Tom Ford Rose Prick bottle via Tom Ford Beauty

Oh, my friends. When this came out I thought, “Oh, goody! Roses! So what if the name is tasteless: let’s give it a good sniff anyway.” Essentially (sic) I was hopeful because Tom Ford Lost Cherry was such a winner, one of the best despite its woeful appellation-pas-contrôlée. The list of notes for Tom Ford Rose Prick appeared promising as well. Soyons bref: as pretty as this perfume is, I will not be tempted (which is a good thing because it’s: 1) on backorder; and 2) $335.00 for the smaller bottle).

Rose de Mai, Bulgarian Rose and Turkish roses via hermitage oils

Tom Ford Rose Prick has absolutely everything going for it. The materials utilized in its composition are topnotch in every wise; you couldn’t wish for better. Three glorious roses all clamoring for one’s attention at once: Rose Cacaphony. They remind me of the three goddesses on Mount Ida vying for Paris’ attention in Meyerbeer’s operetta, La Belle Hélène:

“Au Mont Ida trois déesses

Se querellaient dans un bois:

Quelle est, disaient ces princesses

La plus belle de nous trois?”

(“On Mount Ida, three goddesses quarreled in a wood: Whom among us, said these princesses – is the most beautiful of the three?”)

tonka bean via Givaudan

A very good question, my noble ladies. They are ALL beautiful, just as one anticipates. Their initial rose clamor is seconded by spice: the woody nuttiness of turmeric which complements a fine Indonesian patchouli, a zesty Sichuan pepper note tinged with mandarin and metal, warm and potent. This metallic edge provides a touch of thorniness to the rose (sometimes rose oxides achieve this, too). Roasted tonka bean possesses all the coumarinic caramel/almond/tobacco tones we associate with tonka plus an added element of dried cocoa, and Tolu balsam is an excellent fixative which contributes balsamic warmth, a flowery aspect flecked with amber. All these aspects are innately lovable and enjoy one another’s company.

Stella Tennant by Tim Walker 

I smelt Rose Prick at Neiman Marcus when it was newly released. The sales representative had sequestered his tester; he only had one bottle of the fragrance left. I sprayed, sniffed, and remarked to him (and he agreed): “This is clearly being marketed to well-heeled young professional women with disposable income. They will adore the bottle, find the fragrance very pretty and wearable (as long as they don’t overspray – in which case it will count as olfactory homicide) and non-threatening. Because they don’t have as much history with the rose-patchouli combination, they may perceive it as novel. It will sell like hotcakes.” Which it has done.

Tom Ford Beauty ad for Rose Prick

Now, Tom Ford has already created rose/patchouli fit for a Royal: Noir de Noir, created by Jacques Cavallier and the legendary Harry Fremont. It takes your breath away, frankly. Then there’s the beloved gold standard, Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady by Dominic Ropion. You can’t go amiss with Jacques Polge’s Chanel Coco Mademoiselle! And what about DSH Perfumes Dirty Rose, which flirts with rose and patchouli trailing a well-worn leather jacket? Tauerville Rose Flash? Miller Harris Rose En Noir? État Libre’s Rossy de Palma Eau de Protection? Providence Perfumes Co. Rose Bohème?  Each of these are fascinating examples of the genre we’re contemplating, and there are many more. Rose and patchouli is not a new aromatic coupling; it takes considerable creativity to breathe new life into it, however.

Via Tim Walker©

Tom Ford Rose Prick is pretty perfume, pure and simple. It feels safe. Some will perceive it as soft, feminine, delicate – which it is. The bottle is lovely and I love pink. Having smelt so many exceptional rose patchouli perfumes which have come before and are less costly, it is not something which I personally would seek out.

Notes: Rose de Mai, Turkish and Bulgarian rose, turmeric extract, Indonesian patchouli, Sichuan pepper, roasted tonka, tolu balsam

Sample purchased from Luckyscent and provided by Sandi Lundberg – thank you, my friend.  My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Senior Editor and Natural Perfumery Editor

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Have you tried Tom Ford Rose Prick?