DSH Perfumes Countess Olenska, Rosé and Halfeti set via the perfumer©

 

A single flow’r he sent me, since we met.
All tenderly his messenger he chose;
Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet –
One perfect rose.

I knew the language of the floweret;
‘My fragile leaves,’ it said, ‘his heart enclose.’
Love long has taken for his amulet
One perfect rose.

Why is it no one ever sent me yet
One perfect limousine, do you suppose?
Ah no, it’s always just my luck to get
One perfect rose. ~ Dorothy Parker

 

Yellow Roses on East Third St., South Boston! via Ida

The late acerbic wit Dorothy Parker (“Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses”) may have lamented her plight and her one perfect rose: respectfully, this is where we hold divergent opinions. Like many of you, I’d be hard-pressed to choose my one perfect rose – although all it takes is one. I tend to favor French poet Alfred de Musset’s point of view in his homage to Victor Hugo: “Il faut, dans ce bas monde, aimer beaucoup de choses, pour savoir, aprés tout, ce qu’on aime le mieux” (It is necessary, in this base world – to love many things in order to know what one loves best). Bring on the panoply of roses! Originally created for St. Valentine’s Day, award-winning artisanal perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s new Rose Collection graces us with a floral triad comprised of three unique rose perfumes ranging from the ephemeral to the deeply voluptuous. I found each one enchanting – so it’s a pleasure to share my impressions with you.

DSH Perfumes Countess Olenska watercolor©

DSH Perfumes Countess Olenska {a Victorian, Yellow Rose perfume}: A diadem of golden roses burnished with saffron: solar rays and wisps of coffee.

“The vague pervading perfume that was not what one put on handkerchiefs, but rather like the scent of some far-off bazaar, a smell made up of Turkish coffee and ambergris and dried roses”. ~ Edith Wharton’s iconic The Age of Innocence.

Countess Olenska in The Age of Innocence, 1993 IMDb still

Perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz was inspired by this passage in particular – and who could fault her? I loved the novel and the film – and beyond that, we share an appreciation of the impossibly fragrant yellow rose. My reference is The Poet’s Wife, an old David Austin variety which is rich, fruity and possesses a lemony twang; Dawn’s is Harrison’s yellow rose, with its delicately fruit-inflected aroma. The dashing, compelling Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1993 film The Age of Innocence) feels perfect for this perfume: it is full of the warmth, passion and generosity of spirit she embodies, which doesn’t sit well in highly-mannered Victorian era New York City society-at-large. I only know of one other perfume which comes close – and that (natural) fragrance has long since been discontinued. If you want to glow with the subtle presence of aldehydes and citrus, a parade of heavenly roses supported by jasmine, violet, orris and hay – and leave a delicate trail of ambergris, beeswax and sandalwood in your wake,  DSH Perfumes Countess Olenska is a perfect fit. Notes: aldehydes, bergamot clementine, saffron absolute, Italian neroli, spice notes, green rose leaves, rosa centifolia absolute, rosa gallica otto, Bulgarian rose absolute, Harrison’s yellow rose accord, jasmine grandiflorum, violet, orris concrete, hay absolute, suede accord, coffee absolute, ambergris, ambrette seed, French beeswax, Australian sandalwood

DSH Perfumes©

DSH Perfumes Rosé{a water/rose perfume}: Lilting and limpid aquarelle tinged with pink; a splash of summery wine of the same hue. Dawn envisioned pink rose petals floating in clear blue-toned fresh water – non-oceanic.  Innocence dallying on the verge of knowledge: pink-tinted roses so fresh, airy (but not aquatic by any means), glassy as an untroubled stream. Rosé sparkles in your glass with a delicate effervescence, bright with citrus tones. It refreshes the palate, never trespassing on cloying territory. Gender doesn’t enter into the equation; anyone who craves an unfettered tender flirtatiousness will enjoy this fragrance. You could even store it in the refrigerator in summertime for an added zip. As rosé is not particularly one of my favorite wines, I was initially cautious  – but this won me over. As it develops, Rosé assumes a drier, crisp character. Notes: aldehydes, fruit notes, white cognac, rose petal accord, rosé wine accord, ambrette seed, Australian sandalwood.

DSH Perfumes Halfeti Rose {Limited Edition: a Black Rose perfume}: Velvety rose under cloak of darkness, seductively disturbing.

The Kiss of the Sphinx by Franz von Stuck via wikimedia©

Halfeti Rose is a gothic tale told by Isak Dinesen or The Lady of the House of Love by Angela Carter. If it were a painting, it would be The Kiss of the Sphinx by Franz von Stuck. Hypnotic, dusky rose lurks in the shadow of the sobbing fountains in a seraglio bordering the city where legendary black roses bloom.

Halfeti Rose is an abundance of the East: saffron, fruit, darkest figs, sacred woods and sticky resins. Intimation of saddle leather, the patchouli which perfumes and protects precious pashminas in a venerable wooden travel trunk. And roses – beloved of the Prophet and the saints alike – in riotous profusion, sonorous as a cello. It’s that good.

Notes: bergamot, saffron absolute, blackberry, cognac, cassis bud, green rose leaves, black fig accord, blood rose accord, rosa damascena absolute, Bulgarian rose otto and absolute, rosa gallica otto, rosa centifolia absolute, Moroccan rose absolute, musk rose, Turkish rose otto, Egyptian rose geranium, jasmine grandiflorum, orris concrete, tobacco absolute, galbanum, opoponax, frankincense co2 absolute, Sri Lankan vetiver, brown and green oakmoss, East Indian patchouli, papyrus, amber, ambergris, leather, labdanum, birch tar, Australian cedarwood, Australian sandalwood, copaiba balsam, castoreum, deer musk accord, oud Crassna, oud Maleki

Samples provided by the perfumer, and The 3 Roses Collection Box I purchased myself. Many thanks!  My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

 Thanks to the largesse of perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, we are offering one sample set of The 3 Roses Collection for one registered reader anywhere in the world. Please share with us what appeals to you about Ida’s review and DSH Perfumes The 3 Roses Collection and where you live. Which appeals to you of the three? Draw closes 3/1/22

 

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