Cleopatra and Antony Lawrence Alma Tadema

Welcome to the CaFleureBon Tournament of Roses!!! Ever since Cleopatra welcomed Marc Antony into her  floating boudoir on the Nile, whose floor was covered with a foot and half of rose petals, rose perfumes have enticed and enthralled lovers (and lovers of perfumes) throughout the ages.

During the next week the Editors and Contributors of CaFleureBon will choose their favorite rose perfumes in honor of Valentine’s Day. Let the games begin!!!

 “There’s a river in my head 9” © Isabelle Menin, 2014 / Shou Gallery

Ormonde Jayne Ta’if (2004): A couple of years ago I held my own Tournament of Roses to find “The Rose” for my nose. I tested well over a hundred niche rose perfumes. I completely geeked out and created a spreadsheet to organize them by notes and perfumers. The result was the knowledge that rose was too versatile an ingredient in the hands of expert perfumers and I’d have to accept there’d be at least a dozen rose perfumes I couldn’t live without. Ormonde Jayne Ta’if composed by Linda Pilkington announced its intention of making the final cut the first time I smelled it. The Ta’if rose grown in Saudi Arabia delivers a deep, rich aroma. She is not a shy flower and Ormonde Jayne Ta’if is not a shy perfume. As I inhaled its rose, beautifully blended with notes of dates, orange flowers and jasmine, my mind drifted to my travels in the Mahgreb and the Levant. The engaging opening is spicy, sweet and chewy in turn. As it wears,  the ta’if rose and her attendant florals emerge in harmony to finally settle into a deep oriental base. Ormonde Jayne Ta’if is a dream-state rose. Notes: Pink Pepper, Saffron, Dates, Rose Oil, Freesia, Orange Flower Absolute, Jasmine, Broom, Amber, Tonka Bean

available at twistedlily.com, @zgoperfumery @fumerieperfumerie @indigoperfumery @perfumology @osmeperfumery

Nicolai Rose Oud (2013): During my quest I was very much the Goldilocks of rose perfumes: one was too green, another too powdery, but  Nicolaï Parfumeur Createur Rose Oud was just right. Patricia de Nicolaï created a beautiful, confident, statuesque perfume. I dare anyone not to feel as royal as the queen of flowers herself when wearing Rose Oud. The delicious sweet/tart raspberry opening gives way to the rose-dominated floral heart. The word “oud” in the name hints at the oriental through line that emerges and lingers through the woody and animalic base that rumbles on your skin. A “rosiental chypre” one could call it. Rose Oud bears witness to Madame Nicolaï 's mastery in creating a complex rose perfume with intense longevity and imperious projection. It’s as if the fragrance notes are dancing courtiers clad in silks and velvets winding around the opulent and majestic Queen Rose in the center, her panther on a jeweled leash. Notes: Raspberry, Davana, Artemesia, Osmanthus, Coriander, Rose, Lily-of-the-Valley, Agar Wood, Amber, Musk, Styrax, Castoreum, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Oakmoss 

available @twistedlily, @zgoperfumery 

Marianne Butler, Sr. Contributor

Dominique Nadine, La Gradation collection 2013-2014

Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin (Christopher Sheldrake) 2013: A dark beauty, this rose has got it going on: jammy, winey, juicy – La Fille de Berlin smells almost edible at first. But as the fragrance unfolds, this jeune fille proves to be a sexy, urban sophisticate. La Fille de Berlin is structured beautifully, with a saturated rose and suggestions of green thorns, ripe red berries and moist soil. But it’s perfumer Chrisopher Sheldrake’s brilliant use of violet that really sets La Fille de Berlin apart: the flower adds just the barest trace of old school face powder while darkening the rose into burgundy velvet. My favourite rose scent of the last decade.

available at @zgoperfumery and @twistedlily

Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Thanks to Ormonde Jayne, we have a bottle of Ormonde Jayne Ta’if for a registered reader in the USA or UK

Merci Parfums de Nicolai for a 100 ml bottle of Rose Oud for a registered reader worldwide

For our Valentine’s Day Tournament of Roses Draw, please leave a comment on which Valentine’s Day Rose from today’s Tournament appeals to you, which you would like to win and where you live. You must be a registered reader to enter or your comment will not count. Check back daily for more of our  favorite  rose perfumes. Draw closes 1/31/2019

Please follow @cafleurebon, @spritzi_mcguillacutty @nicolaiparfums  and @ormondejayne on Instagram as well.

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