Tilda, IUNX, Costes 2 and L’A Tubereuse

Today’s post is a bit of a grab-bag.

Angie bought The new Etat Libre d’Orange Tilda Swinton Like This in Paris and wore it beautifully, and Patty reviewed it last Thursday.  (Notes: mandarin, ginger, winter squash, jungle essence, everlasting flower, Moroccan neroli, Grasse rose, vetiver, heliotrope and musk.)  I thought I’d put my two cents in.  I experienced it after the first ten or fifteen minutes as very much a skin scent, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect given that list of notes, although a quiet skin scent seems so … Swinton to me.  You have to be pretty darn close to whoever’s wearing it to smell it, although as I believe Angela mentioned, it does come up to you in bits and wafts.  In my limited experience with it, compared to Tilda, Eau des Merveilles, for instance (which I find a bit similar in feel) is a sillage monster.   So don’t be ordering Tilda unsniffed if you aren’t willing to settle for something that wears as close as a favorite tee shirt.  It does have a little of that peculiar metallic/orange blossom vibe that S-Perfumes’ Sloth had, to reference a really obscure scent.

Speaking of skin scents, on this trip I also gained a new appreciation for the other scents of Olivia Giacobetti at IUNX, which – even if you aren’t fans of her work – is a fun store to visit, in a little room off the entrance of the Hotel Costes.  Each scent is set up with a cone affixed to the wall which you sniff from, and there’s a little fan that goes on automatically when you lean in – it’s a neat way to sample and gives you a good impression of the scents.  I never got to try the original IUNX waters before she closed down the first time, but I still have my original decant of L’Ether, and it is great stuff, probably my favorite from the line.  I put it on while I was writing this to remind myself how much I like it.  It’s stronger than the others (notes are myrrh, benzoin, rosewood, saffron, maplewood, sandalwood), a woody, slightly sweet saffron-incense that feels like a kissing cousin of Passage d’Enfer.   If you’re a fan of her ethereal scents it’s well worth a sniff.  (UPDATE: a commenter below says you can buy the small 10ml bottle of this separately at the store;  I misunderstood that it came with the big bottle.)  Splash Forte is sort of the world’s best cinnamon mouthwash in a scent, but if you’ve got Lutens’ Rousse I’m not sure you need it.  Also, I wish they didn’t sell the IUNXen in those ginormous 200 ml(?) bottles.  Since my nose wasn’t fatigued and the shop is clean and spare and not overwhelmed with other scents, I could appreciate the laundry/steam-iron-esque (sound familiar?) L’Eau Blanche (linen, white iris, teak wood), which I found more appealing than the new Serge Eau, and L´Eau Sento, (“a tree stands near peaceful waters in Japan.  Its moisure-filled blond wood is smooth and warm.  Close your eyes and feel the heat of wood-infused steam…” seriously, that’s all I can find), Denyse described it in an email to me as “green and incense-y, like a luxury spa,” and I think that’s an excellent description.  She said she’d like her apartment to smell like that, and I have to agree.  They also sell the Hotel Costes scents in there, the original and the new Costes 2.  Costes the first is too rose-y for me, lovely though it is (it’s also done by Giacobetti, notes are lavender, bay-tree, coriander, white pepper, rose, incense, woods and light musk.)   Costes 2 is benzoin, Ceylon cinnamon essence, Turkish rose, Tunisian orange blossom and gaiac wood … come on, you know you want it.  Look at those notes. You want it, don’t you?  I waffled for awhile about this one while still in Paris; did I need it?  (Although you can get it here at Lucky.)   It’s another wallpaper scent, a skin scent of the most excellent, whisper-of-spice, breath-of-wood sort that makes all us OG fangirls squee.  But here’s the thing: after the spiciness at the top has settled and we’re well into the drydown, I swear on my skin it smells kind of like Barbara Bui. Which is not a criticism, I mean, I love love love Barbara Bui, but I haven’t decided whether this is sufficiently different.  Possibly.  I think I need a decant for further consideration.

I’ll wrap this up by talking for a minute about the new, much-anticipated L’Artisan Nuit de Tubéreuse done by Bertrand Duchaufour.   Angie, Louise and I were lucky enough to be able to try it in Paris, thanks to Denyse.  It’s in production now, and apparently they were passing around testers at Sniffa in NYC a couple of weeks ago, so I know some of you have already had a chance to try it.   I still have the Paris scent strip (on which I wrote “secret”) sitting here.   Historically, I’ve had more admiration for Duchaufour’s scents than a desire to wear them – I find signature BD compositions like Timbuktu and Eau d’Italie Sienne l’Hiver murky and sour, like old vase water, and (for me) mostly unwearable.  All I can offer on that front is a shoulder shrug – we like what we like, you know?

IMPORTANT UPDATE #2: commenter below says it’s at Barneys NYC, which surprises me, as my Secret Perfume Insider Decoder Ring insists that it’s in production and I should “try again later…” oh, wait, that’s my magic 8-Ball.  I’ll try calling Barneys this morning or wait for Carter to report back! There is A TESTER at Barneys (and other places, for all I know … didn’t you all smell it at Bendel for Sniffa?)  But Barneys will not have the actual BOTTLES in for “several weeks.”  Price will be $95 for a 1.7 and $135 for a 3.4  This info courtesy of Atique (“ahTEEK”)  at Barneys, and wth here’s his direct line since he was nice and helpful: 212-833-2002.

So, that’s all great, March; how is that Nuit de Tubéreuse already?  Well, I can’t add anything to the review Denyse did; what else is there to say?  Except this.  I took a deep whiff of Tubereuse, first on the scent strip and then (after shameless begging) on my skin, and then I said something really elegant and March-esque.  Something along the lines of: damn, they are going to sell the sh!t out of this thing.

Because it’s just that awesome.  It’s commercial in the best possible way — interesting but totally wearable – and if you like tuberose, I can’t imagine your hand wouldn’t drift down to your credit card as if you were in a trance as soon as you sniff it.  It doesn’t go the Fracas route (powdery Sex Bomb) or the chilly intellectual route (Serge TC or my beloved Carnal Flower.)    Cribbing from Denyse again – she uses the words rooty and resinous, and there’s something … there’s something in BD’s tuberose, spicy and wet and green and milky and poisonous all at the same time, that made me feel like I was in the presence of something dangerous, which tuberose is and should be, and that it was so stunningly beautiful and not weird, so it has to sell despite its white-flower handicap.   After all, my understanding is that the white-flower-bomb La Chasse is one of the biggest L’Artisan sellers in the US, if not the biggest, and that thing’s a sillage monster.  If Kim Kardashian can do a big ol’ white flower bouquet as her recent signature, God love her, then maybe white flower sillage monsters are the new pink pepper.  A girl can dream.  Anyway, I’m looking forward to the rollout of this one in the summer, I think.

Notes for Nuit de Tubéreuse, consolidated by me from their website: cardamom, clove absolute, pink pepper, citrus fruits, white flowers (tuberose, orange blossom and ylang-ylang) rose essential oil and absolute, mango, tuberose root, angelica, gorse, sandalwood, palisander, musks, benzoin, styrax.

PS The imaging feature on here continues to be broken, and will likely stay that way until we nag Patty to move us to another host.  In the meantime,  I did finally upload a few pics to FaceBook, for those interested.  Photos of food, of course!  And the passage d’Enfer, and some other things.

  • bellemoon says:

    ::big innocent eyes:: I can has moar tuberose???? 😡

    Hello everyone!! Long time lurker, first time poster…the
    tuberose wrapped it’s tentacles and drug me out of my bolthole.

    Love the blog, and the comments…I have to be careful of drinking while reading lest I spew everywhere..

    • March says:

      Hey, welcome to the blog! Thanks for delurking! (I know it takes courage the first time…) glad we could lure you out with the tuberose and the goofball commentary! :d

  • Flora says:

    Oh jeez, this White Floral Queen is ready for a fix of Nuit de Tubereuse anytime – and it’s got my beloved CARDAMOM and MANGO in it too, may as well just kill me now! I can’t wait to test it! 😡

  • I own a bottle of IUNX Eau Frappee, which must count as the most bizarre impulse purchase of my short time as a fumehead. I had planned to buy SL Un Lys but would have missed the train home by the time I had battled on the Metro back to the store. So now I have a citron presse rose scent crossed with a policeman’s truncheon. : – )

    • March says:

      Okay, this made me laugh so much and I can’t even think of why, except you are right! That is the single weirdest fragrance impulse purchase/explanation I can think of! And I didn’t even mention it in the post because although I know I smelled it that day, I couldn’t remember a thing about it! :”>

  • Francesca says:

    This just in: They have NdT at Aedes. And I have a samp courtesy of The Silver Fox. I like it, but it’s no Carnal Flower. I’m getting something a little plastic-y from it. Green and plastic-y.

    • March says:

      Noooooooo!!!!!!!! (clutches face in horror) not the dreaded plastic!!!

    • Shelley says:

      Be careful, Francesca. The mob will move your way. Do you mean they also have a tester bottle…or are they stocked?

      Just trying to keep your doors from getting knocked off their hinges. :-s 😡

      That fox. Good guy.
      That plastic. What a note. (:|

      • Francesca says:

        I didn’t think to ask him what they had, I was so floored when he dropped off the samp just as I was reading about it here. It’s one of the little samples that they make for you at the store, with a hand-written label.

        • March says:

          The silver fox is a heckuva guy. Pls give him an inappropriately affectionate hug from me. And give yourself one too, if your back is up to it.

  • Tamara says:

    BTW I didn’t mean to look so manic in my lil’ faces but I AM excited.

    Perfumes really get me goin

    ha.

  • Tamara says:

    Musette,
    gaaahhhhh I feel your energy :d/ I like it!
    I know right? I need to get on that as soon as I have more funds and I plan on doing so ,

    I’m just so FN greedy, I want it all:d
    but perhaps I will just give in and start small,
    even though it kills me.

    aha

  • DinaC says:

    I spent a year wearing Fracas back in college when a friend gave me a bottle, so that’s kind of my reference tuberose. Nowadays I can’t wear it anymore. I love it for the first few minutes when it’s all delicate like spun glass and reminds me a bit of LotV, but then it unfolds, sets up house on my skin, and BAM! it socks me in the nose. With that backstory in mind, the L’A NDT doesn’t tempt me a whole lot.

    L’eau Blanche sounds very interesting, though. Like to sniff that. Love wood & iris mixed. 😉

    • March says:

      Yes, I can see Fracas wearing out its welcome. And I love the idea of setting up house on your skin…. L’Eau Blanche does read more as warm air than either wood or iris. /:)

  • Tamara says:

    Good morning Yah Yahs!;;)
    Ahhhhhhh how y’all make me swoon with pleasure at the mere mention of another tuberose. I feel giddy with anticipation.
    Having champagne taste on a beer budget doesn’t help matters much hah but being poor means I can dream and dream ( and plot and scheme and sneak! ) until my little hands get a hold of one.>:d<

    • Musette says:

      Sweetie:

      Allow me to welcome you to:

      The Wonderful World of Decants!

      Samples!

      All that and a bag o’ ~:>

      Srsly. I live on samples and decants and learned, through some bad impulse-buys, to always work my way through a samp, then a decant, before committing to a FB. Better on my meagre fundages.

      You prolly already know this but TPC and LuckyScent are the best! (not affiliated with either).

      xoxo >-)

      • Tamara says:

        Musette?
        Oh sweet Museeeeeeeeetttte?
        I don’t know if you’ll ever read this but today I finally took the deep, dark , plunge into the world of samples and O M G.
        Even though I couldn’t keep going(and believe me I really did) I think I got enough lil’ beauties to make me feel good..I fear I’ve opened a door to a world into which I shall never leave.
        I can’t stop going online and looking at luckyscent today, my girls were rather annoyed at their mama’s new obsession but it was just to make a list of what i want from there next. I didn’t have any more moolah to spend there too aha 🙂
        So here’s to happy sniffing and snarfing my wrists.
        May I make a FB purchase soon to a real lovey( probably if i’m being honest many, many loveys!)
        <3, Tamara

  • violetnoir says:

    Damn, woman, I am there! I feel like ordering a bottle of NdT unsniffed and no questions asked. Would that be foolish?

    I mean, I love Carnal Flower like no other, and Fracas always feels great on Mother’s Day. Love me some Amoureuse, too. But I do not like La Chasse. Never have.

    Oh…I love the PdN! I have worn it several times, and it was perfect for the chilly wet weather we experienced last week.

    Love you!

    • March says:

      Let me know if you need more PdN. I feel guilty, sending you that ugly little package (the March special!) and that was all the bottle I had… hangs head in shame.

      Well. I always worry encouraging an unsniffed purchase. Like I’m going to jinx something. I’ll just stand by my words that I agree with Denyse that BD’s done something completely new and interesting, it doesn’t smell like another tuberose to me. Nowhere near as sweet/girly to me as La Chasse… and I definitely get that odd mango note, but as I said in comments, it goes with the tuberose perfectly. Definitely woods and spices, but not murky. Quite different from either Fracas or CF (although it does NOT replace CF in my heart. CF remains number one.) Don’t know if that helps…

      • violetnoir says:

        That helps a lot, darling!

        Thank you so much. And don’t worry about the package…It was pitch perfect in my eyes!

        Hugs!

  • maggiecat says:

    Reading this is a lovely way to start my day, even if tuberose is decidely Not My Thing. I have now added the trip to Hotel Costes to my bucket list – I love Costes 2 and like the original although it’s a bit…much sometimes. Gotta try that room spray… Thanks for the lovely post.

    • March says:

      Yes, I need to try that room spray too! I’m pretty sure Costes original is based on that room spray…. but the room spray sounds more wearable. 🙂 And as I wear room spray all the time that doesn’t frighten me. Visiting that shop is a treat.

  • mals86 says:

    Oh, good, more confirmation that the Tilda is Just Not For Me. More confirmation that I MUST sample Tube Night. This is all good.

  • Ann N. says:

    Good morning! Thanks for the great post, March! You nearly had me spewing my Tea Forte Orchid Vanilla tea with the “then I said something really elegant and March-esque …” comment. Girl, you are too funny! Ever thought about giving stand-up comedy a try? Can’t wait to try the L’Ether, and also the new L’Artisan, although I’m not really a tubereuse fan, but sometimes I can rock some T. Criminelle if I’m feeling bold. But I do love that Costes 2, all warm and cozy with the benzoin, gaiac and company. I’ve noticed that it’s a kissing cousin to Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Pour le Soir, though, perhaps a bit sweeter and a tiny bit more pleasing to my nose than the MFK. Have a great day!

    • March says:

      Oh, really? Pour le Soir? I’ll have to dig my sample up…. it is all warm and cozy, and perfect for a cool, rainy day like today. And I’m glad I made you laugh.

      PS if you like the Costes 2 that much, you should def. try L’Ether if you get a chance … I hoarded my small decant forever, since I thought there’d never be any more. 🙁

  • Shelley says:

    How do you say “IUNX” again? “Yunks”? Sounds like a New York accent to me.

    Any hoo how, I’m thinking I’m [-( about listening to what’s today’s most wonderful something, because some yorkel double dog dared me to reign in my impulse spending. [-x So, I’m all one with the world over my ~o), and just watching the crowd burst into Filene’s, I mean, chase down the Tuberose.

    What’s that…oh, erm… ;)) …why yes, I did just ask for seconds on a split of vintage No. 19. That’s not impulse. That’s reupping the vows on a pre-existing marriage. Right? :^o

    • March says:

      YOONKS. I know. One of those words that looks cool and sounds a little silly, at least to my ears.

      I know, I know! I almost blogged on a lipgloss yesterday, since I fell Off The Wagon, but I’ve righted myself and thus it will have to wait….

      A split of vintage No. 19? That’s a necessity. 🙂

      • Gretchen says:

        Who’s splitting it? May I join this dance?

        • Shelley says:

          Sorry, Gretchen…it’s already claimed. 🙁 Are you a fan of No.19? C’mon over for some ~o) !

          (Hey, March, where’s the cocktail icon?)

          ((As long as I’m nagging… Hey, Patty, when’re you going to switch hosts?? I miss photos! ))
          [-o<

      • Musette says:

        I KNOW on the 19!!! I’m desperately trying to wriggle my large >-) behind into that split.

        Wait.

        That sounded just…..gross.

        Okay. I’m trying to get some vintage 19. That’s better, yes?

        xo >-)

  • Silviafunkly says:

    Tilda the perfume seems as intriguing as Tilda the person, I’ll look out for it.
    Hotel Costes will be for the next trip, but that damned NdT has hammered a big WANT nail into my brain. Quite relieved to read not everybody loves it, otherwise I’d have suspected it to be the product of some sorcery. But there again, it probably is !>:)

    • March says:

      Well, I’m looking forward to feedback when it comes out. Perhaps some other folks will have issues with the mango (which can be kind of pissy on the skin) and/or too sweet.

  • Musette says:

    SWINTON !! ^:)^

    Tilda Like This :-< You are giving me hope with the L'A - I love the graciousness of L'Artisan (although I suspect it has as much to do with my elegant gals at their former salon in Chicago - Lydia oh, Lydia is now @ Barneys, bless their hearts) = anyhoodle 8-|....Havana Vanille nearly brought up my lunch and Al Oudh is...well, it's okay, I guess. Didn't thrill me like Passage d'Enfer (first sniffed on a rather self-aware young man who made me glad to be old enough to be his mother) Wait. Did I ever actually get to the point with this comment? Here it is: am anxious to try the new NdT. Will yank Bradley's chain this very afternoon, see if it's in Chicago. And I'll wear Passage today, in honor of you reminding me about it! xoxo >-)

    • March says:

      Swinton’s so awesome. Even when her clothes are completely bizarre and ugly,she’s still fabulous. And false-ish alarm on the Tubereuse — they have the tester at Barneys but aren’t expecting the sales bottles for several weeks.

      And today’s a perfect day here for passage, which doesn’t get worn enough here either…

      • Musette says:

        March:

        It’s not Swinton.

        It’s…..

        SWINTON.

        just sayin’

        (anybody who has her own GFY bracket is ALL CAPS, baby. ALL CAPS!)

        XOXOXO >-)

        • March says:

          SWINTON should be a verb?

          Like, I went to the mall yesterday and people stared at me as I SWINTONed through…

          • Musette says:

            SWINTON should be (and probably is) its own Universe.

            I mean, c’mon. She’s just soo……All That.

            (btw – have you ever wondered what a child by David Bowie out of Tilda Swinton would look like?)

            xoxo Enquiring >-) Minds Wanna Know

          • Melissa says:

            I can’t get the SWINTON-Bowie lovechild pretend-image out of my mind. I hadn’t wondered before. But now….

            Intense curiosity.
            :(|)

          • Ari says:

            Noooo! David Bowie and Iman are already so fabulous together! My love for Iman (which is mostly based on the fact that she was in Star Trek VI) knows no bounds.

          • Musette says:

            Oh, that’s okay. I think Iman is so fabulous that she can take SWINTON on, too……

            Iman is yet another goddess. If I could just lay off the Mallomars I could look just like her!

            =))

            xoxo >-)

      • Ari says:

        I think her hideous clothing are precisely WHY she’s so fabulous! She couldn’t be farther from a conventional beauty, but clearly she’s doing something right- she’s got a husband AND a live-in lover! Go ‘head, SWINTON! 😡

        • Musette says:

          AND she has somebody to clean her house and do her laundry! And I’ll betcha she never has to schlep her own luggage. She is My Queen! And (AND!) I’ll betcha she can eat a dozen chocolate sables (or a dozen Mallomars) and not gain an ounce nor :-& her guts out!

          SWINTON is incredible! I adore her.

          xo >-)

  • Christina H. says:

    “then I said something really elegant and March-esque. Something along the lines of: damn, they are going to sell the sh!t out of this thing.” This is a prime example of why I love reading your posts. You manage to get me to laugh while I’m still trying to wake up! I can’t wait for the L’Artisan to come out. Sounds wonderful!

  • donanicola says:

    The day a bottle of Nuit de Tubereuese comes into my possesion cannot come soon enough. OK that was a tad dramatic since I’m enjoying the anticipation as well (just don’t make me wait too long, eh, Messrs L’AP). The fizzy opening before the tuberose enters and then the swoony resinous drydown. Happy Sigh.

    • March says:

      Hey, that’s a perfect description! They should use that on their website…. I hope that day is sooner than we thought, based on early reports.

  • Louise says:

    Oh, how I love my IUNX L’Ether-I got the big vat of it around xmas, courtesy of a kind traveling perfumista. I’m surprised you don’t mention the rose, much as you like it 8-| On me, it’s really “there”, much more so than the Costes.

    I loved the NdT right off. I believe I got an even smaller squidge than you, and was uncertain at first…but it developed beautifully, with great sillage and longevity. It will be mine :)>-

    I didn’t try Tilda, but it was indeed lovely on Angie-I’m afraid, though, that my skin would have it bitten off, chewed whole, and digested in 2 minutes flat. I think I’ll keep Tilda as a mental souvenir of Paris, with Angie as the model 😡

    • Melissa says:

      I can’t remember which of the IUNX scents I tried before L’Ether. It was beautiful and unfortunately fleeting. But that decant of L’Ether that fell into my hands last weekend 8-|, is beautiful and long-lasting. And yes, I’m surprised that March hasn’t commented on the rose that wafts up out of all of that soft wood and incense.

      @};-

      • March says:

        giggling — nope, no rose in there! no no no no no where’s my goofy emoticon :-$ [-x I’m a rose deny-er.

      • Shelley says:

        Hey! You two! Cut that out. My nostrils are starting to quiver like a bunny picking up something in the breeze…”woody rose waft incense”…

        The smell of something gorgeous on a friend is a great memory. I like those. 😡

    • March says:

      A vat o’ L’Ether is a pretty great gift! And I CAN’T HEAR YOU ON THE ROSE LALALALA. No rose in there. RoseWOOD but no rose. [-(

      😉

      Srsly y’all stop mentioning the r-word. It ruined Safran Troublant for me.

      Wasn’t the lasting power of Nuit amazing? Btw they have a tester at Barneys but don’t have it in. False alarm.

    • Angela says:

      You’re so nice! And I’ll never forget your gorgeous legs trotting around the apartment…

  • Millicent says:

    I was lucky enough to be following in your Paris footsteps last week and really LOVED that L’Ether. So much so that the guy in there, the big Irish guy, was stunned when I said I wasn’t buying a full bottle because 150ml was too much. I politely explained that I have *so much* perfume that I just can’t rationalize such a big bottle. He actually got a little huffy and even tested me a little: “What’s your favorite perfume?” “And what’s the perfume that Olivia Giacobetti did for Frederic Malle?” It was pretty annoying, but I did still buy the 10ml travel size despite him.

    • Musette says:

      And he’s still standing? Not limping around, clutching his (possibly metaphorical) guts, lest they fall out all over the floor?

      Honey….come sit by me. 8-x

      xo >-)

    • March says:

      Heh heh! GOOD WORK THERE, thanks for representing! We had, IIRC, a nice lady who was very helpful. And thanks for the L’Ether note, I had misunderstood while there that it came (in a set) with the ginormous bottle as a travel spray, so I’ve updated the post above.

      L’Ether’s one of the scents I turn to on days when nothing seems right.

    • Ari says:

      I tend to play dumb to avoid the rude/obnoxious SAs. “What is this ‘drydown’ of which you speak?” type of thing 😉 Perfume knowledge is not particularly appreciated, it seems, especially when the SAs are not very knowledgeable themselves…

      • March says:

        I love a knowledgeable SA. Otherwise I’d prefer to be left to my own devices, thanks! 😉 And on my list of SA sins, the most annoying (to me) is Fragrance X doesn’t exist and/or it’s been discontinued, when I know that isn’t the case. They often say that when their particular store no longer stocks it.

        • Ari says:

          March, oooh, I hate that! I have had SAs at Sephora tell me that Guerlain doesn’t make any other perfumes besides Insolence and Shalimar! Hell, I’ve overheard an SA at Sephora (warning: this is about to get rant-y) tell a woman that Lip Venom is a FRIGGIN CHEEK STAIN. Did nobody tell this shmuck that lip plumpers work by IRRITATING the skin??? That’s just straight up irresponsible! >:p
          On a related note, I am currently waiting to hear back after an interview at Sephora. I don’t think I’m getting the job, though… they told me my knowledge was impressive, but not necessary, since they train all their employees. Umm, whatever you say.

          • March says:

            The SAs at Sephora vary hugely in their talents and abilities, at least locally, although I guess I could say that about SAs in general. And the lip-plumper thing makes me giggle only because my guess is the average customer doesn’t even think about the fact that those products work via irritation … I mean, do they think it’s magic? Osmosis? Something absorbed through the air? 😕 Oddly, I think LipFusion represents that it’s some other process (micro-collagen?) they’re using, although it feels pretty tingly to me… I do like LipFusion, though. I love and wear Sexy, a great sheer red. Good luck on the job interview!

            Wait … Guerlain makes something else? 8-|

          • Francesca says:

            oooh, I love the tongue-sticking-out emoticon!
            Good luck with the job.
            I’ve been lucky with SAs at Sephora. Had one woman patiently show me about 28 lipsticks til I could find one that would go with my antique coral necklaces and not be too bright or orange. (Lancome Cherrywood Luxe, if anyone’s interested.)

          • Shelley says:

            I am. In your antique coral necklaces. :p

    • Oh, leaping to the defense of the Irish guy at IUNX! I love his quirkiness, huffiness and general un-commercialism at times — he can be a real pussycat too… Just don’t ever, EVER try to manipulate the tester bottles yourselves.

  • Cmpoka says:

    I was wondering if you don’t mind you reviews being translated into Russian?

  • Zazie says:

    Like Orange star, I anticipated Nuit de tubereuse very much.
    Both fragrances were a big NO. :((
    Nuit de Tubereuse was the worst: I am a Tuberose fan but there’s no way I’ll carry around a green mango in the opening and a dollop of syrupy swetness in the drydown. [-(
    Instead of drawing sad comparisons with carnal Flower, Fracas and beyond love (because, they are just in a different league, and with a different purpose), I found NDT very similar in feel with le parfum de terese. What lPDT did to jgreen asmine, by pairing it with melon, NDT did to the tubey, axphisiating it with green mango. But at least LPDT has a leathery, strict base to balance a bit things out… not sugar! Anyway. Fruity floral from BD, who would have thought…:((

    • March says:

      Isn’t it funny how differently fragrances can register to people and on the skin? I get that mango thing but to me it was the perfect complement (I think Denyse pointed it out as a deconstruction) – it kept Nuit from going too sweet — it’s like it dispersed the molecules and set them free to get some breathing room in there … Beyond Love smells like tuberose crossed with circus peanut candies to me, waaaay too sweet and chewy…. but it sounds like the Nuit was waaaay too sweet for you. 🙁

    • Ari says:

      I’m so sad to hear about Orange Star! It’s getting no love at all on NST! Well, everything else Andy does is so beloved, I guess there’s a first time for everything… your experience with Nuit sounds like my experience with the new Prada Tuberose (the sweetness, not the mango!)

      • March says:

        Did she review it? I can’t find it … or just people chatting? I was supposed to get a sample with the giveaway, but mine never showed up (likely confiscated by the USPS) and I haven’t tried it yet.

      • Zazie says:

        Hi Ari, I am one of those commenting on Orange star…in a negative way. o:-)

        You know, when AT initially thought of calling the juice Mandarines ambrées? It was spot on: it smells a lot like orange-clementines in a very bright and nice opening, but then all the joy recedes with a watered-down tauerade, with a prominent salty amber. It was not hideous, but I won’t give it my skin space again.

        Still, I think it might appeal lots of people, and other commenters had a totally different perception, not getting the orange note, which to me was very present and juicy (the best part of the ride: I like oranges). So, à chacun…. 😉

  • Joe says:

    Wait. Is La Chasse really a big white flower bomb? Did someone mis-label the swap sample I got, or do I just have no memory? The latter is likely.

    You know what’s weird? I kind of have this thing for tuberose — and I would probably want to have ten thousand of Bertrand’s babies any day — but I for some reason just can’t muster up any enthusiasm for this Nuit thing. Why? Why? I’m like Peggy Lee singing “Is that all there is to a hotly anticipated L’Artisan launch…?” Let’s break out the booze, baby. 😮 Maybe it’s because I was kind of let down by Al-Oudh and Havana Vanille? That must be it, because I’m an official L’Artisan fanboy.

    But maybe I’ll love it. And if I don’t… that’s okay, because… really… there are only so many tuberose fragrances a guy needs to have, right? And I rocked the hell out of Criminelle when I wore it out to dinner last night, so if Nighty-Nite disappoints, I’m still set.

    Oh, and SWINTON: I can’t wait, and “slightly wafty skin scent” can totally work for me, although Eau des Merveilles is a helluva lot cheaper than $1.90 per mL. I’m about to host a crazy multibottle split, so I’ll know soon enough.

    • carter says:

      I know that everyone loves Carnal Flower the most, and it’s definitely #2 on my list, but Criminelle is the bomb, ain’t it?

      • Shelley says:

        That opening is a bomb, alright. (:|

        >:d< to you, though. 🙂

      • Francesca says:

        What about the Kilian Tuberose? Beyond Love or whatever the heck it’s called? I love that one, too.

      • Zazie says:

        The tuberose addict here has never tried TC!

        and I will have to wait if and when I go to Paris :-w

        So, is it really more wondrous than Carnal Flower? More simply beautiful than Beyond love? More polished than Fracas?
        Oh, my. Want! :((

        • March says:

          Well … er … if you backed me into a corner and only let me have ONE, it would be Carnal Flower. (But please don’t make me choose!) But. To the extent that each scent you named addresses tuberose in a different fashion, Nuit belongs on the Try List.

          And speaking of try list, at some point pls try TC. I can’t abide it, it’s all mothball on me, but it’s a fascinating scent, and obviously I’m in a small minority on that one.

          • Zazie says:

            Oh, I was talking all the way long of TC. NDT I tried and totally disliked it 🙁

            My favorites tubeys at the moment are Carnal Flower and what you call “Tuberose crossed with circus peanut candies” ;)!

            It is always funny to see how perceptions differ, from skin to skin! o me BL is a green, light and citrusy Tuberose with a “warm skin” accord in the background. Not one empty calory!

          • March says:

            Gotcha, I understand. :)>- Well, TC isn’t my cup of tea at all, as I said. But many people love it, and given our respective tuberose preferences so far, it would likely be a huge success on you! <:-p

        • Joe says:

          Zazie: I think Carnal Flower is my favorite; I love to smell it. TC is just funky-weird camphor/sharp in the opening, and that scores a lot of points with me. I only have a sample of BL and that’s really nice too. Fracas seemed very not-my-thing for some reason. There sure are a lot of tuberoses out there. I liked Histoires #3 this winter and I’d wear the yummy irisy-leathery #1 if a bottle dropped from heaven. And of course, there’s Cèdre.

    • Musette says:

      Joejoejoejoe, my darlingest of Joes,

      You will NEVER get to Tokyo if you continue along these lines….=))

      I tried so hard to love Elixir – but that chocolate (?) drydown just ooked it out for the ol’ >-)

      xoxo

      ps. something coming your way, ma petite.

    • March says:

      Notes for La Chasse via lucky:

      Linden blossom, lemon tree blossom, orange blossom, jasmine, tuberose.

      I get not (funky) linden, mostly SWEET and BIG. Doesn’t last forever, though, not like Fracas. Big up front. Nice rack. 😉

      HV I really came to loathe, and Al Oudh I thought was just okay but (to be fair) haven’t played with enough to make up my mind. Nuit leaves a definite impression. Really, though, as you say, if you can work TC, you’re covered. Although (have I said this before!) white flower frags on men make me weak in the knees.

      • Lee says:

        Posse withdrawal wins out over elbow sharps. D9idn’t like HV – bleurgh. Disappointed by ‘You can call me Al’ Oudh. Thin to me. Hoping that a hunk of man wonder like my good self’ll love the Nuit and I’ll be back playing footsie with Duchy.

        • March says:

          You made me laugh with Call Me Al. I liked it, but you’re right — if there was some new idea there, I missed it. And smiling at you and BD playing footsie.

    • Cheryl says:

      Peggy Lee….Is that all there is….such a great song. I wonder what her perfume was in that era.

  • carter says:

    Also, March, have you ever tried the Costes room spray on your skin? Costes edt is too much…something…for me, but the room spray is drier, cleaner and fab on skin.

    • March says:

      They didn’t have the dang room spray! Dang them. :-w I like Costes for about five minutes and then it’s all rose on me. I bet I’d like the room spray.

  • carter says:

    Nuit de Tubereuse: panting, salivating, losing sleep=p~ Tubereuse slays me. SLAYS me. I am helpless in its grip.

    Are you kidding me Natalie, it’s at Barneys? Like, right this second????@-)

    • Joe says:

      Only like what… ten hours until they open their doors Monday morning? Have strength! :d

    • Winifreida says:

      Carter get a grip – well you know tuberose is only the beginning middle and end of everything that ‘perfume’ claims as its territory in the universe, go and put on a bit of patchouli or something, spare a thought for those of us at the end of civiliation…sometimes I think I’d be a lot happier without the internet…:x

    • March says:

      Carter — do me a favor, hon, and report back? I’ll try to call. I am very surprised, was under the impression it wouldn’t be available here for a couple months.

      Fingers crossed!

    • March says:

      Carter, they have a tester but aren’t expecting the bottles for several weeks.

  • Natalie says:

    For anyone already salivating over Nuit de Tubereuse, Barneys in NYC had it for sale two weeks ago. It’s seriously lovely, and I don’t even LIKE tuberose scents.

    • March says:

      Okay, this surprises and thrills me, as I was given to understand we had quite some time to go… I’ve put an update in the post above, thanks very much. I’ll try calling to confirm this morning, and ask Carter to report back!

    • Melissa says:

      Are you kidding??? And I pre-ordered a bottle from Bendel the second I put nose to wrist. Why don’t they have it? :-w

      • March says:

        M, I’m really, really surprised, did not think it would be here this quickly, I thought those tester bottles came out considerably before the final product … well, here’s hoping!

    • March says:

      UPDATED ABOVE — Barneys has THE TESTER but likely won’t get it in any earlier than Bendel — they are expecting it in “several weeks.”

      • Silviafunkly says:

        Oooops, I had already unleashed a willing “mule” on the case…

      • Natalie says:

        Oh, sorry! They definitely had more than 1 bottle on the shelf, and I swear the SA said they already had it in stock for purchase. Apologies for getting anyone’s hopes up!

        • March says:

          Hey, no worries. This way people can go smell it, and I’m sure they DID tell you that! I was surprised only because I’d been told unequivocally that it wasn’t available yet.

      • Louise says:

        I of course called Barneys-and was told I’d have to wait til June-also that the small bottle was $135, the large $155. Patience required here.:-w