Some time during last spring I ordered a free sample pack from Czech & Speake. I guess you can figure out that a free sample pack with all the fragrances from Czech & Speak would become quite popular. But appearantly the guys at Czech & Speak had n´t count with that, so some weeks after ordering the sample pack I´ve got a mail where they told me they run out of sample packs, but promise to send me one as fast as they can, and they promised that I wouldn´t be dissapointed.
And, I have been waiting and waiting and waiting. All spring, summer and autumn. I´ve got a lot of other pleasant perfumes mean while, but as soon as I was on my way to forget about the Czech & Speak sample pack they send me a mail reminding me of it. They sure know all about budling up expectations.
And yes, finally they did arrive! In the days between Christmas and New Year, and my little sample pack made a trip to Spain also. For some reason my country was marked as Spain.
Worth waiting for? Oh yes, the samples are beautifully presented at cardboard looking like Czech & Speake bottles. A nice brochoure where the scents are described also enclosed.
Of all the scents, Dark rose was the one capturing my attention at first. Not so strange considering I´ve got a floral passion going right now, and also cause Dark Rose is a rose/oudh scent. Interesting to compare it with other oudh-scents.
Dark Rose has a pleasant, glowing top note with smell of safron and oudh, but not at all so powerful and medical as for instant Montale´s Black Aoud. Dark Rose do remind a little of Black Aoud, but softer, lighter and a little more European. It isn´t as precautious as L'Artisan´s Al Oudh, it is more in between. It is like a pale sister to Black Aoud, but without being boring or lack personality.
No, Dark Rose actually manage to become a really, really pleasant rose frag on me. Warm, velvety soft and very rosy. There is like the smell of a perfect dark rose, but whit some lighter, powdery nuances in it as well. It is the rose that is central in Dark Rose, not the oudh or anything else. This far I´ve only tried Dark rose a coupple of times, but I belive it can climb quite high among my favourite rose-scents. Unfortunatly it is quite discrete, maybe because I´ve only got a small dab on-sample. This is a scent I would like to try with generous spraying!
I recommend Dark Rose to people skeptical to both rose and oudh-scents. I think that Czech & Speake has manage really good with this one. If you find Montale´s Black Aoud a little to heavy and mysterious I beg you to give Dark Rose a try.
As mentioned I´ve got me a whole sample pack of Czech & Speak scents, do you have any favourite among them? I will try them through, have some expectations on Cuba, maybe dependning on the bottle. It would look gorgeus in perfume collection!
Pic: Mary Faith flickr
Ah, I really like Dark Rose. And you're right, it's softer and easier to wear than Black Aoud (which I also love as you know) but I find it still has a very decent projection just by dabbing. N°88 is also one of my favourites by C&S, along with Cuba which is very nice to wear in summer and in which all the main evocative notes (lime, rum, peppermint, tobacco) are very easy to identify. Sadly thought it's not really long-lasting on me. Have fun trying all the samples! :-)
SvaraRaderaI got my sample pack from C&S last spring (might have just beaten the crowd - it came very quickly!) and identified Dark Rose as the only one I'd consider wearing myself. I thought it beautiful but not very oud-y at all, extremely wearable, more rose than anything else. No. 88 I loved too, but found more masculine than I usually like. I'm trying to get my husband to wear it.
SvaraRaderaOooh, now this sounds a rose scent I would actually like, maybe. Shall have to try! :)
SvaraRaderaBy the way, I have the first ever competition on my blog to win five mineral eyeshadows. So excited, do enter! :)