I've been testing a wonderful new tuberose fragrance, Loretta, from Andy Tauer's Tableau de Parfums series. I'll review it next week, but in the meantime here's a list of my favorite tuberose perfumes. Note that this is my very personal preferences-- some white floral fragrances don't work for me as well as I'd like, so they're missing from this post. These are the ones that make me happy to have a nose. In no particular order:
Robert Piguet- Fracas. Let's get this one out of the way. She is the queen, the diva, ruler of the universe. I can only wear her in parfum concentrartion and have only learned to really worship her since I found some vintage, but there's nothing like Fracas. Nothing.
Serge Lutens- Tubereuse Criminelle and Cedre. The first one is a modern classic, a freaky camphor and gasoline tuberose.The latter is a wonderful surprise. Despite the name, Cedre is a wood and tuberose fragrance, sweet and heady. Might cause addiction.
Ayala Moriel- Treazon. A new love. I can't wait till the official launch in December when I can get a bottle of this rich and sumptuous tuberose-vanilla nectar. Treazon is definitely one of my favorite perfumes of the year.
Arquiste- Flor y Canto. Sensual and just a little weird. Tuberose juxtaposed with marigold. A very modern take on this classic subject.
Providence Perfume Company- Cocoa Tuberose. Edible and exquisite. As sexy as they come.
Parfumerie Generale- Tubereuse Couture. A greener cousin of Tubereuse Criminelle.
Mona di Orio- Les Nombres d'Or Tubereuse. Oh, Mona! Skin and milk, musk and coconut. Supremely elegant.
Givenchy- Amarige. 1) Go find a vintage bottle of the parfum. 2) Dab carefully. 3) make Luca Turin smell you until he begs for mercy. Honestly, not as trashy as you remember.
Michale Kors- Michael. Has a bad reputation, but if you can find an older bottle of the extrait de parfum you'll smell a much more elegant blend of flowers and incense.
Histoires de Parfums- Tubereuse 3 Animale. Roar. Not for the faint of heart (that's what Tubereuse 1 and 2 are for).
Vero Profumo- Rubj. A golden blend of white flowers and love.
JAR- Ferme tes Yeux. I can't officially confirm there's tuberose there, but that's what my nose is telling me. Dirty, animalic, insane. Probably my favorite.
Honorable Mentions: Ramon Monegal- Kiss My Name (I've just begun testing it, but so far I'm in love); Shalini (Maurice Roucel does tuberose. Heaven until you see the price tag); Nasomatto Narcotic Venus (the name says it all); Fragile by Jean Paul Gaultier (another one for the trashy side, but how fabulous! Not to mention the bottle). Strange Invisible Perfumes- Narcotic (Fracas raised by wolves).
Image: Tuberose in Niche by the amazing Miriam Escofet (miriamescofet.com).
Great to see another Fracas lover in the blogosphere: seems like lots of perfumaniacs don't like it!
ReplyDeleteI love tuberose, in flower and in fragrance, though when I see one or smell one, I often think of the William Holden character in Sunset Boulevard referring to Norma Desmond's tuberose perfume as "not his favorite"...
ReplyDeleteYou are the perfume queen! This list is phenomenal, I haven't even heard of many of these brands. I love tuberose; I have a beautiful diffuser oil from Good Earth in Delhi called Bengali Tuberose which my friend from Calcutta said smells exactly like the flower. Such a gorgeous fragrance! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a tuberriffic list! My fav tuberose is BK Beyond Love. I'm very curious about Loretta and Treazon. ~~nozknoz
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised not to see Guerlain's Mahora get a mention here!
ReplyDeleteCalypso
I love Cedre, too! Also Annick GOutal's Tubereuse, and Les Nez Manoumalia.
ReplyDeleteYour list sounds (smells) amazing!
Carole
I haven't tried many of these, but I too adore by Kilian's Beyond Love. It's intoxicating.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your favourites. I love tuberose in perfume. Tuberuese Criminelle and Treazon are two of my perfume must haves.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Amoureuse, or would you consider that more of a white flower blend? I love that one. I'm also quite taken with Nuit de Tuberose, though I'm not sure it's as full-bottle-worthy as Rubj, which is inching its way to the top of my want list.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get a chance to try Juan Perez's (Exotic Island Perfumer)new Flor Azteca, it's truly wonderful. Tubey, other florals, spices, dark chocolate,and a fantastic mineral accord that smells like hot, steaming volcanic rock. One of my favorite launches of the year, along with Flor y Canto. I can't wait to try Loretta!
ReplyDeleteHave you tried Carnal Flower by Frederic Malle? Its a sparkling one!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering why that wasn't on her list.
DeleteWow!
ReplyDeleteI have a veeery strange relationship with tuberose perfumes... It is a whole saga!
Most of them made me feel out of place, high -pitched, superficial loud and vulgar. I didn't even get close to perfumes if warned being tuberose. Was convinced that they are everything I'm not. Or I don't want or like to be.
And... one day... Tried in a shop in Bucharest Narcotic Venus. No warnings before. But I detected THAT bad feeling that made me, till the moment, hate tuberose fragrances.
I left the shop in disgust. Hided my wrist in the sweater AND the coat, got in the car and hurried to drive to my hometown.
After about half an hour I detected a wonderful, bewitching smell in the car... identified it that it is sneaking out from my coat's sleeve...
Minute after minute, the smell was more and more hypnotizing, made me want to eat my wrist. After about an hour I was knocked out....
I turned the car, drive back to Bucharest like a speed-maniac,arrived to the shop just in the minute they started to close it, park the car in the most illegal way possible, run to the shop, nearly break the door, shouting not to close the shop until they don't give me MY perfume.
Imagine the SA-s' faces.... The cash-counter was already closed... They gave me the bottle, paid it cash, didn't even count the rest and popped out the shop like a victorious warrior...
Since then, I reconsidered my relationship with tuberose in particular and big white florals in general.
Gentiana
Not trying to give you a hard time, but no Carnal Flower? This just can't be. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteAmoureuse by Parfums DelRae has a gorgeous heart of French tuberose.
ReplyDeleteOh, just thought of another one I really wish I'd purchased before the price went out of control: Strange Invisible Perfumes Epic Gardenia. UGH.
ReplyDeleteMy first Tuberose was made by Mary Chess. It was called simply Tuberose. It was a woodsy, flowery scent that was the best I have known. I purchased it from NYC for many years by telephone (before computers). Then, I called and the phone was dead.
ReplyDeleteI learned they had closed the business. It can be found now and then on ebay, but it is very expensive. I still have about an inch in the bottle which I reserve for very special occasions. I am hoping to find another.
How about Carnal Flower by Frédéric Malle?
ReplyDelete