Last week, Ashleigh at Perfume-Smellin’ Things talked about perfumes that have shaped our past. Many of us smell a scent like Cristalle and are transported back in time or reminded of a loved one. Parfums des Beaux Arts by DSH American Beauty is a scent that I was taken “back” by. I sniffed it and liked it but then it took me back to one of those “I got in trouble when…” childhood memories. Not a very entertaining one, unless you are my cousin who got in trouble during the same incident. It has to do with grandma’s expensive soaps stored in a guest bathroom. They weren’t for using and they weren’t for being thrown around like a baseball, marking up the wallpaper with soap spots. This fragrance smells just like grandma’s expensive soaps, perfumes, and potpurruri. It smells like her house.
This is such an elegant rose fragrance. It smells a bit “old-fashioned” because I’m associating this fragrance with my grandmother. It’s a very early 1960’s American rose fragrance in my opinion. This is what you’d wear on a dinner date with your husband: big hair, swing jacket, pearls, and frosted pink nail polish. It’s an elegant fragrance and everyone around you will know you’re trying to be elegant. When I dress up, I want people to know I’m trying. Why not top it off with a “trying” fragrance?
At first, American Beauty is a very green rose. It’s fresh with a hint of bergamot. With time, it is still a rose soliflore, but jammier. It starts to smell like a bouquet of red roses. Surprisingly, I pick up on so much orris in this rose bouquet. It’s dry, powdery and adds something to all of these red roses. It’s the dry-down that makes American Beauty special. The roses are complimented by sexy Mysore sandalwood, dry balsams, and exotic woods. It’s slightly masculine and dry. This dry-down is needed, making this proper rose scent sultry.
This is a very long-wearing fragrance. I like old-fashioned rose scents and this one has such a “retro” feel. It makes me want to wear cute 60’s skirt suits, black gloves, and carry a little white clutch with my favorite Estee Lauder lipstick in it. It makes me want to have a cocktail date with the husband. This is my elegant grown-up married woman fragrance. It also reminds me of my grandmother and how I looked up to her as a child. However, at the same time the balsamic notes and the woodsy dry-down make this an unexpected rose choice for a man. I can see this wearing beautifully on a man.
Some of the notes include: bergamot, cassis bud, palma rose, rosewood, Bulgarian rose, Bulgarian rose otto, centifolia rose, Egyptian rose geranium, Moroccan rose, orris, ciste, East Indian patchouli, Mysore sandalwood, and Peru balsam.
Try American Beauty if you are looking for an elegant rose with a balsamic, woodsy base or if you like scents like Annick Goutal Heure Exquise, Penhaligon’s Hammam Bouquet, L’Occitane Rose Nuit de Mai, and/or Estee Lauder Beautiful. American Beauty smells years older than it really is.
This EDP comes in a variety of sizes. The 1 oz. goes for $120 and is available on the house’s website.
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That sounds amazing! I love an old-fashioned rose too. And I like the sound of the sandalwood base. I love DSH.
kjanicki recently posted..Judith Muller – Bat-Sheba Bath Oil vintage
This one seem very classic. I love it. The base is amazing.
Great review!
I love the story about your grandmother’s soap. Do people still keep “do not use” soap in their homes? It always grossed me out when the “do not use” soap on display acquired layers of oily lint after being exposed to years of bathroom condensation and dust!
I must try American Beauty. That drydown really appeals to me, and I’m an “old fashioned” scent lover. Must be why I dig the older Estee Lauder frags so much.
Haha! I’ve always wanted a guest bathroom just so I could have “do not use” soap and towels. When my grandparents downsized, I remember them throwing out those fuzzy blue soap balls!
I really do think this is one that you’d like. It reminds me of an Estee Lauder fragrances that has been done before, but it actually hasn’t. Something about this one is very Estee Lauder pre-1985.
Beautiful description! I love a “lady” perfume.