Montale
Montale
134 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Strawberry leaf's green tartness crashes through first, momentarily obscuring the rose beneath with its slightly jammy, vegetal character. The citrus fruits arrive almost simultaneously, adding a bright, slightly tart quality that feels almost cordial-like in its immediacy.
As the opening's fresh elements fade, the rose finally emerges in full, rounded form, met warmly by jasmine's creamy indoles and orange blossom's delicate, faintly soapy florals. The composition deepens here, becoming more traditionally sweet and enveloping, the fruity elements now softening into something more perfume-like than juice-like.
Vanilla and amber create a soft, synthetic-tinged sweetness that feels somewhat flat and two-dimensional compared to the heart's complexity. Musk rounds out the edges, though the projection fades considerably, leaving what feels more like a second skin scent than a true fragrance presence.
Rose Elixir announces itself as a fragrance caught between two competing impulses: the urge to celebrate rose in its most voluptuous form, and the desire to temper that indulgence with fruit-forward freshness. The strawberry leaf in the opening provides a slightly green, almost herbaceous counterpoint to what could otherwise be a one-dimensional floral declaration, whilst the citrus fruits prevent the composition from settling into pure sweetness. This is rose for those who find traditional rose fragrances occasionally suffocating—there's oxygen here, movement, a refusal to sit still.
The jasmine and orange blossom in the heart deepen the floral conversation without duplicating it; the orange blossom's indolic whisper adds a subtle powder-and-skin quality that prevents the rose from becoming cloying. Yet the accord data betrays a fragrance that leans heavily into its fruity-sweet DNA (88% and 76% respectively), suggesting something closer to rose-infused confectionery than haute parfumerie. The synthetic accord at 52% likely manifests in the base's musk and vanilla—they feel present and chemical-tinged rather than animalic or gourmand in the traditional sense.
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3.4/5 (176)