A Midsummer Dream by Roja Dove

They should have called it: ‘A Summer Nightmare’ 😵💫. The concept is interesting, talks about the Shakespeare legacy, the presentation, the name, and the notes sound good, but it doesn’t smell good. Basically, it’s a clean elemi resin that dominates, accompanied by an excessively spiced cardamomo; the citrus gives a welcome and all this sits on a base of very light vanilla, musk, and woods. It’s versatile, masculine, and linear, with mediocre performance like many Roja (PDLN #2 for example) and you’ll be forced to apply it generously every 3-4 hours. A Midsummer Dream has a serious problem: low quality and a sharp, brassy composition, with an excessively spiced cardamomo. It shouldn’t smell like this (though novices will go crazy). The construction is good, but it lacks quality. A worth-knowing option is Pierre de Velay #25, a ‘A Midsummer Dream’ less spiced, more polished, softened, of higher quality and a bit fresher, though all this entails paying £495/$531 for the 100ml bottle. I haven’t quite got to know it, I have several years since I smelled it and after using the 7.5ml travel spray (which I took a while to finish) I wouldn’t recommend it, especially with the recent price rise ($400-). Well, they had to do it as now it’s sold with an amber Swarovski crystal cap (like in Manhattan EDP) unlike the original gold cap. It’s the same boring ‘Stacy Malibu’ but with a new hat 👒. Sadly the brand has changed its philosophy and its offerings are weak. What made Roja great were: Diaghilev, Great Britain, Nuwa, Taif Aoud, Haute Luxe, Black Tier, the PDLN line, Musk Aoud, the defunct Gulf Collection, Danger, Fetish, several from Semi Bespoke, and certain ones from Pierre de Velay. Every business dies and those who evolve must survive; the current offerings are for the masses. From the showcase the bottles scream: ‘hey, look at me, please buy me because I want to be your new friend’. I remember those words were from Katie Puckrik, does anyone remember her? Anyway, that’s why the Parfum Cologne line, Oceania (which smells like an Acqua di Parma and doesn’t surpass its quality), Apex (Sauvage), and decent offerings like Isola Blu, have a makeover. Roja has become Hublot or Tag Heuer (I call it baby Hublot), and for those who know about watches, that’s terrible. 🕊 The dove has left the cage for years 🕊.

Let’s smell it… it’s a fragrance I love and I find it hard for anyone to dislike (by the way, an air freshener at an optician in Mexico emulated this almost 100%). However, its performance is moderate with normal application, so for the price, if it doesn’t turn your head, it might not be worth it, being more for personal enjoyment. I’ve tried the DUA and Alexandria versions, but Roja’s quality is superior, though I’m not sure if that’s enough to justify paying the difference. Definitely better for warm seasons; for its price, it’s hard to use it for very informal occasions, although the olfactory profile would serve for anything. I do think some noses will find it more old-school. I’ll have to use it more before deciding whether to keep it or let it go.

Very pleasant scent, I don’t detect the citrus but something more aromatic and powdery; with the elemi, rose, and cardamomo it feels more unisex. It reminds me of colourful sweets like life savers but in pastel tones. Good performance and longevity, three sprays are more than enough. I would recommend trying it before buying.

I’m testing it and it has a certain air of Tauer’s LADDM. This one is less sweet, less tenacious, and less changeable. More refined and monolithic after the dry-down. And fresher, therefore giving it more versatility. But yes, the scent sounds familiar to my nose. Anyway, having Tauer’s at a third of the price of this… Cheers.