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Notes02/17/2014
10.0/10
7.5/10
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6.0/10
Rose, Oud, Patchouli... And Norlimbanol?...
Rose d'Arabie opens with a rubbery Oud and slightly jammy rose duo supported by underlying saffron spice. As the composition moves to its early heart the rose grows in strength as the Oud slowly recedes, gradually replaced by relatively sanitized patchouli and a vague synthetic burnt woody accord. During the late dry-down the rose finally dissipates to a whisper as the burnt woods smooth out, tamed by soft powdery violet and vanilla through the finish. Projection is excellent and longevity outstanding at well over 12 hours on skin.
Rose d'Arabie is yet another rose, Oud and patchouli composition. It seems like these are popping up everywhere nowadays and perfumers are looking for new ways to distinguish their compositions from the pack. Unfortunately in this case, the key distinguishing factor lies in the crucial mid-section, with the "tool" used to accomplish the objective being norlimbanol. It must be extremely difficult to control how the norlimbanol derived synthetic smelling burnt woody accord interacts with other ingredients used in compositions because in nearly every instance where the stuff is detected it overpowers everything else in its path. In all fairness to Rose d'Arabie, the faux burnt woods do not come on quite as strongly as they do in many other guilty culprits, but once they arrive it is "game over" as far as I'm concerned. If one can get past the mid phase, the late dry-down is quite pleasant as violet meshes with slightly sweet vanilla to create a gentle powdery, slightly sweet finish with the remnants of the rose now adding subtle support. The bottom line is the $285 per 100ml bottle Rose d'Arabie is not just your average rose, Oud and patchouli composition, but the synthetic woods in the heart ruin what would otherwise be a winning concoction, barely earning it a "good" rating of 3 stars out of 5. With the hefty competition in the rose, Oud and patchouli space like Ex Idolo's Thirty-Three it is hard to recommend this relatively expensive offering by Armani.
Rose d'Arabie is yet another rose, Oud and patchouli composition. It seems like these are popping up everywhere nowadays and perfumers are looking for new ways to distinguish their compositions from the pack. Unfortunately in this case, the key distinguishing factor lies in the crucial mid-section, with the "tool" used to accomplish the objective being norlimbanol. It must be extremely difficult to control how the norlimbanol derived synthetic smelling burnt woody accord interacts with other ingredients used in compositions because in nearly every instance where the stuff is detected it overpowers everything else in its path. In all fairness to Rose d'Arabie, the faux burnt woods do not come on quite as strongly as they do in many other guilty culprits, but once they arrive it is "game over" as far as I'm concerned. If one can get past the mid phase, the late dry-down is quite pleasant as violet meshes with slightly sweet vanilla to create a gentle powdery, slightly sweet finish with the remnants of the rose now adding subtle support. The bottom line is the $285 per 100ml bottle Rose d'Arabie is not just your average rose, Oud and patchouli composition, but the synthetic woods in the heart ruin what would otherwise be a winning concoction, barely earning it a "good" rating of 3 stars out of 5. With the hefty competition in the rose, Oud and patchouli space like Ex Idolo's Thirty-Three it is hard to recommend this relatively expensive offering by Armani.
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