Tubereuse Criminelle

This is a tuberose... with fangs. When I smell this, I just imagine a vampire with a wicked grin, showing his/her teeth. While Carnal Flower gives us a natural representation of the tuberose, this is a wicked and distorted interpretation of it. The camphorous and mentholated opening is quite the statement and quite prominent, and while it does subside, the menthol aspects stays with the tuberose scent during its duration. As it dries down, you get a very silky, smooth and luscious chilly and beautiful tuberose. It is very classy and very elegant. The vampire has closed its mouth now and you can see it from a farther distance, and recognize its elegance and grace despite the graveness, wickedness and coldness that it showed you in the beginning. But you can still sense the coldness that surrounds it as it walks. In Carnal Flower (the other cold tuberose fragrance), we do get that slightly cool, eucalyptus opening. But it is greener, more refreshing and natural. The whole fragrance feels more green and more botanical, remembering us of the real tuberose. Here, those aspects are amplified and made a bit more severe and grotesque, as the opening is not as much green as it is medicinal and bitter. Carnal Flower remains green and fresh and realistic, while this one, despite the natural smelling tuberose, remains strangely cold. Carnal Flower is a tad headier, while Tubereuse Criminelle is a bit smoother on the tuberose dry down. Carnal Flower is the natural, sophisticated one, while Tubereuse Criminelle is the strange, enigmatic one. The opening didn’t bother me one bit, as I love mentholated and camphorous scents. I found it quite nice and different. But I will say this, and I am sorry if I ruin the fragrance for you by saying this, but it really smells like denorex and bengay in the opening. It just does. I don’t mind it but we don’t necessarily want to smell like we are flaky or sore. Nevertheless, as it dries and calms down, this perfume shines. It is one of the nicest tuberose fragrances I’ve smelled thus far. It smells very real. The tuberose isn’t overly indolic nor heady. It is more smooth and silky. It has echoes of Fleurs d’Oranger, but less indolic and heavy, and more classy and mysterious. Longevity and silage are adequate, since I feel that if this fragrance was any stronger it would venture in the headache department. Would I get a full bottle of this? At the moment, I don’t think so. I think I am more than good with my decant, since this is not an everyday perfume for me or something I’d wear constantly, especially considering my climate. But eventually I’d like to have it in my collection, since I am sure it will stand out. If you’re a fan of tuberose and don’t mind mentholated and camphorous scents, give this a try. But you must like both since both are very pronounced.

Heart achingly beautiful. Words really cant describe my love for this fragrance. I set out to find a signature fragrance around 8 months ago, and tubereuse criminelle was among the first batch of samples I ordered. I was completely oblivious to anything fragrance related, so its somewhat of a miracle that I even stumbled upon it in the first place. Over the next 7-ish months I mourned for this fragrance, obsessing over the 1 mL vial I had of it, cursing its lack of presence on discount sites and its high pricepoint, until I managed to parse through the dredges of online perfume vendors and find a single bottle for less than $300. What a steal. Regardless, this fragrance is worth every penny of its pricetag. It begins with a blast of something that seems almost the opposite of perfume. Its cold and piercing, like a platter of petals smeared with a thick, glassy mixture of, napalm, wintergreen gum, and Vapo-Rub. That is not to say this perfume smells bad at first, in fact its controversial opening is my favorite part, its refreshing, unique, and bone-chillingly pretty. The opening is indelibly impressive, the numbing fog of ice it creates almost obscures the petals delicate scent, which sits comfortably at the bottom of this whole icy atmosphere, almost like a handful of flower petals were strewn haphazardly on the concrete of a street cloaked in a midnight mist. The chilling aspect of the perfume is rather delicate, the shards of ice eventually melt. The perfume shifts from artic to being just above freezing. The cold still lingers, piercing and painful, but not so obtrusive. A moment of thaw, rivulets of water run from once ice-bound leaves, beads of water fall from foliage and frames of homes like artificial, crystal rain in the chilly dawn, and the petals forgotten under the stiflingly glacial mist have a chance to leach their intoxicating scent into the streams of pristine meltwater. The silver filigree covered tuberose emerges at this moment, its petals crushed and bloodied, but still unendingly beautiful. Its narcotic vapors waft intoxicatingly from its bruised petals, a scent equally sensuous as it is brutal. The macerated meristem of the plant sends dainty spirals of green through the blinding white of its blooms. Emergent from the achingly icy clutches of permafrost, the tuberose is all at once full of grandeur, grace, beauty, innocence, violence, and evil. Overall, Oncle Serge did a fantastic job executing the desired concept of giving the flowers back to evil. The sleek black bottle and otherworldly fragrance just exude a certain playful evil derived from something that was once innocent and pure. This fragrance makes me feel powerful and cold, evil and sharp, like I am the tuberose, mangled and divine under the pale moonlight of a winters night.

First, a huge blast of...what? When I close my eyes I can almost believe I'm in the midst of a tropical night garden with big juicy clumps of flowers hanging all around me. But behind those flowers there is a hint of nasty. It reminds me of public rest rooms in Thailand. Not the piss and shit part but they use these little camphor smelling tablets to repel insects that live in the pipes, mostly roaches and silverfish. The smell of those tablets is lingering in the background. And there is gasoline, I repeatedly caught myself thinking: "I really shouldn't be inhaling this". As the scent develops the flower part turns more toward jasmine and hyacinth. I'm also getting mothballs and lots of menthol. And orange flowers. Normally I hate orange blossoms. On me they smell dirty and remind me of tooth decay and unwashed bodies. But in Tubereuse Criminelle they fit in, making their contribution both to the flowery part and to the skanky underbelly. Some hours later things have calmed down. There is a strong note of generic "white flower" that sometimes turns into Juicy Fruit Chewing Gum. There is also a note of mint intertwined. The mint has an interesting physical effect. As I'm not used to smell it in a setting like this I sometimes get a cold little shiver down my spine, or feel slightly unsettled by the cool sensation of it. Like I'm smelling all this flowery sweetness but I know somehow that there is something very very wrong with it. I love how the play with hot/cold adds an extra dimension to the scent. Some associate this scent with vampires, some with a blond bombshell out of a 30ies movie. Impeccable dressed up in a black tight dress, shiny red lipstick on but just wait for a while and out comes the machine gun. For me, I think of Snow White in her glass casket. When you come closer she opens her eyes and beckons you to open the lid. When you do, you realise there is no girl there but just a mass of crawling maggots reaching towards you. An olfactory representation of a beautiful shell with very nasty things going on on the inside. To be honest, even if I was looking forward to trying this one, I didn't think I'd like it. There are white flowers, which I'm not to happy about, and orange blossoms that I seriously dislike. But I love it. Somehow the ugliness of each one (as I perceive it) comes together and builds a very unique and interesting whole. This is not a scent for everyday wear, it's a scent that tells a different story to every wearer.

Criminal? Hardly. Perhaps it’s just me, but I’ve never equated tuberose with the sharp-claws-out, no-holds-barred, “I’m here!”, give-me-liberty-or-give-me-death persona. I don’t equate such strong personalities, strong confidences, rough edges but also smooth contours with a garish egotisticalness. My cat has sharp claws but she’s soft and pillowy, and she certainly purrs when she’s scratched the right way. This isn’t Fracas or Poison with their Beethoven baroque-ness or symphonic loudness, either. Perhaps that’s an effect of my age and generation. My foot down, here’s what you should expect: First is that TC needs humidity. With the correct high amount of moisture in the air a wintergreen note sings for a very long time. This can be a very green tuberose. In low humidity and low heat the green-minty-ness is muted and has significantly less longevity. In normal presentations it gives the whole of the perfume a starkly cold effect - supposedly cold and apathetic like a criminal? Not so, I feel. Geranium is afoot and is distorting proceedings. This tuberose has brushed its teeth with a pleasantly minty and baking soda-based toothpaste; it is clean and presentable and amorous, ready for a kiss with a lot of tongue. In the correct environmental conditions this lasts for a strikingly long time, but in low humidity conditions the creamy, heady, white rose and unctuous facets shine earlier as opposed to later. Do not confuse my assertion of environmental timing as a defect to what you could experience with Tubereuse Criminelle. While the stages might have varying timespans depending upon your environment, every stage is gorgeous and will make you purr just like my cat. Minty and green and bracing, to cool-customer creamy floral rose, to languid and suave vanilla. The last part, suave. Tubereuse Criminelle is like Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal. It’s pop, funk, and rock all shoved into one tightly knit package of suave sexuality and confidence done by a master musical artist with an incredible backing band. Though TC may lack some of the foot-loose dynamism of Michael, the hip swinging is there. I wear TC and I want to grind against my next smooth criminal.

Tubéreuse Criminelle is an extraordinary tuberose scent. Where Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower (the tuberose gold standard for many, myself included) focuses on the bloom itself, TC considers the whole, multifaceted plant, warts and all. It is a challenging scent, sure, harder to wear than Carnal Flower or Fracas, but it is to be appreciated and admired. I adore tuberose scents, and Serge Lutens is one of my favourite houses, and I'm happy to report that TC lives up to my expectations. TC is tuberose-dominant from initial spray, with a strong camphorous opening. More minty than green initially, it is very bold and heady, with the more floral facets of tuberose unfurling in its wake. It becomes creamy and sweet, with the bubblegum quality associated with tuberose evident here. Jasmine rounds it out, lush, powdery and slightly indolic. Vanilla keeps things sweet, but is not syrupy or cloying - instead, it is dry and powdery, present in just the right quantity. After some time, I get orange blossom, uncharacteristically subdued, but adding sweetness to the white floral bouquet. I get some lily-like hyacinth later on, but tuberose is king throughout, with jasmine playing second fiddle. The amber base grows steadily in the background as this scent progresses, sweetly balsamic with an animalic muskiness that becomes more evident as it dries down. There is a warm spiciness to the drydown, complementing the amber accord beautifully, not to mention the tuberose that remains until the end. It fades to an animalic musky skin scent with tuberose. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting. It is a transeasonal evening scent, and is unisex, but certainly is not for everyone. An unapologetic, challenging yet utterly captivating tuberose, TC showcases the multifaceted nature of the entire tuberose plant, enhanced to perfection by other notes that here solely serve to complement the tuberose. At face value, this is a tuberose bookended by camphor and musk, but it is in fact a masterfully-composed, high-quality composition that aims to please no-one, yet is utterly compelling. Carnal Flower is an easier wear, but this is art. Glorious. 5/5.

What a great scent. As someone who usually doesn't care for tuberose and prefers the jasmine/ orange blossom territory when it comes to white florals, I can say this is my favourite tuberose perfume that I've smelled so far (although that's perhaps because there's a massive jasmine in here too). Tubereuse Criminelle certainly opens in accordance with its name. It has this massive, vampiric, hyper-super-mega mentholated opening at the start and yes, this raw camphor start is very similar to olbas oil or vapo-rub. While some people like this opening, I have to say its deliberately anaemic nature (while evocative of the kind of sinister sickness that one would think plagues vampires, murderers and the sort) is quite off-putting. However, this camphor quality is naturally present in tuberose and is present from start to end in a number of other tuberose compositions, inc. Carnal Flower and Tubereuse Absolue, but the Lutens treats it differently. Here, all that camphor is loaded into the extremist opening but then vanishes quite literally in a matter of minutes. I'm really talking on the scale of 5-15 minutes here and there's almost no trace of menthol left, which I must admit is a welcome reprieve, like you've been trying to get to the tropical greenhouse but have had to plod through a nightmarish blizzard first. Once the scent gives way on the skin, the camphor retreats and a huge, soft, buttery, indolic and warm floral takes its place. The tuberose is de-fanged, and a sizeable jasmine lends its soporific and erotic indole to create what feels like a veritable mattress of white petals. And here the scent stays, blessedly, for several hours. After that initial growl disappears this really becomes the warmest and most soft-textured tuberose I've smelled - it's very welcoming, gentle and affectionate, like a pet that has recently been tamed. That Lutens and Sheldrake managed to pack such personality into what can otherwise be quite a shrill or stately floral note is truly a great accomplishment!

"Return the flowers to evil and, by corrupting their thick, milky petals, select from this poison cabinet the most controversial of all female figures: Catherine de Medici, Milady de Winter, Elizabeth Bathory... an eulogy to Lutens’ heroines!" Thanks to this fragrance I spent an afternoon reading about a few historical figures. Winter was an 'uncommonly beautiful' bewitching seductress in the novel The Three Musketeers, based on the historical figure Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle who was known for her wit and beauty. Báthory was a noblewoman from Hungary, famous for the torture and murder of hundreds of girls. Her horror inspired the imaginations of many, who conjured the idea of her bathing in virgins blood to maintain her youth. Medici, Queen of France and Queen mother, was the most powerful woman in 16th century Europe. She happens to be born on my birthday. She was known as "Madame Serpent", a cunning political lady. With all of that in mind I didn't really know what to expect from Tubereuse Criminelle. The first 10 minutes or so are minty, menthol, arctic blast that is very medicinal. This comes from menthyl salicylate, an organic compound derived from the tuberrose itself. This is a fascinating note to use, and I personally think it's very sharp and refreshing. This needs to warm up on the skin for at least 30 minutes before it can open itself, blossoming a blur of cool white flowers and a quite dominate hyacinth. Ultimately, it's a pretty fragrance. I really enjoy it. I hope to get a bottle of it. Does it convey any sense of criminality, danger, cunning, vexing beauty or the like? Not really. There is nothing devious or "evil" about this. If this is what Serge thinks evil smells like, then he lives in a very beautiful world. 8/10

First of all I contacted Serge Lutens directly was informed that this, like ALL of their perfumes is a SHARED perfume. I am a big tuberose enthusiast and have grown the flower in my garden for many years and have tried most every tuberose perfume out there looking for the one that best represented the living flower on a warm humid summer's evening when the fragrance is at it's most intense and after the dry down this is it. All I can say to those of you who criticize it for its wintergreen and camphor facets are obviously completely unfamiliar with the fragrance of living tuberose flowers as they have a definite camphor and salicylate character to the sweet creamy white floral fragrance they give off. When first sprayed on the skin there is something that some have described as being like gasoline. I don't smell it as anything offensive like gasoline but something pleasant but it does sort of put a figurative veil over the tuberose so that at first smell you smell the tuberose but it is blurred and hidden behind this opening and then as the the first 10-15 minutes pass this veil slowly drifts away and the richest, creamiest, sweetest most boldly profound tuberose remains clear and strong. Although notes of vanilla, strax, hyacinth, musk, orange blossom, clove, and jasmine are there they are so well blended their own voices serve only to strengthen that of the tuberose which projects with very good sillage for many hours. This is by far my favorite tuberose perfume out there and it is true to the natural flower and not exaggeratedly sweet so it is perfect for us men who are sophisticated enough to pull off the florals. Just another Christopher Sheldrake masterpiece brought to us be Serge Lutens.

Ok, you guys are probably, at this point, rolling your eyes when I make another purchase and write about it. I said I was finished, but I saw this for a steal of a price and just had to have it, as this was on my wish list for many years. With that out the way: This is PHENOMENAL! I was so worried when reading reviews about this that it would be a feminine leaning scent, but upon smelling this, I was pleasantly taken aback. Definitely unisex, but I would like to consider it more masculine. I say masculine because smelling this on a woman wouldn't make me think dainty and feminine. I would think "mature" and "handsome". On a guy, this speaks volumes about his character. The fact that he chose to wear this and not Sauvage or something cologne-y, says this is a discriminating man that knows what he wants and knows himself and could care less about your compliments. This is a fragrant representation of his current mood and he does not need anyone's consent or approval. This screams boss man. Imo. With that said, I received one direct compliment as well as one indirect compliment the 3 days since I've had this. The direct came from a family member that rarely says anything about what I wear when I run into them. In this instance, I was not only complimented but, I was asked the name and was told it smelled very high end. Best compliment EVER from that person. The second person was an EMS worker who came into the room and asked "what is that smell?!". But went on to say he needed it for his apartment and continued talking about it walking off with his partner. Hey, I'll take it. Lol So, I count this as a major win. Albeit not for my budget. P.S. And, typically, I strongly dislike tuberose.

WOAH. I hate to get all melodramatic, but as soon as I opened my sample vial, I really was reminded of something, and it was like I finally found "the one". Well, one of "the ones". I have quite a few, I'm not exactly faithful to any one perfume, and I don't think I ever will be. Still, I feel like I've been looking for this perfume my whole life. I don't know exactly what it reminds me of, but definitely something good. The funny thing is, I've actually put off sampling this for ages. It always looked very interesting, but I figured this was one I'd just smell for the experience but wouldn't actually love, or find wearable. Wrong, wrong, wrong. A La Nuit is a perfume I love, but can't wear. Not this. I could douse myself in this. Anyway, after a year (yes, seriously) of sampling other stuff, I finally decided to try this. I don't know what took me so long, but I realized that I actually really do love dissonant tuberose. I love the eucalyptus in Carnal Flower, I love how loud and screechy Fracas is. Safe, straightforward tuberose? Not my thing. So I figured I'd probably really like camphorous tuberose, AND I DO!! I even love it a lot more than I expected. I love the opening, even if it reminds me of toothpaste and root beer, but 10 minutes in after the really medicinal notes fade, it become downright intoxicating. Think rich, boozy, heady tuberose, with lush jasmine and orange flower in the background. This is also incredibly sexy, something I don't think floral fragrances usually are. If you like the rich, creamy, boozy jasmine in some of the Alien flankers, such as Essence Absolue, you should give this a try. I'm ordering a bottle right now, I don't care, I NEED this.

I simply can't have a rest! This Lutens is dramatic and I can't choose which one I'll wear for my wedding... I'll have to make several entrances in the party, each one with a different Lutens haha. I read all the reviews ten times before daring to buy a sample of it... and I won't refer to all these wonderful reviews that helped me so much but for the last one next to mine: TakeaBiteofMe you know what you're talking! It's impressed me how you explain exactly what Tubereuse Criminelle is all about. Thanks! OK... now let me only add I bought a full bottle of this together with Carnal Flower... thinking I'd use the Malle much more, it sounded more unisex in the reviews and the carnal part intrigued me more than becoming a criminal... but I must say guys: if you're looking for a gorgeous flower to highlight your masculinity or to be irresistible wherever you go, don't look anywhere else, this is it. No single friend of mine has mentioned "feminine" in their long odes to this. Of course this works insanely well on women too, but on men... oh lá lá! The menthol vibe together with a perfect little amount of sweetness makes this flowery jewel stand out against any other tuberose around. I like Carnal Flower too but put side to side this is the one I'll never run out of. I'm so happy I dared to blind buy this... it's seriously competing for top 5 in my life. Serge and Christopher, you naughty pair!! PS: the oh-so-hard-to-take beginning of this scent is a myth to me...(unless they reformulated it?) It smells wonderful from start to end.. agressive, yes, in your face, yes, powerful, yes, criminelle, oui oui oui!

the opening of this is just so intense, it felt like being punched in the nose with a handful of cloves, in fact overwhelmingly in the beginning all I could think of was Euthymol toothpaste, on steroids. The scent in my nose I would perhaps achieve if I squeezed a whole tube of Euthymol into my mouth and some cloves up my nose, burned some olbas oil in the bacground and then smashed my head into an old wooden school desk. Therefore it is with some surprise that I say, I like this. Once that pungent overpowering opening settles after 5-10 minutes, I am left with a beautiful white floral, I get tuberose, obviously, but also an awful lot of orange blossom supported by a clean non indolic jasmine. And it is gorgeous!The tuberose + orange blossom accord reminds me of Do Son initially but this is bigger, brighter, cleaner and more beautiful, and that is from a fan of Do Son. The white florals are very clean and non indolic on me, and remind me of Fleurs D'Oranger quite a lot, but with the cumin switched for tuberose! The supporting notes make themselves known less by being dominant themselves but more for how they influence the florals, adding a touch of intrigue and the necessary depth to anchor those white flowers to prevent them becoming a huge white sail and billowing away. This works really well, I really like this. Sillage is huge and longevity is good. Just don't spray it on right before you need to go out, unless you want to knock everyone out with Euthymol and clove!

Tubereuse Criminelle and I have a long history. I first encountered it at the brand’s flagship store in Paris. After smelling the others on display, I decided to this was the precious bell jar scent I must sample. I was enraptured, but in my jet-lagged, American-drinking-espresso-and-no-water-in-europe dehydrated state, I ended up with a pounding headache. Still, I was hooked. Ever since I have tended to have a sample of this from Luckyscent for occasional wear, but I have never pulled the trigger. Something remains challenging, ambivalent about this scent to me. That, of course, is also what makes it so compelling. The main impression is of tuberose, but cold, so cold. And with a chalky edge. In a way, this is the tuberose version of Iris Silver Mist. But where that scent is definitively a soliflore, Tubereuse Criminelle is more of a floral bouquet to my nose, with the most important non-tuberose players being hyacinth and orange blossom. All of these flowers are rendered in cool and airy tones, perhaps also shrilly to some noses. The floral bouquet is rounded out by deftly chosen spices (nutmeg), resins (lovely sunny styrax) and musks (of the Lutens animal fur variety), all of which add depth to the scent and complement the indolic nature of tuberose without weighing it down in the slightest. Tubereuse Criminelle is a stage whisper, raspy and caustic yet evoking gentleness, and fully audible in the back row.

It's interesting how differently Tubereuse Criminelle reacts to different skin chemistry. Or, to be more specific, how much the amounts of styrax and cloves vary. I wonder if the intention was for this fragrance to be very styrax heavy, or for it to be mainly tuberose with styrax that quickly subsides to the background after the initial blast. On me, it's tuberose, tuberose, and more tuberose. I only really smell the styrax when I first spray it, after 5 minutes or so, it is hardly detectable to me, but gives some depth. The cloves stay in the background as well, but are more present than the styrax, and add a tiny bit of spice and a lot of warmth (which is a really interesting contrast to the icy feel that the styrax gives). Aside from that, it is all TUBEROSE. Gorgeous, heady, tropical tuberose and not much else as far as flowers go. And it gets warmer and more tuberose-y the longer it is on my skin. Jasmine, hyacinth, orange blossom? Maybe they are there, somewhere, but all I really smell is a glorious tuberose with soft spices mingling about. There is much disagreement in the wearability of this stuff, but I personally find it much easier to wear than most tuberose perfumes. It's a bomb, but a subtle one, if that makes sense. ETA: I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I may have found my tuberose "unicorn". I still love my other tuberose perfumes but... they don't hold a candle to this.

First impressions after blind buying the bottle for a hell of a deal, $89. This is for the skyscraper like bottles currently being sold today, not the clear bottle. First off: This has massive sillage! I may have gone too far spraying my chest twice, my wrist both under and over it. It’s like a cloud enveloping me in its floral paradise. At least 4 hours of this cloud remains around me. The initial spray is what they all say. Menthol Vicks etc but it isn’t as literal. It isn’t eucalyptus and it is the menthol facet to the tuberose note. I get this same note in Flos Mortis by Rogue Perfumery and in Tuberose Soliflore by Dame Perfumery. I smell the tuberose and a big dose of hyacinth, and that’s what gives it the “cold/cool” feel to it. Got the same feeling with Bas De Soie. This cold feel with the most menthol lasts about an hour to 2 hours before the delicious orange blossom and jasmine show their faces. So pure. So natural. It’s much less beachy than Carnal Flower but of the same quality and well worth the hype. I can’t say I agree with the “bitchy, vamp” adjectives that get thrown around here. I myself think those adjectives are apt for Poison. This is quite beautiful for spring and summer, after an hour or two. There’s a touch of sweetness between the three notes of orange blossom (Similar to Oranges En Fleurs by Houbigant), jasmine, and the mentholated green tuberose. Absolutely love it.

revenge in reverse. tubereuse criminelle flashes her fangs as a first impression, as if to test your commitment. camphorous herbal hues of dark green brew in her eyes as she grips onto you, unable to think straight, the clanging of metal growing louder, steel stained with petrol hinting towards drops of blood. the perceived threat dissolves, and thus her venom retracts, with a dusty, tortilla-like tuberose taking its place, treading lightly in its bloom, hiding in the shadows with visible outlines. as the scent allows itself to cling to the warmth of skin, all barriers dissolve, and the criminelle's sweet secrets are unlocked at last! sticky styrax and benzoin burn and bubble from below, adding a smooth, resinous vanillic quality, in concurrence with tuberose's natural milky sweetness growing even stronger. a bubblegum accord emerges, and i know in my heart that the beloved criminelle has relinquished her old ways for good. the foreboding verdant opening is long gone, but a soft, creamy, green quality comes to the surface as jasmine blooms in the composition, like lovely sambac tea—a harsh past now softened. songs for tubereuse criminelle: felicity nowhere by the last laugh, romance by norma loy, living in cities by moulin rouge, sex ads by cold cave.

Questo profumo mi ha scioccato al primo spruzzo e mi ha infatuato immediatamente per la sua originalità fantastica. Comprato nel 2011,è un intruglio medievale di odori che cambiano scenario completamente più volte durante l'evoluzione del bouquet sulla pelle. Si apre con una nuvola di wintergreen,freddo e verde odore brinato canforoso e balsamico tipo Vicks vaporub,medicinale,stregato. Poi cambia scenario e compaiono fiori cerosi dal colore viola/bluastro,sfondo vellutato, sempre pervasi da questo sottile filo venefico di freddo verde e tossico,misterioso,fuori da ogni epoca. Durante le evoluzioni,compaiono fiori d'arancio misti a un elisir di spezie che cuociono sul fuoco lento come una pozione lenitiva,si riscalda lentamente,si addolcisce e si sfuoca cambiando ambiente e sensazione,niente più veleno ma conforto,poi malizia, sduzione,magia e mistero. Fiero ed elegante,stuzzicante,sottile eppure potente,sfuma pian piano fino ad arrivare al color lilla pallido,quasi morto. Dopo alcune ore di incubi e visioni,il profumo si spegne,finisce l'incentesimo e rimani li, con la voglia di ripartire per questo viaggio nel passato. Meraviglioso. Ma non per tutti.

Serge Lutens has created some legendary fragrances over many years. Tubereuse Criminelle is now 21 years old, but it is still contemporary and one of the best tuberose fragrances I have ever smelled. It stands its own ground when compared to many legendary tuberose scents: Love Tuberose Amouage, Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower, and, dare I say, Robert Piguet Fracas It’s better than Tubéreuse Nue by Tom Ford, Tubereuse 3, Animale by Histoires de Parfums, Diptyque Do Son Christopher Sheldrake is one of the greatest perfumers in the world and he put his mastery to work with this one. The notes are somewhat unconventional: Top • Menthol • Eucalyptus • Clove Heart • Tuberose • Jasmine • Orange Blossom Base • Vanilla • Styrax • Musk • Resins Some reviewers have said they do not like the menthol or Clove, but I find them adding significantly to whole experience. But the many rave reviews have given the valuable detail to anyone who wants to know this magical creation. It has moderate to strong silage and is long lasting. I think it is unisex, more a nighttime wear. Anyone interested in tuberose scents should at least sample this one.

Tubereuse Criminelle opens with the most delicious shock to the senses: the climax bloom of tuberose, so heady and voluminous, with those characteristic camphorous, methyl salicylate qualities raised to a dizzying level. Think biting into Canada Mints (wintergreen sweets) stimulating the taste buds all over, a delightful pinch to the trigeminal nerve. The camphor makes Tubereuse Criminelle "work where it hurts." Tubereuse enfleurage in pain relief ointment, the petals saturated and distilled into the most stimulating unguent. I love this first stage, but it lasts the perfect amount of time so as not to oppress, and the tuberose flourishes with its more floral glamour, warmed with some clove and nutmeg as the mentholated and indolic aspects wane a bit and a sweet green styrallyl acetate ramps up. This phase feels so much like smelling tuberose flowers it rips my heart out. I could swear I have some in a vase by my side. As it continues its evaporation, the styrax moves to the foreground, chewy, leathery and raw: a perfect anchor for this witchy, cold, enchanting tuberose. TC is chilling and thrilling.

I tend to prefer Uncle Serge's oriental scents above all, but I'm totally smitten by his "otherworldly" florals. Think Iris Silver Mist, Sarrasins, and this, the majestic Tubéreuse Criminelle. All of these scents feature florals that have been pushed to the limit, then catapulted far beyond. Iris becomes an alien cyborg. Jasmine becomes a feral leather. And here, tuberose becomes a cryogenically frozen specimen. TC's initial blast is indeed that—a BLAST! A controversial opening to be sure, but I can't get enough of that camphoraceous, mentholated wintergreen. It's so cold; it might as well read zero on the Kelvin scale. Give TC some time, though, and the creamiest, most beautiful tuberose emerges from the frost. I notice that other users have mentioned wearing TC in the comfort of their homes so as not to offend the masses. I've found that to be unnecessary. In fact, coworkers and strangers have approached, needing to know what I was wearing and where they could purchase it. If this is criminal, well, it's as sexy as Fiona Apple's take on the same theme.