WHAT I SMELL: Desert Rose opens with a soft and delicate peach which is quickly met with a non-sweetened citrus; add to this the fact that it’s airy and semi-bright. As it develops the perfume gains some body with an ambered base. However, even with this body, this is one of the lightest and ethereal perfumes I have worn in a long time. And that’s a good thing. Sometimes rose scents when added to the heat of the summer sun can overwhelm, but with this light composition you won’t have to worry about that. Before I get too ahead of myself, the pretty Damascenia rose begins to make its way to the front. It’s floral sweet and not candied sweet and it has a sparkling and vibrant finish to it. The peach remains, but a lovely soft vanilla joins in to give the perfume a more rounded finish as well as creating this silky smoothness. The perfume then moves away from being ethereal, yet it never reaches to the point of being too large. It instead remains vanilla sweetened and silky soft and smooth (and just a tad spicy)…almost like a rose flavored egg cream.
From the Dame Perfumery website:
The composition is a blend of Turkish rose otto and Damascenia Rose with touches of peach, Sicilian lemon, Egyptian jasmine, geranium, carnation, heliotrope, sandalwood, musk, amber and vanilla.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: How can I resist… Sting’s Desert Rose. The perfume and the song go hand in hand, pretty, ethereal, exotic and dreamily lovely.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE DESERT ROSE: bright, peach-kissed, dreamy
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT DESERT ROSE: Scent of Abricots
BOTTOM LINE: I’m not a huge fan of peach notes in a perfume, but here its nicely infused with the rose. If you’re looking for something pretty and dreamy, Desert Rose would make for a nice addition to your summer scent wardrobe… and you can’t beat the price! But with Damascenia rose, it’s better to be safe than sorry, so don’t over spray to ensure that the desert rose doesn’t become a desert dragon!
- Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Floral
- Classification: Feminine
- Expense: $65 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum from the Dame Perfumery website
Sample courtesy of Dame Perfumery.
The Scented Hound 
April 23, 2015 at 5:50 am
A brand I hadn’t heard of until now. Thank you Mr Hound for your lovely post!
best wishes
Sam
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April 23, 2015 at 5:58 am
Sam – Jeff Dame has had an illustrious career in the perfume business since the 1980s and this new venture is a family business. So he brings the best of all worlds, knowledge, a nose, great pricing…please reach out to him I’m sure he’ll send you some samples!
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April 27, 2015 at 3:09 pm
Thank you for the tip off Mr Hound. I do love an indie perfumer. It’s where the originality and great service usually is!
warmest wishes
Sam
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April 23, 2015 at 7:06 am
That sounds like a lovely Spring scent. I’ll have to look for it here in Michigan.
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April 23, 2015 at 5:42 pm
Hazel, I believe the distribution is limited, but you can buy it online at several retailers as well as the Dame Perfumery website.
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April 24, 2015 at 2:00 pm
Have you tried Dark Horse? It is one of my all time favorite fragrances ever!!!! (and I have been wearing perfume for decades!). I bought full bottles of Dark Horse and Black Flower Mexican Vanilla for myself as a birthday present. my eldest confiscated the Dark Horse, claiming it would be her new signature scent and my middle one stole my Vanilla….ha! at least I still have the travel sprays (all nine of them) for myself! I am particularly enjoying Mate, heliotrope and Patchouli but they are all lovely. After this review I am going to have to revisit Desert Rose and pay particular attention to the drydown.
Great review!
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April 25, 2015 at 3:41 am
Greeting’s Bardot – I love Black Flower Mexican and have tried Dark Horse, which is a must if you are a gaiac wood fan… unfortunately, GW isn’t a note that works on me. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a great perfume as I’ve heard lot s of kudos on the perfume. Thanks for stopping by!
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April 26, 2015 at 8:01 pm
Ooh, until I read your comment above I somehow missed that Dark Horse had a gaiac wood note! I think just based on the name, I assumed it would be musky 🙂 Tempting! As is Desert Rose, based on your review and the price. How does it compare to other light, pretty roses, in your opinion? Thanks!
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May 27, 2015 at 9:57 pm
I like the song and I like … almost all notes but peach scares me: in most perfumes it just doesn’t work for me. But still sounds interesting in your interpretation. And I agree – the price is hard to beat. I like Black Flower Mexican Vanilla so I’ll try this one when I get a chance.
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