I've sampled a lot of rose perfumes, mostly in the soliflore variety. I haven't gotten a sample of A.maze yet, but considering my obsession, I certainly will.
SL Sa Mageste was a big fat dissappointment. Ditto LV Donna. Jo Malone's Red Roses is vastly overpriced for simple and fleeting. Guerlain's AA Rose Magnifica is just too too light and watery for a flower aleady soft.
The Rosines are very nice, and I ditto the Un Zeste. Flamenca I could take or leave. I don't own any of them, largely because I'm overwhelmed with the vastness of choice. Un Zeste is on my wish for someday....
'Best' is a very subjective term. The truest to petal I own is the parfum I ordered from Bulgaria. It's soft, fresh, moist with the barest hint of citrus and green and spice. I clost my eyes and don't even see a whole blosson--just one petal. Being a parfum it sprays on oily and lasts a good four hours, which is very good for true florals. I got on some website I don't recall, something like shop bulgaria . com.
Your own country produces my personal favorite of all my roses--
Elisabethan Rose. It is a strong but young white rose, with a zippy citrus top. It is also very lasting, in that when I wake up the next morning I can still smell it as a very true rose, and invariably spray it again for the morning.
Another favorite is
Fleur de The Rose Bulgare. It's an amazing thing, deep red and resting on ambergris, lasting about 6 hours or more. I have to say, I usually layer it, and with good effect, with any fragrance whose rose note I'd like to pump up. Most notable is Fumerie Turque and FdTRB, which combination is unusally agressive for me, and makes my boyfriend quite edgy at this point.
I'm pretty sensitive to ambergris, and not in a happy glad to see you come again kind of way.
The ambergris here seems to 'fit', and it's my rose of winter, standing in heavy satin. I agree, it's not velvet--ambergris is too stiff a backbone for velvet, and I agree it is a one trick pony with the rose accord--but it's an amazing big fat trick.
Shiseido
Rosarium is hard to beat for a full round rose soliflore. The Rose Royale is centiflora rose and is lighter and cleaner--great for me to own and experience, but I'd not recommend it for someone's holy grail of roses.
My Attar Bazaars are Sudenese Black Rose--it's a stunner. Honeyed to perfection with deep earthy spices. It's to die for until an hour in, when it develops a touch of soap that make me gnash my teeth. But that's just me. Maybe others wait for the 'clean' note with bated breath as a contrast. Their Nur Jehan Rose is sweetened with sugar, and powdered.
I'll ramble on more, if your still with me, about
Nahema. It's got more going on than simple rose. A bit of hyacinth up top, a smoldering rose that is well supported by a warm and soft vanilla/tonka and braced with a wonderful balsam. Very smooth and sexy. Highly recommend this one! Be sure to get EdP--it's deeper and more complex. I'm waiting on a parfum tester myself, so can't comment on the parfum, yet.
(From Les Parfums de Rosine-
Rose de Feu is an exquisitely sensual, woody, spicy, and slightly sweet fragrance. The notes include rose, ylang-ylang, orange, cardomom, honey, cinnamon, jasmine, white musk, sandalwood, patchouli, and vanilla.
I clipped the above from fishbone fragrances on ebay, where I ordered a sample. She says it's their newest, and since I've been on an intense vanilla patchouli kick, I have high hopes!
Fresh Bulgarian Rose and Evelyn are fine, but very simple single note things that last just a couple of hours. I spray these after my goodnight shower. I also second the Waleda Wild Rose body oil.
Jazztweety here on basenotes has a rose fragrance that has received RAVES. I keep meaning to get a bottle myself! She sends samples, too.
The beauty of all these suggestions is that with lots of samples, you can probable get through the entire spring without buying a whole bottle!
Oh, and Caron Rose is on my to test list as well, because it lists mint and vetiver in the heart notes and that seems pretty kick-a$$ to me.
