Rue Royale
by Hové Parfumeur

Bought this fragrance during a trip in March 2011 to New Orleans when I happened upon "Hove Parfumeur" on Royal Street (they have since moved to Chartres Street). Well, being a fragrance & perfume junkie, I was trolling for the store and upon locating it, I ran in and started partaking in the numerous olfactory delights.

As is often the case with me, I immediately felt intimidated and uncomfortable about "bothering" the sales gal by trying different scents and fragrances (I know, I know). Anyhow, after telling the gal that "my fragrance preferences lend towards spicy Oriental Florals with lots of woody, resinous, tobacco & smoky notes," I was given a shot of Rue Royale (among other things).

Maybe it was me but many of the fragrances at Hove smelled very similar and I had an impossible time distinguishing one fragrance from the next. I know parfumeurs have "favorite" or "signature" notes, etc, etc but being in the shop became confusing for me after a brief period of time.

Well, I settled on Rue Royale and after initially liking it (never loving it), it now sits in the back of my very limited (I am picky) fragrance stash. As another writer said, "Hove guards their ingredients carfeully...it is all top secret," ...and that may be true. However, on their website it states "Rue Royale has hints of musk, a light fragrance, selected by fair brunettes who wish quiet elegance."

Huh??? To me, the opening notes are relatively strong, almost harsh. I would never consider this a light, airy or musky floral fragrance. It is downright heady. The opening, IMHO is heavy with lots and lots and lots of green, like strong vetiver or mossy oak green. A typical heady, green-floral, there is perhaps lavender, or violet or rose (??) tossed in somewhere in the middle notes (along with spices, like pepper, anise, licorice). And I guess if/when everything dries down, the basenotes contain some very mild, light musk with rose...the only part of the perfume that I sorta like. I dunno. As I stated, it all seems very confusing to me & my nose...

And that seems to be the problem for me with Rue Royale. To my relatively sensitive & sophisticated nose, there is nothing that stands out or makes this perfume any different or more unique from 1000's of other musky-floral-green fragrancels out there on the commercial market. Some review sites mention a secret ingredient of "Sweet Olive" that is signature to all Hove fragrances. I've never heard of sweet olive and wouldn't be able to identify it :0(

The price is right at $50.00 for a generous 4 oz. bottle of Cologne; however overall, the Hove House and this particular fragrance is just not unique enough for my tastes.

22nd October, 2011. (Last Edited: 24th October, 2011.)

Spring time in a bottle! A bit herbal, sappy green, a little soapy with woody, salty base.
Reminds me of Ivoire De Balmain or the vintage Trigere by designer Pauline Trigere.
Just beautiful.

26th October, 2010.

I find it to be a powdery and floral fresh scent

24th May, 2010.

If you're relatively new to Basenotes, you may not have caught wind of two of the most wonderful perfume sources in the U.S.: Hové Parfumeur <hoveparfumeur.com> and Bourbon French Perfume <neworleansperfume.com>. Cannot urge you strongly enough to visit these shops in the French Quarter if you ever get to New Orleans. Alternatively, do yourself the kindness of ordering samples.

Frustrating though it may be, notes are not published for Hove's lineup. Their compositions are guarded better than Seinfeld's Soup Nazi's recipe for mulagatani soup. At times I've ventured to suggest Rue Royale may contain vetiver (one of Hove's famous ingredients) and something floral (rose?). My latest mystery ingredient reckoning is mineral oil, because both RR and Hove's Camille, have reminded me somewhat of baby oil. The promotional literature teases with this text: "A hint of musk pervades this basically dry and light fragrance, selected most often by fair brunettes who wish a quiet elegance."

All mystery aside, I can declare the fragrance to be Old World in style, soft but distinct, and a sincere pleasure to wear.

13rd June, 2009.