Roja Dove Britannia: A Vintage Floriental for the Modern Gourmand Age

Something that feels familiar yet also unexpected…” — so reads one part of Roja Dove’s official description for Britannia, and it is a somewhat accurate description. This is a fragrance which does indeed smell very familiar, thanks to the way it echoes, at different points in time, everything from vintage L’Origan and vintage L’Heure Bleue to modern gourmand floral orientals and modern spicy-woody oriental ambers, including several from Roja Parfums. For me, the “unexpected” part of the equation arises from the degree to which Britannia’s first stage harkens back to the opulent vintage aesthetic which had originally made Roja Dove so incredibly popular, rather than the mainstream designer or Middle Eastern bouquets which have characterized so many of his recent releases over the last two and a half years.

Britannia Parfum. Source: Roja Parfums’ website.

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Roja Dove Gulf Collection: Qatar, Kuwait & Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Earlier this year, Roja Dove released four new fragrances in what is now called The Gulf Collection, each named after and inspired by different countries in the gulf region of the Middle East. The debut scent in the collection, 2014’s United Arab Emirates, was originally sold only in its namesake country, but Roja Dove has since made all the fragrances available worldwide. The four new additions are: Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Roja Dove Gulf Collection parfums. Photos: Luckyscent. Collage: my own.

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Lubin, Amouage, Roja Dove & Byredo

Today, we’ll look at a four releases from Lubin, Amouage, Roja Dove, and Byredo: Epidor, Bracken Woman, Tuberose, and Velvet Haze. They’ll be briefer takes than normal; I’m behind on covering recent niche fragrances after my long absence and I’m afraid I’ll never catch up if I write one of my typical reviews for each scent. Plus, the only way someone as verbose as myself can manage to write short descriptions is if I stick to the most impressionist overview possible, and skip the usual detailed breakdown in development, sharing other people’s perspectives, or arduously looking up retail links around the world. I’ll try to provide a few relevant details or links at the end, should you wish to pursue the scent further, but not many. So, let’s get to it.

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Roja Dove H – The Exclusive Black Tier

H – The Exclusive Black Tier is not a fragrance that I would normally cover, because it’s not widely available around the world, but I’ve received a number of questions and queries about it since its release, and I confess I was curious to try it.

H – The Exclusive Black Tier in the presentation box for the 100 ml size. Source: Rojaparfums.com

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