Hedonist Rose
Viktoria Minya (2014)

I enjoyed the top notes of a simple fresh rose. They were light and wafting. Unfortunately, it was a brief experience. Whatever they are calling "amber" comes to my attention as burnt plastic, dirty ash tray.

Just tried this - seriously good - surprisingly so! Soft green-ish rose...I've avoided it until now - I had no idea it would make me (and husband) smile so much!

Reminds me of a garden I visited a few years ago - it was warm, and the roses were in bloom - it had rained earlier that morning, and maybe it was the combination of the moisture and sun, but the roses seemed to REALLY open up! I like how the white wine accord gives the rose a brightness without something overly sweet. Truly, a pretty scent.

A fizzy, fruity, light pink rose with a hint of some ferment for the "wine" note. It does remind me of By Kilian Liaisons Dangereuses, but less screechy and chemically. It's definitely lighthearted and youthful and I can't say it smells bad, but the thumbs down really relates more to the very aspirational price tag for something that is not particularly unique or expensive smelling .

I got this perfume from my husband, but with the sample kit it came with, I realized Hedonist Iris is my all time favorite scent, a true gem IMHO, so I wanted to sell this bottle to save up Hedonist Iris instead. Turns out, this fragrance is the best thing that could ever happened to MY HUSBAND'S SKIN. It really glows on him, absolutely sensual and classy in the same time, although Hedonist Rose never showed too much sexiness on my skin or on paper before! It is a perfect match on my hubby, and he really enjoys all the compliments he gets and of course, my reaction to him whenever he wears it. A huge thumbs up from me!!!

What on earth is going on with Viktoria Minya? After wowing many with the complex syrup-fest of Hedonist, it's almost as if she's out of ideas already. Her Eau de Hongrie was completely derivative, a lighter, less textured version of Hedonist, and then there's this – a banal, bath gel pink rose ringed with ‘clean' musks. If one is going to make a virtue of simplicity, one has got to have something a bit striking to convey, but this is just glorified rose water posing as high-end niche.
There's an odd opening effect where you have the rose and something alcoholic (declared as a white wine note) emerging side by side like that Clash track off Sandinista! in which one speaker plays one thing and the other something else. Fun, but it doesn't last long as the alcohol is a fleeting impression.
Of course, Hedonist Rose isn't terrible – a light, clean rose just can't be in my book – but the poverty of ambition is scary. I would be remiss if I forgot to mention some clove and wood interest in the later stages – too little, too late.