Flos Mortis

Holy Moly! why is this - Flos Mortis - from Rogue Perfumery not talked about more. Heck, why is Rogue not talked about more. Well whatever, I’m just happy I know about this house that’s all... Such incredibly humble prices for perfumes that in my opinion are richer, more organic smelling and balanced than Ultra luxury houses like Roja Perfumes, Xerjoff, Clive Christian or Boadecia the Victorious. I feel that true art must display its value in execution not price. Price is the fraud of art it overrates it while true art is not priced high because it is confident in itself to be priced higher in the minds of its audience - Guerlain, Caron, Jean Desperez etc. Flos Mortis is an astonishing chypre, it is a shockingly appetizing and well blended tuberose and jasmine. It smells like Jasmine Oolong tea. It reminds me of when I lived in Indonesia. A cold jasmine oolong sweet tea beverage to drink on a commute. Colors I imagine when smelling the scent are a cherry, burgundy or maroon red, exactly like the color of the juice. An exotic, sweet, moody, fresh, bitter and dark gourmand created by two flowers that I am unrelentingly testy about but with a heavy hand of realistic rubbery, bloody leather and a fat, pungent, cluster of red curants to make it lovable. What an obscene concoction. This has made me want to seek out more jasmine and tuberose fragrances, but I will first gather Rouge’s. The rubbery, fatty leather paired with a juicy, tart, and jammy red currant gives the blend a hearty, bitter and metallic tea note on top of the massive jasmine, and the jasmine uses the tuberose as a sweetener to this tea. I am ready to consume and be cleansed. I am absolutely in love with this one, please bring it back. 🌸☕️🐮 10/10

Flos Mortis is the second Rogue Perfumery fragrance that I'm reviewing, after Champs Lunaires. While Champs Lunaires offers an enchanting, likeable interpretation of the mighty tuberose, Flos Mortis is a bit more challenging - but no less rewarding. As its name suggests, it is very Goth and truly unisex (even genderless) - just like death does not discriminate... Interestingly I don't feel the indolic components of either tuberose or jasmine very strongly in this fragrance (e.g I've owned several Lush and Carthusia fragrances that are much more indolic than this one). I would say that this is an old-school, yet somehow very contemporary scent. Tuberose, jasmine and osmanthus are present from the beginning to the end, joined by red currants, a very animalic leather and equally animalic musk, in that particular order. Osmanthus even manages to overpower the other two flowers; its fruity yet heavy aspects are stunningly amplified by red currant, leather and musk. As other reviewers have mentioned, the opening is quite camphorous, until the fruity facets take over. So, this fragrance is best described as floral-fruity-animalic. The opening is quite strong; it can even be gagging (at least to the uninitiated), but then it settles into something much more pleasant and wearable. If you love the goth aesthetics, or simply have a penchant for the dark side, then do try this one.

Since it wasn't brought back in the latest batch of bell jars and the Gratte-Ciel bottles are discontinued, Tubéreuse Criminelle seems to be relegated to the vault currently. Flos Mortis is reportedly its closest approximation and a rare spiritual successor. I'm glad Manuel Cross is tackling this profile, even in the echoes of a legend; it feels completely coherent with the rest of the Rogue lineup and is an obviously high quality creation in its own right. It's a kaleidoscopic tuberose: green, fleshy, and carnal. I pick up on narcotic and camphorous edges, but none of it reads as overly indolic to me. I seem to process the untamed aspects as freshness rather than decay. What it truly evokes for me is tea, specifically over-steeped jasmine green tea. I find it deeply comforting and nostalgic. While it leans further into leather and fruit as it dries down, it never completely sheds that central floral tea accord. A beautiful tuberose cathedral.

Really quite fascinating creation. I read the description that mentioned that 5% of the composition is made out of indoles and they weren't joking! It smells like an ancient Chinese medicine, camphorous, fresh even piercing at times. I find this quality beautiful, since it is exactly what I was looking for. In the heart it gets slightly fruity from the redcurrant, the tuberose stays but it warms up on the skin. The dry down is another joyful part for me the osmanthus and leather joins the fruity floral dream and it gives the perfume an interesting almost edible facet. Note that this isn't a gourmand but something about the texture of the leather feels chewy to me. If you like to drink osmanthus tea maybe you will get this sensation also. Overall I was mesmerized by this beauty. It is really so special to my heart. I find it truly artistic and for that reason I will be wearing it on special occasions when it's fitting the mood.

When I try out a fragrance I (wisely~) start with only 1-2 light sprays. If it's great I usually go add one or two...if it's amazing I go back and spray myself with the utter abandon of one whose toddler is asleep and work is remote~ This beauty is that last category. Yes, the tuberose is INDOLIC and mothball camphorous; but it's perfection if you love tuberose. The jasmine is grapey and just a supporting player, not at all stealing the spotlight (which happens frequently on my skin) and becomes merely a purple slightly sweet memory in the dry down; gently buffeted by an apricot-leather osmanthus musk. It's a skin scent in a few hours; but definitely hangs around, surprisingly me with little moments of diva tuberose joy for the entire day. *EDIT: This is one of the very small amount of back up bottles I have <3