Last year, Ragna Rostad-Ruffner of Divine Life Perfumes introduced me to one of my favorite rose scents, Dharma Rose. This year, at the Artisan Fragrance Salon, she gave me her two most recent rose scents, Trinity Rose and Rosita. With Dharma Rose, they make a lovely trio of compelling fragrances that sit squarely in the “dark rose” genre.  Dharma Rose was offered in both perfume oil and eau de cologne, but the EDC was dropped in favor of offering all three of these scents in eau de parfum.

Rose Series 3 by Olivia de Fleuriot

Trinity Rose is a quietly enchanting scent, smoldering close to the skin. It is a slightly animalic fragrance, smelling of woods and possibly some incense as well as a more earthy component. It was chilly in the house on testing day, and I had to apply quite a bit to get the scent to really start to bloom, but once it did it was terrific. The rose in this perfume smells almost like roses that have been dried. One of my friends has a big bowl of dried roses on her coffee table that she adds flowers to as she gets them. I love to pick them up and smell their dusty beauty. I am doing the same thing to my arm, inhaling that same aroma. Trinity Rose has a smooth, warm base and calming drydown.

Notes: Turkish rose absolute, wild rose absolute, Turkish rose otto, jasmine, Virginia cedar, Tolu balsam, patchouli, Indian vetiver, labdanum, angelica, ambrette, frankincense, cedar moss, oakmoss

Born to be Wild by Charmaine Olivia

Spicy roses are always welcome in my collection, and Rosita is a nice example. A touch of citrus balances the natural rose until the scent sinks into the skin with an undercurrent of spice.  This scent has a nice balance of earthy, creamy florals and pop of citrus and clove.  I think of this less as a rose scent than a spiced floral bouquet great for any season. The perfume was created as a tribute to a Carven scent worn by Ms. Rostad-Ruffner’s mother called Robe d’un Soir. As predominantly natural rose perfumes go, this is not the most unique offering I have smelled, but it is definitely a nice addition to the trio, and quite pretty.

Notes: Bulgarian rose absolute, ylang ylang, jasmine, bergamot, clary sage, galbanum, orris, gardenia, vetiver, oakmoss, labdanum, lemon, clove bud, cardamom (Note: the gardenia absolute used in this scent is from India, and most likely synthetic. Ms. Rostad-Ruffner is aware of this, and it is the only synthetic she has incorporated into a perfume)

Ms. Rostad-Ruffner is a natural perfumer who also makes soaps and skin care products for her Divine Life brand. She provided my samples and is offering a sample set to a lucky US reader, along with a sample of Dharma Rose soap. Do you have a favorite rose bloom variety, or favorite rose perfume? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to tell us you are in the US. Draw ends April 26, 2013.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

–Tama Blough, Senior Editor