Twill Rose by Les Parfums de Rosine, 2007

A porcine, polyester-clad pimp with slicked back hair, picking the gristle from his capped teeth with a grubby fingernail. But wait, you say, he's still a person, worthy of a shred of our respect. Maybe, but this cheap hair oil pretending to be a perfume ain't.

The description of this as rose poivree minus the civet and with the substitution of cumin from below is dead-on. All i would like to add is that this small difference is not an improvement; and to make matters worse, the cumin is way too strong.

I tried it twice, several days apart. Eh... it's just a basic rose fragrance. Not notably animalic, and not particularly "masculine" either. I used to have a bottle of Perry Ellis Portfolio for Women that I used as an air freshener in my bathroom. That's what Twill Rose reminds me of. I can't imagine many men buying Twill Rose, or many women envying it. Unless they can't find Portfolio for Women.

How very sexist of Rosine to designate this as a men's rose scent and then to make it harsh, synthetic AND boring. Is there a message here? This stuff smells like a rose-scented soap in the kind of hotel populated by down-and-out traveling salesmen. A poor performance by these supposed rose specialists, who already flunked on Rose d'Homme. Rose for men? You need to spend some apprentice time with the boys - you know, Domenico, Washington, and that Czech dude from No. 88.

Animalic?? Well, not to me atleast. Just pure, fresh synthetic rose with few dabs of cumin thrown along. Sharp but well balanced, long lasting unisex floral.

Something like if you removed the civet from Rose Poivree and add some cumin instead. Very pleasant, and I admit it stinks just a bit, but still...animalic animalic ?? (like TS put it)

A bit better than another rose for men by this company, Rose d'Homme, but I definitely don`t need this one either. There are SO much better masculine/unisex roses available.

A remarkable rose accord that smells like a men's cologne. In his review in The Guide, Luca Turin says this is founded on a base called Animalis by Synarome, which he says includes allusions to castoreum and civet. That may well be; or could it be that the list of notes includes cumin to throw us off? Who can say. Anyway, the galbanum and rose (with citrics and spice for reinforcement) in the top note introduce the delicate rose and violet heart and its slightly dirty cumin smudge, and set it all up on a foundation of oriental woods, roots, and amber. The upshot? A slightly puzzled look and the thought : "Why does this guy's cologne remind me of roses?"