Ralph Lauren's timeless take on Romance

The nose behind Ralph Lauren’s romantic, quietly opulent Romance scent is Harry Frémont.

Launched in 1998, Romance comes in an aptly romantic pink carton and inside is a simple, clean, almost pure decanter that is square and resolute, without frills. Not too romantic at a glance but the bottle is feminine and fresh - and ok - totally fetching in its way.

At its time, many perfumes smelled similar (Curve is often mentioned as a comparison) but as time has gone on and most similar perfumes have disappeared, it leaves Romance as the best of its genre, still around – making it somewhat of a classic.

The perfume opens with a lush floral waft and it settles down into both warm and powdery notes making it great as a date perfume or daytime, office perfume. It has enough citrus to make it upbeat but enough wood in it, to tone down any edginess.  It’s fresh more than sweet and more 'mature' romance rather than the sheer giddiness of a light dalliance. I often cannot really hone in on what’s beguiling about this perfume but I find myself returning to it nonetheless. The rose notes are cheering and the musk and patchouli warm things up just a bit. All in all, one feels feminine and optimistic setting out for the day, sporting this lovely scent.