Desert Rouge

2020
Parfum
Edition of 50

Maria McElroy - Aroma M & House of Cherry Bomb

Maria: “How fragile we are under the sheltering sky. Behind the sheltering sky is a vast dark universe, and we're just so small?”

These lines by Paul Bowles felt prescient as I found myself completing Desert Rouge in New York City during the pandemic. The Sheltering Sky, a novel I first read in my 20’s and brought with me on my first visit to Morocco, reminded me of both the poignant beauty and perils in life. 

My intentions shifted as I continued to blend inside my Manhattan apartment, all while an unseen danger swirled outside. I went to the heart and grounding elements that I felt we all needed during these uncertain days. The accord of Arabian roses moves deeply into the heart-center with calmness and love. Creamy sandalwood, smooth like sand, is enveloping and grounding, while spices echo the amorous ‘blood of life’. 

There is an element of nostalgia in both Desert Flower and Desert Rouge. My earliest recollection of fragrance is that of the tantalizing aroma of Greek pastries that would cover the linen tablecloths in my childhood home. These are delicacies doused in honey syrup and nuts delicately spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and crushed almonds. Moroccan sweets, with an element of French pâtisserie I discovered, are reminiscent of those delectable Greek pastries. The dry down in Desert Rouge are these notes of joy. 

Desert Rouge is my ode to life past, present and future… - Maria

Dave: It’s with great pleasure that we present "Desert Rouge" by Maria McElroy of Aroma M & House of Cherry Bomb. Revisiting the inspirations of 2018's soaring "Desert Flower," but this time looking inward, "Desert Rouge" offers the wearer a deep retreat into Maria's scent memory of flowers and food, and the familial. A personal perfume that speaks universally of comfort and warmth.

Desert Flower Notes: Arabian rose, sandalwood, Siam wood, Moroccan vanilla, nutmeg, star of anise, clove, cinnamon, tobacco and honey.