Un Zeste de Rose 
Les Parfums de Rosine (2002)

Genre: Fruity Floral

Une Zeste de Rose engages the nose with a very pretty opening maneuver that entails crisp herbaceous notes (the maté in the pyramid?) moist lemon, green tea, and a sweet, gentle rose. The accord balances on a minute fulcrum lying somewhere between the garden and the salad bowl, and so manages to be appetizing without actually smelling like food.

The citrus naturally recedes over the first quarter hour of wear, leaving a very simple, clean, translucent green tea and rose accord to stand as the core of the scent. As a happy, lightweight rose Une Zeste de Rose is a cousin to Olivia Giacobetti's Drôle de Rose for L'Artisan Parfumeur. Une Zeste de Rose is the less sweet of the pair, with more soap and powder in its base notes. The soapy accent leaves Une Zeste de Rose smelling both more mature and more traditional than Drôle de Rose. Where Drôle de Rose suggests childish mischief, Une Zeste de Rose projects a relaxed, yet composed, dignity.

For such a crystalline and effervescent scent Une Zeste de Rose is surprisingly potent. It projects well off of the skin and leaves a conspicuous, though never overwhelming, cloud of sillage behind it. Lasting power is respectable, with a few hours of floral optimism before the clean musk drydown sets in. Une Zeste de Rose belongs to a class of fragrances, including Diorissimo, Monsieur Balmain, Givenchy's Vetyver, En Passant, Cristalle, and Après l'Ondée (among others), which while diverse in style and content, all succeed on the basis of simplicity, clarity, and poise. Commendable and recommendable.

Un Zest de Rose is a beautiful natural smelling soft tea and rose perfume on me.I normally do not like tea notes in perfumes,but here it is mostly adherent to the top notes and softens quickly.There is also citrus here, of course,but it's not sharp nor strong.I am actually mourning the older version which was very citrussy and tart and hence more refreshing than the current,much softer version,but the new version might be easier to wear or love.

Un Zest de Rose is so light that it is hard to overapply it.It's a serene and quiet scent to me despite the citrus notes. I think it would be a "safe" purchase as a gift for a woman.

I'm just here to add (for any guy reading this) that I truly believe that Un Zeste de Rose is unisex and very easy for a non-effeminate guy to wear. I had to get the word out. Which is good news because really unique and great smelling summer time fragrances for guys are hard to find (in my experience). Une Zeste de Rose has lasting, persistent citrus and equally persistent rose complimented with light tea. Guys, have you ever heard of such a thing in the men's aisle? No, of course not, and this one really works in spades. Even better, the sillage is great and the longevity is incredible. My generous morning application routinely lasts until dinner late that afternoon. It's utterly unique, refreshing and lasts and lasts. What more can you ask of a summery citrus thing such as this? This one went straight into my spring/summer rotation next to Eau Suavage, Selection Verte, Chevrefeuille, Christian Dior Granville, etc. and I see it staying there for a long time.

When your mission statement and goal in life has become to combine rose with every conceivable permutation of all other possible perfume notes, you're going to have to face up to the world of citrus. UN ZEST DE ROSE does just that, with a big dose of yummy candied citrus rind powerful enough to make you forget that you're still romping about one of the many rooms in Rosine's resplendent rose mansion.

I have to confess that when I saw the name, I was a tad bit skeptical: rose citrus? Even the house of Fresh holds back on the citrus in its CANNABIS ROSE, and they have a penchant for citrus that certainly rivals and may even surpass Rosine's obsession with rose. Happily, my skepticism was all for naught in this particular case: UN ZEST DE ROSE is really beautiful, when all is said and sniffed.

Although the citrus rind (primarily orange, to my nose) strikes me as somewhat candied, the bitterness tempers the sweetness, making this a very pleasant citrus-rose scent in which the rose plays, in the end, only a supporting role. This composition is straightforward and linear, but the components are natural and nice enough to land this unexpected creation on my wishlist. I would recommend UN ZEST DE ROSE to anyone who appreciates a good citrus fragrance, whether or not they usually do rose...

Rose, Tea and Citrus notes - those are all i smell.To my nose the Tea and Citrus notes are more dominant than the Rose.A very refreshing and uplifting scent, makes me long for a glass of iced tea.