Roja Parfums A Midsummer Dream, photo by Michael Devine©

 

“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight.”
–William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon, Act 2 Scene 1)

To recognize the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s enchanted classic,  A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Roja Dove has turned iambic pentameter into impeccable perfume. Drawing inspiration from the immortal play’s fairy woodland and the whimsical characters who inhabit it, the Shakespeare of perfume has given us A Midsummer Dream, a redolent fantasy in the form of an eau de parfum that, like the play itself, transcends genres and explores contrasts and complexities.

Roja Dove, photo courtesy Roja Parfums Instagram

According to Mr. Dove, as expressed on his brand website, “perfume has the ability to remove us from reality and transport us to a world of fantasy – one where the enchanted woodland of Shakespeare’s imagination is able to come to life.” Clearly, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is fertile (forest) soil for creativity. I’m grateful to have studied the play during my years as a college theatre major, and equally grateful to have witnessed an unforgettable production in London’s National Theatre (staged almost entirely in a pit of mud). Set in a mythical world where reality and fantasy intermingle under the starlit canopy of an enchanted forest, the play weaves together the stories of four young lovers, a troupe of amateur actors, and the mischievous antics of fairies, resulting in a complex journey of love and magic.

Midsummer Night, John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1876, Public Domain

Similarly, Roja Parfums A Midsummer Dream (Mr. Dove has dropped the “Night” aspect of the title as his creation can be worn day or night) weaves together the olfactive genres of the fougère, chypre and floral. This exploration of creative contrasts reminds me of the play’s contrast between the structured, orderly world of Athens and the unpredictable, whimsical realm of the forest and the path which joins the worlds. If I’ve not already given it away, I’m a marketing department’s dream (midsummer or otherwise), as I’m creatively open-minded and always willing to join an artist’s journey. As such, I readily perceive the composition’s suggestion of an enchanted forest replete with pixie dust.

Scene From A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Titania and Bottom, Edwin Henry Landseer, 1848

Patchouli, oakmoss and vetiver form the forest floor in earthy contrast to the cyclamen and geranium which provide a touch of green freshness. There’s something powdery—a green powder—in the heart notes which imparts the aforementioned pixie dust. Normally, I’d be wary of creamy or powdery greenness as it tends to go wonky on my skin, but this composition blends seemingly disparate elements into something entirely congruent and beautiful. In homage of Titania (Queen of the Fairies), who sleeps among “sweet-smelling ramblers and wild roses,”

Mr. Dove has infused the composition’s heart with rose de Mai, orange blossom and a magnolia accord which adds a creamy, fruity nuance. The signature base of vanilla, amber and musk reminds the wearer that is a Roja composition and despite a journey through the thicket, the affair remains elegant and refined. Puck need not concern himself with having offended anyone.

Those of us in the western hemisphere may be saying a forlorn farewell to summer, but in my opinion, Roja Parfums Midsummer Dream is evergreen enchantment, enduring and should be enjoyed in all seasons. I particularly love this fragrance in the spring and autumn and can’t wait to return to this mythical forest as the leaves begin to fall. Like the play from which it was inspired, Roja’s potion seamlessly weaves together the realms of reality and fantasy in a celebration of life, love and literature.

Top Notes: Aldehydes, Lemon, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Mandarin; Heart Notes: Cyclamen, Geranium, Rose de Mai, Orange Blossom, Magnolia; Base Notes: Rhubarb, Cardamom, Elemi, Pink Pepper, Patchouli, Oakmoss, Vetiver, Cedar, Fir Balsam, Benzoin, Vanilla, Cocoa, Amber, Carrot Seed, Musk

Disclosure:  Based on a bottle of A Midsummer Dream sent from Twisted Lily for the purpose of this review. Shop Roja Parfums A Midsummer Dream at Twisted Lily here

Michael Devine, Senior Contributor

Roja Parfums A Midsummer Dream bottle, photo courtesy of Roja Parfums

Thanks to the enormous generosity of the folks at Twisted Lily, we have a 100 ml bottle of A Midsummer Dream to give away to one registered reader in the contiguous U.S. only. YOU MUST REGISTER. To be eligible, please leave a comment indicating what intrigues you about Roja Parfums A Midsummer Dream and note that you live in the contiguous U.S. Draw closes 9/22/2023

You can read Michelyn’s interview with Roja Dove and the history of British Perfumery here

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