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Sergei Diaghilev founded the Ballet Russes and often implemented scent into his shows - dousing the theatre curtains with luxurious fragrance to waft the audience with splendour as they lifted. He was a pioneer of the arts and so deserved a scent as classic yet revolutionary as he was. This is what Roja Dove set out to create, a tremendously regal take on something classic - oozing with class and power. Diaghilev opens initially with a fleeting array of citrus, most prominently a bitter orange, alongside an intensely sharp and spicy note of cumin. From here, the dominant note of civet takes over - it’s sour and animalic, challenging and dirty, and yet it works beautifully. The warm spiciness deepens as clove and nutmeg join the cumin, alongside earthy patchouli and a robust leather. After some time, the soft touch of powdery florals and subtle peach gently balance the rest of the notes beautifully, making way for the star of the show - oakmoss. The oakmoss here is creamy, earthy, buttery and utterly delightful. It blends gorgeously with the rest of the notes and develops into a truly classic chypre base. I don’t agree with the comparisons to Mitsouko - they are both classic chypres but that is where the similarity ends. Diaghilev takes the classic scent profile and elevates it with the addition of animalic leather and civet. This scent is opulent and lavish, it smells incredibly expensive and old school, and it will definitely not be to everyone’s taste. This is one of Roja’s most challenging fragrances and while it has limited wearability and versatility, it is truly a work of art and a modern masterpiece.
I'll start by saying this is not my cup of tea at all a mixture of dense complex heavy floral chypre and aromatic powerhouse...make no mistake people, Diaghliev is real perfume. I respect this composition for it's complexity and moments of beauty but the main elements are too dry and potent for me. The opening is a classic device the interplay of sharp lemon/lime citrus and heavy musk. The oakmoss and civet are very heavy indeed but don't choke you out and that means one thing...superb quality. The balance is right here and if you like this sort of classic approach to perfume then this composition would rival the very best. The dry down is very nice and there's too many notes to mention popping out of the mossy earthy base. There's elements I don't like, you can smell cloves and ylang quite strongly in the opening especially this is too musky, never feminine (in fact almost butch at times) but quite dated and too formally perfume like but not the way I want to smell. I can understand how some would consider this to be Roja's stand out work as the others are quite accessible and almost modern in comparison to Diaghliev. Great longevity and projection but not for me.
TRADITIONAL CHYPRES 🍁 Amouage Jubilation XXV 2007 There is missing some main elements of Chypre scent here but it performs very similarly like Chypre anyway. This is soft and Ambery, very refined. The warmest of these all. 🍁 Guerlain Mitsouko 1919 Mossy and earthy, new epd is a little bit sharp while my new extrait is soft and more round, polished. I used to layer them to get the best from both. This new epd is the most dry of these ones. An extrait version of Mitsouko, even if it’s the most recent one, is mesmerizing, rich and intoxicating blend. It’s very different than edp where the beautiful sweetness from Peach is very faint and a deep, mellow, mossy base is just earthy and very dry. Extrait is so amazing and evocative definitely one of the best Chypres. I highly recommend that one, there is a huge difference between those concentrations. 🍁 Rochas Femme 1944 A little bit more fruity than others, beautiful Plum, Peach and Apricot brings a gentle sweetness. Feels smoky/earthy after the opening but not for long time. Performs darker on my husband’s skin than on mine. 🍁 Roja Parfums Diaghilev 2010 Very strong and majestic dark blend, a challenging to wear for many. This one definitely needs the right kind of clothes, otherwise you look and smell totally ridiculous. Sharp and spicy, leathery and musky, the most masculine of these ones, actually there is nothing feminine in this. Very complex. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
I have some scents - like a pair- which are perfect to wear for couples. ❤️ This is the first pair. The best classical timeless Chypres inspired by vintage Mitsouko! ✨ If you want to buy a totally new bottle and the budget is not limited I highly recommend to try these ones before buying a new version of Mitsouko or Rochas Femme. Those are nice as well but these are so incredible amazing ones with extraordinary quality! The classy well blended complexity which is hard to find. ROJA PARFUMS 🖤 DIAGHILEV Very strong and majestic, deep and rich blend, a challenging to wear for many. This one definitely needs the right kind of clothes, otherwise you look and smell totally ridiculous. Yet, I see in my eyes a handsome man after a bath in Versace bathrobe. 🤩 Sharp and spicy, leathery and musky, mossy with a gentle touch of animalics - everything in this scent is heavy. So GORGEOUS! Main notes: - Lemon, Bergamot, Lime, Orange, Tarragon - Jasmin de Grasse, Tuberose, Heliotrope, Violet, Blackcurrant Buds, Peach - Patchouli, Oakmoss, Benzoin, Labdanum, Leather 💜 CHYPRÉ EXTRAORDINAIRE Soft and fruity, sophisticated and subtle, very refined yet addictive and complex beautiful scent. This is brighter and lighter (not weak) than Diaghilev and a little bit sweet. This is like a sun and Diaghilev is like a moon. This is like a queen and Diaghilev is like a king. There is amazing mossy base with Civet and Musk but animalic vibe is absence. Totally in love with this delicate yet well projecting scent. Definitely a year around scent for me. Main notes: - Bergamot - Tuberose, Ylang Ylang, Peach, Plum - Moss Base, Cedarwood, Sandalwood The in depth reviews coming later! Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes