Rose Praline

White chocolate and rose water pralines, originally uploaded by nadiya9.

So this is the dessert that inspired Rose Praline by Le Parfums de Rosine: a full-size rose macaron filled with rose cream and fresh lychee fruit, and red ripe raspberries dancing in a circle to keep the layers afloat. And above all - a fragrant edible rose petal and a perfect dew-drop made of honey. The full-bodied floralcy of rose is well balanced with the tartness of the lychees and raspberries. The texture of all is perfectly balanced between crunchy crackling crust and chewy macaron that melts into marzipan in your mouth, and a soft smooth cool cream with the pieces of lychee fruit, which are the real surprise in the whole thing (because you don’t see them until you bite into them!).

Isphahan by Pierre Herme, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

When I visited Le Parfums de Rosine in Paris last year, the young girl at the shop was keen on conversing with me about her favourite macaron. I think only in Paris this can be a topic for conversation with a stranger. Damn, I miss Paris!

Anyway, this conversation lead to the Rosine new perfume at the time, Rose Praline, which was inspired by this dessert. I didn’t wear it much back than, but missing Paris, macarons and going to French class tonight made me try it for real today.

Rose Praline is a bright, fruity-green rose with underlining sweetness of vanilla and chocolate. The opening is tart and green, somewhat raspberry-like but not exactly realistic. It is this opening that made me avoid Rose Praline for the longest time as it reminds me of two of my green-rose vices – l’Ombre dans l’Eau and Rose Ikebana. The berry note in all three is a little off-putting for me. But in Rose Praline it’s a little softer and less in your face.

Geranium plays an interesting role here, adding a crushed leaf impression while also giving the feeling of a mouthwatering fruitiness as well as full-bodied, wine-like rose qualities. It reminds me of how I like to add geranium leaf to iced lychee tea juice…

And speaking of tea: there is the sparkling Earl Grey reference of bergamot, the classic chai spiciness from cardamom, and just a whiff of smoky Lapsang Suchong that is so subtle you can easily miss it unless someone told you about it…

The raspberry and greens never quite leave the dessert here, but stick around while the rose, chocolate and vanilla weave their way in. It’s not exactly a linear scent, but there is not much evolution except that it becomes gradually more like a soft-focus version of its fruity beginnings. The bottom line is musk, which I personally am beginning to tire of. It seems like all modern perfume must have a synthetic musk and it just stops feeling original lately. But with that being said, Rose Praline is a fun scent that I am glad to have at least a sample of to reminisce about Paris until I save up for another trip. That being said, I think Rose Praline has the potential of becoming a favourite Rosine for me, after Poussiere de Rose and Rose Kashmirie. They sure know how to highlight the roses and at the same time create distinct perfumes that are everything but boring.

And I’m even more convinced that Rose Praline was made for me because of the following description I just found on the Rosine website:
“Her universe is her friends. Around a cup of tea, her afternoons shell between candies and confidences. Exuberant and talkative, she is a sparkling and sweet young lady”.
I may not be that sweet, but this is surely my favourite way of spending an afternoon – with my friends, giving them sweets that I bake. Hm…

Top notes: Cardamom, Bergamot, Rose, (and in my opinion also a Raspberry note)
Heart notes: Rose, Geranium, Chocolate Powder, Lapsang Suchong Tea
Base notes: Amber, Sandalwood, White Musk, Cacao (and I suspect a good dose of vanilla too)

Le Parfums de Rosine, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.