By Sandra
As all of us know, tuberose is a perfume note that causes either adoration or loathing.
It is carnal, sensual, earthy, creamy and has many crawling back for more or others sprinting away in horror. I fall into the previous category where I cannot get enough tuberose in my life. It is categorically the one note that I wear all summer long. In my opinion, tuberose needs heat to truly bring out its beautiful aroma which is why I only wear it during the summer months, cold winters don’t do this flower justice.
Perhaps I should note that tuberose has been an important part of my olfactory awareness since Giorgio by Giorgio Beverly Hills came out in the 80s. I have loved many tuberose perfumes – even at a very young age. My first love was Diva by Ungaro which does have some tuberose. Thankfully my mother did not take issue with this note – she finds offense with my more gourmand taste. Funnily enough I was speaking to a woman in her 40s who declared that tuberose is only for the mature women and men. Nonsense! If you love it, wear it – no matter how old or young you are.
One of my all time favorite tuberose perfumes is Parfumerie Generale’s No. 17 Tubéreuse Couture. It gets heavy use here in the summer months and I find myself finally looking at my bottle and considering a backup or two of this gem. I never, and I mean never, use up a bottle of perfume that quickly. The rest of my precious bottle will carry me through this summer only.
Tubéreuse Couture was created by Pierre Guillaume and includes notes of kalamanzi oil, green jasmin shoots, ylang-ylang, sugar cane, indian tuberose, sumatra benzoin and papyrus.
Upon applying, it opens up bright, green and citrusy and if you know the calamansi fruit you will be able to distinguish it. The tuberose comes in quite quickly and the perfume lingers for hours on my skin. Tubéreuse Couture is much more green with a hint of sweetness rather than overwhelmingly sweet and cloying. Yes, the sugar cane is there, which is unique, but Monsieur Guillaume used such a deft hand in my opinion that it just softens the whole composition. The perfume is not as animalistic as Malle’s Carnal Flower. For me it is a somewhat energizing perfume what with the citrusy green beginning. It invites music and dance after a stressful day.
The tuberose plant is thought to have originated in Mexico. It is an exotic plant and I have yet to be able to find any bulbs for sale here in Vienna. But when I think of the waxy white flowers and the scent that they exude, tuberose plants fit so much better in tropical climates full of sunshine and heat. Tuberose needs the rhythmic music of Latin America. When I listen to Latin music I instantly grin, instinctively moving along to the rhythm. The drums start and are soon joined by the rest of the percussion and when the beautiful vocals come in the music carries me back home to Argentina!
This is life – singing and dancing with the scent of tuberose all around me.
On a side note, if you can get your hands on some calamansi vinegar give it a try if you have not already. I use calamansi vinegar drizzled on a salad or over sauteed chicken which is divine and actually gets the men in my household to eat more greens.
Olfactoria's Travels 
Sounds yummy. Good I am cruising perfume
bars in London next week!! xxx
Have loads of fun and I can’t wait to hear all about it! Xo
I remember trying Tuberose Couture las year and I didn’t find it fascinating. It was too girly to me plus tuberose is a love/hate for me.
I can understand that tuberose can be a difficult note to like let alone love.
I struggle with tuberose but I do better with the green/fruity versions and you do make this sound really good. I will give it a try. I aspire to clicking with Carnal Flower one day.
You know Sandra, I’m going to my first ever salsa class on Monday. I did think I shouldn’t have bought a full bottle of Nuit de Tuberose but now I have the perfect occasion to wear it!
Tara have a fabulous time at salsa! I loved taking classes. Nuit de Tuberose is a gorgeous choice. I love that perfume too.
Thanks Sandra! Fingers crossed it won’t be my first and last 🙂
I love tuberose as well. That line about it being for a more mature woman made me laugh. I agree with you, if you love it, wear it.
It was definitely an old fashioned comment. Glad you like tuberose too!
Thank you for a wonderful review, Sandra! I converted from a tuberose hater to a tuberose lover in the past years and now it seems, like there can never be enough good tuberose scents around. Tubéreuse Couture unfortunately didn’t bloom on my skin, but none of the PG scents has, so it’s more that than the actual scent, I guess. But I love Mona di Orio’s Tubéreuse, Carnal Flower and Rivages des Syrtes, the latter especially, when it’s hot and humid. I totally agree, that tuberose needs heat to come out in all her glory. Have you tried Dunard from Oliver & Co. as well? I like it a lot too, it’s quite unusual and complex imo.
Cheers
Safran
The three perfumes you mention are gorgeous as well. You are so right in saying that Rivages des Syrtes needs the heat and humidity. It is so special. Thank you for the recommendation of Dunard- on my try list it goes.
I have always has a struggle with tuberose. I want to love it, but it
has to be subtle. So far the only one I have liked is Mona di Orio’s.
I would like to find one that I enjoy; because tuberose is sensual!
MdO’s is so easy to wear and love. Maybe you would enjoy Tuberéuse Couture too. 🙂
I’m one of the tuberose lovers. Can’t get enough of it in the summer. I have lovely memories of climbing a hill in Mexico with my husband on a very hot day, and near the top finding a small covered shrine to Mary with a huge jar of fresh tuberoses on the altar. After that I filled our little townhouse with tuberoses until we left. Sexiest scent going, in my view. I think I have tried a lot of them, but not Tubereuse Couture, which will have to go on my next sample order. My favorite remains Fracas in pure parfum. The Fracas Edp does nothing on me for some reason, doesn’t even smell like tuberose or much of anything else.
What a lovely memory that you have of your trip to Mexico. Thank you for telling me about Fracas EdP as I have the same problem. Now I will hunt down a sample of the extrait with full anticipation of finally loving Fracas!
I really think that you will be surprised at the difference between the parfum and the edp. I get very little scent from the edp, and what I get isn’t especially pleasant, while the parfum is like holding tuberoses in your hand.
I’m not a tuberose lover (a few like Carnal Flower and New Look 1947 are okay), but do you think it could be a body chemistry thing? My 13 year old daughter adores tuberose, and I give her all my “cast-offs”–Do Son, AG Gardenia (which is really a tuberose), etc. and they small absolutely gorgeous on her. The delicate beauty of the flower comes out on her, whereas on me, they are heavy and oppressive. So I’d have to say I love tuberose–on other people!
What a lucky girl she is! I think perfume smells differently on everyone. Thankfully you can enjoy tuberose on others.
Sandra, finding out that you are a tuberose lover makes me so happy! This one from Parfumerie Generale has been on my radar but I’ve never sampled it. I’ll be in NYC at the end of the month, so will track down a bottle and give it a sniff. I quite agree with you that tuberose perfumes smell their very best in the heat. Actually, I think most “big” perfumes achieve their optimal beauty in the heat. 🙂
Let me know what you think if you do get to sample it. I love it that you think that most “big” perfumes need heat. I am slowly getting around to enjoying Musc Koublai Khan during summer. I got that idea from you I believe. 😉
I agree that some of the grand perfumes do better in heat. I feel that the heavy, constricting clothing of winter can sometimes suffocate a fragrance. They need the light and air of spring and summer to breath. Or maybe just allow the wearer to breath. 🙂
Suzanne, I’m with you- this one goes on the Wish List. I’ve wondered if “Tuberose” is part of the gardenia group. Here in the South we grow “Cape Jasmine”, a variety that is similar to gardenia, but much lighter. Is “Tuberose” taken from these plants?
Cape Jasmine is lovely. I am not aware of tuberose being related to gardenia.I hope you like the perfume when you try it.
I love tuberose and for me the holy grail of tuberoses is Fracas (I enjoy both versions) with Caron’s Tubereuse being a very close second. When I need a jolt, I reach for my Tubereuse Criminelle. i like wearing it on a cold, rainy day. I also enjoy wearing Beyond Love By Kilian, especially in the summer. I am one of the oddballs (maybe the only one) that doesn’t quite get what the big deal is about Carnal Flower. Don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty and I like it but it’s JUST pretty and I JUST like it. No fireworks. Maybe someday it will click for me and CF but Fracas has set the bar pretty high.
You smell wonderful! I love Tubereuse Criminelle as well as Carnal Flower. Must try Caron’s Tubereuse now. Now that you also mention Fracas, I will make a point of trying it again.
I love Tubereuse Criminelle and Carnal Flower, but the person who really loves tuberose is my mother. I will definitely keep this in mind as she likes perfume for birthdays and holidays.
On a side note, forgive the intrusion but I saw that you mentioned that home was Argentina. Are you the friend of Birgit’s who makes amazing chimichurri? I just put up a post about mint chimichurri (nontraditional, I know) and she mentioned it.
Your mother has wonderful taste as do you. 🙂
Mint chimichurri is wonderful as well. I am going to check out your post today. I can always use more chimichurri recipes. Yes, that would be me. 😉
Aw, shucks 🙂
I had the best time in Argentina. Some of the best food and wine that I have ever had combined with the warmest, most welcoming, and effortlessly stylish people. I still dream of medialunas . . .
This one seems to have passed me by for some reason – and I love tuberose!
Or more exactly – I love ylang ylang and and coming to like tuberose more and more. Tubereuse Criminelle recently wormed its way into my affections, which I wouldn’t have seen coming…
Sorry for the second coming! IPhone, bad eyes, the usual…;-)
Tubereuse Criminelle is a challenging perfume! I adore it. If you like that then I would say you could try most tuberose perfumes and like many of them. Hope you like it.
Dear Sandra
Tuberose, like those salad greens, are something that I have learned to love with maturity and now I find it difficult to get by without the occasional injection of its earthy carnality into my life.
Thanks for introducing another dose of this tango made flower into my life.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
You had me in stitches Perfumed Dandy. Love your term earthy carnality. Wonderful description.
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