Une Zeste de Rose
by Les Parfums de Rosine

When your mission statement and goal in life has become to combine rose with every conceivable permutation of all other possible perfume notes, you're going to have to face up to the world of citrus. UN ZEST DE ROSE does just that, with a big dose of yummy candied citrus rind powerful enough to make you forget that you're still romping about one of the many rooms in Rosine's resplendent rose mansion.

I have to confess that when I saw the name, I was a tad bit skeptical: rose citrus? Even the house of Fresh holds back on the citrus in its CANNABIS ROSE, and they have a penchant for citrus that certainly rivals and may even surpass Rosine's obsession with rose. Happily, my skepticism was all for naught in this particular case: UN ZEST DE ROSE is really beautiful, when all is said and sniffed.

Although the citrus rind (primarily orange, to my nose) strikes me as somewhat candied, the bitterness tempers the sweetness, making this a very pleasant citrus-rose scent in which the rose plays, in the end, only a supporting role. This composition is straightforward and linear, but the components are natural and nice enough to land this unexpected creation on my wishlist. I would recommend UN ZEST DE ROSE to anyone who appreciates a good citrus fragrance, whether or not they usually do rose...

30th July, 2011.

Rose, Tea and Citrus notes - those are all i smell.

To my nose the Tea and Citrus notes are more dominant than the Rose.

A very refreshing and uplifting scent, makes me long for a glass of iced tea.

16th August, 2010.

UZdR is a sparkling rose & citrus scent. A little bit on the sweet side, but mostly effervescent and fun. The opening starts with a burst of lemon citrus, and eventually the lemon moves away to a calm background note - maybe a little sugary at this point as limoncello is sugary. The rose is present throughout the development - a soft light sweet rose - and is thoroughly delightful. A tea accord is definitely present in the middle of development and sticks around for the most part well into the drydown. The lasting power is about medium 2-3 hours, and it has light sillage. It is a joy to reapply, and it is one of those fragrances (as with an eau de cologne) when you can apply liberally and still enjoy - you won't bowl anyone over with Zeste de Rose. Just delightful. It is nice to wear a light citrus-floral that doesn't descend into the usual bag of tricks - no aromachem-musk drydown here.

2nd April, 2010.

Unexpectedly complex, as citrus is such an olfactory bully that it can easily reduce a frag. to just the loud bits of pith and peel. Une Zeste de Rose keeps the rose a steady constant - only giving the citrus enough room to brighten, but not overpower. Others on the list have used the word "youthful" or "young" to describe the effect. I must agree, this is not a drawing room rose, instead definitely a young beautiful outgoing rose. Brightness abounds, but without any loss of depth. The layers of tea, musk and (gray??) amber provide tiny, understated anchors, while letting the rose, citrus and just a hint of the gardenia soar. The final result is much like flying a neon colored kite using ornate Victorian scatter pins as tail weights. This frag makes me crave summer in a most ferocious way. I shall have to re-visit it in warmer weather.

26th February, 2010.

Une Zeste de Rose engages the nose with a very pretty opening maneuver that entails crisp herbaceous notes (the maté in the pyramid?) moist lemon, green tea, and a sweet, gentle rose. The accord balances on a minute fulcrum lying somewhere between the garden and the salad bowl, and so manages to be appetizing without actually smelling like food.

The citrus naturally recedes over the first quarter hour of wear, leaving a very simple, clean, translucent green tea and rose accord at the core of the scent. As a happy, lightweight rose Une Zeste de Rose is a cousin to Olivia Giacobetti’s Drôle de Rose for L’Artisan Parfumeur. Une Zeste de Rose is the less sweet of the pair, with more soap and powder in its base notes. The soapy accent leaves Une Zeste de Rose smelling both more mature and more traditional than Drôle de Rose: where Drôle de Rose suggests childish mischief, Une Zeste de Rose projects a relaxed, yet composed dignity.

For such a crystalline and effervescent scent Une Zeste de Rose is surprisingly potent. It projects well off of the skin and leaves a conspicuous, though never overwhelming, cloud of sillage behind it. Lasting power is respectable, with a few hours of floral optimism before the clean musk drydown sets in. Une Zeste de Rose belongs to a class of fragrances, including Diorissimo, Monsieur Balmain, Givenchy’s Vetyver, En Passant, Cristalle, and Après l’Ondée (among others), which while diverse in style and content, all succeed on the basis of simplicity, clarity, and poise. Commendable and recommendable.

11th December, 2009.

A citrusy rose. Fresh, sheer, and youthful. Some reviewers mention tea, which may be what smooths out anything overly pungent from the zesty lemon and orange, and gives the rose a damp, dew-dappled quality. Definitely an excellent rose-based fragrance for a young person (you won't smell like grandma's soap!), but enjoyable as well for the more mature person who shies away from fruity florals.

14th June, 2009.