Dark Rose Chypres - sorting out L'Arte Di Gucci, Gucci III and Soir de Lune

A while back I came across the following article on dark rose fragrances.

I adore Rose de Nuit, and thus L'Arte Di Gucci jumped right to the top of my must-try list! Right now I'm wondering if it's a safe blind buy given my love of rose, and in particular my love of Rose de Nuit.

Already faced with this possibility, what should I come across but this article, praising Soir de Lune and also mentioning Gucci III.

So, if L'Arte de Gucci is superior to Rose de Nuit, and Soir de Lune is superior to L'Arte de Gucci, then Soir de Lune is clearly awesome sauce personified in rose chypre form. I'm wondering if I should bother with L'Arte at all.

Not really asking for a solution here. I'm just in a, ahem, financially limited situation, and would like to hear some thoughts on these three before I buy. Especially interesting to hear from those who've tried Rose de Nuit and can draw some comparisons.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for all the advice! Now I'm really tempted to blind buy L'Arte ( I saw it for sale online at 1stperfume for 29$... though I've heard some bad things about 1stperfume ).

I'll definitely be checking out Estee Lauder Knowing and Sisley's Soir de Lune, too. Gucci III I suspect is not for me - comparisons to furniture polish and Voleur de Roses turn me off it.

I'm a fan of Czech & Speake Dark Rose already, and would own a bottle if I didn't already own the delightful Mukhallat Al Emirates, a similar fragrance with better longevity. I'm not actively hunting for another oud rose - this little side-quest in my rose obsession is a hunt for a rose chypre.

Neat! I think I'll go and give it a try today - I know there's an Estee Lauder counter at The Bay downtown. I'll let you all know what I think.

Well, I tried L'Arte this morning.

I am so glad I did not blind buy this!

The opening is rather interesting. It's a big, fruity, jammy rose mounted on a chypre base. After the first fifteen minutes, it starts to change its character, warming with a warm, almost hot civet note that overpowers the chypre element and smothers the rose. Then something other than civet joins it, something unnameable, something horrible, something that made this a scrubber... a truly massive cheese note.

Civet and cheese?



No thanks.

Very interesting! It's amazing how skin chemistry can totally transform a fragrance. I have noticed that my skin can play havoc with some leather and tobacco fragrances ( the former turning to soap and the latter to chlorine, smell-wise ). This is the first time a chypre has gone wonky on me, so I'm glad to know I'm not alone!


Well, you never know - it might smell great on you! I'd just advise giving it a sample before spending any serious cash.

Soir de Lune is delightful! I want thank RHM for sending me a sample of this one - much appreciated.

The top notes are sparkling yet soft, complex without being discordant. The opening smells very "busy", as though all the performers in the show were being introduced before the curtain rises on act one. The chypre accord is there, as are fruity, floral, spicy and animal notes; a wine-like rose, patchouli, lemon, bergamont, peach, musk and oakmoss all quite discernible from the beginning. I swear there's a hint of immortelle here, too, or at least some similar warm spicy note that hovers in the background top to base.

The heart is mellow, refined and "classical", the fruitiness of the citrus and peach dying down and more of the oakmoss coming through, made slightly powdery by a warm floral component - a softer rose accompanied by a lightly fruity jasmine and mimosa.

In many ways I think this a very clever chypre accord in that the rich darkness of the moss note is mostly achieved through patchouli. This isn't a patchouli fragrance, but patchouli gives the chypre accord body and depth. Though the two fragrances are chalk and cheese, patchouli's role here is similar to its use in C&S's No. 88.

The base is rich and mossy, but unlike both Knowing and Rose De Nuit, there isn't a heavy thickness about it. It's not transparent, either, but nicely balanced somewhere in the middle. In fact, balance is probably the cardinal virtue of this fragrance. It contains a diversity of notes, yet manages to hold them all together in a chypre wrapping.

This is probably one of the few classically restrained fragrances I love. I'm attracted to bold, unusual and loud, but the understated complexity of this fragrance has charmed me. It's now my favorite chypre - yes, even over vintage Mitsouko - and is a must-own down the road a bit.