The spotlight is on our #MyEscentual Fragrance Blind Trial line-up! Now that the results are out The Candy Perfume is sharing why they made it into our ‘Best Fragrances of 2019’.
If you’ve been following the Esentual Fragrance Blind Trial you will now know that Issey Miyake Rose & Rose was the overall winner from the trial. Coded as ‘Fragrance F’, Rose & Rose stood out to me for a number of reasons; 1) I’m obsessed with rose; 2) it’s a very beautiful rendition of a rose; and 3) it’s a juicy, jammy, fruity rose, which is my favourite kind of rose. So it’s absolutely no surprise that I fell completely head over heels for it – and it seems that I am far from the only one to do so!
You may be wondering why Rose & Rose is called, well, Rose & Rose. How can a fragrance have a double rose? Surely it either has rose or it doesn’t. Well, the dual roses in the name come from the fact that the composition includes both centifolia and Damascena roses – two different varieties of rose. Despite the fact that both are roses, they each have a distinct odour profile; centifolia rose boasts more of a citrus-honey character and Damascena veers towards something more fruity-jammy. Together they create the explosion of blush blossoms that is Rose & Rose.
What are Rose & Rose’s Fragrance Notes?
Top Notes: Pink Peppercorn, Raspberry, Pear
Heart Notes: Bulgarian Rose Essence, Damascena Rose, Osmanthus.
Base Notes: Patchouli Essence, Ambrox, Cashmeran.
How Does Rose & Rose it Smell?
Mmmmmm… Rose & Rose flies out of the bottle with a bright burst of sticky rose jam. It’s a whirlwind of an experience, with juicy purple fruits, soft rose petals, crushed raspberries and dewy pear droplets coming together to create a delicious, mouthwatering fragrance that feels like a vast floral print. A touch of pink peppercorn ups the fruity facet but also adds a fizziness that brings an earthy, green character, which is evocative of thorns, leaves and stems. You get the whole rose here and it’s larger than life – I almost think of it as a gigantic Jeff Koons sculpture of a rose dropped into the middle of an urban space – its shiny red petals reflecting those who gaze into it.
The heart, as one would expect, is rose, rose, rose and more rose – not as catchy a name as Rose & Rose, mind. The development of the fragrance is subtle (let’s face it, Rose & Rose smells so good why should it change?). As it dries down, it takes on a darker character, and the fruity, jammy quality subsides, allowing the sweet floral smell of red roses to shine through against a backdrop of patchouli (rich, herbal, mossy) and cashmeran (soft, spicy, woody) to create an elegant finish.
L’Eau d’Issey is an iconic fragrance that is now, 27 years old. Over those three decades, it has been supported by a vast array of flankers – many different L’Eau d’Issey fragrances that bring something new to the franchise. I make this point because with a fragrance of this age and with so many flankers, it’s easy not to pay attention to something like Rose & Rose – one could almost view it as just another flanker. What the #MyEscentual fragrance blind trial has done is remove all of those thoughts by simply inviting us to follow our noses, allowing us to fall in love with fragrances that we might otherwise have passed by. Does it smell good? Yes, and that’s all that counts!
Discover More
• See more results from the #MyEscentual Fragrance Trial here…
