ROUGE PRIVÉ
by Emilie Bouge
“So possible is it for us to roll ourselves up in wickedness, till we grow invulnerable by conscience; and that sentinel, once dozed, sleeps fast, not to be awakened while the tide of pleasure continues to flow or till something dark and dreadful brings us to ourselves again.”
- Daniel Defoe, “Roxana”
Wickedly tempting ROUGE PRIVÉ is a temptation in a bottle. The seduction starts with fresh and rosy top notes, the heart is veiled by flowery notes, and the soothing base anchors the scent against the tide of pleasure. While this temptation is harmless, those of the protagonist of Daniel Defoe’s “Roxana: Or, The Fortunate Mistress” are much darker. The novel follows Roxana as she climbs the social ladder with the help of her rich lovers and ample deceit, and asks, “What is worth killing for?”
Top Notes:
Damask rose, lemon, bergamot
Heart Notes:
Rose essential, peony flower, patchouli
Base Notes:
Benzoin balm, vetiver, musk
Fragrance Wheel:
Floral & Oriental
Perfumer:
Emilie Bouge
“The main inspiration for ROUGE PRIVÉ was red with all its shades. I chose to associate it with Turkish rose, dark brown benzoin, and Indian jasmine, which–although a white flower–evokes warm red vibrations. Then I introduced purple velvet peony and warm patchouli to the amber structure to capture the desired richness and opulence. In a famous poem, Baudelaire says, ‘There are perfumes as cool as the flesh of children [...] and others are corrupt and rich, triumphant.’ For me, ROUGE PRIVÉ is ‘corrupt, and rich, triumphant,’ and I would add ‘addictive.’”
