Tulipano Nero

Tulipano Nero was introduced to me during a visit to Pickwick's Mercantile in Portsmouth NH while I was sampling selections from I Profumi di Firenze. Opening with the soapy sparkle of aldehydic lily, it settles into a darkly floral and resinous heart. Its most forward notes are ylang ylang and myrrh, with the narcotic yellow floral of the former forming an alluring contrast with the bittersweet spicy earthiness of the latter. What I love about it is that it's a deconstruction of the floral amber structure found in Opium or Cinnabar, where there's no clear articulation of the florals and resins, making it hypnotic and amorphous, no seams can be detected. Yet in a way, it showcases the beauty of its discrete elements in a prismatic manner, similar to the holographic rose of Guerlain Nahema. It's as mystifying in feel as Serge Lutens La Myrrhe, with the myrrh exalted through the aldehydes and ylang ylang and then anchored into the dry down via musk and vetiver. It's among the best from I Profumi di Firenze.

It's a very intense yet pleasant perfume. I mainly get the myrrh and vetiver notes combined with the rose one. I agree with those who identify it as a floriental; the longevity is amazing and the drydown is powerful too. It mustn't be oversprayed in my opinion, but I enjoy wearing it at my workplace as well. The price point is very convenient, I can't recommend this brand enough! I would also like to add that the drydown reminds me of that - now unfortunately discontinued - gem of Iris Nobile by Acqua di Parma, which makes me like this perfume even more.

I am in love with this scent. I tried a sample and had to order from Italy. This is dark, mysterious, deep, sexy and spicy. It is a true floriental. But think dark flowers smelled under the moon. It is blended harmoniously. One note does not stand out. I cannot stop sniffing myself. This would call to the lovers of Rumba, Tabu, Jacqueline, Opium, Obsession, but more darkly floral than those. It does not smell "like" Rumba but has the same strength, power, projection and profile.

Sublime, beautiful, rich and moreish. An absolute love.

10 years ago in this thread, gtabasso nailed the Rumba reference that I get in Tulipano Nero, just as much as Opium. My 21st C formulation of Opium is more wearable and easy to like than Tulipano Nero, which is very arty. Also a resemblance to OG Samsara if you're lucky enough to have some of that, or remember it. I forgot I bought 50 ml of this for 20 bucks but I found it today in a seldom used refrigerator. Well, that's kind of fitting. It smells Bobo in the truest sense, a classy brand made something hippy pushing it into LSD vibes. When I was young I knew a riche old bobo who kept her LSD frozen in a Louis XVI gold and rock crystal snuff box. Tulipano Nero made me think of her and her box, and it comes from nowhere to overwhelm you with sensations. It smells convincingly byzantine, by the way. You know that feeling when you trip and you dose it correctly and your root and solar plexus chakras are fine and you feel that gnarly edge but you know you won't have a bad trip? This perfume reminds me of that. It's heady and pretty yet flirts with a bit of crad, or "too much".

Oh my god what an overpowering floriental! This stuff will hit you in the face. Initially there is a crazy high-floating lily followed by a bombastic rose note, which hovers over you. Throughout the day, Tulipano becomes a smoky torrent that dries down to a very potent powdery myrrh and incense. I would say this scent is incredibly long-lasting and it gets even more intense after the dry down. Another reviewer in different forum noted that this scent has a soapy quality to it, which I think comes from gathering several intense smells together all at once and collapsing their distinctiveness. The collapse of distinction makes the scent into something slightly itchy. Yes, it has similar notes to Opium but, unlike Opium which seems to hold oriental and floral together and apart at the same time, Tulipano Nero smashes those extremes into one big scent. Certainly adventurous and perhaps best on someone who can pull off the intensity of two highly distinct smell profiles.

This is a beautiful, spicy Oriental that reminds me very much of the original Opium as others have said. While there are very subtle differences, they are too minute for me to think of anything other than Opium as I wear it. The newest versions of Opium are NOT good, so fortunately I'm well stocked in the vintage. However, if I ever run out Tulipano Nero has enough richness and character to be a good replacement over the bad, contemporary versions of Opium that are no longer worthy of that name.