{{In-Depth Fragrance Review}}: L'Occitane Rose Aurore eau Fraiche

L'Occitane Rose Aurore Eau Fraiche, $78/75ml

I have been craving rose fragrances lately.

Besides going back to my absolute favourite Evelyn Rose EDT (which has since been reformulated), I also sought solace in my little 30ml bottle of Crabtree&Evelyn's Rosewater. 

The former is far too precious for me to use liberally while the latter's low lasting power leaves me with a sense of disappointment.

Then, came L'Occitane's Rose Aurore.

Pretty, pretty packaging.

What caught my eye was the lovely, old Western styled motif of Rose Aurore. The beautiful royal red colour and its fairly complex design piqued my interest. Then, there's the gorgeous GWP and Mothers' Day gift packs available this month at L'Occitane outlets, Singapore. 

Nonetheless, I was hesitant to try this at first, for I'm a picky rose lover. The idea of "white roses" didn't really make me excited since I adored pink/red rose scents and I dislike cutesy and/or faint scents that L'Occitane tends to have in their floral fragrances. Also, I had the idea that eau fraiche were very light fragrances that would not last long.

But, I was in love on first whiff! What a delightful fragrance! I bought it the day I smelt it!

According to L'Occitane, 

Top Notes: Lemon, Orange, Bergamot

Heart Notes: Rose, Lotus Flower

Base Notes: Musk, Amber

Rose Aurore opens with a fresh burst of white roses, as the citrus notes gives it a revitalising edge to the feminine florals. There is also a hint of soapiness, which I absolutely looooove in rose fragrances. It makes me feel like an ol' girly romantic at heart who's just taken a bath in rose petals. 

Then, as the fragrance mellows a little, I could smell how green and translucent it is. This is a sweet, delicate rose at its first bloom and the lotus note only serves to strengthen its delicateness.  Lotus, is a note I've come to admire for it is- to me- a floral that is both feminine and zen-like, unlike other loud obnoxious floral notes. I could see bountiful floating rose petals surrounding me in this scent and I envision it fit for a wedding. Or, like my friend says, "good for formal events" because there is just that beautiful rose classiness to it.

Personally, as this is is tested on skin, I cannot detect the musk note. The amber note itself isn't particularly noticeable either, but there is a slight warmth(not as warm as Evelyn Rose) to this fragrance that may be the cause of the amber note.

This, my friends, is a sillage monster. Just one spray at the store and I could smell it for a good 3 hours at moderate sillage. Please do not ever overspray this little beauty because it would positively make people gag.  The longevity on my skin is an impressive 4-5 hours, just like L'Occitane's The Vert.

A definite thumbs up from me. I'd be eyeing a second bottle if my love for it continues. I don't wanna regret it the way I did with my Evelyn Rose (darn it C&E, bring it back!)
*EDIT*: I'll be getting new bottles of the ol' Evelyn Rose! My relative managed to find some old stock abroad! Yaaaay.

Have you tried Rose Aurore? Let me know!

Love,

That Whimsical Blogger!

The other complementary body products from the range:
R.A Radiant Body Milk-S$48/250ml
R.A Shower Jelly - S$33/250ml

P.S: At my trip to L'Occitane boutique in Takashimaya, I sprayed Rose4Reines on my left wrist and Rose Aurore on my right wrist to see which I liked better. R4R had great longevity according to Fragrantica.com but it just died down on my skin into a soft skin scent in a matter of one hour! RA continued pampering my skin with its lovely smell. I think this is a matter of skin chemistry so your results may differ. 

I also tried out Rose des Champs later on in the day and here's a quick way to distinguish their scents.

Rose 4 Reines: Classic, deep red rose scent. A bit dark and reminds me of potpourri roses. It's like you being given a bouquet of rich, red roses.

Rose des Champs (2012 limited edition - yes, I still see it in stores): Very green rose scent with a hint of citrus and fruits. You'll be smelling more green notes than roses. Great for people who like just a mild touch of rose to their fragrances. It's like you running through a garden of roses. EDIT: this actually smells fantastic in hot weather! Bring it out into the sun and a light rose blooms and blooms and blooms!

Rose Aurore (2013 limited edition): white roses that are delicate and fresh with subtle hints of green notes. Great for people who like roses but not the dark-red-rose type. It's like white roses steeped in water.