Rose L'Orange
April Aromatics (2012)

Not much to add to deadidol's review. I get zero rose here. This would be so much more interesting with more rose and some clove thrown in.

I have a hard time with roses. I can handle them when they're slightly bitter or somewhat buried in a blend, but stick a crappy damascone in front of me, and I'm toast. This one handles rose in a way that I can deal with: it's got the slight bitterness of the otto, but it's also somewhat blended, playing more of a supporting role than stealing the spotlight.

Upfront, you get a big candied orange with a slight chocolate/vanilla facet to it. It's syrupy and thick, but steers clear of cloying sugary hell. Instead, it's more narcotic and alluring–a powdery citrus gourmand that actually feels a little raunchy. There's something visceral lurking in the shadows here–an indole or an ambrette perhaps–something that adds a hint of trouble in an otherwise innocuous sequence of notes. Like many other natural perfumes, this one opens loudly to maximize staying power–and it's quite a loud blast upfront.

Thirty minutes in and it's still pretty big, but the notes structure themselves a little more and it's revealed that the orange is accented by white florals while the powdery presence is impeded by the slight bitterness of the rose. The whole thing feels somewhat edible, but more in the sense of an avant-garde savory/sweet desert. For an orange-dominant scent, it feels surprisingly transitional–I could picture it as a spring/summer affair, but the animal facet also gives it some moody attitude.

After about an hour or so, things have tamed down quite a bit, and what remains is an orangey vanilla that reads a tad too “popsicle” for my liking. Yet there's something stemmy that's brings texture and support to keep the scent from becoming a big ball of sweetness.

The development of this one is puzzling. The opening is where the scent seems to be at its most fleshed out with the gourmand orange aspect working in juxtaposition to the rose. But as it settles, it becomes increasingly candy-like–which feels paradoxical to me. I think after spending so much time with the orange chord, I'd be ready to welcome something more earthy and grounded, yet this kind of orange crème effect could certainly be well suited for some. However, I'd reiterate that the rose is more of a team player than a lead in this scent, and so this might not be the best representation of rose in the line (Rosenlust takes that award). But it's handled nicely and without too much fanfare–which is sort of a relief.

Rose L'Orange skips any signs of top notes, moving immediately to its heart. During the heart the composition focuses on a strong dull orange and mandarin tandem with a soapy aldehyde-infused rose joining in prominent support. During the late dry-down the dull orange, mandarin and rose notes remain, now softened by moderately powdery vanilla in the base. Projection is average, as is longevity at 8-10 hours on skin.

There is not much to write about Rose L'Orange. The notes indicated in the composition name definitely are present and drive its highly linear development -- what little there is of it. For an all-natural composition this one has a slightly artificial smelling bent to the dull orange, somewhat reminding me of unpleasant orange flavored children's medication. While the composition shares some similarities to this unpleasant childhood memory, Rose L'Orange really is not nearly as bad, and once you get to the late dry-down the powdery vanilla takes a bite out of the dull orange-led floral assault providing the best part of the development by far. The bottom line is the $225 per 30 ml bottle Rose L'Orange is a decent linear minimalist offering from April Aromatics that earns an "above average" 2.5 to 3 stars out of 5 rating. This is near immediately forgettable and even more-so when its relatively high price is taken into account. Pass.