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Rock Rose is a fragrance that had so much promise, but unfortunately fell flat. It opens with a messy concoction of assorted citrus fruits, namely bergamot, grapefruit, orange as well as apple. This is accompanied by green, soapy aromatics of spearmint, lavender and clary sage. Other than this, there are no other prominent notes in the composition, and the overall perfume you’re left with is very disappointing. As others have said, this has a very strong similarity to Mont Blanc Legend in that it’s a very typical fresh, bubblegum, shower-gel type of scent with only marginally higher quality. For a fragrance that costs almost £500 for 50ml, you would expect fantastic creativity and quality - and while Clive Christian usually puts out brilliant creations, this one sticks out like a sore thumb. If you want to smell like a 14 year old boy for stupid money, then this is the scent to go for.
I'll likely get slated for giving another CC fragrance, yet another glowing review but it deserves it. Well....'glowing' might be taking it a bit far because taste wise, this is not really my thing. However, in terms of complexity, creativity and sheer quality, I have to doff my cap to Rock rose. If I'm not very much mistaken the resin Labdanum comes from a plant called the rock rose? Well it would appear that there's a type of rose call the rock rose, because the labdanum one doesn't resemble a conventional rose? Anyway I digress, if you're expecting a resin bomb then you'll be out of luck because this is a fresh uplifting scent on the surface but with something slightly more sinister lurking beneath. The opening is very bright with airy citruses and musk but with a very clean and cold feel added to by the breathy, minty vibe. It immediately strikes me as more in the Lyric Man genre of rose fragrance and as it dries down you get a little more dirt from the clary sage and a more floral feel of neroli. It's strange because although very long lasting on my skin it evolved very differently to how it did on the card and sprayed and put in a bag while shopping. Smelling it now I do get much more of a luxurious base from it and yet more confusion of something resembling a deep leathery and resinous feel, but still with all the top notes there, even the mint. I have to say this revelation was far more remarkable than if I'd just worn the fragrance because I didn't notice just what a complex creature Clive Christian Rock rose was. My girlfriend absolutely adored it from the first whiff and she wore it on the same day as me. Frankly if it was hint to get it for valentines day, she can keep wanting for this price. CC fragrances seem to be constantly rising in price, the one I bought a few years ago seems pretty reasonable compared to the hike I've seen since. Anyway...creatively this is a winner for me and something which has to explored and worn several times or you might mistake for something more linear. Great but not exceptional.
