The rose that stayed for dinner: En Voyage Perfumes L'Emblem Rouge EDP [and a draw!]

The lovely Trish (from one of my favorite perfume blogs, Scent Hive) and I decided to create a little blogging project in order to celebrate the launch of Shelley Waddington's En Voyage Perfumes L'Emblem Rouge, a rose soliflore. I will discuss the eau de parfum here, and Trish will be exploring the accompanying hydrosol, created by Dabney Rose.

The people who know me best know that I am not generally a fan of rose-centric perfumes, but my mind is always open, because there are always exceptions. Take Aftelier Perfumes Roses Solid, for instance. I really appreciate the fresh aspects of rose, like crushing rose petals in the palm of your hand and then inhaling, and Mandy's Roses is that exactly.

L'Emblem Rouge captures that moment in time so well, even if it doesn't last too long. I have long since made peace with the reality that the best of natural perfumes don't last as long as I'd like, but in a way, I savor their fleeting nature even more because I know it won't be staying with me for several hours.

L'Emblem Rouge is the first entry in  perfumer Shelley Waddington's new all-natural Rubicon Collection. Lovers of rose soliflores will rejoice when they get their hands on this one, and those with charitable hearts will, too:
"A lifetime gift of five percent of all L'Emblem Rouge proceeds will be donated to Broadway Cares, a leading non-profit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization." -from the En Voyage website

top notes: cassie, mace, bitter orange, juicy grapefruit, green pepper, Iranian galbanum, violet, cistus heart notes: organic Iranian rose otto, ylang ylang, heliotrope, French jasmine sambac, violet, honey base notes: guaiacwood, sandalwood, copaiba, vetiver cedarwood Virginia, tolu balsam, benzoin Siam, tonka, vanilla, ambergris

Once the fresh rose aspect has faded down, the warm depths of L'Emblem Rouge emerge to envelop you in the kind of comfort you crave on a cool, windy Autumn day. It becomes redolent of a well-loved chenille blanket that has held on to traces of incense smoke from night after night of revelry. It is simply stunning.

[photo: obeygiant.com]

Once in awhile the impossible happens, and it reaffirms my pledge to myself to keep my mind and heart open, and if a rose perfume should want to come in for a trial-run, I will certainly open the door.

En Voyage Perfumes L'Emblem Rouge may be purchased in two concentrations. The EDP is available in 0.25 oz and 0.50 oz bottles ($40 and $115, respectively), and L'Eau Emblem Rouge, the hydrosol it is paired with, 0.35 oz for $25. Samples are also available for $6.

To celebrate the launch of L'Emblem Rouge, I am holding a draw for a sample set: a mini spray sample of the hydrosol and a mini-roller ball of the eau de parfum. Just leave a comment here to enter-- tell me what your thoughts are about rose in perfumes. Do you love it? Do you give it the ol' side-eye? Does it sleep at the foot of your bed, curled up in a ball?

Drawing will be held on Saturday, September 10th at 12:00 pm, and will be decided by random.org. I will announce the winner on my blog, and the winner is responsible for contacting me via email with their mailing address (eyelineronacat at gmail dot com). In the meantime, don't forget to head over to Scent Hive to read all about L'Eau Emblem Rouge. Good luck!