Dame Perfumery Scottsdale's Desert Rose

03/24/15 18:23:05 (11 comments)

by: Jodi Battershell

By now, many of us have had the opportunity to try the scents ofDame Perfumery Scottsdale. When we first profiled this new American perfume venture from industry veteran Jeffrey Dame and his son Cullen, the house was brand new, debuting with six women's eaux de toilette and Black Flower Mexican Vanillafrom the Artist Collection, the first in a series of collaborations with his father, artist V. Dave Dame. (If you weren't one of the lucky winners in the very generous giveaway from Dame Perfumery Scottsdale, don't forget about Jeffrey's Postcard Samples program if you're in the United States.) The perfumery's first official fragrance for men,Herb Man, appeared a few weeks later.

Momentum has been building fast for the new perfumery. In addition to constant development of new scents (we can expect THREE new fragrances later this spring! stay tuned!), Dame Perfumery Scottsdale has also partnered with distributors across the country: Tigerlily Pefumery in San Francisco, Indigo Perfumery in Cleveland andLa Petite Parfumerie in Minneapolis. After being the first perfume house to be featured for all three selections in Olfactif's August 2014 subscription box, the house's Black Flower Mexican Vanilla was also featured in the December 2014 box. And let us not forget Mr. Dame's other ventures—Long Lost Perfume, Parfums Retro, Hypoluxe.

In the midst of all that activity, in February 2015, Dame Perfumery Scottsdale quietly slipped Desert Rose into the market.

This newest scent and the second in the Artist Collection, Desert Rose is an eau de parfum designed with women in mind, though of course men can and will wear it, too. Jeffrey tells us a little about the scent:

"Desert Rose was created to be gorgeous, smooth and full-bodied, but in a manner which is easy, open and flowing. Very pretty and uplifting with a gentle warmth. Too often rose scents are dense, cloying and overbearing. Here with Dame Perfumery Desert Rose I sought out a composition with all the beauty of rose without the heavy burden and weight of history. Desert Rose is very much a creation from a 'Modern American Perfumery.' An experience of discovering a beautiful glowing rose flower, dewy and lush in the dry desert sparseness."

V. Dave Dame (below) rendered the gorgeous desert rose in bright shades of pink against a moonlit sky, using pen and ink on vellum with gouache for color. His original illustration was used to create the label and accompanying materials for the perfume. A 5" by 7" print of the work accompanies each full-size bottle of Desert Rose.

The Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) is native to Africa and Arabia, though the plant also grows well in sunny Arizona and tropical climates such as that of Florida. It's a popular bonsai plant or houseplant for those who live outside the tropical and subtropical garden zones. V. Dave Dame did a beautiful job of capturing the plant in bloom, with its succulent fat caudex, colorful blooms and diminutive green leaves.

An interesting fact about this plant: its blossoms usually have no scent or a minimal one at best. As delightful as it would be to stumble across this plant in the desert, it would mostly be a feast only for the eyes. Thank goodness we have perfumes to bridge the gap and translate visual beauty into olfactory delight!

I've enjoyed all of the scents in the Dame Perfumery Scottsdale line. All of them are so very wearable, so pleasant, noticeable but not disruptive. When Jeffrey and I were chatting about the new scent, he mentioned something he referred to as the "Grocery Store" challenge.

"One of my standards for excellence is the official 'Grocery Store Challenge' whereby when you wear the scent out shopping, do people compliment you and ask what you are wearing," he said. "The scents are not intrusive and loud, but they have identifiable beauty and presence."  

All of the scents in the collection surely meet this standard. They've been worn to the office, worn for date nights with my husband and out for cocktails with friends. They're also perfect for lazy Sundays when I wear track pants and don't leave the house all day. Their versatility resonates with Jeffrey, too. "Must be that American approach," he says.

That being said, I do have my favorites amongst them. Black Flower Mexican Vanilla was an early favorite and is a fragrance both my husband and I reach for, time and time again.

Desert Rose is now a favorite, too.

When my sample first arrived in the mail, I was immediately greeted by the scent of red roses in full bloom, before I even pressed the sprayer. I do enjoy rose scents and thought I knew what I was in for, based on what I could already smell. I wasn't prepared for what would come next.

The perfume world has had its fair share of rose scents in perfumery over the years. The smell of rose is undeniably classic and transcends genders and cultures. From photo-realistic rose scents that smell like the fresh-cut variety in a vase, to the Middle Eastern-inflected oud and spice roses, to the candied fruity-floral rose, we can find a rose to suit any taste and any mood.

If plain old rose soliflores are not your cup of tea, Desert Rose has a lot to offer. I classified this as an Oriental Floral when I added it to our encyclopedia, but it's different from a traditional Indian or Arabian rose fragrance. The rose notes are certainly a focus, but this is not a French rose scent like we might expect from Grasse. Desert Rose somehow manages to be distinct in a market brimming with rose perfumes.

(Must be that American approach that Jeffrey mentioned!)

Desert Rose is gently sweet, but in an earthy and natural way. The fruits are immersed in their natural juices rather than syrup and are infused with a warm and balsamy vanilla bean. The heliotrope, jasmine and carnation here use their "indoor voices" and serve to trim the green leafy edges from the rose notes. The amber, sandalwood and musk give a pleasant, dry desert "heat" to the perfume that becomes noticeable about two hours in, mingling softly with the sweet florals for the remainder of the perfume's life on skin or fabric. And it's a good long life, too—I can still smell its last faint traces from my morning spritz of 12 hours ago.

Desert Rose is another quality offering from this "Modern American Perfumery" in sunny Scottsdale. At $65 for a 50 ml bottle (or $10 for a 7 ml travel spray)—"The Nice Price in Niche," indeed!—it's truly a bargain and I marvel at Dame Perfumery's approach in offering such quality scents at such affordable prices.

Thank you, Jeffrey and Dame Perfumery Scottsdale, for the opportunity to try Desert Rose. Can't wait to see what you have in store for us later this Spring!

All Images: Dame Perfumery Scottsdale