Fragrance Review: Narciso Rodriguez – Narciso Rouge

Third and latest of the Narciso Rodriguez “cube” perfumes (check out my reviews on Narciso and Narciso Poudrée!), Narciso Rouge was composed by perfumer Sonia Constant, and released in 2018. It must be selling well, as it now also has an Eau de Toilette version… And, in fact, from the whole brand’s fragrance line (so far), this must be my favourite!

Review

Narciso Rouge shares a lot of similarities with its romantic, cosmetics-evoking “sibling”, Narciso Poudrée, more than with their starker “parent”, Narciso. But, while Poudrée creates a fresh, dry-smooth (& oat-like?) impression of face powder, Rouge goes for a slightly warmer, creamier texture, and brings to mind… lipstick!

The main stars of the composition are rose and iris, a combo notorious for its “lipstick” effect. Beautifully blended, they’re complemented with warm vanilla, and subtly sweet, powdery tonka. I don’t get so much of the orange blossom and tuberose… maybe as a touch of creamy, sweet floral tones? All these notes come together in a plush, velvety accord, that dominates the scent along with a not overbearing, but still generous cloud of white musk – just so we don’t have any doubt this is a Narciso Rodriguez fragrance.

…And speaking of “very Narciso Rodriguez”, let’s mention Narciso Rouge’s base. It has a touch of sandalwood, but, like in the original Narciso, focuses on vetiver and cedar. This and the white musk help give a very modern character to the otherwise classic rose & iris… But, as cedar often does, the drydown becomes just a tad more raspy than I’d prefer. It doesn’t ruin the picture; but I wish Narciso Rouge’s drydown was just as flawlessly smooth as its opening & heart notes.

To me, the projection and lasting power of this scent were pretty good, with a subtle but clearly perceptible sillage even after a few hours. Very nice!

Fragrance Impressions

Notes: (Top) iris, bulgarian rose; (Heart) musk, orange blossom, tuberose; (Base) black cedar, white cedar, tonka, vetiver, vanilla, sandalwood.

Colour Impression: Despite its name – rosé.

Evokes: Fine red lipstick & a clean-cut, modern outfit in warm, light neutrals.

Similar to: Narciso Rodriguez Narciso Poudrée.

Season & Occasion: autumn-spring, day. Romantic, modern and elegant.

Conclusion

Once again, Narciso Rodriguez makes a wonderful job creating a fragrance that’s both ladylike-romantic and crisp-modern. I especially like how this scent feels so velvety and warm, yet fresh.

Although they smell different, I put Narciso Rouge in the same general category as Prada Infusion d’Iris – an elegant, subtle but present, simple yet complex cosmetic-powdery scent. Very beautiful. Apart from the slightly too “cedary” drydown… stunning!