Richard Gere
In the romance world one of the tropes is the well-dressed man arriving on the doorstep to deliver a rose signifying his love to the person on the other side of the door. In the popular fantasy the man is wearing a tux or a suit that portrays his classiness. The rose is meant to represent his passion. These are the visual cues to a Valentine’s Day dream date but what about the olfactory cues? Where should we turn for those? Arguably there are many fine choices which represent the scent of that encounter but it seems like coincidence managed to deliver two new fragrances to my doorstep, from Parfums M. Micallef, which fit the bill.
Parfums M. Micallef has a great collection of powerhouse fragrances which trend to the masculine and all of them share an ineffable style to go with that power. It was why when receiving my sample of the new Royal Vintage I was expecting the same combo of power and style which has worked so well for the brand in the past. Instead I was presented with a retro-cologne as only Martine Micallef could produce. It has the feel of something resurrected from the late 1950’s and could be accompanied by racy music and the guy wearing Royal Vintage being surrounded by buxom blondes and brunettes. As I wore Royal Vintage over a few days I realized sometime in the late 60’s this style of fragrance just stopped being made as citrus and aquatics dominated the masculine market from then on. Royal Vintage is a successful return to a classic style of perfume.
Royal Vintage begins with an unusually lively bergamot paired with pink pepper. This combo is reminiscent of many of the classic men’s colognes of the past but the quality of the ingredients increases my enjoyment of the familiar. An extremely well-chosen duo of cypress and leather make up the heart of Royal Vintage. In those classic fragrances of the past cedar would have been the choice; Mme Micallef goes with the more complex cypress and it proves to be an excellent companion for the leather accord. The leather is that of the well-worn leather chair; refined and rich. Together the cypress and leather make it seem as if I’ve just left my men’s club. The finishing touch is provided by patchouli and musk and it also carries a classicism and familiarity which is as welcome as the top notes were.
Royal Vintage has outstanding longevity and average sillage. It may smell like the classics but it lasts much much longer than those older fragrances.
The rose in our well-dressed man’s hand is represented by the new Rose Extreme. Mme Micallef knows how to make a rose memorable enough to be used in a Valentine’s Day fantasy. Her Rose Extreme takes one of the most prized roses, Rose de Mai and pairs it with osmanthus to make an olfactory pairing of which dreams are made of.
Photo via Fragrantica
Rose Extreme begins with that pairing of the beautifully intense Rose de Mai and the leathery apricot of osmanthus. Mme Micallef uses these to grab our attention and iris and carnation carry the rose and osmanthus deeper. The base takes a turn towards the orient as amber, vanilla, and sandalwood make the final moments like a warm hug.
Rose Extreme has outstanding longevity and above average sillage. This is a rose people will know you’re wearing and a light application is recommended if you’re going to be out and about.
Royal Vintage and Rose Extreme are both excellent examples of the Parfums M. Micallef brand genetics as each have that inescapable charm and sophistication that Mme Micallef knows how to bottle, seemingly effortlessly.
Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Parfums M. Micallef.
The Prize
Thanks to Parfums M. Micallef we have a 15mL press sample of Rose Extreme decorated with a solitary Swarovski Crystal in the center of its cap. To be eligible to win this rose all you have to do is leave a little valentine for any of the writers of CaFleureBon in the comments. The draw will end on February 17, 2013.
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