Tom Ford Rose de Russie Perfume Review
Tom Ford Eau de Parfum initially has you wondering how the rose is going to show up, because it has an aromatic, fresh and green opening over smooth leather. The rose starts subtly and gets stronger after about a half hour through the drydown, but the fragrance was more of a soft, sweet rose surrounded by deep green leaves, woody stalks, and soft leather.
It is described as a “dramatic rose” with “white pepper, woods, and Russian leather.” Here are the notes:
- top notes: white pepper
- heart notes: rose
- base notes: woody notes, black leather accord
Scent Development
It opened with lush greenery that was aromatic and peppery, swiftly followed by a ripple of a supple leather that encased soft roses dying to be let loose to bloom. As the roses opened up, the scent sweetened subtly, while the leather seemed minutely drier. There seemed to be a tart citrus note playing through the background, dragging out the rosy sweetness in the first 15 minutes.
The rose unfurled more fully after 20 to 30 minutes, layering over lush green leaves, and sat upon subtle leather. Through the following hour, Rose de Russie’s rose note intensified with soft, floral sweetness that wasn’t powdery or sugary. The leaves were in soft focus now, less aromatic but still there beneath the rose petals. The leather was softer and smoother; definitely discernible and there in the structure but not dominant.
Over the next few hours, the rose and leather were the primary facets with the leather strengthening deeper into the wear. It took about six hours before the perfume really shifted into the drydown, which was softer, slightly smoky woods and darker, drier leather with only a veil of rose left behind.
Application
For testing, I used two sprays to the underside and topside of my wrist area on my left arm. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as this is also my swatching arm (aka, incredibly parched at any given moment) as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise.
Longevity
It lasted for eight hours until it was a skin-scent and about 16 hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were moderate with noticeable drops after three hours of wear.
Personal Thoughts
I definitely prefer my rose with a lot of greenery, so this was definitely enjoyable to wear! I liked the addition of leather and was thankful it didn’t end up dominating the structure. I’ll be re-wearing this one!
Available Sizes
- 50ml for $270
Definitely sounds like it’s worth a spritz next time I find myself in a Sephora! This one could be a winner, in the best way possible!
I’m going to check this out the next time I’m in Sephora even though I do not care for leather scents.
Definitely sounds interesting. I love roses because my grandmother always wore rosewater and it was her favourite flower. But, I’m not a fan of sweet rose or rose dominant scents. I think of the three, this one might be the one to try.. But I am also seriously intrigued by Ebene Fume which would be more typical of my tastes.
Looking forward to seeing which you go for!
Happy Valentine’s to me.. I went for the Ebene.. pJ’s comment below helped seal the deal 😱😆
Hope you love it! 🙂
I wish this one smelled like you describe on my skin chemistry but it’s super peppery with an acrid burnt note on my skin for hours 🙁
That sounds awful 🙁
It doesn’t have any leather, but do you feel like this bears some resemblance to Diptyque’s l’ombre Dan’s l’eau? That’s one I always think of when people talk about rose with a strong green note.
I have not tried that one, unfortunately!