Rose Cross

[klio]

A profound symbol of an individual’s personal initiatic process, spiritual refinement and evolution, synthesis, grace found as a result of trial and suffering, and the alchemical process by which we transform the raw essence of our souls through light in extension. This is a holy oil, a representation of the triumph of spirit over matter: purest rose with sacred frankincense.

 

This is the second scent I've tried (the first was Fortunato, which nearly did me in). I'm having trouble opening the imps, but I was determined to have something nice to smell on going to sleep tonight, and a rose scent seemed a safe bet. I finally wrenched the imp open and spilled it all over myself and itself, on the laptop, and into my newly arranged little box of unopened imps and frimps.

 

Rose Cross smells exactly like my grandmother's bedroom. Like snuggling in old-fashioned blankets, like running my hands across a bureau topped with a silken cloth and laid out with silver hair brushes and combs and boxes of Victorian jewelry, with delicate photo frames and a print of Maxfield Parrish's "Daybreak." Of staring out the window at the stars while curled up in bed with my mother and her mother. None of which, I realise, describes the scent to anyone else--but, think "old fashioned." Powdery roses, and what must the hint of frankincense--not burning in a censer right next to me, but the lingering incense that clung to her hymn book and prayer book after decades of Sundays. It's powdery in just the right way, like sinking my toes into a fluffy pink rug in front of the bathtub and knowing I can sit in the sun all morning with nowhere urgent to go.

 

After about a half hour, it hasn't altered on me much. A richer, deeper rose is wafting through, but the original scent is still strong.

 

So: certainly old-fashioned, and not (for me) for wearing. I'd like to scent the linen closet with this and dream of summer.

 

ETA on 3 April: Contrary to what I said above, I now wear this all the time. Usually layered with Bon Vivant. I can't get enough of it--and I've ordered a 5ml bottle. Only the fact it's GC and readily available kept me from ordering more.

Edited April 3, 2006 by klio

[abitcoconuts]

First off, thank you to the lab for the frimp!

 

This was the first of the imps that I opened and was struck at how lovely it is. This is pure, clean roses to me. I haven't really had much experience with any of the rose blends so I don't have any thing to compare it to, but this really is a lovely rose scent. I have to agree with others who have found them to be wet, like freshly watered roses in a vase--not like grandma potpourri roses.

 

I am reminded of something, but I cannot place it. It is a very evocative scent. I am not religious but I did go to mass a few times when I was younger so perhaps that is what I am smelling (after reading the other reviews and the description, that would be a reasonable explaination!)

 

I like this a lot and highly recommend it if you love roses.

[fiddledragon]

Wow. I've had mixed luck with roses, as so many of them smell lush in the bottle and then turn to this weird musty rotton thing on my hands. But this is a very light, clear rose scent, neither fruity nor musty. It stays true on my skin, and blends beautifully with the frankincense. The rose wafts up around me, while the resins stay warm and cling to my skin, remaining after the rose has faded. This stuff is amazing! It makes a truly excellent work blend, as it starts out with the clean, "awake" rose scent, then dies down to a soft, comforting frankincense just as I'm starting to feel burnt out.

 

And there's only about half an imp left, since it was a partial imp in a swap! Must have more! Alas, no money. :-(

[Miss_Trisha]

This is the strangest scent I have tried from The Lab. I wanted frankincensy roses but ended up with a smell that I have never experienced. I have nothing to compare it to because it is so strange on me. It's almost an eccentric tree smell. It's just so....bizarre.

 

Frankincense has a habit of doing strange things on me and that might be why. I'll keep the imp because it intrigues me....but no big bottle for me.

[brownbear]

This one starts out as a rose with a bit of incense. Then my skin amped up the rose and that's all I could smell. oh well. That seems to happen with most roses on me.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Roses and incense, sho 'nuff. The rose is blood-red and quite sturdy, not some pale powdery pink thing. It’s the sort of rose a knight wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear on his shield.

 

Wearing: Hmph. In contact with my skin, the shield-rose is turning into a lady’s bower. A powdery lady’s bower. Where are you, Mr. Frankincense? I know we don’t generally get along, but I need you to ground these silly flowers, even if you insist on going all sharp after!

[Chrysantza]

I got an imp of this mostly because I wanted a rose/frankincense ritual anointing or purification oil (rose and frankincense vibrate at a very high level). The fact that it smells lovely is a nice extra!

 

In the bottle, it's pure rose of the rich, deep, red variety. On me it's very rosy with a touch of frankincense. Actually what I was hoping Parlement of Foules would be! The frankincense balances the rose and keeps it from going soapy, and doesn't amp up like the dread VoldeMyrrh.

 

I think I'll get a bottle of this.

[Court Analyst/Strategist]

I like frankincense, so I thought I could fool my skin chemistry into enjoying this one. But...This quickly turns to rose potpourri such as those found in ladies powder/dressing rooms. The rose potpourri also seems to have a bit of a soured powder edge to it. Alas, not for me. I am apparently, as I have always suspected, a natural enemy of the rose (and I have tested this theory many a time, with a similiar result. Although let's just say that the rose note or notes are usually not so kind to me as to turn into potpourri...).

 

Throw: 7.5/10 (rating). The broadcasting power of this is of a moderate to strong level.

 

Overall: 4/10 (rating). Unfortunately, Rose Cross goes completely to powder-room potpourri on my skin chemistry.

 

Court

Edited May 22, 2006 by Court Analyst/Strategist

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

...in the early 80's there was a fragrance released by Paloma Picasso (wierdly enough, she called it [wait for it....] Paloma Picasso)

 

which i still love, but haven't ever really been able to wear because it is so strong and overpowering (but what 80's fragrances weren't?)

 

and Rose Cross....smells the way Paloma should have, at least to me.

 

there's rose. deep, true rose -- not the damageproof ones you buy at the grocer's, but the real, heirloom roses from fifty or a hundred years ago. and longer, of course.

 

but there's a stable, grounding, earthy note. incense and.....

i'd say dirt, but that has unpleasant connotations for some.

loamy, rich. middle of an old forest after a hard rain.

healthy, fertile

 

yes, i can see how this is a sacred blend....

 

my poor little 10mL isn't going to last long, i'm afraid....

[laurahcory]

Rose Cross: Alas, smells like dime-store hooker on me. Ugh. Not as overwhelmingly overpowering and headache-inducing as Nyarlathotep, but I still have a mild headache. I was careful and put on much less, too.

 

First sniff: Bleah. Cheap, faux rose perfume. Overly processed, chemical-y, something trying hard to be rose, but just smells like fake rose.

 

Dabbed on wrist: Same reaction. A dusty $5 bottle of rose "perfume" bought on clearance at that run-down Eckerd's that no one goes to anymore now that there's a shiny new Walgreen's three blocks away.

 

Five minutes later: An undertone of... something dry and musty and baby-powderish. Now it's really smelling like cheap old-lady scent on me.

 

Final impression: I'm dissappointed. I love rose scents, especially ones made with genuine rose essential oils (yes, I know how costly that is). Frankincense isn't one of my top favorite fragrances, but I like it OK, and I was looking forward to trying the blend of these two together. Unfortunately, it just totally and completely does not work on me.

 

I have a few more rosey fragrances on order, including Seraglio and Venus, so hopefully one or the other ot those will work better for me.

[ladymissspyder]

In imp: frankincense with soft roses.

 

Wet: fraaaaaaankincense. Which is weird, because I was fully expecting a 50 ft rose to leap off my arm and bludgeon me into unconsciousness once I applied this.

 

Top notes: my husband won't stop talking about "dropper blossoms," but I really don't smell any blood or heroin notes in this. It's still pretty much rose and frankincense. Although the rose is getting stronger...the frankincense softens the edges out and makes this really lovely.

 

Middle note: ah, booger. Remember that 50 ft rose I mentioned earlier? Um. Yeah.

 

Although, to be fair, it's a really pretty 50 foot rose.

 

ETA: OK, now it's a respectable level of rose. Yay.

Edited June 7, 2006 by ladymissspyder

[juniperus]

Bottle: frankincense, and a sharpness I can't attribute to either the rose or the resin..

Wet: I know this sharp edge, but can't recall the source. grrrhmmm.

Dry: the sharpness has passed, and not I can catch the green freshness behind the rose, and the frankincense supporting it all from the bottom. it's wuuuunnnerful.

Later: the rose is full, but not really feminine..the frankincense a base of depth and breadth. not a rose-y blend on me, but not 'churchy' either. fascinating.

[edenssixthday]

Rose Cross - Although I love rose, I’m usually not a fan of frankincense, so I avoided this one for a while. On a whim I decided to go ahead and try it, not having much hope for it. However, I have to say that (as I’ve said a multitude of times already) here’s another BPAL that has pleasantly surprised me. It’s gorgeous. It’s got the typical BPAL rose scent, but it’s deepened and spiced up by the frankincense. It definitely has a sacred feel about it and I keep getting images in my head of old European cathedrals. This is a Lenten type of scent – very somber and serene. I love it. It’s got a little bit of throw – not enough to wrap me in a veil of scent, but enough to occasionally remind me how pretty it is. It’s not an every day scent, so it’s not going to be worn often, but will be absolutely perfect on certain occasions.

[Eunice]

I get the rose but it isn't as strong as the other rose blends I;ve tried. There seems to be a bit of lemon in this to give this a sharper, crisper scent. And as with all the rose scents, there is that ever so nice green scent. Fabulous!

[fairy]

Wow. ANother amazing scent. I got this as a free sniffie and had to buy an imp from the lab. Might upgrade to a bottle when funds come in

 

It's the sweetest rose...and it does smell "holy". Lovely, soft and sweet. What more can you ask for?

[sofiaviolet]

This is a very simple scent. Does just what it says. The rose sweetens the frankincense a bit. This is very pretty, with loads of throw.

[lookingglass]

Roses. Thick and syrupy roses.

[buzz23666]

I am sitting in front of a huge box of BPAL (courtesy of some fab members here who have let go of some of their booty on ebay) And since I am a sucker for anything rose - I grabbed this one first.

 

WWAAHHHHHHHHH! Unfortunately, and much to my chagrin this one is medicinal and slightly band-aid-esque on me. Quite strange actually. I usually have very good luck with rose scents and I am mystified as to why this one just doesn't do it for me.

 

It started out as a pale, new rose with the abovementioned hints of first aid and then the rose just poof - disappeared turning into light powder. I am way bummed about this one.

 

Good news is that almost everything else that I have tried today has exceeded my expectations!

[azhure]

In the vial: Roses! To me, they smell like pink roses. Very slight incensey undertone.

 

Wet: A lovely blend of pink rose and frankincense. Quite potent at first.

 

Dry: The roses fade into the background, with the frankincense taking over. It's a lovely dry scent, very comforting. Unfortunately it doesn't last so long on me - fades within a few hours.

[Diana]

wet: rose, obviously. there's a bit of a playdoh-ish note in the background

 

Drydown: I really wish I knew what specific type of rose this is, because I think this is a the same one that I've tried in a few other blends. I really don't like it. It's super cloying, waxy, sour, and plastic smelling--and I usually love roses. I think it reminds me of Netzach or Hymn, both of which really have started turning me off of floral blends. Not for me at all.

[Christine Daae]

In the bottle: Incensy. Slightly sour incense.

 

Wet: This...smells like churches. In a good way.

 

Drydown: The incense and the rose smell warm and holy. This reminds me of Catholic mass, weddings, and confession all at once.

 

While wearing: I am not sure how I like incensy scents on my skin. This is a very true, holy-smelling rose. I love roses, and this is such a comforting, holy scent. Beth's roses are all so gorgeous. It's holy and resiny and incensy, but at the same time, the most beautiful rose scent. It reminds me a lot of Parlement of Foules, actually - another of my favourites.

[PilotKitten]

Hmm... knowing my chemistry's history with frankincense I wasn't really expecting to like this one at all, but it's been on my wishlist since I first got into BPAL so I still had to try it eventually. I'm rather glad I did! This isn't an absolute best rose scent that BPAL does, but it's definitely up there with the other great rose blends. I'll definitely be getting myself a bottle of this one. It's mostly a very rich, velvety red rose on me, with just the barest hint of herby frankincense. It smells just like the rose note used in Whip but not as heady or strong. Very good rose blend.

[supremegoddessofall]

Exactly what it says it is - rose and frankincense. However, it's the rose that goes straight to chemical on me. Oh well. Swap pile.

[starcr]

In the bottle, really perfumey and strong. But the rose comes out from around behind the smell, kind of, almost after I've put the bottle away. It's not even the after-smell, it's kind of... the scent's ghost, or something. What sticks around after the perfume is gone.

 

On me, it turns quite rosy. The scent I noticed as the "perfume's ghost" is pretty much what it smells like at first on me. It's roses, but not super-floral rose; there's a kind of earthiness or smokiness about it. It took me a while to nail down what it reminded me of, and then I was embarrassed because it was so obvious. It reminds me of rose incense, before burning. Duh. Makes sense for a scent that's supposed to be frankincense and rose, no? After a bit, the rose gradually faded into the background and the frankincense came out stronger. It stuck around for quite a while; I put it on as I was getting dressed in the morning (around 6:15) and was still getting whiffs of frankincense well into the afternoon.

 

I like this one, but don't know if it's one I want to wear a lot. I could see using it to scent a room, or bath salts, or something like that, though. That might be really nice. If the "ghost" scent could be coaxed out, but that might be done simply by using it sparingly; I suspect the strength and perfuminess has a lot to do with having a lot of it all in one place.

[maribouquet]

imp: dusty rose

wet: rose

drydown: WHOA. What happened? I like rose, and I am pretty sure I like frankincense, but the two do not serve each other well on my skin. Not at all - their middle tones amp each other to high heaven, leaving me with a slightly sour, very cloying (truthfully, sick-making) odor.

 

 

 

 

 

edited to fix format

Edited November 28, 2006 by maribouquet