Rook Perfumes RSX/03 School (Nadeem Crowe) + Olfactive Education Giveaway

Rook Perfumes RSX 03 School review 

Rook Perfumes RSX/03 School by Karl

There is a crackle of excitement that butterfly whirling through the stomach when I open a new perfume, the slicing of the box and rummaging through the contents it brings me a nervous energy. That slight apprehension of when we are about to discover the unknown. One can liken it to the new beginnings of starting high school, a path soon to be well trodden.  The nostalgia looking back on formative years and experiences.

Dr Nadeem Crowe of Rook Perfumes

Dr. Nadeem Crowe of Rook Perfumes

Dr. Nadeem Crowe, Founder and Perfumer of Rook Perfumes has created a limited batch of RSX/03 School. For me it had to be the scent I wanted to explore from his collection.  How could someone bring that nostalgic feeling back to life in a vivid and interesting way? Our perceptions are individual to each of us so I can only discuss mine. I was surrounded by educational paraphernalia as a young child as both my parents were teachers.  My mother a Head of Careers and History of Art at a Grammar School, my father an English Teacher at a Secondary Modern. The scent of old and new texts was always commonplace at our home, the graffitied pupil workbooks carefully stacked on the dining table post marking, the smell of ink and paint mingling with hot black coffee permeating the evening air.

Rook Perfumes school

school by MohammedAli Dahaghin courtesy of unsplash

Rook Perfumes RSX/03 School naturally intrigued me both as a concept and as an olfactive experience. The opening has a light zesty lemony aspect to it fused with ozonic touches and a tinge of newly painted walls. There is definitely a vegetal greenness wafting into one’s senses early on too. Think a September cool breeze mingling with pine needles and strolling through a new build urban building. Digging little deeper leathery facets begin to poke through into our consciousness. As RSX/03 develops a distinctive rubbery characteristic appears and interplays with the incense and citrus characteristics of olibanum which is the heart of the perfume. By now the breezy opening has been replaced with a dark amber central theme sublimated with an inky and resinous aspect. As strange as it may sound this has a soothing and nostalgic effect on me. My mind travels to swapping old cassette mix tapes with friends and exploring vinyl records in second hand shops during lunch breaks.

 Tape Cassettes by Mayte Wisinewski 

After a few hours I can detect the smell of stepping into a new car for the first time as a teenager and going through the gears that excitement of trying not to stall it at regular intervals. Here one could make a very slight comparison to Dior Fahrenheit, that tinge of gasoline added into the mix. Into the base there are wafts of percolated coffee brewing up, waxed floors and hints of old worn tables with ancient inkwells not filled for eons. Rook Perfumes RSX/03 School is the work of a perfumer who is looking to challenge and evoke memories. It certainly is different from the commercial realm of fragrance. I can imagine it will not be to everyone’s taste. However, that is the beauty of artistic perfumery and here with Rook perfumes there are many twists and turns, cheeky olfactory winks, and nudges to keep one interested.

.Notes: Cold air, trees and moss, concrete floors, sacred olibanum, rubber plimsolls, new books, coffee, pencil shavings and graffitied desks.

– Karl Topham, UK Brand Ambassador and Senior Editor

Rook Perfumes RSX 03 School

 Rook Perfumes RSX/03 School by Karl

Thanks to the generosity of we have a 30 ml of bottle of Rook Perfumes RSX/03 School for one registered reader in the US, UK, EU (WITH THE FOLLOWING EXCEPTIONS ROMANIA, RUSSIA. SPAIN, GREECE AND TURKEY) You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on Karl’s review and where you live. Draw closes 10/29/2022 EST and the winner will be posted within ten days after.

Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebonofficial @karl.topham @rookperfumes @drnadeemcrowe

Please read Rook Perfumes The Scent of the Metaverse: Verse 1 Review by Nicoleta Tomsa here

Perfume and The Metaverse by  Senior Contributor Elise Vernon Pearlstine and reader Rachel Ng here

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35 comments

  • olgAPOISON says:

    Oh my good the high school scent i need this! The floors, the pencils shavings! Great idea! I live in EU

  • Joel Franco says:

    The best time of my life, good memories the pencil shaves the odor of the books and the first love

  • sbinkowitz says:

    This fragrance sounds very interesting. I love that a petrol note was included. It seems to represent the experiences of school age, even with the experience of filling up the tank on your first car. I live in Houston Texas and would like to enter the giveaway. Thanks

  • DuftHochZwei says:

    Tapes and vinyl records are my childhood and youth. But I can’t remember the smells! So this seems like a great opportunity to relive this. I’d love to win this to Germany, thank you for the draw.

  • AdventurousFox says:

    First time I found out about Rook perfumes was from this blog. Very interesting house with very interesting concepts. I’d love to try this perfumes as I’m always intrigued with unusual combinations, and the man-made nature of the notes attracts me in this fragrance. I live in Croatia, EU

  • Jeremi says:

    The really unique and beautiful notes of this fragrance for sure spark my interest. This thing must smell like heaven. I live in Poland, EU.

  • Giorgia295 says:

    Wow this sound the perfect woody scent insoired by the woods and the cold air of winter when it’s snowing and everything freezes. Love when a fragrance mimecs a sensation! Sound so good and I think it would be also perfect for my boyfriend.
    Greetings from Italy

  • Cuttyj77 says:

    I love Rook Perfumes, and have full bottles of Rook by Rook, and Forest. Rook by Rook is probably my favorite perfume purchase from 2022. This sounds great, and I really appreciate the artistry and the blending of these perfumes. Thanks for the draw! US.

  • FC says:

    This one is such a neat and interesting concept. Rook Perfumes RSX/03 School is inspired by our school memories and I guess it evokes memories of different types of scents one experienced in a classroom setting. I wonder why noone thought of this before as school life is one of the most memorable moments of our lifetime. I am in US.

  • drjedi says:

    Rook Perfumes RSX/03 is indeed a very creative and intriguing perfume, with the notes of pencil shavings, concrete floors, cold air, coffee, etc. This will be a trip down the memory lane. How did they make this? I have tried Dior Fahrenheit and know what Karl is talking about when he mentions the petrol smell. Rook Perfumes RSX/03 is so non-mainstream that I would love to try it. Thanks for the review and draw. From the USA.

  • Mara says:

    What a creative review with Karl relating to School because of his childhood. Pencil shavings and concrete wow

  • Sorohan Adriana says:

    A coffe swapping old cassette mix tapes with friends and exploring vinyl records in second hand shops during lunch breaks. I am so nostalgic! I am from EU

  • Claumarchini says:

    I have been following on his blog and on social media Dr. Nadeem Crowe for some time now but I haven’t got round to purchase any of his creations yet unfortunately! The passion he shared for this art and the boldness of his creations always amaze me…and creating a scent that reminds us of old days at school is simply fantastic! I used to like school so much, I still love entering bookshops, libraries, stationery shops, art shops, paint shops…I just love the smell of paper and colours, of glues and paints, and with the hints of coffee and olibanum, this scent is definitely on my wishlist now! Greetings from Italy

  • k says:

    Having such a hard time imagining what this smells like in real life- but I’m definitely interested in a fragrance that makes so many changes through the wearing. Thank you for the review, writing from the EU.

  • Amaziz89 says:

    Perfumes RSX/03 School is the work of a perfumer who is looking to challenge and evoke memories. It certainly is different from the commercial realm of fragrance. I can imagine it will not be to everyone’s taste. However, that is the beauty of artistic perfumery and here with Rook perfumes there are many twists and turns, cheeky olfactory winks, and nudges to keep one interested.

    .Notes: Cold air, trees and moss, concrete floors, sacred olibanum, rubber plimsolls, new books, coffee, pencil shavings and graffitied desks. I am intrigued by the notes and how it smells like on skin. This is a house that I need to explore further. I agree this is probably an acquired taste but I am curious nonetheless. Thanks a million from the United Kingdom

  • Ozzyaziz says:

    Perfumes RSX/03 School is the work of a perfumer who is looking to challenge and evoke memories. It certainly is different from the commercial realm of fragrance. I can imagine it will not be to everyone’s taste. However, that is the beauty of artistic perfumery and here with Rook perfumes there are many twists and turns, cheeky olfactory winks, and nudges to keep one interested.

    .Notes: Cold air, trees and moss, concrete floors, sacred olibanum, rubber plimsolls, new books, coffee, pencil shavings and graffitied desks. Great to learn that this perfume reminds Karl of his school days. I am fascinated by the notes and memories associated. Thanks a lot from the UK

  • Starlit12 says:

    Sounds like such an “ambiental” perfume! Very interesting with the books, cold air and pencil shavings and all the other avant garde notes. I do believe it smells nostalgic and takes you back to school.
    I live in Denmark and would love to experience this.
    Thanks!

  • JohnHenry says:

    Such wonderful school scent memories.
    Loved reading the article, and can’t believe such memories inspired a fragrance! It more sparkles my interest, it has brought backbsuch great olfactory memories! Would love to win a bottle or sample! I’m in the US.

  • AJ says:

    I’m always intrigued by perfumes based on scent memories, especially ones that are common across many people. This perfume sounds like an interesting take on that theme. I’m in the US, thank you!

  • cnii says:

    I love how specific RSX/03 sounds in this review! I’d love to smell it and get taken into the memory of that back to school feeling. That notes list is so good. I’m glad Karl mentioned a slight whiff of gasoline–I’m very into that!
    I’m in the USA.

  • opalbear says:

    Perfume can be a journey or experience, a memory retriever or a new adventure. In fact I enjoy the blends that create an experience for the wearer! We all remember going back to school, the anticipation, anxiety, excitement…and the smells! Looking forward to smelling this creation!
    Opalbear California

  • rmsssss says:

    I love the inspiration of this perfume! Karl’s review made the unusual combination of notes sound so evocative is a nostalgic time and place. I would love to win a bottle. I’m in MN, USA.

  • skye says:

    Really fascinating list of notes! I think most everyone has indelible memories of back to school in the fall when the weather starts to turn cooler and the scents of the classroom become more pronounced and crisper. I like that it seems to be a piney green opening. introducing leather and rubber in with the ambery incense elements. It’s a very creative endeavor and a scent meant to evoke memories. MD, USA.

  • Torax says:

    I love artisan perfumery since I think they have all the freedom to create marterpieces. I felt in love with School since it has the aura of the school years and to me they were one of my most precious years I had. I loved being in school, the smell of new books and the hallway with my pals. Oh boy, I wish I was back in those years.
    USA here.

  • Boris Hernandez says:

    Those tapes. The photo invited me to read the article.
    It be would be nice to own this fragrance. It would bring back moments that only live in our memories.

  • AleksCipri says:

    I love Rook perfumes, I tried most of his older creations but not RSX/03 School. I love the sound of the pine needle opening which I love with the strange scent of newly paint walls. I also love gasoline and incense, but again they are mixed with old tables and waxed floors. From Rook I always expect very artistic fragrance and this one sounds even stranger than the rest. I’m form Illinois, US.

  • Regis Monkton says:

    I’m very interested in trying this fragrance because of its list of notes which is intriguing to me. I’m interested to see what this fragrance can cause me to remember or how it can cause me to feel like. Also, after having read from Karl’s review, I’m under the impression that I probably don’t have anything like this fragrance in my collection. I live in the U.S.A.

  • mmerline says:

    I really dig the presentation on this one: hard lines, black and white photography, industrial aesthetic, and a stark visual reference to geometry studies. The simple triangle logo catches my eye too.

    Obviously, the actual fragrance is even more intriguing, and I love the school concept, though I wonder how wearable it will be. I’m curious about the more challenging notes; cold air, concrete floors, rubber, pencil shavings. It sounds Rook Perfumes created a real artistic achievement with RSX/03 School, capturing a nostalgic smell, and like I’d love to try it.

    I’m in the midwest, USA.

  • rachelng says:

    Karl!!! ❤️❤️❤️ Yes! What an Amazing fragrance! Your description is spot on! I’ve been lucky enough to experience a small decant and it absolutely captures the nostalgic smell of school! Definitely evocative and full of memories. Art. ❤️

  • Johnmc500 says:

    I smelled everything in school, notebooks, pencils, paper, ink, erasers etc…
    Love this idea.
    Oklahoma USA

  • Michael Prince says:

    What interests me about Karl’s review of Rook Perfumes RSX/03 is learning about how Dr. Nadeem Crowe, Founder and Perfumer of Rook Perfumes has created a herbaceous, green, citrusy, fragrance that converts to a rubbery Dior Fahrenheit aroma. I am from the USA.

  • wallygator88 says:

    Thanks for the review Karl.

    This fragrance sounds like a late night drive through the woods with the windows down, cool air rushing into the car, with some Pink Floyd or Grateful Dead banging, the moon and the stars in their prime, followed by a stop at a diner for a hot cup of coffee.

    Cheers from WI, USA