Avril Lavigne's Forbidden Rose

I have to admit that when I first heard about Avril's new fragrance (and saw the image above), my first thoughts were that someone has been watching a bit too much Tim Burton and Disney. The image definitely looks influenced by Burton and this summer's Alice in Wonderland, whereas the fragrance itself is named Forbidden Rose with notes of Red Apple (a little Snow White anyone?)

So, how is the fragrance itself? It is best described as a woody fruity scent with a little bit of floral influence later on. I wouldn't fully call this a floral.

Top Notes: Red Apple, Wine Peach, Bourbon Vanilla
Middle Notes: White Lotus, Heliotrope, Fresh Green Apple
Base Notes: Vanilla, Sweet Praline, Woody Accord, Chocolate, Sandalwood

Note that I received the list of notes from the company, but it seemed... incomplete. I found more notes on-line (those in italics) consistently on many perfume sites.

When initially applied, this scent was very much like just applying rubbing alcohol to my wrist. It dried down very quickly and within a few minutes the notes were coming out. So, if you try this out at the store, wander around for a few minutes before you just say "eww" and walk away. Once the alcohol smell is gone what is left behind initially is a slightly sweet, fruity fragrance. I mostly smell the apple notes, but the Vanillas start to influence very quickly and as time goes by the vanilla very quickly becomes the predominant note, with a little bit of the apple (and if I really search for it, the peach) mixed in. The vanilla does take on a little bit of a powdery leaning with time. I'm not sure if this is from the vanilla note itself changing or if the florals (eg- the heliotrope) are coming out a tad and their influence is really only seen as the powdery scent.

Regardless, overall the scent is more sophisticated than I would have thought Avril Lavigne to come up with. Despite how the list of notes looks, this is not an overly sweet, typical teenage fragrance. I found that the fragrance was a subdued fruity somehow, and it seemed to stay a bit in the background and not beg for attention. It would work great as an every day fragrance even for those over the age of 21.

Avril will debut the first single off her new album, "What The Hell," on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on ABC. Well, actually, make that with Ryan Seacrest. Be sure to watch for her!

Avril Lavigne's Forbidden Rose