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kjo452speagoessenda – :
Man oh man what a perfume… WOW. The initial whiff is naive, yet it quickly becomes seductive. She’s sweet, yet spicy. Fresh and breezy, yet rich and warm… She’s an enchanting paradox in a bottle, and I’m totally enticed by her. But damn she’s expensive (I guess it’s only suitable. She’s “the coveted” Duchess Rose, after all lol).
Lantan – :
It is incredibly rare for me to dislike a fragrance as most scents appeal to me. I have been a fan of Penhaligon’s for quite a number of years and was quick to buy into the hype surrounding the latest Portraits Collection. As a lover of rose, I thought it best to start with The Coveted Duchess Rose. To put it bluntly, I hope the rest of the collection is better than this.
The Coveted Duchess Rose smells very salty on my skin, almost like the scent of play-doh. I get a play-doh vibe from Dior’s Hypnotic Poison as well, but in The Coveted Duchess Rose, I find it difficult to stomach.
The rose note is smothered by a sour, citrusy mandarin orange note which never seems to dissipate. The drydown also tends to be quite musky and sharp, supposedly featuring a note of ambroxan which is not my cup of tea at all. I realise however that my opinions are very subjective as my partner quite enjoyed the smell of this fragrance despite my indifference towards it.
The chemical ambroxan accord is commonly found in Escentric Molecule fragrances, which makes The Coveted Duchess Rose smell less like a classic British scent from the house of Penhaligon’s and more like a trendy, experimental scent from the house of Escentric Molecules. I had hoped that The Coveted Duchess Rose would smell like a deeper, more Winter appropriate Elisabethan Rose, also by the same house, but I was not so lucky.
On a more positive note, The Coveted Duchess Rose does have excellent longevity and sillage. For those that love citrusy, crisp rose scents, you’ll most likely enjoy The Coveted Duchess Rose, but when it comes to me, I wish I could travel back in time and skip this fragrance entirely.
bsn874InsuffBooni – :
Just purchased a bottle of this just because i like the bottle and the story behind it and instantly regretted it: it smelled way better in the store. First hour or so it just smells like clean cheap unscented soap from public restrooms at the malls. I was so mad at myself .. however, from hours 2 on – it develops into something totally different and complex. I really enjoy it. It’s unusual, warm and very satisfying. It is still not my favorite, but a solid top ten for me at the moment.
skorobogatko180254 – :
I have high anticipation on this as I love rose scents and only this one has ‘rose’ in its name in the whole portraits collection but this one is too woody and seems nothing special to me. I saw some previous comments said that this is the female version of the Duke and I cannot agree more. There is a same code in both of them albeit I like neither of them.
The fragrances in the portraits collection are so unique and special that you cannot decide whether you will like the scent or not merely by looking up the composition of the formula. At first I thought I would like Duchess Rose and Countess Dorothea when I searched for the notes and Lady Blanche may not be my cup of tea. However it turned out that I love Lady Blanche and it had amazing performance on my skin where as Duchess Rose is nothing special and Countess Dorothea is a dislike as it is very old-fashioned and definitely not for my age and character.
So go and smell them in person and you will find your own one. Even this does not amuse you, its companions will.
danilko13 – :
إذا ما ذكر اسم بنهاليجينز فعلى جميع اللاهثين وراء الثبات والفوحان قبل السؤال عن الجمال حتمية وفورية الرحيل.
تعد دار بنهاليجينز العريقة وبحق أحد أسس تاريخ صناعة العطور، وكوكب يزهر في سماء هذا العالم البديع.
تأسست الدار على يد وليام بنهالوجين سنة 1870م بإصدار أول عطورها “همام بوكيه”، وما تزال تصدر عطورها حتى يومنا هذا والتي قد بلغت 72 عطرا على الطراز الإنجليزي العريق المميز.
ستظل بنهاليجينز دائما وأبدا تعيش زمن بريطانيا العظمي، وهذا حقها.
فعلى الرغم من تراجع مكانة بريطانيا مع نهايات القرن الماضي، بيد أن بنهاليجينز ما تزال محتفظة بعرشها لم يهتز، بل ربما يكون قد حظي بإضافة عددا من الجواهر الملكية خلال السنوات الأخيرة.
عطرنا اليوم عطرا ملكيا ينعم بمرتبة ولقب “دوقة” أي “النبيل/النبيلة”
هناك عطور يلعب فيها العطرجي بتوليفته الخاصة دور اللاعب الرئيسي
وهناك عطور أخرى تكون الساحة فيها خالية أمام المكون العطري وحده دون أي تدخل
تماما كما لعب سيرجي لوتنس دور اللاعب الرئيسي في عطر مسك كوبلاي خان، أمام مسك الغزال الطبيعي في عطربارفام دو مبير مسك تونكين النسخه الأكستريه التي توقف إنتاجها.
عطرنا هذا على نمط مسك تونكين
وسيكون اللاعب الرئيسي هنا هو الورود الحمراء مدعمة بالمسك الأبيض البودري الحلو الرائحة ليضيف عمقا أكبر لهذه الوردة الحمراء الندية الطازجة ببتلاتها الحمراء أعلى الكأس الأخضر الذي تقطر منه قطرات الندى الصباحية.
هناك من سيراه عطرا عاديا لم قدم جديدا “ورود حمراء وفقط”، حسنا.. وأنا أوافقه على رؤيته، ولكن مع التحفظ عليه هو كمتذوق للعطور.
فأنت حينما تستمع لأحد الحكماء فأنت تستمع لإنسان، وحينما تجالس تافها أحمقا ستستمع أيضا لإنسان.
وهكذا كل ما في الطبيعة من أجناس فليس البشر سواء وليست الورود سواء بل ليست الجبال سواء.
أزعم أنني ولأول مرة أتذوق رائحة الورود الحمراء بنكهة برية فاتنة
لن أفسد جمال العطر بأكثر مما ذكرت
العطر أنثوي حالم رغم قوته، يناسب سيدة في عقدها الرابع.
ولا مانع من أن يستمتع به الرجال داخل البيت، وأنا على يقين من أنه هناك من الرجال من سيتعطرون به في الخارج دون أي خجل أو تحفظ
2Leon2 – :
Una rosa abbastanza buona,dritta e noiosa che si amalgama meglio di altre sulla mia pelle.
Semplice e per fortuna non troppo invasiva.
Il nome duchessa si addice alla perfezione.
La bottiglia è la parte migliore.
aleksei197 – :
I don’t find anything special about this scent. It’s a safe rose choice which I feel I must have smell something exactly like this for a thousand times(and less expensive). Not worth the price in my opinion, sorry.
wakEA060 – :
Sweet rose.
It’s most likely fruitti musk rose as it has litchi, pomogranite, slight vetiver, musk, sandalwood, and cedar. It has hints of orange to add that sourness to the blend.
As the creator said “it’s not an innocent fragrance”, it really isn’t with that spicy yet fruitti roses.
I have sniffed this fragrance before and kind of reminds me of “Manakara” by Indult for that fruitti rose.
singman – :
Opens up as a delightful dewy rose. Youthful but with grace and not girly at all. Very wearable and a perfect option for those who have a problem with heavy rose scents.
And then it develops into… the same dewy rose. And the dry down presents no trace of musk or wood on my skin. A rose scent as linear as an average wall.
Don’t get me wrong, the rose presented is absolutely wonderful. My problem is just that there is ONLY graceful ladylike innocent rose. Perfect scent for summer though.
But to me this is too “safe”, too average and frankly too boring to justify the price tag.
It actually reminds me of a more well done Versace Bright crystal…
Sillage moderate and longevity about 8 hrs on me.
moripapikker – :
Fragrance Review For The Coveted Duchess Rose
Penhaligon’s
Notes
Rose
Mandarin Orange
Musk
Woodsy Notes
That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall
Looking as if she were still alive
She had a heart – how shall I say? –
Too soon made glad!
Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt
Whene’er I passed her but who passed without
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands
Then all smiles stopped together
– My Last Duchess, Robert Browning.
This fragrance is more beautiful than I’d anticipated. I’ve been wearing The Revenge of Lady Blanche, which is a sedate and conservative scent and now I’m wearing Duchess Rose and it’s far more engaging. The background story Penhaligon has for this character is described in the following way:
Daughter of Lady Blanche and Lord George, Rose married a Duke to escape the stifling rigidity of her family to become the Coveted Duchess Rose. At first, naively romantic, she has now become disillusioned and frustrated in an unsatisfactory marriage. Always looking for fun and frivolity and perhaps love affairs, her fragrance is a not so innocent fresh rose
To me this fits the character perfectly! To get away from her dysfunctional family (more on that after I review the Tragedy of Lord George) Rose wanted to marry into high society, the crème de la crème of English society’s upper strata, thinking it would offer her glamour, romance and excitement, so she was married to a Duke, but things didn’t quite work out for her. Her marriage became passionless, very dull, and there was no true love in it at all as it was only a marriage of convenience. Now she throws herself into sinful decadence whole-heartedly, sleeping with various lovers, traveling to far-off destinations such as Morocco, Egypt, Greece, and Turkey, without the Duke, and she enjoys a secret freedom. Alas, she is trapped in a loveless marriage and she cannot bring shame upon the family – hers and her husband’s – so she will never get a divorce nor part ways with him. In my book, however, there’s more to this story, as the Duke I imagine to be like the Duke in Robert Browning’s poem My Last Duchess, who shows a visitor to his manor house a painting of his deceased wife, a beautiful but flirtatious young beauty, who smiled at everyone until all smiles were gone because the Duke arranged her murder.
Opens with a fresh dewy rose dipped in juicy citruses. The perfect pairing of mandarin and rose, a summer rose, sweet and fragrant, and highly suited to the young Duchess when she is playful and smiling, the center of attention at every ball, her brown hair cascading down her soft white shoulders, and her perfume smelling of English roses. This is a garden rose, herbal-green and aromatic, sharply citric, with like a minty flavor. Then it turns into a nocturnal scent of the same garden rose cloaked by the dark of night. Now she is musky, bold, daring. She is the Duchess leaving the manor house to meet with one of her lovers for a midnight tryst in the garden under the pale moon’s light. She is surrounded by woods and the woodsy and animalic leathery note is clearly unisex, though not terribly masculine. This is still a woman’s perfume, acting as an Oriental, with the warmth of a musk coat and a woodsy air. The lovers have left the garden and retreated into the nearby forest. The woodsy notes in the end match up with the rose, while also transforming into a concentrated rosé wine. It has a plummy richness with an aromatized green note, like Provencal herbs and roses, vineyards and wine. More French than British in it’s character. Gradually, after a performance of over 9 hours, she is a much more complex and mature perfume, unlike the juicy fresh fruity floral prelude.
Easily unisex but only because The Revenge of Lady Blanche is too overtly feminine compared to this one. The Duchess Rose is a deeper more thought provoking fragrance with a lot of notes I like blended beautifully together in a wine like mix. This is a beautiful take on the rose perfume. Citruses, green notes, musk and woods paint a romantic and Gothic picture. This is a beautiful Duchess who ends up consumed with her own passions and indulgences. Now for practical usage of this perfume, this is definitely an evening cologne, unisex, elegant and refined with a saucy and provocative air. It’s meant to be worn with faux furs, black leather, velvet, black and or deep red burgundy colors. Very Goth too if you’re into that culture. It’s for evening wear, and it does match up with fashionable Alexander McQueen gowns, perfect to wear to a venue like the theater, the opera, the symphony or the ballet. Not crazy Oriental and subtle enough to be modern and English. It’s really quite glamorous.
This is the best of the Penhaligon ‘royal drama’ line along with The Tragedy of Lord George, The Revenge of Lady Blanche. I live in Manhattan New York City but I’m so glad I have a contact in London who informed about these perfumes. I’m loving all of them and have found another reason to love perfume and especially the very creative noses over at Penhaligon’s.
Thank you so much.
vlsilvestrov – :
The “female” version of ‘The Duke’ but in reality both can be worn by either genders.
This is fresher, greener, and more hesperidic (citrusy) than the former.
Nice and a fresh, fuller, and rounded version.
Again, good!
Verdict: 7/10.
IraSuvorova – :
Sampled this and love it so much that I would love to buy the full size bottle but the price is ridiculously high. Although it is my current favourite soft, beautiful feminine rose scent (without being girly), I do not think that the price is justified. I had a look at the ingredients list and the red colour is from many colourants that were added – not a fan of this!
it is the longest lasting rose scent I ever tried (but mind I have not tried 50 rose scents, yet). It stands out to me because it is so wearable but makes me so happy to smell it. The light woody scent is very weak but I like it! Longevity beast to me (have dry skin which eats perfume…) and lasts 10h)
I am waiting for a good deal to purchase it but for now it is too expensive. Serge Lutes – Fille de Berlin is a lovely alternative but with a peppery note which not everone might enjoy. Looking for more alternatives!
Alexnitro4 – :
This is a green dry rose that goes on with some cinnamon and amber note then dries down to rose and MUSK. But this is not jammy and not strong. Love the portraits line and bottles but not the projection or longevity for the price point. Within minutes of application (4-5 sprays along the arm and hand) you have to drag your nose, grinding it into your arm, to really enjoy this scent. It is lovely. I want the bottle. I won’t be spending the money.
Grolvedrill – :
The Coveted Duchess Rose opens as a feisty, prickly rose. This is no dainty pink petals, but a tart, plum-like, occasionally wine-y red rose. A prominent green peppery note surrounds the carmin petals, like the thorns protecting the rose as well as bringing in a certain freshness and modernity.
The fragrances becomes sweeter with time, and reaches its peak at around 1 hour after I applied it on my skin. Although the green peppery note is always present, the rose still turns quite jammy at one point, as if the rose is soaked in mandarine syrup.
Fortunately, The Coveted Duchess Rose never becomes gooey, as the green peppery note has a rather dry texture, which helps to keep the sweetness in check. About 2 hours in, the sweetness calms down significantly, while the woods and white musk kick in. The mild wood replaces the green pepperiness in the dry down, and the soft musk is like a fluffy cloud, upon which the delicate, now almost pink rose petals float.
The sillage is relatively close, and the longevity can surpass 12 hours.
I was expecting another bland pink rose muffled by white musk early on. Therefore, the spiky, ruby rose opening of The Coveted Duchess Rose had me positively surprised. Even though it eventually resolves to a pretty pink rose supported by white musk, the proportion is well calibrated so that the white musk does not overshadow the rose on my skin. However, in the end, The Coveted Duchess Rose doesn’t go beyond being pretty, and one can find either a well-made thorny rose or an elegant pink rose at a more reasonable price. I’d recommend it to avid fans of rose soliflore, but those who are indifferent to rose fragrances might not find it much special.
IIrizrak – :
The sweet SA in London’s Covent Garden guided me to this. She was delightfully English with her red hair, tea dress and oxblood lipstick and through the sheer desire to look like her, I agreed to let her “introduce me to the family”. Naturally I was drawn to the Duchess, being a rose devotee.
The first few whiffs were lovely, albeit nothing groundbreaking. Rose, a bit of sweet, a bit of the animal, but the bottle was lovely enough for me to want to purchase it. I asked to walk around for a few hours to let it develop.
Tragically, this perfume developed into play-doh, pure and simple. There is something about Penhaligon’s perfumes (with the exception of the ultra-fresh Peoneve and a select number of their other soliflores) that doesn’t sit well with my body chemistry and the lovely Duchess was no different. I assume the play-doh smell came from the Musk note but it was unpleasant.
Tragically (though happily for my wallet) the entire family – most of all the Duchess – was a miss for me.
Korinnabub – :
This is a pleasant and competent rose, but it is one you’ve smelled before – possibly several times. Definitely nothing new or groundbreaking. It’s a mix of rosewater and jam with a subtle woody backbone. Rose lovers will enjoy it, but it’s hard to get excited about this, or justify the price tag. There’s just not much going on.
OREL – :
I tried it in Penhaligon’s store the other day- really nice. I must say I am surprised as the other scents from the collections were not that impressive, and thi sone was delicious and super long lasting- I oculd smell it well on my writs 10 hours later. It’s a beautiful, woody rose, quite romantic and not to ostrong, but with a character of its own.
The price however is something that I find really offputting- not sure it’s worth 178 GBP for 75 ml (or should I say, I am sure it is not)- it’s a steep price to ask for a lovely, but not amazingly lovely, scent.
mihail9201223 – :
I cannot wait for this! As the founder of a wolf(dog) rescue, I have snuggled with many a canid. Wolves’ ears and fur smell like a beautiful mix of Bulgarian Rose, Beeswax, and Musk. The closest any perfume has ever come is Fleurs de Bulgarie by Creed (corroborated by other wolf snugglers). Looks like Christophe Raynaud hit the nail on the head with this composition, likely unbeknownst to him!
b.n. Loup Mechant by L’Artisan Perfumer smells nothing like a wolf; instead it represents a fantasy concept of the medieval forests which ran rife with European Wolves (alas, no more…)