Reviews of Diabolo Rose (2007)
by Les Parfums de Rosine

I wore this all last summer when the weather was hot and humid, and frequently in winter as well, and my bottle is almost gone. Who doesn’t want to smell like the green drifts in a darkly shaded garden? The mint in the top notes is more the living plant leaves you bruise in your hand when picking herbs than artificial mint; I think some who were expecting chewing gum were disappointed and some who feared chewing gum never tried it, because this never got the accolades it deserved. Tomato leaves and maté add to the overall greenness, and the lush rose note gives a shadowy gravitas as well as an overall smoothness, but it’s never dark or heavy, nor is it harsh and bitter. It stays crisp and cool right to the end, without drying down into vanilla or anything hideously sticky. Its biggest problem is that the end comes sooner than I’d like, but it’s the sort of thing that’s sensuously pleasurable to reapply. It’s not sweet, a refreshing change from the usual women’s fragrances, but, although it’s feminine, it’s only a women’s fragrance in the sense that a freshly pressed shirt and a black leather watch band are women’s items.

The name refers to the juggling game and isn’t a poorly spelled ‘diablo’, in case you were wondering where the devil went. :)

Diabolo Rose is a lush, bold, true rose fragrance. Because I'd read the notes, I sniffed it a lot to see if I could detect the vaunted "minty" note. It was there but rather faint. It seemed like the mint was more of an accompaniment to accentuate the rosiness rather than to be a separate distinguishable note. I could not detect any of the other notes listed at the end of this review. Diabolo Rose seemed like a true soliflore to me. Going on hour 3, Diabolo Rose 's sillage is quote strong as opposed to its Rosine sister, Ecume de Rose, which was sprayed on my other wrist at the same time and is barely there. If you like Diabolo Rose and want to experiment with slightly more complex rose scents, I would suggest trying Caron's Parfum Sacre and/or The Different Company's Rose Poivree. Also, if you like Diabolo Rose, you should also smell YSL’s: A) Paris and B) Paris Roses de Bois as they both exude the same kind of rose intensity.

Per Fishbone's website, here are Diabolo Rose's notes: rose, bergamot, mint, bergamot, lily of the valley, peony, amber, musk and sandalwood.