Valentine’s Day is just a week away, so of course I have to review a perfume based on the most iconic romantic flower. Isn’t that required for a perfume blogger at this time of the year? Not that I’m complaining, who doesn’t love a rose perfume?
WHAT I SMELL: Just Give Me Roses opens with a soft cashmere puttied saffron, that feels wonderfully sexy like silken lingerie that softly lays upon the skin and which moves with such ease like waves that caress the curves of the body. The perfume is warm, deep and lightly peppered. The rose is there from the beginning, but it lurks below the saffron fully enraptured and bold in a rather serious manner. As the perfume continues to develop, the rose begins to lighten along with a light woodiness and a bit of a tobacco note that smells like just baked bread. Here, Just Give Me Roses begins to grow as if the rose is about to bloom on the stem. And with the development of the green of the stem comes a brushstroke of radiating powder. As the perfume settles, a warmed woody tobacco acts as the perfect finish for the rounded red damask rose. Just Give Me Roses is a beautiful, full bodied rose perfume.
From the La Perla website:
It’s simple, yet utterly profound – the memory of a rose can melt your heart.
Like your most cherished memories of flowers received and gifts exchanged, there is no token of love more meaningful than the rose. Just Give Me Roses saturates the universal charm of the iconic flower into a warm, rich bouquet.
The scent explores the rose’s enchanting depths. Spicy top notes of oriental saffron and pink and black pepper evoke the friends, lovers and memories that have coloured your life. These aromas melt into the pure, single heart note of Damask rose , in celebration of all its infinite romance. As the fragrance develops, find yourself wrapped in the warm and woody intensity of amber-tobacco and musk, as if sitting on a cedarwood bench in summer, among a blooming rose garden
Key Ingredients: Top – Saffron, Heart – Damask Rose, Base – Cedarwood
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The eternal rose.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE JUST GIVE ME ROSES: warm, passionate, semi-melancholic
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT JUST GIVE ME ROSES: No reviews found.
BOTTOM LINE: Give Me Roses may have a playful name, but the perfume is anything but playful. Instead, it’s a beautifully weighted, uncomplicated and serious perfume that is wonderfully unisex. And for those of you who believe the bottle is as important as the perfume; the La Perla bottles are fantastic and the Just Give Me Roses red bottle with the green cap is the perfect vessel for this gorgeous perfume.
- Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Amber Floral Spicy
- Nose: Dominique Preyssas
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: Starting at $120 for 30ml eau de parfum
WHAT I SMELL: Snowy Owl opens with bright reflective aldehydic snow and the smell of freshly turned earth. Quickly, it begins to move to the cool and fresh along with a cottony finish that feels light and fluffy. There’s a wonderfully light herbal hint of mint, but its portrayal is much more attuned to the smell of warmed faux fur that lines the inside of worn leather gloves. As the perfume continues to develop, light and soft florals seem to pop out from the snow and once again the smell of moist earth begins to emerge as if the frozen ground has melted to reveal some hints of spring. The perfume at this point is soft and inviting and quite powdery and it feels as if it has been lightly applied to the skin with the softest makeup brush. As Snowy Owl continues to develop, it begins to strengthen just a bit and the light florals make way for a radiating amber tinged woodiness. In the end, the perfume feels as if it is full of contained energy that’s held secure within a cocooned wrap of musk.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I can’t argue with the fact that this perfume captures the spirit of the snowy owl and it’s winter environment. But what I can add is that it’s a very well dressed snowy owl at that.
WHAT I SMELL: Ombré Leather Parfum opens with a light suede and a dusting of violet leaf. It’s soft and a little creamy with a clean finish. From the beginning, the suede feels smooth and pliable like a set of very fine gloves or the softest of slippers. As the perfume develops, the suede moves to more of a hardened leather. But don’t get me wrong, there is nothing but elegance here as the leather retains its’ gentlemanly demeanor. After some time, the leather adds just a touch of woody tobacco. Here, the perfume moves from the closet to the men’s club. Again, the perfume remains refined while being incredibly approachable. And then some time later, a light floral glides in that feels a bit spongy and which seems to float above the leather and tobacco. In the end, the perfume quiets to a soft and comforting light leather perfume that is topped with the prettiest of violet florals.
The Scented Hound 