I mentioned recently on here that I haven’t done much on fragrance for a while, mostly because nothing has really grabbed me and I’ve been relying on old favourites instead, but there have been a few perfumes I’ve tried that have reignited my excitement, one of which is the Clean Reserve Blonde Rose. I honestly love everything about Blonde Rose, the simple, elegant, neutral packaging (which appears to be the same for all Clean Reserve fragrances – I do love the idea of collecting a row of these!) and especially the name; Blonde Rose, to me, evokes images of rock chicks with leather jackets and dirty blonde hair, which is pretty much what I aim for, style-wise, so I’m all over this perfume!
Described by the brand as “feminine with an edge,” I’d say that’s pretty accurate, as this is definitely a strong, floral fragrance, but there’s a sharper, edgier undercurrent thanks to the use of aldehydes that stop the heavily floral heart notes of jasmine, rose and peony from becoming too much like sniffing Pot Pourri. The base notes are also a great cushion for the floral notes as they’re a mix of wood (cedar and sandalwood) and musk. It’s such a well thought out fragrance and it’s as if the creator looked at the notes and considering creating a scent that was led by typical, traditional florals but made use of other, more unusual notes to keep the fragrance a little more cool and interesting. I will say that on first spray it’s very soapy, but this (thankfully!) settles right down into a pretty, edgy and alternative floral that will please anyone who wants a floral fragrance for the warmer months, but doesn’t want anything too lazy or predictable. It’s £79 here – link – and what I especially like is that it’s layerable with other fragrances from the Clean Reserve range, so you can really make a bespoke scent if you fancy mixing it up a bit.
*PR Sample
