Notes: Pink Peppercorn, Blood Orange, Malt, Clary Sage nad Hazelnut
The week before last, I went up Edinburgh to stay with my fab friend Davina during the Fringe Festival. I’d never visited the city before and was totally won over by it. The centre is compact enough to get around comfortably on foot and as my eloquent and observant pal Vanessa put it, Edinburgh is “uniquely characterful”. The architecture had me captivated and I felt right at home. I rarely visit a city and imagine myself living there, but I did with Edinburgh.
As for the Festival, thanks to Davina, I was lucky enough to see a great range of fascinating acts from a solo performance artist in a pub basement to a drag/circus/burlesque extravaganza in front of several thousand. I loved every minute and can see why people go back year after year.
![20160821_145515[1].jpg](https://abottledrose.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/20160821_1455151.jpg?w=500)
Edinburgh Castle and Prince’s Street Gardens
During our time wandering the city, we dropped into the Urban Reivers (“Urban Raiders”) pop-up shop on George Street which was there for the duration of the Festival. Urban Reivers is a brand-new online venture which portrays Scottish heritage in a cool and creative way. Their products include scarves, candles, cocktail boxes and perfume, which are all intended to be ideal for gifting.
![20160820_141308[1]](https://abottledrose.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/20160820_1413081.jpg?w=500)
Damn Rebel Bitches was created in partnership with Sarah McCartney of 4160 Tuesdays. The name comes from a book of the same name by Maggie Craig about the rebellious Jacobite women. These “daredevils in tweed” helped the rebels to flee during the 18th century Scottish uprisings, with one hiding a soldier under her large hooped skirt as the English army searched her house (women didn’t wear knickers back then, you know). Lady Nithsdale even broke her husband out of the Tower of London and conveyed him to France dressed in drag. They were hated by the English press which branded them ‘rebel bitches and damned Jacobites.’
![20160820_141232[1]](https://abottledrose.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/20160820_1412321.jpg?w=500)
You may expect that with a name like Damn Rebel Bitches, the EdP would be challenging but it’s actually very easy to like. It incorporates ingredients that would have been available to the women at the time. Clary sage was used as a medicinal herb while hazelnuts were a significant part of their diet.
In Damn Rebel Bitches the blood orange is the star of the show. It starts off tart and green but quickly becomes rich and syrupy. I love this material so really enjoy how it forms the substance of this fragrance and how long it lasts.The malty aspect is there, combining really nicely with the orange. The hazelnut makes for a soft, nutty/orange gourmand base. For the record, I don’t pick up on the clary sage.
All in all, Damn Rebel Bitches has a surprisingly sunny disposition which makes it very wearable, although I should mention it is on the quiet side.
![20160820_141531[1].jpg](https://abottledrose.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/20160820_1415311.jpg?w=500)
Is there a perfume that is inspired by your part of the world?
A Bottled Rose 
Love the name! And I also like the idea that it smells nowhere near what you would imagine from the name. Guess like those women who appeared as ladies but did whatever was necessary. 😉
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Ha! Excellent point, Ines 🙂
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I loved Edinburgh! I lived on the other side of the pond for a while and August is the best there! I was taken aback by the title of post and perfume, but love the historical brief on this. There is no perfume inspired by my sense of place except for some honey based salves and lotions actually sold at a local market, but living in the Sierra Nevada is all about Cedre. And then there’s the mint, rose, honey, and orange blossom. A few scents bring it to mind. Recently, because it’s been so hot, I’ve been dreaming about the little creek in front of our house, named Willow Creek, a rushing river in winter, a gentle stream with a few muddy shallows in summer, where the mint and lemon balm grew. After a sample of Guerlain’s herbal Fresca, I ordered a bottle. Fleeting–but a pleasure right now! Damn Rebels sounds like a definite try if can run down a sample!
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Hi Shiva-woman,
I had never visited Edinburgh before this and while I can imagine it’s still great at other times, the atmosphere at Festival time must be something special.
Wow, I love the scents of Sierra Nevada and Willow Creek sounds like bliss. Someone should incorporate them in a cosmetic product if not a perfume.
The Guerlain Aqua Allergoria’s don’t last long but they’re great to use as a pick-me-up in hot weather.
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I am wearing my sample of this today, inspired by your post! Agree with all you say, from its being quiet, to the absence of clary sage, and the nicely malty twist to the orange. I have to say that on me DRB is barely there after just a couple of hours’ wearing, so I would love it better if it could be just a wee bit more feisty. Maybe the ultimate in rebelliousness is to confound your expectations, and it is fair to say that like their namesake scent, in their line of duty these women had to be real pros at hiding!
PS Thanks for the mention. Glad you loved Edinburgh, My brother has lived there for nearly all your life now (One year less, without giving your age away…;) ).
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Thanks for taking time out of your day to read/comment/sample, V! I know you are in the midst of things.
Always good to hear that you concur on a fragrance. It’s pretty simple but rather lovely. Being generous with application helps with longevity as I wore about a third of my sample today, though like most citrus perfumes, it doesn’t have great staying power.
Wow, has R been settled there for that long? Don’t blame him one bit. I hope to visit the city many more times.
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Hey there Tara! So envious that you got to visit Edinburgh during the Festival. I must get there. Damn Rebel Bitches is a fun and entertaining name and it sounds great as I love blood oranges. Sandra xoxo
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You’d love it Sandra (apart from the weather, ha ha). I had a blast and though it’s obviously a lot more crowded, I really liked the buzz in the air and the fact there were Fringe venues at every turn.
If you love blood oranges, I’d say you can’t fail to love Damn Rebel Bitches!
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The Festivals are fabulous, and it sounds like you had a great time here, but do come back when it’s quieter, too! It’s a lot easier to explore then. I picked up a bottle of DRB last week and really like it, but, oh how I wish that it had a bit more power. (I’d agree that very generous spritzing helps it last–with that orange being remarkably persistent–but it stays so quiet even with a bit of a drenching.)
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Nice to hear from you, Crikey. Oh yes, I will be back at another time. Davina suggested visiting around Christmas-time which must be lovely.
DRB does stay very close to the skin even with super-spritzing but hope you are enjoying your bottle all the same.
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I’m actually enjoying it more and more, with each wearing, particularly since I discovered it does rather well, and lives a little larger, on fabric.
(also, hi! Sorry, I’ve been lurking and reading for a while without introducing myself)
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Oh that is good news. Spraying on fabric is a great idea, especially if you can allocate a particular scarf, say.
No need to apologise – lovely to know you’ve been reading!
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I’m glad you had lovely time in Edinburgh: I’ve never been to there but heard a lot (and my friends just visited it last week, so I’ll hear even more on their return 🙂 ).
I hated the name… until I read about its story – and now I think it’s great.
We have not just “a perfume” but the whole brand – Sonoma Scent Studio! (Ok, it’s a couple of hours’ drive from where I live but, if to look from where you live, it’s practically around the corner 🙂 ).
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I hope your friends had a great time in Edinburgh. I think it would be hard not to.
I reacted to the name in the same way you did. You really need to hear the story behind it. I don’t have much time for names that are purely about shock value.
Senoma Scent Studio definitely counts! What a great brand to have on your door-step. It’s funny but you just reminded me that there is a perfume by 4160 Tuesdays called Ealing Green which is a place within my London Borough. I should try it some time.
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I’m completely in love with your travel- and events descriptions, they are always extraordinarily present and imaginative. What was there perfume involved??? The name is fun and makes sense, but it’s probably not something I would seek out.
Oh don’t remind me, I think Henrik Vibskov came out with a concept perfume Type C for Copenhagen. It’s a painfully awful caricature on Copenhagen, something artificially aquatic. :-O !!!
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That is such a fantastic compliment, Asali, thank-you. I really appreciate it. I do love sharing events and travel experiences.
Oh that is too bad about the Copenhagen perfume. It sounds like such a wonderfully individual and cool city that it deserves a great fragrance.
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