Is tuberose making a mainstream comeback? I sure hope so, as it'd be a nice enough departure from pink pepper and lychee. However, not all tuberose perfumes were created equal, as is painfully evident when smelling Avah from Serge Normant. Normant is a top tier hair stylist who owns salons and has a full line of luxurious hair products (a review or two are coming soon). Apparently, he also likes fragrance, which made him add a perfume to his brand. Enter Avah.
The formula of Avah by Serge Normant is supposedly enriched with jojoba, aloe vera, and vitamin E. I can't say I noticed any skincare-like benefits when spraying the perfume, but I decided to be brave (#bloggersareinsane) and sprayed some on a couple of mosquito bites I scratched until they bled. Surprisingly, Avah didn't make it burn, so I have to assume there is something more gentle in the juice (and if I suddenly drop dead you all know why). Once I sprayed the fragrance on areas as the back of my hand and my ankle I noticed the texture is, indeed, a bit thicker that that of regular perfume; it also dries a bit like a serum, but without any stickiness. Interesting, isn't it?
As you would expect from the above, Avah is as long-lasting as it gets. This stuff holds onto skin for dear life and is pretty hard to evict. Now, if whoever does the lab work for Serge Normant would send his resume to Olivia Giacobetti we're all set. When it comes to Avah, the pleasure is a bit questionable.
I don't think Avah is too horrible; luckily I really like tuberose and musk, but this blend of flattened tuberose, hand cream, cold cream, more cream, sweet musk, and-- you guessed it-- more hand cream, is really pushing it. Avah blooms in the heat in the sense that it gets bigger and sweeter, but it smells two dimensional. A good tuberose note can play with themes such as a tropical accord, earthiness, a dewy green garden, magical incense and more. In Serge Normant's interpretation there's nothing beyond the thick buttery not-even-accord. It makes me feel like I need some Lactaid after wearing it for a while, and the sweet while musk doesn't help any. It cheapens the dry-down and makes it into a butter-substitute, "I can SO believe it's not butter!" experience.
Notes: ylang ylang, jasmine, amber, soft woods, musk.
Serge Normant- Avah Eau de Parfum ($60, 1.7 oz) will be available June 2012 at Barneys, Bigelow, Serge Normant salons and sergenormant.com. The sample for this review was provided by PR.
Art: Tuberose by Aparna Deshpande
Your post is so well written that I know just what this smells like. Fatty, flatt-y tuberose, too-sweet musk, and that milky cream note. Also, the texture seemed unappealing to me.
ReplyDeleteI like when you find off-the-radar products!
Thanks, Suzanna. The texture isn't bad and it makes sense if you like spraying fragrance in your hair. Unfortunately, Avah is not something I want to smell in this intensity and for so long.
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