Rose Cut
Ann Gerard (2014)

The sweet level of the opening is very high! Jammy roses are dominating and are paired with aldehydes which are not that sparkly as they usually are, a healthy dose of vanilla and a shy peony. In the base a big powdery note is intruding over the sweet rose and will take the lead into the drydown together with an abstract and synthetic floral/patchouli.

I have to commend Rose Cut - its progression is really something. It manages somehow to lurch from a sickly sweet rum-and-aldehydes opening to a parched, mineralic dust in 2.5 hours flat. Has to be some kind of record for going from bad to worse.

The opening notes are a depressing microcosm of 'niche' - raspberry jam, rubber, rum, a pile of sugar crystals and the unnaturally white spackle of aldehydes. There's an interesting rose note in there somewhere, but it comes and goes, and its pale little flutter gets covered up by a purple soap note and what smells like me to be mint. Something herbal and hotel-soapy anyway. It might be the peony. If I'm not mistaken, that's the note that makes me struggle a bit with Dzongkha (although I respect Dzongkha and I keep trying with it).

It's the base that I really dislike, though. It flattens out into a grey, mineralic powder that seems to emphasise the very worst aspects of benzoin, specifically that kind of bitter, resinous, catch-in-your-throat facet of bezoin. I'm less keen on that side of benzoin than on the vanilla and lemon cream side.

The oakmoss wood absolute, or whatever they're calling the substitute for real oakmoss, is not a real replacement at all. So here we have the dry, salty woodiness of oakmoss but without the entrancing, deep inky sludge facets of the real deal. Again, like with the benzoin, this perfume is emphasising all the least attractive facets of the base materials and discarding the parts that make them smell interesting. In my opinion. (Anyone who watches the Good Wife will get that reference).

Honestly, the base just smells like hot, salt-encrusted rocks you find down at the seaside - all air-dried salt, minerals, and general grey stoniness. The patchouli is too pale and polite and cleaned-up to make any kind of impact. The rose has done a disappearing act. It has been "cut". I keep catching a smell of rubber too - what IS that?

Sadly, on my skin this is a hot mess of synthetic rose, strong patchouli, pepper & something syrupy-sweet, combining to form a headache-inducing, monster-fruitchouli-from-hell with huge sillage & longevity. It does quieten down after a couple of hours, & eventually dries down to a tolerable amber base with a hint of tea, but it was a struggle resisting the urge to scrub long before this. I see that other reviewers love this, but personally I cannot recommend it, & will not be subjecting my nose to it again. Ever.

I wasn't expecting this but Rose Cut impresses me. A wine-y, rum-laced rose accord hums over the light powdery oriental base. It almost smells like an airy /incensey, rose-infused Spiritueuse Double Vanille, albeit with a far more restrained elegance.

Kudos goes to Duchaufour for coming up with Rose Cut. It is clearly a cut above, very classic in style (aldehydic rose-patchouli-vanilla) and would not look out of place in a full Chanel line-up.

Rose Cut opens with an alcohol-laden airy rose and orange-tinged peony floral tandem before transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart the rose eschews its early boozy support, but the peony remains in a diminished state while adding peppery spice that gradually deepens as time passes coupling with incense-like benzoin rising from the base. During the late dry-down the composition turns moderately powdery as high quality vanilla enhanced by powdery oakmoss in the base takes over, with hints of patchouli and the diminished spice remaining in modest support through the finish. Projection is below average though more than a skin scent and longevity above average at 9-11 hours on skin.

Rose Cut is a composition that has not gotten much attention by most in the fragrance community, and that is a real shame. The Duchaufour composed offering by Ann Gerard uses rose in a very different way than most offerings on the market, and in this case it is also very, very good smelling too. The peony is maybe the most interesting component of the rose-centric composition as it adds an element to the rose that is rarely explored without ever stealing the limelight from the star. Duchaufour also uses mild spice and benzoin quite deftly, as they add an almost spicy incense-like aspect to the rose that smooths the composition out, while leaving just a hint of an earthy edge to keep things interesting. The powdery vanilla and oakmoss led late dry-down is the least interesting aspect of Rose Cut, but even this powder-hater still enjoyed it, as the dry powdery vanilla and oakmoss tandem adds contrast to the smooth incense-laced earlier florals. The bottom line is the $165 per 60ml bottle Rose Cut is more than a cut above its crowded rose-centric competition earning a "near outstanding" 4 to 4.5 stars out of 5 rating and a strong recommendation. One of the best things I have sniffed so far this year for sure.