Sa Majesté la Rose (2000)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

I've never had the pleasure of smelling a real Bourbon rose, but if this is what Bourbon roses smell like... why on earth would anyone cultivate them? Maybe I have a bad sample or skin chemistry that doesn't mesh with this scent -- looking at the reviews right now, fewer than 7% are negative -- so even though I dislike Sa Majeste la Rose, it looks like it comes down to my own body and preferences... I don't have the heart to be so critical, hence my neutral rating.

On my skin, I hardly see how Sa Majeste could be interpreted as a floral. I don't get any flower, rose or otherwise... instead, this scent opens with a heavy, cloying dose of spices and greenness. I normally adore green notes, but not when they're nose-burning and warm (think olfactory salsa, as opposed to mint). Where's the freshness, the earthiness, the aquatic, the flower? Nowhere to be found. I waited an hour and nothing changed; the scent was still strong and unpleasant (partly due to the burning sensation). I washed off my wrists with plain water and scrubbed with a towel... Then, and only then, do I get the lingering scent of a flower -- the rose -- with a little sweetness... It's sad, really, because that's the only point at which I find it beautiful, but it still doesn't exemplify majesty.

I could see myself -- maybe -- getting accustomed to Sa Majeste la Rose, but it would only be an acquired taste and never a love. I'd take the natural scent of a clean, healthy body (sweat, sebum, and all) over this, and I would never want this scent to linger on my pillows; I'd find it too unpleasant to sleep. I can't say anything for longevity, but the sillage in that first hour was considerable... I caught whiffs of it from my wrist even at arm's length.

18th November, 2011. (Last Edited: 19th November, 2011.)

I REALLY wanted to like this one because of its uber femininity, but I couldn't. It sort of just sits on my wrist not doing much of anything. It is very strong rose and something ( I am sooooo new to this and the jargon is not there yet, sorry folks ). I would give it a thumbs down but with soo many great reviews I know that it's just my chemistry that it doesn't mesh with. Not being a fan of florals anyway, I am gonna stick with my first floral love: Un Lys.

18th August, 2011.

When I first applied this it reminded me of smelling a fresh apple (close cousin to roses)before bitting into it.SMlR seems to retain the fresh apple/rose scent veering more into the rose side as it progresses. I like it and will have to get a bottle eventually.

31st January, 2011.

Sa Majesté la Rose is the truest, clearest rendition of the 19th century Bourbon rose that I’ve encountered. (Keiko Mecheri’s Mogador comes close, but overdoes the sugar.) To those who know it, the scent of the Bourbon roses (Mme. Pierre Oger, Louise Odier, and Souvenir de la Malmaison among them,) is unique and unmistakable. It combines the rich, heady, and ever so slightly yeasty fragrance of a damask rose with a tropical fruit or raspberry note, with each component balancing and challenging the other in a complicated olfactory dance. Sheldrake and Lutens have nailed it.

The Bourbon rose accord is evident the instant Sa Majesté la Rose goes on, and it persists in a fairly linear manner that’s unusual for a Serge Lutens product. Don’t for a moment think that I hold this against the scent. The central accord is so bewitching that I’d happily have it go on for hours. There are few distractions along Sa Majesté la Rose’s march toward its floral throne: just some woods and perhaps a touch of vetiver in the base, with a bit of musk emerging in the drydown. All take a distant back seat to the truly majestic rose. Superb sillage and projection, and fine lasting power to boot. All this without a drop of the heavy syrup that bathes most of this house’s offerings.

Sa Majesté la Rose is a tour de force that demonstrates just what Sheldrake and Lutens can do when they lay off of their shared sugar addiction. They’re clearly not making all those sweet, heavy orientals because they can’t do any differently. If these guys put themselves on a diet more often, their line would be more diverse and interesting. Are you listening Serge and Christopher?

At any rate, bravo to the duo on this one! I hope someday they’ll make a few more like it.

29th November, 2010.

What a fitting tribute to the queen of flowers!
SMlR manages to capture at once the seemingly contradictory simplicity and complexity of the rose
This is one big, although not overwhelming, rose. Rose haters please abstain from wearing and even trying.
Not a rose in disguise, tempered with violet or rendered more masculine by patchouli, but a creamy, honeyed and (of course) majestic rose...a masterfully executed scent of undeniable beauty .
Even though I tend to think of fragrances as genderless, this one is clearly feminine to my nose.

11th October, 2010.

Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose. Is this a 21st Century interpretation of a rose scent? This is an interpretation of a Bathroom Spray Toilet Deodorizer. Smells like a rose with an aquatic accord. I am missing here the surroundings of the rose, the green leaves, the earth, the sky; roses are for passion, for lustful nights, for 3somes;roses are toxic, red blood, pink moon, white satin and black Sabbath; roses are for champagne with strawberries. Thumbs down. This is just a repetition of a repetition of a repetition…

6th October, 2010.