Absolue Hell of a Rose

This is a very unique scent on my skin, and is definitely the most unconventional in the Absolue line.

Grapefruit and rose combined sounds delightful, but it made for an odd combination on first sniff - I have rarely been this puzzled by a perfume! The grapefruit is both sour and bitter, while the rose is a very pretty, fresh pink rose. However, there is also an interesting savory and musky quality to the scent. These notes are combined with a woody, grassy vetiver that smells like hay. It is growing on me the more I smell it, but it is a very unusual scent that confuses my brain. This is a perfume that doesn't smell at all like Lancome's traditional "perfume" to me. I think if you like more experimental and niche perfumes, this is definitely one to try. It is hardly sweet, but is instead musky, savory, tart and woody. It smells like a very pure, crisp, minerally ocean breeze with bitter grapefruit peel and a wash of soft, freshly picked rose petals.

As it dries down, the grapefruit becomes sweeter and juicier and everything becomes more mellow and rosy. I really enjoy this dry down, though it is very faint by hour 6.

I really disliked this one at first on the strip and skin, but it's actually turning into something that is both interesting and wearable. This was the biggest surprise in the discovery set and I'm glad I gave it skin time.

Projection is relatively soft for around 2 hours and longevity is around 7 hours on my skin, though it is barely hanging on at that point.

I'm surprised with how much I liked this one in the end. It is unisex and would be perfect for very hot weather, or for the workplace. A unique but wearable freshie, though I wish it had better performance. I give it an 8/10.