Another week, another tuberose.
Or maybe not, since Tubereuse by L'Artisan Parfumeur seems to have been phased out (that's a nice way to say "discontinued")- it's no longer on L'Artisan's website or on those of the usual suspects among the authorized US retailers- Aedes, Luckyscent, Beauty Habit and Barneys.
Which is really a shame, because this little odd tropical bird is very pretty and satisfying, and to me holds more interest than the newer and extremely over-hyped Nuit de Tubéreuse. The original Tubéreuse opens up green and buttery like quite a few perfumes centered around a tuberose note. The thing I enjoy about it is the way the butter becomes more creamy or milky as the scent develops on skin thanks to a sweet coconut milk note. It's not quite a Thai pudding but at times it gets close. I was very surprised to discover Tubéreuse was a Jean-Claude Ellena creation- it's so lush and heady. I guess this was before Mr. Ellena dedicated himself to recreating the scent of mineral water.
Once Tubéreuse gets to its creamy stage it just hangs there unchanged for a few (not enough) hours. It pulsates more on a hot day, but even on a cool spring night it has the effect of a tropical fantasy. The perfume becomes more simple overtime and on a non-tuberose friendly skin would probably be too flat. A couple of years ago my scent twin said that he and I tend to radiate tuberose. It's true- there's something about the alchemy of this flower that tends to work for me more often than not, and this L'Artisan is no exception. It's lush, sweet and inviting, a happy island vacation wearing sheer scarves and flowers and not thinking too much.
As mentioned above, Tubéreuse is not available currently from any of the official L'Artisan distribution channels, but some online sources still carry it.
Photo of model Yasmeen Ghauri (early 90s) from Vogue UK.
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