Perfume Review: M. Micallef Rose Extrême + Unearthly Beauty Draw

blake's angels

Angels William Blake

A few years back, a fellow perfume addict, knowing my love of roses, sent me a package filled with decants and samples of rose perfumes. Needless to say, I was in heaven, and when I popped open the first sample, the most divine fragrance rose up to greet me, and the angels sang…

Rose Extreme  Eau de parfum by M. Micallef

Rose Extreme  Eau de parfum by M. Micallef

Okay, maybe not. My heart was beating so fast and I was so enraptured that I couldn’t really tell. But it sounded like angels to me, and the brilliance of the swarvoksi crystals on the flacon was like a white light.  It literally took my breath away and made me weak in the knees; it was Rose Extrême , by  M. Micallef.Rose Extrême was created in 2012, a collaboration between house perfumer Jean Claude Astier and co-owner Geoffrey Nejman. It is of course a rose fragrance, first and foremost.

smell the roses

John Waterhouse My Sweet Rose

The website explains that rose note is composed of the best absolute and the essential oils of rose of Bulgaria. The opening of Rose Extreme is preternaturally beautiful, and it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that an entire years harvest had been distilled into each sample. The rose is opulent, but never overpowering. It never drifts into grandma territory; it is rich and supremely elegant. There is no harsh, artificial aspect, no fussy powdery facet, just pure rose essence…acres and acres of pink roses, right there in your vial.  The quality of the rose is unmistakable.

Botticelli - Primavera  roses

Boticelli Primavera

As beautiful as the rose note is, Rose Extrême  is not just a rose soliflore.  There is a gorgeous peach note in this perfume and it is perfection. Peach is one of my favorite notes in perfumery, and this one is the best I’ve ever smelled. It is absolutely mouth-watering; it is succulent and luscious, and combined with the honeyed apricot note of osmanthus, it adds a golden nectar-like quality to the fragrance.

Helen of Troy 1866 by Frederick Sandys

Helen of Troy 1866 by Frederick Sandys 

And that’s what Rose Extrême  is to me:  a rose nectar, fit for the gods, enveloped in a diaphanous sheath of osmanthus, luxuriating on an altar of sandalwood, musk and vanilla, ready to be worshipped by all who cross her path. It’s a stunning rose perfume that will thrill any rose lover, but there is plenty there for even the most vehement rose haters to enjoy.  I’d recommend Rose Extrême  to anyone who loves peach or osmanthus, and of course no one does vanilla like M Micallef, (I am looking at you Notes Vanille) gourmandphobes among us shouldn’t be afraid of trying it.

sergio lopez roses

Sergio Lopez Roses

Rose Extrême  is possibly the most feminine fragrance I have ever experienced; it also feels somehow deeply personal and intimate, as if it were created specifically for someone’s true love… or perhaps as an ode to every woman, with a thousand roses paying tribute her beauty, intoxicating osmanthus representing her grace and charm, the peach note replicating the soft warm ripeness of her skin, with vanilla and musk whispering promises of the sweet pleasure to be found in the fullness of her curves.

John William Waterhouse - Woman with roses

John William Waterhouse – Woman with Roses

Rose Extrême is both sensual and sensuous. While it lacks the some of the notes we typically associate with overtly sexy perfumes, the sheer femininity of the fragrance is seductive in and of itself. If Notes Vanille is a bombshell beauty, Rose Extrême is an unearthly one. My husband finds it mesmerizing, and it is the fragrance that I get complimented on the most. 

La Ghirlandata Dante Rosetti roses

La Ghirlandata Dante Rosetti 

I’ve gone through several samples over the years, and it’s associated in my mind with many special occasions, but a perfume as exquisite as Rose Extrême  can lift an ordinary day into the sublime, so it should never be held back for “some day”.  It is so easy to make every day extraordinary by allowing ourselves to indulge in this beautiful madness that is perfume obsession, and “some day” may never come, so start wearing all those “special occasion” fragrances you’ve been hoarding, and add Rose Extrême to your Must Buy list! After all every woman should feel like a goddess.

Notes, from the M. Micallef website: Absolute and essential oils of rose of Bulgaria, peach, osmanthus, sandalwood, musk, amber and vanilla.

DISCLOSURE: My review is based on many samples I’ve had; most purchased by me, one given to me by a friend.
Tammy Schuster, Sr Contributor

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen

7 ml m micallef sprays

 Thanks to the EXTREME generosity of Geoffrey Nejman, Martine Micallef and the team at Parfums M Micallef we have a 7ml travel atomizer  of Rose Extrême  in your choice of Rose Gold or Silvertone for a  registered reader. To be eligible, Please leave a comment with what your enjoyed about Tammy’s Review, your choice of gold or silver, where you live, and which woman of unearthly beauty, alive, fictional or from the past you can envision wearing Rose Extrême. Draw closes 3/27/2016

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

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34 comments

  • That bottle!!!! As a confirmed rose ho’ i can’t believe thos hasn’t popped up on my radar. My choice of most beautiful woman would have to be british actress Francesca Annis. She would totally rock this rose. Tammy clearly has a mad pash for rose, and I concur wholeheartedly! Gold or silver? Gold would be my first choice, but silver would do quite well also! IN the USA.

  • Tammy’s review is so voluptuous it makes me want to sample Rose Extreme. I love the Pre Raphaelite paintings, but I would perfume Aphrodite, goddess of love with this scent.
    The silver vial would be my choice if I win, I am in Australia.

  • Lillyholloway says:

    We rose lovers seem to be on a perpetual hunt for that perfect rose fragrance that transcends all others. Tammy did such a fantastic job of conveying the scent so that we can almost smell it from her description.
    Lily Elsie, British actress of the 1900s would evoke a historic beauty for me. Silver ismy preference and I live in the US.

  • Diana Devlin says:

    What a beautiful review!!! You description of each of the notes was so dreamy! And I love how you ended the review by remarking we should make every day extraordinary and allow ourselves to wear our coveted fragrances NOW instead of waiting for “someday”. What a lovely sentiment that I agree wholeheartedly with!
    I live in the U.S.

  • fazalcheema says:

    I came to know about Rose Extreme last year and my initial expressions from the online descriptions were quite similar to Tammy’s experiences that it has quite dense rose notes with peach and others playing a supporting role, resulting in quite a feminine creation. If I win, I would like it in Gold because it complements the color of the perfume. thanks a lot for the generous draw. I am in the US

  • MikasMinion says:

    I wonder how I missed that M Micallef had a rose perfume? I have tried and loved several from the line but not this one. I adore rose but actually enjoy wearing very few and have wished aloud for a smooth rose with peach. Anything as a rose nectar goes on my must-try list.
    As for who I can see wearing it, can I say my Mom? She wears roses so well and is always the first person I think of when I read about a rose perfume. If she doesn’t exactly count as a woman of unearthly beauty, and I’m sure SHE would say she doesn’t, how about Phryne of Thespiae?
    I’m in the US and would prefer the silver atomizer if I am lucky enough to win.

  • The quest for the perfect rose seems like a never-ending one. I do love a good rose perfume and Tammy’s description of the quality of rose used in this one makes me swoon bad for it. It seems like a perfect perfume for a goddess. I can imagine Aphrodite bathing in this.

    Thanks for the draw. I’m in Canada. If I win, I’d choose the gold.

  • The whole description of the scent draws me in: acres of roses, osmanthus, the rose scent that even rose haters should try…
    Rose is one of the most difficult notes for me. I love the smell of roses on the bush but have trouble finding a rose centered perfume that I can wear: they’re too sour, or too green, or too synthetic. There’s always something that bugs me.
    This Micallef rose sounds like something I must try.
    I’m in Japan and if I win I’d like the silver atomizer.
    Thank you.

  • Liked the association with nectar of Gods. I would like the silver atomizer and I can envision my GF wearing it; I live in Europe.

  • What a beautiful review! I feel like testing this rose based scent! I am a big lover of rose and I have never thought it is an ingredient for grandmothers , as Tammy says “The quality of the rose is unmistakable” then, an excellent rose is for every lover scents 😉 And combined with a good osmanthus, I must definitly try it.
    I’m in EU and I would like the silver atomizer….
    Thanks

  • Richard Potter says:

    I love rose frags and Tammy’s review makes me want this on immediately. This one AND Notes Vanille. Terrific review.

  • Wonderful review, like always. This perfume is sounds fabulous. My choice of woman with unearthly beauty is Arwen Undomiel. This beautiful scent would fit her. If I would be the lucky winner, my choice is the gold bottle.
    Thanks for the chance. I live in Europe.

  • Beautiful review of a rose based perfume which made me feel like i deserve to be someone’s true love and perhaps this perfume can be my new true love!
    A lady i can envision wearing Rose Extreme is Dame Helen Mirren; a beautiful, feisty, self assured woman, who knows what she wants……
    Thanks for the draw, i’m in the UK and would like the silver atomiser if i was lucky enough to win,

  • Tammy’s review shimmers a lit from within radiance all by itself! I love roses and the sensuous, voluptuous quality of Rose Extreme lifts off the page (or screen in this case but you know what I mean.) The woman who comes to mind wearing Rose Extreme is the luminous Lily Elsie, Edwardian actress and a famous beauty of her time. Thanks for the incredibly generous draw, I would love to win Rose Extreme in the silver case. I’m in the US.

  • It sounds like sheer bliss! Thank you for the reminder not to save the beauty of perfume for special occasions only. I’m in the US and would love the silver case.

  • Tammy’s description of Ros Extreme is absolutely poetic. I have sampled Rose Extreme and it is beautiful. I am having a difficult time thinking of what women I could envision wearing this. A young Catherine Deneuve keeps coming to mind. I like the silver. USA

  • Lellabelle says:

    Tammy’s joyous reaction to the Rose perfume samples was infectious, even to someone who finds rose challenging, like me. I adore the Micallef bottle and the description of the scent is completely seductive. This sounds like a perfume for an archetypal idea of womanhood, so my choices would be Guinevere, or Ophelia.
    I would be delighted to receive either of the cases, but if I had to choose I would opt for the Rose gold. Canada please, and many thanks to Geoffery Nejman, Martine Micallef and the team for their generosity.

  • I’ve only tried one scent that possesses peach as a note, but I can imagine how well peach would interact with rose. It sounds like the quintessential feminine scent, and it makes me think of Vivien Leigh. I would absolutely adore that gold case. Thanks for the amazing giveaway, I’m in the US!

  • Iuno Feronia says:

    I love roses. I could sit hours sniffing on a single Ross, it’s so delicate. The perfume sounds wonderful and I would like to win it. Thanks for the draw, I live in the EU, AUSTRIA.

  • Ooh, I like how it seems like the osmanthus is actually realistic and done well. I’ve smelled too many perfumes that promised osmanthus but didn’t deliver, so this seems great! Roses are one of my favorite flowers because receiving them only on special occasions means that the scent is always associated with a great memory. The darker, redder, and juicier, the better. I live in the US and prefer silver. Thanks!

  • Oh, and a woman of otherworldly beauty? Must be PJ Harvey, the juxtaposition of light and dark, with incredible talent.

  • This review makes Rose Extreme sound absolutely stunning, fit for a goddess! The bottle and travel atomizer are gorgeous too! I’m in the US and would prefer the silver atomizer if I was lucky enough to win the chance to try it.

  • Tammy, you make this sound so delicsious! I believe I’ve heard this perfume described lovingly on Cafleruebon in the past, and I would love to try it. Roses are so beautiful. As for a beautiful woman, I remember as a youngish girl seeing Gone With the Wind for the first time, and when they first showed Scarlet O’Hara (Vivien Leigh), thinking she was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on. If I’m the lucky winner I choose the gold atomizer! USA. Thank you for the review and the draw.

  • This rose sounds fit for the Greek poetess Sappho.

    …”Now she shines among Lydian women like
    the rose-fingered moon
    rising after sundown, erasing all

    stars around her, and pouring light equally
    across the salt sea
    and over densely flowered fields

    lucent under dew”…

    I would love to win a rose gold atomiser of this perfume.
    I live in the EU

  • Tammy’s review was amazing, especially her details of the peach note! The apricot and it’s honeyed sweetness was intriguing to me. I have to try Rose Extreme and Notes Vanille. While reading this Nefertiti came to mind. If I win I would choose the silver. I live in the US and thanks for the draw!

  • I enjoyed reading Tammy’s review as always, her vivid and image creating descriptions make you want to devour any aromatic creation, not to mention a ROSE perfume like Rose Extreme by M.Micallef is!!!!
    Most of all the part that made me fall in love with this perfume is the following;
    “Rose Extrême is possibly the most feminine fragrance I have ever experienced; it also feels somehow deeply personal and intimate, as if it were created specifically for someone’s true love… or perhaps as an ode to every woman, with a thousand roses paying tribute her beauty, intoxicating osmanthus representing her grace and charm, the peach note replicating the soft warm ripeness of her skin, with vanilla and musk whispering promises of the sweet pleasure to be found in the fullness of her curves.”
    A woman that would perfectly fit for the Rose Extreme is Elizabeth Taylor for it is both a sensual and sensuous perfume as Tammy mentions!
    I would love to win the rose gold atomiser.
    I am a registered reader living in EU.
    Thank you for the amazing review and so generous draw!

  • Tammy has, by her vivid metaphors and clear description of Rose Extreme, convinced me that I must try a sample. An “unearthly beauty”, a mesmerizing response from her husband, and the inclusion of Osmanthus has me intrigued. I’ve been trying more and more rose scents and this one sounds gorgeous (as well as looking gorgeous – that bottle!)

    I envision the Da Vinci angel (detail of her face from the painting Virgin of The Rocks), the framed replica print above my fireplace, wearing the scent. I live in the U.S. I’d love to win the gold atomiser. Thank you for the draw, and for this irresistible review, Tammy & Cafleurebon!

  • Parfummaniac says:

    Thanks Tammy, yes every woman should feel like a goddess. Specially with this ‘Rose Extreme’ which must be so nice. Beautiful review from one of my most favorites house. Martine is an artist pur sang.
    How extremely beautiful are the bottles made by her.
    Living in The Netherlands, thanks for this draw I would love o win the Rose Silver atomiser.
    Happy Easter dear readers of CafleureBon !

  • Beautiful review on this gem. I can imagine the quality of this fragrance. With a name like Rose Extreme, I envision something so natural and pure. A definite head turner. I feel like this fits someone very elegant, such as Mrs. Obama. My choice would be the rose gold. Thanks for the draw and I’m in Canada.

  • Oh, I hope I’m not too late for the drawing! This is the kind of review that makes one long to get a sniff of the perfume that inspired it, and I’ve at least liked everything I’ve tried by M. Micallef (and loved a few things). I’d choose the rose gold, I’m in the US, and I’ll choose Isolde to wear Rose Eztrême.

  • girasole638 says:

    I loved Tammy’s description of Rose Extreme as an ‘unearthly beauty’ and enjoyed her exhortation to wear the ‘good scents’ every day (I’m of the same opinion!). I’m not sure whom I would perfume with this scent – I think rather than scenting some famous beauty, I’d prefer to share it with any woman. From Tammy’s description, it has the power to make everyone who wears it feel beautiful, so why not spread that feeling around? I’m in the US and would choose the silver atomizer (even though I suspect the rose gold better complements the fragrance).

  • Lovely review! I am one of those rise addicts. I also appreciate a good osmanthus tone. After seeing ask the paintings featuring redheads, the beauty that comes to mind is Florence Welch. Rose goes with everything. And certainly with moody, dramatic music. I would pick the rose gold atomizer. I’m in the US, thanks for the draw!

  • Rose perfumes are so timeless! I appreciate every perfumer’s interpretation of this flower. I love the addition of osmanthus. I bet this gives the rose note a beautiful twist.

    I can imagine Ophelia in rose. Just something I can imagine her wearing, in all her beauty and tragedy.

    I live in the USA and I love the rose gold atomizer. Thank you!!!

  • Rose perfumes are one of my favs. They bring out such elegance and sophistication. Micallef always produces amazing scent, so I know this will be incredible. This is a scent I feel would be worn by a very strong woman at a red carpet event.

    I’m a Canadian reader and thanks for the draw.