Midnight Rose is the newest addition to the Lancome Tresor family. I don’t know about you, but does it feel like Lancome is targeting the younger crowd? My memory of Tresor the original fragrance was that it was quite strong and not something I’d have worn while in my 20s. Then, Lancome came up with Tresor In Love and that gorgeous white dress in their commercials. I loved Tresor In Love. It was light and delicate and a very lovely fragrance all round.
Midnight Rose is like Tresor In Love all grown up.
Midnight Rose seems to be Lancome easing the young set they lured in with In Love over to a darker deeper, sweeter, more mysterious fragrance. Its like saying “You’re growing up young lady, so lets have a fragrance befitting a young lady, testing her sensual wiles for the first time” So really, the use of Emma Watson as the face of Tresor Midnight Rose is just spot on! I’ve got the commercial for you after the jump and its Hermoine Granger as you’ve never seen her 😉
But first a word about the fragrance. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this one, I will not deny. I usually steer clear of sweet scents and Tresor Midnight Rose is one of those I’d usually avoid.
The first note I get is berries. Sweet tart berries bursting with promise of flavour. It is very fruity right at the start and the first few times I used it, I found it too cloying. Once it starts to dry down, a vanilla rose scent begins to emerge.
I don’t usually like food scents in my fragrances so I am quite happy that on me, I smell more rose than vanilla. Someone else I spoke to told me she loved the vanilla scent and found it very addictive and delicious! So really, it depends on your preferences.
This scent is projected as being romantic and mysterious. I didn’t quite think so. The bottle does project that image. The amethyst toned bottle is shaded so it starts out light at the top and appears darker at the bottom. The signature Tresor satin rose is a deep purple and yes, very romantic. The scent however, struck me more as being an everyday sort of playful scent. I didn’t think romance or sensuality. It might have something to do with the fact there isn’t a lot of musk so it doesn’t conjure up that sort of primal urges you envisage with a sensual sort of scent.
After using it a few times, I found that the opening notes don’t bug me as much anymore. However, I also noticed that the scent doesn’t seem to last very long on me for some reason. By the end of the day, if I were to really take a good sniff, there is a faint whiff of vanilla roses on the skin. But if I don’t pay a lot of attention, then I don’t notice it. I don’t get that warm enveloping of scent I like – like a scent that wraps you up in a cocoon and makes you feel all sorts of beautiful. I get that more with Dior J’Adore.
So to me, Tresor Midnight Rose is a very lovely fragrance and I can see that many young ladies will go for it for the gorgeous bottle and sweet scent. For the young girls, this would be a lovely first evening fragrance. But perhaps I’ve outgrown this consumer pool. I do like it, and I will use it, but for the day. If I were planning a romantic encounter or have an evening do, I would go for something a wee bit stronger and muskier and less sweet. Maybe because I’m just not very sweet 😉
Like all fragrances, body chemistry plays a huge part in how it smells on you. A review can only tell you that much, but you’ll have to test it out to see if it sits well on your skin or if it smells like detergent (has happened to me!) I don’t do pros and cons for fragrance reviews because I believe fragrances are too unique to be pinned down and come down to personal preferences.
I leave you with the Tresor Midnight Rose commercial fronted by the lovely Emma Watson. Look at her, all grown up!
If you sniff the scent and like it, just remember this – Its never too early to drop your hints for your Valentines’ Day or Birthday gift. Never 😉
Have you sniffed the Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose fragrance yet? What do you think of it? Do stop by the Lancome Malaysia Facebook page. They may be giving out a bottle there! 🙂
Paris B
Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose EdP Price: RM205/50ml, RM265/75ml Availability: Lancome counters
Hanny Daforcena says
January 13, 2012 at 8:47 amAm relatively young. Love Emma Watson. Will try this after my DKNY red apple is gone heh heh heh.
Paris B says
January 15, 2012 at 11:05 amYou’re young la, what do you mean “relatively young” -__-
LeGeeque says
January 13, 2012 at 8:56 amI’m a bit of a perfume snob. OK, a HUGE perfume snob. I think I was put off because my-then signature scent of Ralph Lauren Romance was so widely-used. 😛 So, I started looking at niche perfumes. Still, commercially-available but a little more out-there.
I’d love for you to write some reviews on Tom Ford (Violet Blonde is a current favourite) as well as Hermes (love most of Jean-Claude Ellena’s works). They’re both not exactly niche but they’re not perfumes everyone would reach for. Tom Ford’s very complex and it excites me to sniff my wrist like a maniac to figure out the notes 😀
Paris B says
January 15, 2012 at 11:06 amI liked RL Romance when it first launched. I got me a sample but I’m glad I never got the full size because the scent turned me off so badly after a few months. Don’t get me started on perfumes. That one will send me to the poor house 😛 But I am looking at Jo Malone which we don’t get here. I don’t think we get Tom Ford either so I’ll go sniff around the airports the next time I fly 😉
Kelly Wong says
January 13, 2012 at 9:56 amcan you introduce a brand of perfume that u think it’s good and it;s within my budget (around MYR150)?
Paris B says
January 15, 2012 at 11:09 amI’m afraid I’m not all that up to speed on perfumes because they are really very personal items. It depends on whether you prefer something sweet, fruity, musky, light, strong etc I suggest you stop by a Sasa store some day and check out their selection because you can get a lot in one place. They sometimes have miniatures on sale so you could buy some and see if you like them before splurging on a bottle. RM150 might get you a small bottle of a superstar brand type of perfume, but I think most of the department store brands are now at least RM180 and up.
Jesz says
January 16, 2012 at 3:03 pmKelly, if you don’t mind getting a EDT, Crabtree & Evelyn is having promotion on EDT now, which one 100ml + 30ml bottle is selling at MYR148. I personally love the Lavender one and has been using it now. =)
Lily says
January 13, 2012 at 11:06 amI’ve never tried Lancome’s perfumes before. I always stick to my Gucci II or Coco Mademoiselle… and the rest are like decoration pieces! Might go have a sniff though…
Paris B says
January 15, 2012 at 11:10 amI was a huge Gucci Envy fan – had every incarnation until they discontinued it LOL! I had Gucci II too but then I got lazy with perfumes so now I just use whatever I see or is within reach 🙂
xin says
January 13, 2012 at 11:42 amu know what? i really like fruity or floral perfumes, and those sickly sweet ones >< must be because of the young thing in me #flickhair
Paris B says
January 15, 2012 at 11:13 amYou’re young my child…
mrsdjones says
January 13, 2012 at 2:26 pmI love Lancome perfumes! I have a more matured sensual taste when it comes to perfume. I love Lancome Tresor! However, I have been compliment the most when I used Lancome Miracle!
I am a perfume freak. I collect lots of them and have this issue of impulse buying new perfumes. If my husband saw me hanging around at the perfume counter, he will drag me away as fast as he could! haha :p
Paris B says
January 15, 2012 at 11:15 amahhh… I used to love Lancome Miracle too! I went through at least 2 bottles but then I went off it after that LOL Its such a pretty perfume isn’t it? Perfumes are beautiful decorative pieces and if they smell good, even better. Do you display your perfume collection? You should – it’ll make a great conversation piece 😀
Swati says
January 13, 2012 at 5:42 pmI am not a fan of perfumes because they generally give me headaches. But, loved your review and it is actually very difficult to decide about a perfume based on a review just like you said.
Paris B says
January 15, 2012 at 11:20 amThank you Swati for enjoying the review 🙂 I think perfumes are the hardest things to review because they are so personal and if like you, they give you a headache, no pretty scent in the world would convince you to buy it!
gio says
January 13, 2012 at 8:23 pmThe bottle is very pretty but the fragrance doesn’t really sound like something I would wear. I prefer something muskier too, or even spicier. 🙂
Paris B says
January 15, 2012 at 11:30 amFragrances are like that right? Some are just gorgeous to look at 😀
Nadia says
January 13, 2012 at 8:37 pmI love Tresor In Love and am really looking forward to checking this one out! Sweet sounds like a scent I’d like…LOL!
Paris B says
January 15, 2012 at 11:31 amYou youngster! 😀 Hope you like this one – Its stronger and sweeter than In Love
peach_ says
January 13, 2012 at 10:27 pmI’m not very sweet, either 😛 and prefer something less so. The ad made me giggle like a little girl, though, and wouldn’t mind Midnight Rose if it meant running into a cute used bookstore boy!
Paris B says
January 15, 2012 at 11:33 amLOL!! Me neither actually. But all we have in our local used bookstores are old men who give me the evil eye if I browse for too long 😛
kpy says
January 18, 2012 at 11:31 pmI sniffed this at Sephora once, but the top notes put me off. I just don’t like sickly sweet scent. I really really wanted to like Miss Dior Cherie (the bottle is so gorgeous) but I just couldn’t. Good news is I do love Tresor In Love! (not very long lasting on me but I can’t afford Chanel just yet) But I cCan’t seem to find any gift sets at the counters though…guess they all sold out =/ Do you think they’ll have some in time for Valentine’s Day?
Paris B says
January 19, 2012 at 3:31 pmI will expect some fragrance gift sets to pop up for Valentine’s Day so you can look out for some deals then 🙂