Brulure de Rose is the last perfume of the Second Chapter from Parfumerie Generale for review. This is not a straightforward rose 
scent at all. It feels a little gourmandy, but balanced enough that gourmand hatahs won’t be highly put off, and there is still plenty of rose for rose lovers. It dries down to a smoky, slightly vanillic rose, not too sweet, not too rosey, the amber and spices seem to balance it between the two. A little like rose meets meets spice cake and has pretty babies. I’m still very undecided on how much I like this, but it is definitely one to try, especially if you are a rose lover or if you are a rose liker, but want it to have something a little more interesting about your rose scents. It strikes me, though, that I need to retry this when the weather changes, it seems like more of a winter scent, and it may then be absolute perfection. So far I am just staying in like with this one, not love.
Speaking of changing my mind. Ever have a perfume that stays on your mind after you try it? Now y’all have the same ear worm for that “Wind Song” song that I’ve had for two days. I’m not talking about the ones you fall in love
with and obsess about getting and trying to figure out how to squish it into your overtaxed perfume budget (yes, I do have one of those, and I bump up against it daily). I’m talking about the one that you liked, sorta loved, tried again, liked better, still not True Love, and then you almost ordered it — twice — talked yourself out of it, hit the X button on your browser, then you just think about it daily, spritz it on again, convince yourself you really, really don’t need it, but you waaaaaaaant it? That’s how Hyperessence Matale has been for me. The only way to stop thinking about it is to buy it (is this why men get married?). I suspect HM will become a staple of my scent wardrobe, even if I never fall head over heels in love with it like some of the others. It is easy to wear and incredibly pleasing when my arm whooshes by. Beautiful, enchanting sillage. I need to put this on my husband.
I used to be of the Mr. Darcy School of Perfuming Opinion — “Once you have lost my good opinion, you have lost it forever.” It’s taken not just a few changes of mind to convince me of the error of my ways. How many tries do you give a perfume until you give up on it?
Next on my retry list — Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. Look for that later this week, as soon as I work up the courage to spritz it again.
Ooo, that sounds nice. I’ll keep an eye out for that!
Patty, I wish I had more of my Shalimar hair serum left so I could send some your way. Honestly, I do admire Shalimar, but using their scented hair gunk is the only way I can actually carry off Shalimar with success for some reason. I don’t know if it’s available in the States anymore in the stores, but every so often it does pop up on ye olde ebaye.
Katie, I know! I haven’t had one haunt me like this in a long time. I think the last one was Chergui,and it took me months to finally bite, and I’m just so glad I did, it’s just a wonderful scent that is unlike anything else.
Karen, you’ve encouraged me to keep trying with Shalimar. I smell it on other people and find it awesome. Put it on myself and just can’t take it at all.
“convince yourself you really, really don’t need it, but you waaaaaaaant it?” Hee hee!! It’s the ones that haunt ya that really end up getting you in the end, no? Out of curiosity, what other fragrances have had that effect on you (and the overtaxed budget, heh)?
I laughed at your question “How many tries do you give a perfume until you give up on it?” It took me forever to appreciate Shalimar. I bought it a few years ago (year 2002?) because the local CVS was selling it at “buy one, get one 1/2 off” (this was the edt). Was thinking that I could give them away as a Xmas gift. Never did. So I started to use one bottle of it. Spray, Spray. Sniff, Sniff. Over and over. Could not get into it. Used up about 1/4 of one bottle. Kept on trying because so many people rave about Shalimar. Finally, in 2005, I gave the bottle to my older sister who appreciates Shalimar. “Here, Roberta, please take this because I just can’t like Shalimar. I like it but I don’t like it.” She happily took it. I was a big hero. I still had an un-opened bottle of Shalimar. Year 2006 rolls in. Start trying it again. Spray, spray. Sniff, sniff. I had to use up about 1/4 of the bottle before it finally kicked in and I saw the light. Now I am a convert and understand what all the excitement was about. This process took years. I’m not a youngster. I’m old enough to be a grandma!
In the website Basenotes, in the women’s fragrance section, Tigeruska wrote about her renewed love for Guerlain. Someone wrote in about their difficulty with appreciateing Guerlain, until a light bulb finally went on and she had a “duh” moment. I finally had my “duh” moment with Shalimar. But it took me years!
R — aren’t they both fun? I think I’ll always love HN, then JdK and then HM, then II or Aomassai, but the whole line is so much fun. I’m just so happy to have something so new and fresh to play with.
Saphir is a pretty one, isn’t it? I had forgotten how much I liked it, and it’s actually much prettier in winter when you can be more lavish with it.
Victoria, do you think time of year has an impact? It struck me as very much of a cold weather scent, just too heavy for me, though most gourmands are, in summer.
Leopoldo, but I *haven’t* loved it so far, and I don’t know why. Everything from the name to the maker to the bottle to the notes scream love to me, and I put it on and so far it has felt so cold. But I’m going to plug my nose and try it again and hope Serge works his magin on the Third Time is the Charm
March, you know you and me are like :-ss on ISM so far.
Hate to rush you on the PGs. 🙂
Yeah, Robin! I knew I was right to keep obsessing about it
Justine, I think people get an idea in their heads of what they want rose to smell like, and anything that doesn’t fit that idea just won’t work.
Anna, I didn’t think there was that much similarity between it and Rose de Feu. Brulere is more vanilla spicy, and RdF seems just more spicy.
I love the HN, but the HM is quite intriguing. It does, however, remind me of something else, may Guerlain’s With Love. On the other hand, HN is totally beautiful and original. 😡
You know, I am also loving Jaipur Safir. I did not think I would love it quite as much as I do, darling! :”>
Hugs!
Brulure de Rose is difficult for me to wear–it is sweet, heady and musky. Not a combination I can tolerate easily. I like it more as an idea, rather than an actual scent.
Brulure smelled like a dessert from the 70s – dunno what though.
And Patty, if you knock ISM too dang hard, me and you’s gonna have one major league bust up. What with me also loving Terre d’Hermes, Sel de Vet, Harmatan Noir et al, you gotta bleedin well love it.
Justine — I love real roses but have a very, very small number of rose fragrances I like. I just find rose to be a difficult note to wear … FWIW I liked two Rosines: Ecume (rose and seaspray) and the men’s one, which smells like a rich Guerlain fragrance to me, although both of those would be too much for me in the heat.
P — your favorite rose hatah checking in here. You are RUINING my plan to space out the testing of these more… now I have to try HM and the Brulure, which I was avoiding because it’s a rose and it’s so dang hot outside…
ISM. *shudder.* Instant Scrubber. On me it earns the rare Rasputin’s armpit award for total BO. But you don’t have that problem with cedar, I’d assumed you liked it!!
Love Matale & glad to see it has another fan 🙂
Why is rose such a difficult floral to love in perfume. Nearly everyone loves the scent of real roses, but somehow in perfume it is a more difficult relationship. I think maybe its because we all know what real roses smell like…I mean when was the last time you bent your head and smelled some violets or tuberose? I haven’t found a rose perfume that I love enough to wear, but this one sounds wonderful.
The love child of roses and spice cake sounds great!!:) I have to try this now. How does it compare (if at all) to Rose de Feu in your opinion? Thanks!
Yes, I’ve worn C&S’s Dark Rose in the past and love it. This one definitely is a near relative – at least to my nose. My true dark rose love, though is SIP’s Black Rosette…yes, I am that one token fan in the known universe. 🙂 And, as Marina said, please be nice to ISM…deeply in love w/ both the scent and its creator.
Ina, you’re NOT helping. 🙂
Brulure de Roze is sort of a boozy rose, like rose liquor, dense and syrupy. I love it! I do agree with you that it’ll smell potentially better in colder weather. Just buy that HM already, woman.
M, it is excellent, I think I just don’t like gourmandy roses as my favorites. But I’m still open to it being a seasonal thing.
I’ll be nice to ISM, promise. *fingers crossed* I know it has a lot of fans,I don’t want to be hog-tied and run out of town on a perfume bottle.
E — have you ever gotten your hands on Czech & Speake’s DArk Rose? That’s one I wish they would hurry up and make again already so I can try it. Gourmandy roses just wouldn’t be my number one choice, but they really did a nice job rendering something I would ordinarily think would probably suck pretty bad.
I thought Brulure was excellent, but Matale in either of its forms failed to charm me.
I cannot wait to read your updated thoughts on ISM. Be nice to it though, OK? It is one of most favorite favorites 🙂
“A little like rose meets meets spice cake and has pretty babies.” I love that! 🙂 And it’s so true. I do like my rose scents w/ a twist – a lot of a twist, actually. This one isn’t as dark as the ones I usually go for, but I find it oddly compelling and really do love it.
I am extremely familiar w/ the back and forth perfume sampling dance. It’s a terrible one for my budget since I often end up at the end w/ a new HG. Only if a perfume is bland and characterless do I dismiss it immediately.