Dame Perfumery - Cassis, Rose & Sandalwood Woman EDT

Today’s review is about Dame Perfumery’s Cassis, Rose & Sandalwood (Cassis).  I’ve been testing this fragrance for three days since it contains a note, rose, that I’m not typically a fan of.  Before I begin my review, I would also like to thank the perfumer, Jeffrey Dame, for his quick response to my notes question.  I had reached out to the brand since the featured notes did not seem to align with either the notes I was perceiving or the notes as I’ve seen listed elsewhere.

The fragrance itself seems on the surface that it might simply be a juice of cassis, rose, and sandalwood.  The brand site states, “Three elements neatly balanced for simple, clean and pure beauty.  A bright top note, a pretty floral heart and a warm sensual dry down, matched together and blended to perfection.”  So while the trio may be the stars of this fragrance, in actuality it is more complex.

Cassis opens with a bright top note as the perfumer describes.  I get a joyful jammy berry that is lifted up, from being too sweet, with a brightness I can only attribute to lemon; although the lemon is not detectable as a singular note.  If the opening had visual qualities, one would best be described as sparkling.  Quickly into wear, the juicy richness and depth of the slightly sweet and tart opening is blended seamlessly with a moderate rose.  The rose has a Spring-like cleanness to it that reminds me of fresh rose petals.  Like with the opening notes, you sense there is some other floral, yet the peony does not step forward and claim that title.  Instead, the additional floral in this juice serve to round and balance the rose.  I get a light vanilla creaminess about an hour into wear of Cassis.  At this point and through the drydown, the base notes cradle the cassis and rose and create a decadent warmth and intimacy to what could have otherwise ended as just another fruity rose scent.  The perfumer’s caring hands raise up the three “focus” notes to a beautiful, well-considered more modern creation.  Because of this, while Cassis, Rose & Sandalwood is identified as for a woman it could easily be worn by anyone.  I tip my figurative hat to the perfumer for creating a “rose” fragrance that those of us that find rose challenging can not only wear but love to wear.

Cassis, Rose & Sandalwood wears on me with soft projection for roughly 7 – 8 hours.

Top notes are cassis, osmanthus and lemon; middle notes are rose, peony and red rose; base notes are sandalwood, musk, vanilla and amber.

Perfumer:  Jeffrey Dame

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