The pungent white flesh of the tuberose is a famously love-or-hate-it note in perfumery, but for lovers of the flower like myself, this floral intoxication by Illuminum is a boon: a full-bodied, properly tropical tuberose with all the mentholated salicylates we expect in the top notes – that peculiar rush of wintergreen that life-like tuberose scents must include – yet smooth, enveloping, and wearable. The medicinal top notes are embodied here in the flowers themselves, rather than floating in gasolined ether à la Tubéreuse Criminelle (Serge Lutens); the scent also more sensual than the studied pallor of Editions de Parfums’ Carnal Flower. This tuberose is rich and ylangy, with hints of clove and fruited intimations of banana; but with none of the creamy, buttery elements found in certain types of the genre such as Blonde by Versace or L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Tubéreuse. Moroccan rose absolute, and Atlas cedarwood fortify the flowers…
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The Black Narcissus 