Guerlain recently introduced a new addition to their L'Art et la Matiere line of fragrances, Joyeuse Tubereuse. Guerlain describes the scent as "a freshly picked tuberose" and indeed, the initial opening has a burst of green as if from the broken stem that had been holding the flower a moment before being plucked. This green opening is fresh and creamy and reminds me a little of the opening in Jour d'Hermes. This only lasts a short time and the tuberose enters.
This tuberose is limpid and dewy. Perfumers Thierry Wasser and Delphine Jelk used a light touch with a note that has a reputation for scaring people away. The perfume displays the creamy aspects of tuberose but none of the indolic, skank, or camphorous notes. Like a tomcat that's gone under the knife, this tuberose is tamed and subdued of aggressiveness without losing any of the prettiness of the floral. Notes of lily and sambac jasmine join the tuberose. Normally I find that jasmine will dominate on my skin but it stayed in the background; it was the lily I smelled. The lily and tuberose make a very pretty combination, with the tuberose dominating.
It is around the time that the lily becomes obvious that I also began to smell vanilla. As with the tuberose, the vanilla's touch is light. It serves to slightly sweeten the perfume. I'm imagining tuberose and vanilla flavored marshmellows. The vanilla is not really gourmand but just adds a nice softness to the tuberose. At this point the perfume reminds me a little of Memo Marfa which also has vanilla and tuberose. Joyeuse Tubereuse continues for several hours with this fluffy tuberose and vanilla combo but eventually very gentle base notes of sandalwood and vetiver become present as the tuberose fades. These two notes are particularly quiet on my skin.
This perfume lasted all day but the sillage was slight. I think this would be a great perfume for those who have shied away from tuberose perfumes like Malle's Carnal Flower or Piguet's Fracas because the tuberose is too strong. This perfume is considered unisex and I realize my description may not make it sound that way but if you're a man that loves white flowers I think you would enjoy this one. Joyeuse Tubereuse is a very nice perfume and I would happily wear it but I tend to like the tuberose perfumes that announce their presence so for now I will admire from afar.
Photo from Guerlain. Sample from Essentials Tangs Singapore.
2 comments :
I didn't have a chance to test it on skin yet but when I tried it on a blotter I found it very pleasant - despite my dislike to tuberose. So I'll try to get to it at the next trip to the store: I wonder if it still plays nice sprayed on skin.
I liked it, Undina, but not sure how you will feel if you don't like tuberose. It's not too strong, but it's definitely tuberose!
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