Oriental Rose

Oriental Rose is a three-material fragrance and makes no attempt to disguise it. Mandarin opens, bright and a little sweet, giving the rose a citrus lift rather than a green or spicy one. The rose itself is the whole middle and is handled cleanly, kept away from the jammy, wine-dark treatment that rose often gets and away from the sharp, metallic reading it can take on when it is over-lifted. White musk finishes it, adding a soft, laundered, faintly powdery quality that pushes the composition towards skin rather than towards drama. The name promises more of an oriental structure than the note list delivers, since there is no amber, resin or spice anywhere in it, and buyers expecting something dense will find this considerably lighter than the label suggests. Taken on its own terms it is a competent, unfussy rose that a lot of people would find easy to wear. It performs modestly and stays fairly close after the first hour. Spring and autumn suit it, and it is comfortable in an office. Anyone wanting rose with weight behind it should try Kindled Rose or Bramble Smoke.