Tuberosa

Tuberosa from Santa Maria Novella opens with the fullest, richest tuberose, green and muddled with aromatic cedar and a metallic clove infusion. A little funky at first, like rotting water in a vase, but so true to life with a bit of ylang ylang indole that adds some fruity headiness. Tempered by time, it then becomes creamy, and somewhat lactonic... milky like the undertones of what you might detect in a cheesy gardenia glazed with smooth benzoin. Jasmine and orange flower augment the salaciousness of this tuberose, yet not to overshadow the featured floral temptress. Styrax contributes to the fleshiness with a bit of vinyl-like soured, sweaty amber. The overall cast is green and overripe. One dab and you'll get the softness and polite elegance reported below. A couple of sprays and Tuberosa becomes phenomenally sensual. I love the way this versatile beauty plays on my skin.

This is the tuberose fragrance I've been looking for! Simple, straightforward, yet beautiful. As others have mentioned, it is rather polite and inoffensive. Whereas Fracas practically yells across the room, Tuberosa is almost like a whisper that makes you want to lean in closer to capture every word. For an airier fragrance, longevity is better than I expected. Was initially considering either Gucci Bloom Profumo di Fiori or Dyptique Do Son for a tuberose perfume. I think this one will be my next FB purchase. I was trying not to buy any more perfumes until I have gone through a few that are already in my collection (I'm not a collector, I actually buy perfumes to wear, and now my collection is becoming overwhelming), but now I'm not sure if I have the will power. That's how much I enjoyed this one!

This is such a beautiful, elegant, dreamy tuberose. Not as fleshy or heavy as some other tuberose can be. Very realistic. The other notes serve to add some dimension and shine, but tuberose is absolutely the star. It starts very fresh, possibly with the help of orange blossom, and has a subtle pale woodiness about it. Sandalwood, I'd say. On drydown, the slight woodiness remains, and jasmine drifts in the background and helps this to be a bit heady but soft and still very light. To my mother, this starts to develop a wilted or even rotting quality in late drydown, which I would suspect would be the ylang. I never notice any of the resins. This smells absolutely timeless (would never have guess 1939!) and natural. Easy to like. A lot of sillage, but very soft and non-invasive.

The most creamy tuberose I tried so far, dreamy, elegant and wearable (even for a non-tuberose fan like me). All the more aggressive notes of Fracas are missing (which makes its reputation but for me it’s a hard to wear after the first 5 min gone) and it’s missing the green character of Carnal Flower. SMN always has a herbal element in all perfumes which is great if you think at the thyme in Frangipane or the rosemary in Pot Pouri but here that element is rather tones down into something more vanillic while not falling into the gourmand space. For me, a great tuberose and one I will finally wear.

Finally broke down and bought a FB. This is really one of the best tuberose fragrances I have smelled. The more I wear it, the more I realize it's not as simple and straightforward as originally thought. It is complex and multifaceted, and while I pick up a bit on jasmine and ylang ylang, tuberose is still the star. This is a more demure, understated Fracas. Creamy, elegant, subtly warm and spicy, and ever so slightly "bubblegummy." Writing a new comment instead of editing my old one to bring more awareness to this underrated gem. Definitely worth checking out if you are a tuberose lover.