I used to dislike rose perfumes. There was a period when I was young when rose scented skincare products were in fashion and everything smelt of Bulgarian rose – strong and overwhelming, making my nose overload on the scent and growing tired of it. Slowly though I have revisited it in the last couple of years and discovered quite a few gems.
One of them is Penhaligon’s Vaara, a Bertrand Duchaufur creation and our perfume of the week.
The notes are:
Top: quince, rose water, carrot seeds, coriander seeds and saffron.
Heart: Moroccan rose absolute, Bulgarian rose oil, freesia, Indian magnolia, iris and peony
Base: honey, white musk, cedarwood, sandalwood, benzoin resin and tonka bean.
It opens on my skin like a rose enhanced quince jam, sweet and aromatic, with the seeds and saffron adding a hint of spicy feel to it. After a while the roses in the heart bloom, the Bulgarian rose taking centre stage but remaining airy and floating among the other flowers until after a couple of hours, it subsides and becomes a soft and calming musky skin scent. I have worn it a lot recently and quite like it, it’s simple and joyful.
A perfume fit for a princess, soft, rosy and innocent.