Year: 2015
Notes: carrot seed, celery seed, juniper berry, honey, violet, tobacco flower, iris cristata, vanilla, frankincense, cedar, vetiver, musk
Comment: Rosarium is part of the Hatria Collection
Many of Angela Ciampagna's olfactory efforts have practically cribbed their inspiration from other niche houses, including Montale, Sigilli and Sospiro (most of which are also Italian). Not surprisingly, Rosarium fails to refute such an allegation and, instead, turns its attention to Maria Candida Gentile's exploration of frankincense.
Where Maria Candida Gentile successfully explored frankincense, within the context of rose (Sideris) and violet (Exultat), Rosarium attempts to do the same thing but with an iris backdrop. With an inky opening, courtesy of both the carrot and celery seed (to accentuate the vegetal properties of the iris), the composition almost heads straight to its dusty vanilla and iris heart. The frankincense becomes more discernible later on, while the violet adds a little edge to the floral aspect. As for any sweetness, it's well-balanced, and the light, waxy and almost balsamic base of woods is supported by white musk and powdery remnants of vanilla.
All in all, it's a warm and surprisingly substantial take on this theme. To its credit, Rosarium is less ephemeral than Exultat but it isn't quite as alluring as Sideris. Rosarium's blending is also of a decent standard but it fails to reach the heights of Maria Candida Gentile's olfactory expertise – sufficiently satisfying the liturgical aspect, but falling short of being breathtakingly beautiful and enchanting.
It's fair to say that such stark parallels to Maria Candida Gentile's work would indeed affect one's perception of Rosarium. However, in saying that, it does provide very good sillage and impressive longevity of over ten hours. Regardless of its lack of originality, it's certainly worth investigating.
Where Maria Candida Gentile successfully explored frankincense, within the context of rose (Sideris) and violet (Exultat), Rosarium attempts to do the same thing but with an iris backdrop. With an inky opening, courtesy of both the carrot and celery seed (to accentuate the vegetal properties of the iris), the composition almost heads straight to its dusty vanilla and iris heart. The frankincense becomes more discernible later on, while the violet adds a little edge to the floral aspect. As for any sweetness, it's well-balanced, and the light, waxy and almost balsamic base of woods is supported by white musk and powdery remnants of vanilla.
All in all, it's a warm and surprisingly substantial take on this theme. To its credit, Rosarium is less ephemeral than Exultat but it isn't quite as alluring as Sideris. Rosarium's blending is also of a decent standard but it fails to reach the heights of Maria Candida Gentile's olfactory expertise – sufficiently satisfying the liturgical aspect, but falling short of being breathtakingly beautiful and enchanting.
It's fair to say that such stark parallels to Maria Candida Gentile's work would indeed affect one's perception of Rosarium. However, in saying that, it does provide very good sillage and impressive longevity of over ten hours. Regardless of its lack of originality, it's certainly worth investigating.
