within 15 minutes, and the rose becomes significantly sweeter and more baby-pink. It begins to smell more like rose water than roses or rose perfume. And, please understand, that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you are familiar with quality culinary rose waters. The vanilla is somewhat foody too, making this seem gourmand. (As someone who cooks frequently with floral waters and flower petals, it’s definitely gourmand to me.)

After 30 minutes, Essence No. 1 Rose smells like a vanilla-rosewater confection — a Turkish Delight, or a strongly-flavored marshmallow.

Throughout the wear, vanilla-rosewater candy continues. There’s a hint of lemon. Once I thought I smelled pistachios, but then I realized that’s just my brain trying to insert the thing that’s missing from the dessert.

This would be lovely as a Pavlova. I don’t want to wear it, but I admire the balance. I would definitely eat it.

If you like rose-vanilla perfumes, this is one of the best I’ve tried. It’s still too much sweetness for me personally.

L’Extase Rose Absolue for Nina Ricci

This perfume was also created by Francis Kurkdjian, and was released in 2017.

It starts out as a dense, dark pink and sugared rose, with strong facets of raspberry. It’s quite sweet. Within a few minutes, a big hit of benzoin adds an effect of burning vanilla sugar, little black bubbles forming in the pan.

Projection is thick. It’s a rose jam and vanilla tsunami. I’m sure there are people who enjoy this, but for me it’s a nightmare. The strange “burnt” smell persists.

In the drydown, L’Extase Rose Absolue is a musky vanilla, overlaid with a smear of scorched-rose jam. The rose has become thinner, but the perfume is still loud and headachey. Too much of everything.

L’Extase Rose Absolue has some similarities to Essence No. 1 Rose, but it’s darker, sweeter, and more intense. The somewhat delicate sweetness of the rose in Essence No. 1 is replaced by a dense, heavy, berry-tinged rose in Absolue. The vanilla is also thicker, richer, and stronger in Absolue, and further boosted by a vanilla-echoing musk that puts it way over the top of what I can tolerate.

While I felt that Essence No. 1 Rose was not suited to my taste, L’Extase Rose Absolue was sickeningly sweet. The “burnt” aspect was also off-putting to me personally. I didn’t enjoy smelling it and wouldn’t wear it again. I have trouble imagining the person who wears this, but if I ever meet them, I hope it’s not in an enclosed area. The scent lingered in the room where I applied it for far too long.