Wednesday, July 11, 2012

A DOZEN ROSES Amber Queen Eau de Parfum Spray

I loves roses - and rose-based fragrances - and I've loved every fragrance in the A DOZEN ROSES line, some more than others, I'll admit. The newest in the series, Amber Queen Eau de Parfum Spray ($110, a $15 price increase over earlier introductions) has arrived at Neiman Marcus. I bought it the instant I skin-tested it.

A dream come true. Smooth. Sensual. Magical. Amber Queen wraps you in luxury with apricot, clementine, a hint of ginger, and the warmth of glowing amber. Its crowning glory is an exotic Bengal rose accord and a Dozen Roses' signature rose absolute.

The description doesn't tell you a lot, right? I may not do better, but here's my take.

You may remember the premise for A DOZEN ROSES, a fragrance collection inspired by the emotions that roses can evoke. It launched exclusively last July. Roses have inspired poets, artists, designers, and perfumers, and they inspired the fragrances of A DOZEN ROSES - modern, eclectic, and sexy fragrances created with a passion for art, perfumery, and unique bottle designs.

My favorite of the original collection (the first three in the line) launched a year ago was Gold Rush. Gold Rush is a rush of ecstasy - a sexy, rich scent, meant for the wild, confident gal. This gal drinks tequila, loves Kiki de Montparnasse lingerie, and spends her weekends at cocktail parties. Gold Rush is a blend of blackberry, neroli, and ylang ylang layered with the richness of bittersweet chocolate and ebony woods, all wrapped with the aura of the gold rush rose and the collection's signature rose absolute. This sultry fragrance comes in a black bottle highlighted by yellow. I bought Gold Rush, but I can't say that anything about its wild gal personality resembles me today.

Amber Queen reminds me of a tamer Gold Rush. It's sultry, but not as sultry as Gold Rush - it's much more office-friendly. I didn't get the press release for Amber Queen (I'm disappointed about that!), but I read on Fragrantica (clearly they got the PR) that the top notes are ginger, apricot, and clementine; the middle notes are damask rose and rose; and the base note is amber.

It's a unique rose fragrance. The rose isn't dominant. Instead it offers a beautiful and subtle mélange of fruit and flowers. It opens with a fruity blast, but quickly dries down to a fruity rose garden with an amber understory. It's a smooth, polite amber, one that's sure to please.

Sandy Cataldo and Lynn Welsh Emmolo founded the fragrance line A DOZEN ROSES. I met Lynn at Neiman Marcus, where I had an opportunity to see her watercolors, which have been used for the bottle designs of A DOZEN ROSES. Both women are beauty veterans, and they have cited a long list of inspirations for their creations, including Guns N’ Roses and the 1989 film “The War of the Roses.”

Anyhow, Amber Queen just arrived, but I was told it's selling briskly. One sniff, and you'll understand why.You can visit your favorite Neiman Marcus now or order online (one screen shows it as a pre-order, but another shows it as available now). If we are lucky, there may even be a gift with purchase coming up at the next Neiman Marcus beauty event.

Update 1/3/13: I have learned that the nose for Amber Queen was Givaudan perfumer Irina Burlakova.

Photo courtesy of Neiman Marcus, melarcher.com, and fanpop.com

5 comments:

lovethescents said...

I still have yet to try one from this range. I have so many roses in my collection but what I'm really after now is a vanillic rose. But all of a sudden, I'm off topic. How unlike me! :-)

Charlestongirl said...

It's very appealing, Lovethescents! I don't smell vanilla, though.

Isla said...

Ooh, Ginger, Apricot and Clementine sound lovely, and the amber...but most flowers don't work on me (or I don't like them). I may have to give it a try anyway; since the top and base sound like just what I love!

Charlestongirl said...

It's very fruity, Isla. See what you think.

Unknown said...

I just bought Amber Queen and am OBSESSED with it as is my boyfriend which is saying a lot as he’s very picky about fragrances in general. I’d gone in to NM to try Electron as I’d read a blurb about it in a magazine and was interested in the fascinating packaging and green bottle that the picture of Electron showed. I thought it smelled too much like my Creed “Spring Flowers” so I tested Amber Queen and 3 others, Iced White, Shakespeare in Love and Gold Rush. A couple of hours later, I decided Amber Queen was my absolute standout favorite, followed by Electron, Gold Rush, SIL and then the Iced White which is a very clean scent. My longtime fragrance person told me that the plan for the line is that there will be 12 total. This is my first experience with this line as I’ve usually gone with Annick Goutal, Creed or David Yurman….and I’m hooked on A Dozen Roses. I bought it and have already had several compliments on it, just in two days. Prices are not for the faint of heart….Amber Queen is $110 and the others are $95 but the fragrance is pure, high quality and long lasting. While it has a lot of fruit notes, I think the ginger gives everything a rounded, smooth yet effervescent finish.