I wish I had a dollar for every time a fragrance salesperson has offered me a sniff of a new rose-based perfume while saying, in an apologetic, slightly lowered voice, "I'm not usually a rose person, but I really like this one." He or she will go on to justify this unexpected liking for the fragrance by explaining, "It's a really modern/fresh/youthful take on rose, not what you would expect." Unfortunately, the scent in question often turns out to be exactly what I expected: a faint, synthetic-smelling rose note diluted and obscured with so much bright citrus and sheer musk that the result is, indeed, a fragrance for non-rose-lovers.

Andy Tauer makes no such apologies or justifications with Tauer Perfumes' Scent no. 10, Une Rose Vermeille. It is not a soliflore, but the fragrance's overall impression is definitely the "scarlet rose" of its name, enriched by the other elements rather than masked by them — it is, as the perfumer himself says, "a true homage to rose." The composition includes top notes of lemon, bergamot, and lavender; a heart of rose, violet, and raspberry; and a base of vanilla, sandalwood, tonka bean, and ambergris.

The opening of Une Rose Vermeille is a characteristically Taueresque twist of greenish, herbaceous notes...

La Tulipe is the latest from niche line Byredo. Contrary to popular belief, there are fragrant tulip species, but it doesn't much matter in this case — La Tulipe is "built around the idea of the tulip" and isn't meant as an exercise in photo-realism. Just as well, because what it mostly smells like is freesia.

Freesia is a funny thing. I love freesia as a cut flower, but as a perfume it does not suit me — most freesia scents are so much daintier than the real thing. The only straight-up freesia scent I ever bought was Diptyque's Ofrésia, and I did not own it for long: turns out that I like the smell of freesia just fine in a vase, but not following me around all day on my own person. La Tulipe is not so heavily freesia-d as all that; it's more like a mix of spring flowers...

Versense is the latest fragrance for women from Versace, and as I posted last month, it promises to highlight notes from the Mediterranean and to "perfectly interpret the contrast between freshness and sexiness". Donatella Versace elaborated on the theme:

Versense perfectly represents the Versace woman. I created a fragrance to make her feel incredibly lighter. There’s something very optimistic and confident about being free, and it was that feeling that I tried to capture for Versense. (via Women's Wear Daily, 3/20/2009)

If lighter and fresher is what you're after, Versense might just fit the bill. Like yesterday's Essence by Narciso Rodriguez, Versense was developed by perfumer Alberto Morillas, and like Essence, Versense opens whistling-clean. The early stages are crisp, green, lemon-lime-y and fresh, with the emphasis on the fresh...

Last night in a fit of optimism, I packed my winter sweaters and heavy wool skirts into plastic tubs and hauled them to the basement. Out came the cotton dresses and print blouses. Naturally, this morning was chilly, and I see rain splashing into the birdbath outside my window as I write. It's the cold edge of spring. I want a perfume that is an antidote to the amber, leather, tobacco, and vanilla I've been wearing for months. I want something that hints at warm days to come and smells like the air outside: crisp, floral, and green. This is when I reach for Annick Goutal Des Lys Eau de Toilette.

A lily's fragrance is potent. This has advantages and disadvantages. The pure, thick scent of just one stem of Stargazer lilies on the mantel will steamroll over the odor of dank carpets or an overfull litter box. Within a minute of coming into a room, guests will say, "It smells good in here." At the same time, lilies can overtake a space, giving it the feel of funeral parlor and fighting with the smell of dinner in the other room. After an hour, guests may well ask for aspirin...

Always was developed by perfumer Clement Gavarry; the notes include water lily, kumquat, neroli, pink peony, honeysuckle, orris absolute...

It has been a very long time since I actually swooned over the first sniff of any perfume, but the latest from the Hermessence collection at Hermès, Vanille Galante, was a rare case of love-at-first-sniff. Happily for me, so far it appears to be a lasting relationship — just as well, since I bought it unsniffed.*

I will start by mentioning that Vanille Galante is likely to be a disappointment to vanilla freaks (there have already been a few disgruntled customers on the fragrance boards). The early scents in the Hermessence series (Ambre Narguile, Rose Ikebana, Vetiver Tonka, Poivre Samarcande, Osmanthe Yunnan) were mostly "about" the material they were named after. Paprika Brasil and Brin de Reglisse were less directly so, and Vanille Galante, while presumably a reflection of some sorts on vanilla...

Perry Ellis for women is described on the Perry Ellis website as...

A modern yet flirty bouquet floral fragrance with a bright introduction and a creamy, woody, dry-down...

Pretty was developed by perfumer Claude Dir, and includes notes of mandarin orpur, orange blossom, peach nectar, petalia (a new Givaudan molecule), star jasmine, pink iris, white peony, fluffy musk, jacaranda wood and creamy amber...

When I reviewed 31 Rue Cambon last year, I noted that...

...first off, they are well done, each and every one of them. The materials are first rate, they are all wearable without being dull, and they are "worthy of the name of Chanel", whatever that means.

Still, I wished they'd done something a little more daring...

If I hadn't known that Amouage Jubilation 25 was new, you could have convinced me that this was the perfume that the snake dabbed on Eve when he handed over the apple. You could have told me that the scent of Jubilation 25 so mesmerized Adam that when he bit into the apple he thought it was something wholesome, like a vegan burrito, instead of a naughty apple, and I would have believed it. After all, Jubilation 25 smells like a blend of flesh and paradise.

Amouage released Jubilation 25 in 2007 to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Lucas Sieuzac, who won Fashion Group International's Rising Star award in 2004, hit it out of the park when he created Jubilation 25. The Amouage website lists Jubilation 25's top notes as tarragon, rose, lemon, and ylang ylang; its heart as davana, labdanum, rose, and frankincense; and its base as amber, musk, vetiver, myrrh, and patchouli.

Surprisingly, given the list of notes, Jubilation 25 smells to me like a carnal, sheer rose-fruit chypre with a dusting of cumin and a twist of lemon. It is a woman's smell, not a girl's, and a confident, sensual woman's smell, at that...