Olfactive Studio was quite popular when it first appeared on the perfume scene 10 years ago. I read reviews, many praising, but I wasn’t enticed: I didn’t find the concept too interesting, and, as shallow as it sounds, I didn’t like their first bottles. Eventually, thanks to hajusuuri, I tried the first six perfumes from the brand several years ago. And while I didn’t dislike any of them, none spoke to me enough to pursue them beyond those samples.
When the initial set of a brand’s perfumes hasn’t impressed me, I rarely follow future releases. So, I could have missed this new series altogether if it weren’t for Lucas (Chemist in the Bottle), who first did an excellent review for these perfumes and later even shared his samples with me.
It was a rare case when I liked all three perfumes I tried, but since Rose Shot seems to be the least popular in the trio, I chose to write about it.
Created in 2019 by Dominique Ropion (my favorites created by him are Cacharel Amor Amor, Calvin Klein Euphoria and Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady), Rose Shot includes notes of Italian bergamot, Manila elemi, Madagascar pink pepper, Turkish rose, white flowers, Atlas cedarwood, wood mosses and Paraguay guaiac wood.
Rose Shot is, not surprisingly, a rose-centric perfume. Rose here isn’t a girly rose, but it’s neither dark nor intense. It starts citrusy and blooms into a giant rose on a backdrop of polite woodsy notes. Rose Shot isn’t controversial or extremely original, but it has some interesting nuances that might just “click” for you.
An additional check mark goes in the “Plus” column for the beautiful travel bottle: it is more expensive per ml than a large bottle of Rose Shot (which also looks great), but most of us do not need more than 10-15 ml of any perfume.
If you are testing perfumes, Rose Shot is worth trying: Olfactive Studio is one of the slow brands that doesn’t churn out new fragrances every two months. So, each next release seems well thought through and crafted.
Undina's Looking Glass 
It’s great that they do the travel sizes in this line. My favourite ended up being the leathery Violet Shot. But, all were interesting and worth trying for sure. I see they are about to release a new one to the line called Smoky Soul (notes include black tea, rose and osmanthus).
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It was my favorite as well – I just decided to write about the one that surprised me (I didn’t expect to like it and I did).
I’m very curious about the new one as well.
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Would you believe I loved Violet Shot better than Iris Shot? What is the world turning into?
I agree the travelers are a good size!
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Ha! Of course I would: Violet Shot is my favorite of the trio.
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I love all three of the florals: Iris, Violet and Rose Shot.
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Me too!
On a separate note: I’m not sure what’s going on, but you are the only person whose comments I have to approve every time (or at least it feels this way). What has changed?
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Yes, I switched to a gmail address and now I’m on moderation, not sure why.
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Like you I didn’t warm to their early releases so have never followed up. The pencil shavings of cedar that was ubiquitous was a killer for me
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Maybe it’s time to give them another shot? (pun intended)
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Could be
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I do like the sound of this, and the travel size is just perfect and well worth paying over the odds for. Something to give a shot, for sure! Curiously, I wore Euphoria yesterday for the first time in years. It was a scent I discovered in my civilian days, shortly before I fell down the rabbit hole.
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I thought that Euphoria was great! Too bad I didn’t pull the trigger, so to speak.
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I tried this a few weeks ago and it was quite nice, although I found Chypre Shot most interesting. Didn’t get to try some of the others in the collection. I do like the look of these travel sprays.
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I liked Chypre Shot as well! For now, I’m fine with my sample. But it might join my collection at some point.
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I’ve tried all the floral ‘shots’ from Olfactive Studio and I found them well done and created with care, but they just were not to my taste.
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I’m not surprised: you seems like NOT a florals fan. And since I am, whenever you come across a floral that you think is good but just not for you, you should recommend it to me :)
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I actually do like a lot of florals, I just did not love these. The Violet shot was my favorite of the group, though. I would have kept it if not for that leather note, that was just too strong for me.
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Hey Crew,
Olfactive Studio is a brand that really worked for me on so many levels. Though many people didn’t like those early bottles but I found them beautiful and very comfortable in my hand. They also line up really well and take a minimum of space. The two that are on my grab tray are Autoportrait and Ombre Indigo but Chamber Noire is another favourite and if you like green fragrances Panorama is definitely worth a sniff.
The new leather covered bottles are an awkward shape for my hand and the sleeves slip around too much for my comfort. I do own a few of the shots too. Vanilla Shot gets the most wear.
I don’t remember even noticing they were doing travel sizes, this is awesome.
Thanks Undina for the heads up.
Portia x
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I’ve never seen their full bottles in real life, so I don’t have an opinion. For me perfumes themselves didn’t work. But I might revisit them one day.
Vanilla Shot is interesting. I have a sample, and I tested it yesterday again. I’m not sure if it ever becomes a part of my collection, but it definitely is nice and worth trying.
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Ah, I’m so glad you are finding Vanilla Shot interesting Undina. I love it when the mood strikes.
Portia x
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