Parfums M. Micallef Rose Extreme Eau de Parfum

Martine Micallef has created a new rose fragrance - a special, sultry rose fragrance that has captured my heart. I'll bet many of you have never heard of it because it's not sold in major department stores, such as Neiman Marcus or Saks.

Parfums M. Micallef was created in 1996 by Martine Micallef, a beauty and wellness specialist and a passionate artist, and Geoffrey Nejman, a financial consultant. The M. Micallef brand was created from their love story and their desire to design luxury handcrafted treasures combining art and perfume. Today, their fragrances are available from 750 retailers in 39 countries - all highly selective retailers that specialize in luxury perfumes.

The first M. Micallef fragrances I purchased were Ananda and Ylang in Gold - both exquisite fragrances in beautiful hand-decorated bottles. I really must backtrack and tell you about them. I'll save that for another day. Today, I want to focus on the new Rose Extreme ($485, 50 ml). I requested a sample because I adore rose fragrances and have quickly become an M. Micallef devotee.

Intensely feminine, the fragrance of Rose Extreme is a combination of the best absolutes and essential oils of Bulgarian Rose, with a touch of peach and the scent of honeyed apricot from osmanthus. The top notes are Centifolia rose and osmanthus. The heart notes are peach, Bulgarian rose, iris, and pink clove. The base notes are sandalwood, musk, amber, and vanilla. All of the notes combine to reveal one of the sexiest rose fragrances I've ever worn.

Rose soliflores, perfumes designed around the rose, and rose-dominant perfumes are polarizing. While some consider them old fashioned or fussy, I love them. The Queen of Flowers, the rose, has always had a prominent place in my garden. I grow old roses, known not only for their beauty, but especially for their remarkable fragrance (something that has been bred out of most of the long-stemmed roses created for florists' bouquets). Perhaps that makes me an old-fashioned gal.

There is nothing old fashioned about Rose Extreme. With its peach and vanilla understory, it might be classified as a gourmand rose - almost edible in its attraction. It strikes me as an elegant sexpot - the kind of fragrance Jayne Mansfield would have worn. Every man's dream, if not his pinup, she was smart, voluptuous, and successful. Fast forward to today, and her appeal can be yours - with Rose Extreme. Isn't that why we wear perfume? To smell good to ourselves and others? If the others are men, so much the better [wink].

When I wear Rose Extreme, I want to dive into it. Each time I wear it, I spray some on my arm so that I can satisfy my nose. With every whiff, I think sultry. I hesitate to limit Rose Extreme by calling it a date-night fragrance, but I'm not sure you want to let loose its powers of attraction in the office. The rose is, after all, a symbol of love, beauty, and passion - and this one has an intense magnetism.

Rose Extreme's bottle, with its sensuous curves, is dressed in a beautiful coat of 200 glittering Swarovski stones. It is presented in a luxurious, lacquered wooden, white jewelry box. Everything about Rose Extreme and the experience of owning it, holding it, and wearing it is luxurious. If you love roses as much as I do, I'm sure you will find Rose Extreme to be a treat for all of your senses.

You can find it at Parfum1, one of my favorite online perfumeries. Their customer service is fabulous, an extra-added benefit of shopping with them. Luckyscent, where M. Micallef fragrances are sold, can special order it for you.

Photos courtesy of M. Micallef and m.bonhams.com