Notes: rose, blackberry, violet leaves, living mimosa, jasmin sambac, patchouli, and gaiacwoodWhen I sniffed a strip of paper spritzed with Rose Essentielle at the snooty perfume counter at my local Nordstrom, I only just liked it. It's a version of Bulgari Pour Femme, with more rose and some additional notes, and I thought it was nice, but not rosey enough. When I saw a 50ml tester bottle of it offered online for $19, however, I thought "what the hell" and bought it. I was already buying a tester of Au Thé Blanc, and figured if I really hated the Rose, I could always trade it for something else on MUA.
Oddly enough, I like it. It smells far nicer on my skin - and more rosey - than on paper. The violet makes it slightly powdery, but not overwhelmingly so, and the blackberry note is tart and dry, rather than sweet. The patchouli and gaiac aren't really noticeable as such, but they do lend a bit of woodsy support to the scent.
Rose Essentielle is one I might classify as a "grown-up" perfume, and one I might not typically wear because that kind of fragrance usually goes all old-lady on me. Fortunately, Bulgari perfumes tend to work extremely well with my body chemistry, and this Rose is no exception.
