*This post contains a press sample*
I have been eyeing up Roja Parfums for nearly a decade now ; they are renowned in the industry as being some of the most luxurious, sought-after and finest perfumes that money can buy. Decadent? Absolutely. Magical? …unbelievably so.
Roja Dove, the man behind the name, is one of the world’s most highly respected and sought-after perfumers. His own brand, Roja Parfums launced in 2011 and they are currently sold in Harrod’s, Selfridges and their own store in the gorgeous Burlington Arcade.
Roja Parfums’ A Midsummer Dream is the first bottle I own and I want to tell you all about it and why this fragrance brand needs to be on your radar.
I love my perfumes and have since a young age ; I think there is some thing so special about how you can smell something and it immediately evokes emotions, memories, days out and occasions. You can be swept back to your childhood in a second and taken to a different place and time. It’s powerful and just something I find really fascinating. I love exploring different scents…the unusual and the niche.
“In honour of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s legacy, perfumer Roja Dove translated the beloved story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream into the language of scent. With one breath, perfume has the ability to remove us from reality and transport us to a world of fantasy – one where the enchanted woodland of Shakespeare’s imagination is able to come to life. Notes of Patchouli, Oakmoss, Tree Moss and Vetiver stage the forest floor, whilst zesty Grapefruit blends with the liveliness of Cardamom and Pink Pepper to bring the whimsical spirit of the story to life. Titania, Queen of the Faeries, is written to have slept on a bed of Musk and Rose, which are both used in this potion, whilst the powdery balsamic tones of Carrot Seed blend with Orris and Musk to create an ethereal, dream-like state where fantasy and reality blur. Simply close your eyes and allow it to take you on a journey to a magical realm…” – ROJA DOVE.
My summary: sophisticated, rich, sexy, heady, mature, special occasion, evening, intoxicating, curious, magical.
As I was unboxing the perfume, as soon as I had taken the wrap off the box I was hit with the scent before I had even taken it out of the box. ROJA Parfums don’t mess about with the concentrate of these fragrances : they are hands down the strongest I have ever smelt.
When it’s sprayed onto the skin it immediately smells quite woody and masculine and then is seems to sweeten up after it warms up on the skin and then I can really smell the rose, vanilla and orange blossom. It’s pretty much my dream combination right there! If you are familiar with my fragrance taste you’ll know I love something quite musky and dark and this is definitely sitting in that territory. It’s a grown up scent, it’s more of an evening one for me and it’s…unusual…which I love!
The bottle is as decadent as I would expect ; it’s a bit of a show-stopper, it feels heavy, it looks incredibly special and it just speaks luxury. The heavy gold bejewelled lid, the weighty bottle, the embossing on the label ; nothing disappointed and it’s what I would expect from an out-and-out premium fragrance.
Roja Parfums’ A Midsummer Dream is already really special fragrance already to me. I immediately felt nostalgia and it had a heart-warming familiarity to it and it reminded me of my mum. She used to wear only Chanel no.5 which again is quite a heady and recognisable scent but this definitely doesn’t smell similar, perhaps it’s just the elegance of it that reminds me of her.
I do really love my perfumes and I have actually quite a vast collection. I wouldn’t say I am a fragrance snob so much…..but I *kind* of am. I like unusual, I like niche, I like something different from the norm and something that you do not smell on other people often. If you are nodding along whilst reading this then you may need to explore Roja Parfums. It may take weeks of trying until you get ‘your one’ but from what I have heard, they really have that special fall-in-love-immediately scent for everyone.
They are sold in Harrod’s, Selfridges and in their Burlington Arcade boutique so you need to be in London to try out these perfumes. As they are a high price-point (Roja fragrances start from around £50 up to over £1000) I would always recommend testing them out and trying them before an online impulsive buy.
Have a peruse on the Roja Parfums website if you want to know a little more and explore the fragrances. I have a few others that I have my eye on but for now this is ticking all my boxes and think I’ll be wearing this A LOT this autumn/winter.
Have you tried any Roja Parfums yet?
