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Post by Sister Mary Magdalen, Patron Saint of Perfumers
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Today APJ I invite you all to remember and enjoy simple pleasures…
Although ordinarily living an entirely cloistered life, recently myself and another of the Sisters ventured to our nearby provincial Rose Garden for seasonal devotions. Marvelous sunshine and hundreds of rose varieties in full bloom saw hours pass in happy contemplation. Whilst some folk no doubt admire the colour or form of the bloom above all, for us the attraction was chiefly in the fragrance. This led us in short order to beds planted with David Austin roses. This English rose breeder introduces cultivars that are selected for their rich intense scent. With so many varieties of his roses blooming, it was not long before we were exclaiming over such notes as violet, hyacinth, musk, myrrh, honey, incense, quince and apple in the various flowers.
Photo Stolen WikiMedia
One of these David Austin roses, Evelyn Rose, had a delicious peachy note along with a superb Old English Rose heart. He named it for English toiletries company Crabtree and Evelyn who are said to use this rose variety in some of their products. I had not fallen for the C&E perfume on recent test, so it was a treat then to discover another Evelyn’s Rose by an Australian perfumer.
Evelyn’s Rose by Mark Evans for Evocative Perfumes
Photo Stolen Evocative Perfumes
Evocative Perfumes gives these featured accords in one line”
Evelyn’s Rose, rose, clean musks
A burst of almost minty freshness heralds a delightful rose heart with a fresh peach character. Musky notes start unfurling early on, and despite my initial concern that the musks might stray too far in the direction of the laundry for my tastes, they are restrained and balanced with the fruit and floral facets in the composition.
The overall impression is of a naturalistic fresh rose with fruity and clean musky elements. As the scent wears, a wisp of incense smoke seems to weave its way through. Evelyn’s Rose is a sweet and simple rose scent. For me it is a lovely memento of a day out amongst the real roses. This is a perfume oil to be applied sparingly. A few dabs give around 6 hours of being the centre of a pleasant rosy cloud.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
Often people seeking a rose perfume will declare they are looking for a “true” rose. Having sniffed scores of these luscious shapeshifters, I’m not sure such a thing exists!
Evocative Perfumes has $35/12ml Perfume Oil
Do you have a favourite rose soliflore scent or favourite variety of rose bloom? What other notes have you smelled in rose blooms?
Remember, take time to smell the roses,
Sister Mary Magdelene, Patron Saint of Perfumers.
Australian Perfume Junkies 
Wonderful post, Sister Mary!!!! I must confess that I share your fondness for this delightful potion… and reading of your rosy adventures, I feel like I was there with you! Excuse me while I dab some Evelyn’s Rose from my bottle and indulge in a spot of divine ecstasy…
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If you’re smelling that delightful Evelyn’s Rose my dear, you’re as good as in a rose garden. Delightful!
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Hi Sistah! Sounds like something for after a bath. I love rose for the evenings, and very seldom do I wear a rose fragrance out of the house. Your Australian post is slow. Lots of hugs. xxxxxxx
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Agree CQ, there’s something so relaxing and intimate about a good rose fragrance, I can understand reserving them for quiet times at home. After a bath sounds perfect!
Lovely to see you xOx
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Great review Sister,
I love roses in fragrance. The Evocative perfumes are lovely too, I have a couple here that I have been frantically searching for today.
Portia xx
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Thanks Portia! Yes, Mark Evans is doing a terrific job I think, it really has been so very pleasing to have some lovely posts about Australian releases these last few months.
My goodness, are you home? I can never tell, all steams ahead seamlessly here at APJ regardless!
Yours in peace xOx
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Yes Sister,
Home till November and extremely pleased about it. This place warms my bones.
Portia xx
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Portia, before you look too hard, let me send you samples of my most recent versions. As you may know, I’m always tweeking the formulas and the latest versions I think are better that the ones I remember sending a long time ago.
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That would be wonderful Mark. thank you. Do you still have my address?
Portia xxx
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Hello Sister,
I have some very good persian rose oil that I carefully use lest I run out. Unfortunately, politics effects the supply of this, my favorite rose oil. There is a Pacific Northwest perfumer and distiller, Rosarium Blends, who uses Bulgarian Rose Absolute and Black Storax to make a beautiful, light and spicy (and not too sweet) rose soliflore called The Rosarium.
The rose blossoms I have experienced can be fruity, spicy or even green. One of my favorite rose varieties for the fragrance is the lavender hybrid tea rose Sterling Silver that has an almost citrusy scent. There is also a white wild rose that is blooming and crawling over everything in the PNW right now, so fresh and fragrant.
Azar xx
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Oh what rare rosy treasures you have Azar! I do enjoy the ritual of having such very precious things to apply at special times.
I absolutely must sniff out the Sterling Silver, you make it sound divine! I am so surprised by the intensity of some of the fragrances of rose flowers. I knew they varied widely, but on my recent adventure I was quite taken by surprise with the incense and animalic notes? Tuberose? Just wonderful.
Thanks for stopping by.
xOx
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A tuberose smelling rose? Do you remember which one that would be? I don’t grow roses because the evil deer in our neighborhood just gobble them up but if I found a rose that smelled like tuberose I might just build a special cage to protect it! On the advice of a friend I have placed pinwheels in strategic places around tomato and tea plants (deer love to eat these as well). So far so good. Maybe the pinwheels would protect roses as well?
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what a wonderful olfactory picture you paint!! rose, of course, is one of my all time favorite scents. i even spent a year devoted to only wearing rose products.
favorite rose compositions? Rosalia from Aveda (out of production), Attar (original out of production, you may be able to find it’s re-release as an “absolute” or oil based perfume on the ebay or whatever), Rose Boheme from Providence Perfume Co and Luscious Roses from JoAnne Bassett.
for now a dab or two from my Bulgarian rose absolute (Mt. Rose Herbs) does wonders! a few drops into some Everclear and you have yourself a lovely rose spritz!
thanks for walking us through the roses Sister Magdalene!
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Oh einsof, a year clad only in roses, that *is* devotion!
I hope you still have precious drops of those out of production treasures to enjoy?
Time and again I hear lovely things about Providence Perfume Company wares, I think I may and I must be able to hunt them down quite locally and share in the joy.
And so true that a drop of the absolute does wonders for the soul. Don’t you feel it doing you good?
Thanks for joining me on this fragrant ramble!
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Thank you so much, Sister Mary, for the eloquent review of my rose soliflor. You have such a skill for evoking scents with words, something that I certainly struggle with!
This perfume was created in honor of my Nan as she loves her roses and has an Evelyn Rose growing in her back garden. After smelling the blooms one day I vowed I would reproduce the scent as best I could as a perfume for her. Her name is also Evelyn so the name just fitted perfectly.
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Thank you Mark for stopping in, for your kind words and most of all for this delightful perfume!
What a very special story of the perfume’s muse. Nans are such treasures, how wonderful that you could bring the perfume, her love of the roses and her name all together so beautifully.
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Being a lover of Roses and once having a garden filled with David Austin and heirloom Roses that were picked to scent my home I would have to say that ‘Jude the Obscure’ by David Austin has to be one of my very, very favourite Rose perfumes. I could lay in a field of them and tantalise my olfactory all day long!
One of my most used essential oils in natural perfumery xxx
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I wonder if there is a place in Adelaide where it would be possible to smell some of the other David Austin roses. It would be an interesting project to create perfumes based on other varieties like Jude the Obscure
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I don’t think you should have much trouble, there’s even the Australian agent and wholesale nursery for David Austin roses in SA, not too far afield, in Gawler. http://www.knightsroses.com.au/ who knows but they may be able to help you with a tour or provide you with names of some local nurseries they supply. Goodness their website has me drooling – a new variety Black Caviar with a fragrance of vanilla and jasmine!
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Thanks for the link Sister Mary – They’re not far from me either. I’ll have to organise a visit, I reckon.
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Julie how marvellous to have those David Austins to enjoy in abundance! I do recall the Jude the Obscure from my potterings in the rose garden, such a strong and distinctive scent, rather like feijoas to my nose. I am a huge fan of that heirloom fruit, so to have its scent appear in a rose was delightful!
Many thanks for sharing the rose love.
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Sorry Julie, my reply to your comment appeared below…
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What a marvellous review Sister Mary! I feel nearly inebriated just thinking about that rose garden and “drinking” in all those intoxicating scents with my nose!
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You must take time to smell *these* roses Melita. The intensity and variety of the blooms is such delight!
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