Rose Barbare by Guerlain is a drunken rose with black lacquer stems and thorns. Now that I got that weird image out of the way I will say it is such an interesting rose that I need no other rosy scent. It tops all the rest, so that simplifies things in my perfume cupboard a little bit. ( L'Art et la Matière line of fragrances: Outstanding. ) Rose Barbare, created by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, is all sensuality. It starts off with a boozy note that is very long lasting. It is also spicy and earthy. It blooms softly on the skin, and you might imagine you're in a rose garden after a rain, the sun's warmth on the soil and petals creating an almost hothouse effect. (I have already reviewed the others in Guerlain's L'Art et la Matière: Cuir Beluga, Bois D'Armenie and Angelique Noire)
Maeve Brennan (in photograph, above) was on staff at The New Yorker for 30 years or more. Her short fiction has been compared to Flaubert's. Maeve was probably the main inspiration for the Holly Golightly character in Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's.
