Valentine Rose: A Painting of a Red Rose by Paul Wolber

I first became aware of Laboratorio Olfattivo two years ago and I was drawn to it because Pierre Guillaume had composed one of the first four fragrances in the line. When I received those samples I was surprised to find that it was another perfumer who created the more memorable fragrances within that first collection. That perfumer was Marie Duchene and her compositions, Cozumel and Alkemi, were both excellent perfumes. One of the things that I liked about the philosophy behind Laboratorio Olfattivo was the perfumers were given wide latitude and like a real laboratory their experiments were always interesting.

Since that initial introduction I have continued to look forward to each new Laboratorio Olfattivo release and I took the time to become more familiar with Mme Duchene’s portfolio with Italian niche brand Nobile 1942. Both of those pursuits happily broadened my olfactory horizons. The new release from Laboratorio Olfattivo, Rosamunda, brings Mme Duchene back for an encore.

Rumplestiltskin NOT Marie Duchene

In my review of Alkemi I compared Mme Duchene to Rumplestiltskin as she was able to spin a strong floral note like ylang-ylang into a wonderfully woody accord as if by magic. Rosamunda shows her magical spinning wheel is still functioning but for Rosamunda her materials have changed. This time it is rose as the intense floral feedstock which eventually transforms into an ambery woody experience.

Mme Duchene uses a full rose source as the petals and the stems are present. Before placing it on her olfactory spinning wheel she dusts it lightly with exotic saffron. Then the wheel begins to spin and the whole rose is enveloped by the saffron so that it seems so rich you feel like Mme Duchene might be taking gold and transforming it into something more mundane. While the opulence might be attenuated a bit the beauty is increased as sandalwood and cedar signal the transformation towards the arboreal. Mme Duchene then deepens the metamorphosis as she uses patchouli and oud to firmly place Rosamunda in the woods. The rose is still there but it is now in a supporting role as the heavy hitter woody notes hold sway. There was a time early on in this phase of development where I was concerned Rosamunda was becoming a bit too cold. Mme Duchene must have had the same feel because a warm amber arrives to take that chill away and add the right finishing touch.

Rosamunda has outstanding longevity and average sillage.

The Fonz

Every time I saw the name Rosamunda I was reminded of the character Fonzie from the 70’s TV show Happy Days. Fonzie would add the suffix “-amundo” to words he wanted to transform into something cool. When I first wore Rosamunda my inner Fonzie was saying, “Rosamundo…Aaay!” After a few more times wearing it that transformed into “Perfectamundo!”

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Kaon.

Thanks to Kaon I have one extra sample of Rosamunda to give away. To be eligible you will have to channel your inner Fonzie and pick a favorite perfume note and make it cool by adding “-amundo” and leave that in the comments. We will draw one winner on November 20, 2012.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor