Rome

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ROME

Refined, austere and graceful. A recipe gleaned from Classical Rome: cypress, juniper, chamomile and rose.

 

In the imp:

Cypress and chamomile. It's very refined and it does indeed remind me of the large tree outside of my old apartment in Rome.

 

On:

The chamomile gets really strong here, but it doesn't overpower the tree scents. Every once in a while I think I smell the rose, but I can't be sure.

 

After 15 minutes:

Okay, the rose is definitely present! It's mainly chamomile and rose now, which is very pleasant but less reminiscent of Rome. Or maybe it's just the scent of the the upscale neighborhood.

 

After a while:

All the notes have blended together magnificently, but the juniper/cypress mix is now the main element.

 

Overall, this is a wonderful scent that truly does capture the feel of Rome. I can picture the cypress trees (with their very interesting pruning job) in Vigna Clara and the long, narrow walk down from Giochi Delfici to my old highschool. It's not one that I would wear all the time, but I think it would be wonderful when I'm feeling nostalgic. This is the only picture I could find of that area without me or my friends making funny faces, but this is exactly what this blend brings to mind: link!

Edited July 28, 2007 by Shollin
Changed pic to link, too wide --Shollin

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Strong, vibrant and indeed refined! Roses, cypress and juniper are certainly in there.

 

First on:

Woah, pure cypress! I love cypress – both the scent and the actual plant – but this is so strong it has me coughing.

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, the cypress is still strong, but there's juniper in there as well now. It's sophisticated and ancient.

 

20-30 mins afterapplication, it has gone more balanced and less in-your-face. I'm not getting any roses or chamomile at all, though. I don't really mind – I'm not fond of roses at all.

 

Finally:

After a few hours, this has mellowed into a pleasant scent – perfect for my Greco-Roman whims. Keeping!

[Christine Daae]

In the imp, this is sharply herbal. Whoo. Here goes.

 

On my skin, the juniper is the most present. Honestly, my skin is turning this one fairly unpleasant, which is too bad.

[idoru]

In the vial: clean, sharp, fresh-cut rose.

 

On: this is primarily rose, but in a good way. Roses in a tree-shaded herb garden, a dark whisper of pine; elegant but not the elegance of Victorian rosewater nor anything too urban-sophisticated.

I can't pick out the individual notes of chamomile, juniper, and cypress, but I can certainly tell that they're present. [it's so hard for me to describe how this is different from other rose-plus-stuff scents!]

 

In a way, my brain processes it almost like a fresh, verdant version of Zombi -- earthy but refined, pure rose without being ALL rose.

 

I will say this, though: it doesn't bring Rome-the-city to mind, for me. Knowing that the blend is drawn from ancient Rome, however, if I picture the ancient parts of the city, it makes more sense.

 

Definitely keeping the imp, if nothing else.

[hkhm]

imp: the cypress and juniper are making a nice piney scent while keeping the rose in check. i'm not sure if i'm catching the chamomile or not but there is a nice, rich sweetness that just can't be the rose...

 

wet: this is a disaster. i smell like scratch 'n' sniff stickers. a pine tree and a rose sitting next to each other on the same folder.

 

dry: even worse. the rose has gone soapy and the pine scent smells like pine-sol. i smell like a freshly scrubbed guest bathroom

[Josh]

This was a complete surprise, one of three free imps that were thrown into my order.

 

Wet on wrist: Sharp! Like a white razor made of tightly bound flowers just sliced through the back of my nose. This is hard for me to pinpoint, slightly more on the feminine side but I would feel fine wearing it as well. It smells like what I'd imagine a rich socialite would wear, yet it also has a synthetic medicinal flower scent, like something you'd find in your grandmother's bathroom cabinet.

 

Dry on wrist: Smells exactly like Lysol.

 

Dry on wrist (2 hours after application): This stuff has gone wonky on me. Smells like dry white wine spilled inside of a church. Synthetic floral, medicinal cream, not working. For some reason it has a New England feel to it?

 

Final verdict: This is a very strange one. I bet on some people this stuff really comes alive. Not right for my skin, but it is a very interesting scent for sure.

Edited October 27, 2007 by Josh

[heidijoy]

In the bottle: It screamed "GREEEEEEN" and then said "rose" as an out of the blue afterthought, kinda like some kind of olfactory Tourette's syndrome or something.

 

On my skin fresh: An amazing balance of that green and rose in equal parts. Lovely.

 

End of the day: A soapy finish.

 

Sad. I wanted to love this but I don't care for the ending.

[aleciarivas]

Soapy rose. It starts out pretty nice with a ver soft rose smell but after a very short while all I get is soapy rose. Ew.

[alicia_stardust]

I smell juniper, and lots of it! It gives this a deep purple-green dusky "color" to it. The cypress adds a nice woodsy quality to this and the rose sits on top. It's a strong, mature rose, but one that still isn't dwarfed by the lovely juniper. I really love this!

[enderfem]

Imp: Rose and chamomile

 

Wet: very faint chamomile and something medicinal.

 

Drydown: Rose scented ointment. This was awful.

[taramarie]

Wet on my skin, Rome is tea rose and juniper. Absolutely lovely. Unfortunately, the juniper soon vanished. Drying, Rome's tea rose and a hint of chamomile. Dry, it's just tea rose. I don't need another tea rose sn, but I'm going to age this and see if it improves.

[BelleAnge]

I applied this about an hour ago and the scent is almost totally gone already. All I get is a faint hint of citrus. This is the only BPAL scent that has faded on me so quickly.

[selchie9]

Wet on skin: Fresh, lovely tea rose and...apple?

After a few minutes: As it dries, the cypress and juniper come out, but so does something very astringent, almost like ammonia.

Dry on skin: The ammonia smell fades and the chamomile comes out. The cypress and juniper take a back seat again, and it smells like I had hoped it would when I ordered it: rose and chamomile backed up by whiffs of cypress and juniper.

 

I found it faded to be almost unnoticeable after a few hours. Too bad, because once the astringent period is over, it's really very pretty, calm, and stately.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Cypress and chamomile - a very woodsy-herbal topnote - with fainter rose and juniper underneath. Bracing, a little citrusy.

 

Wet: Definitely some citrus, and it jumps out at me immediately, followed my herbal-sweet chamomile, cool-woody cypress, and true tea rose. The sharper, astringent juniper is a faint afterthought.

 

Dry: The rose, loving my skin as it usually does, is completely taking over. Still, the fresh, invigorating cypress and chamomile manage to hold on noticeably. Juniper remains well behaved.

 

Summary: Herbal-woodsy, citrusy tea rose. Bright and stimulating, yet elegant. On me, the rose is the strongest note, making it a very womanly blend, but I could see this working on a man with different skin chemistry, too. Great throw & lasting power.

Edited May 2, 2008 by fairnymph

[charisse]

Imp: Reminds me of floral water. Rosewater, that's it! With a touch of, mm, chamomile I believe.

Wet: My skin is eating it up! I had to have my nose touching my wrists to get a whiff, at which point I detected the lovely rose scent.

Dry: Almost gone. And it hasn't even been 10 minutes.

Overall: I love this, but I need it to be more noticeable and lasting. I felt like I should bathe in it before I could smell it.

[Etheriel]

Rome was my first experience to Bpal and it is one of my favorites. It is a beautifully classical scent

 

In bottle: Rose and Cypress are what I smell the most, it is a bitter combination.

 

Wet: Cypress is the strongest and thus it has a woody smell. Like a thick forest, I also imagine the forest coated in fog, giving everything a dampness, increasing its potency.

 

Dry: The rose comes back, and it has brought chamomile with it. The woody scent dies down and the flowers bloom. Rose and chamomile are both very calming. They give off a warmth that puts me to sleep.

 

I never really understood why some people wear bpal to bed until I tried it with rome. It is so relaxing for me.

[megank4]

Without reading the notes, this seemed to have cedar in it. However, to be fair it could just be residue from one of the five other imps that I tried today. This fades quickly and I didn't get much throw from it.

[jiggahava]

This is a really good blend for when I'm in my "woodsy" moods. The juniper and the cypress create a very dewy, bright green grass feeling. Like being in the woods on a summer day with the light filtering through the trees. The rose is distinctive, it's a crisp fresh rose. The chamomile I can detect just grounding the whole thing togeather, although it's very light and more of a background note. It makes me feel fresh and pretty. I'll keep my imp around for sure!

[thelaurenator]

There is something so... old-world about this scent. It seems so dreamy and far away, though not at all what I imagine Rome must smell like. I don't know what I expected, but this is such an unusual scent. At first it's all dark, smoky greenery and then it fades to a powdery rose with a green backdrop. I don't necessarily *like* it on me, but this would be heartbreakingly sexy on a man.

[ErinZ]

Wet in imp:

bright evergreen

 

Wet on skin:

holy crap, I've got a tree on my arm!

 

Drydown:

now a tree covered with boxed hair color?

 

Final impression:

No… just… no. We do not get along like good children. Not one bit.

[Iceblink]

A very *green* tea rose--the cypress and juniper are woodsy and keep the tea rose in check. I think I get a hint of chamomile in there somewhere. Something in this is giving me a bit of a headache, but it would make a great unisex rose/woods blend.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Mostly lots of rose with juniper, which to me often smells a bit like turpentine. I have opted not to skin test on thwe grounds that there is no way this will smell good on me.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: An interesting herbal/rose/pine mixture.

 

Immediately on skin: For some reason this is very faint to me… my nose just isn’t able to grab the scent almost. The scent is mainly rose, with a little chamomile and the sharp pine note of either the juniper or cypress.

 

After a little while: The longer I have this on, the more the rose and chamomile come out. This scent is mostly a mixture of the two with the rose taking the center stage and the chamomile adding it’s calming scent to it. The cypress and juniper really aren’t that evident; now, all I get is a slight sharp scent in the background from them.

 

Overall Impressions: This is overall a nice, smooth rose scent with a bit of chamomile. I was nervous that the cypress and juniper would be the main notes, but they’re very subtle here. This is a stronger rose scent though, so if you don’t like blends that feature mainly rose, I’d stay away from this one. If you do like rose, though, I find the chamomile adds a nice calming, sweet quality to this blend.

[gchris]

In Vial: Pine-sol and roses.

 

Wet: Wow! really strong. Roses are powerful in this.

 

Dry: Strong Rose.

[zankoku_zen]

Wow, on me it's a rose-chamomile mash up, but really it ends up smelling like it's entirely made of rose geranium. It's very old world and very soothing. I liked it more than I thought I would!

 

(Makes note that when WSRE runs out, to substitute it with Rome)