Rubj The Actress – A talented diva, unconventional in her beauty and full of moxie.

Vero Profumo is the brainchild of Swiss Aromatologist turned Professional Perfumer, Vero Kern. The three Extraits from Vero Profumo are an absolute joy to behold, each one displays a distinct character; Kiki is the cheeky Parisian, Onda is the stoic, yet fragile Matriarch and Rubj is the Actress.

Unusual beauty appears to be a reoccurring theme amongst the three Extraits and none are more beautiful and unusual than Rubj. I see Rubj as an actress, a talented diva, unconventional in her beauty and full of moxie. She is the artist of the three, she appreciates the beauty in all things and whilst she may be hard to handle at times she makes up for it with vivacity and wit.

I think Rubj was always going to be my favourite of the three offerings from this line, I am a sucker for a white floral after all, and Rubj is very different from a lot of the white florals I own, she is much more understated and glamorous. Rubj is proof that amongst a sea of mediocrity within the perfume industry, there are still perfumers and perfumes with the ability to surprise, thrill and move you.

“Sweet orange blossom from Morocco, in a mellifluous shimmery dress of the finest notes of musk, earnestly courted by tempting Egyptian jasmine. An auspicious alliance, indeed. A rendezvous in Sheikh Nefzaoui’s perfumed garden – a place of secret obsessions and consuming passions.” Vero Kern [1]

The Notes

Moroccan Orange Blossom, Musk and Egyptian Jasmine [2]

How Does it Smell?

Rubj opens bright and indolic, she wears a trio of white flowers; orange blossom, jasmine and tuberose. The clean, fruity nature of the orange blossom rules over the jasmine and tuberose in the beginning and there is a clean mentholated quality to the flowers which is like crack to this white floral addict.

She may be a serious artist but there is also something fun and fruity about Rubj. Fruit notes seem to have gained a bad reputation recently, probably due to the overflowing amount of sickly fruity florals on the market. But when a fragrance has a GOOD fruit note, well, there’s nothing better. Rubj opts for juicy ripe oranges to compliment her exotic flower garden.

Like all actresses Rubj doesn’t give everything away and she keeps her cards close to her chest for a long time. After a while the strength of the white flowers resides and Rubj reveals a soft and sweet rose. Rose is the queen of flowers but her presence in Rubj is definitely understated, she doesn’t take centre stage, instead she adds softness to tame the sometimes harsh nature of white flowers.

Luca Turin describes Rubj as “a pale, saline, but entirely comfortable accord of jasmine and rose” (Perfumes The A-Z Guide, p.480) and I agree with his assessment, although I would say she is anything but pale. Rubj’s unconventional beauty comes from this startling salty, and almost milky tone set deep within her heart, I see this as a soft side that lurks behind the glamour of the florals, only to be revealed behind closed doors.

All of the Vero Profumo Extraits have excellent longevity, and as you would expect from the concentration, they wear relatively close to the skin. Rubj is probably the loudest of the three and she definitely takes the longest time to dry down, she is a diva after all. The dry down is a soft floral musk that manages to retain a good degree of the bright, indolic and fruity nature of the top notes. Rubj is full of beauty and poise

N.B. I chose Madonna as the accompanying image for this post because she embodies the idea of unconventional beauty, she’s not classically beautiful or exceptionally talented but she is fiercely intelligent and has that special something, that ‘star quality’ that makes her so fascinating. Also, it’s a great picture!

Availability

Rubj is available in 7.5ml and 15ml Extrait. Prices range from approximately £120-£200.

Disclaimer

This review is based on a sample of Rubj Extrait purchased myself

[1] veroprofumo.com
[2] luckscent.com

Image 1 trendland.net
Image 2 luckyscent.com