Champs Lunaires (2018)
by Rogue Perfumery

For me the opening is strongly jasmine, not tuberose, accompanied for the first few minutes by a citrus note, & a greenish gardenia. Sniffed up close, there's a strangely sour, musty aspect to this which I find rather off-putting. The projection is powerful for the first ninety minutes, & then the mustiness finally fades leaving a creamy gardenia. From here the whole thing slowly softens, still drying down after ten hours. The sandalwood base is very faint, & there's a trace of coconut, although I don't find this to be a beachy fragrance.
Others have compared this to Fracas, but to my nose Fracas is much more buttery, & dominated by tuberose & orange blossom. The heart phase of this one does remind me of Estee Lauder's Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, dominated as it is by a very similar gardenia note. In fact, Champs Lunaires smells how PCTG would if it had been left out in bright sunlight for a few weeks. PCTG is rounder, smoother, more modern somehow, whereas CL has this musty, "turned" aspect that gives it more of a vintage feel. It's a rather serious fragrance, & although I enjoyed the gardenia once the mustiness faded away, that "turned" aspect is a deal breaker for me.

I can appreciate the quality ingredients used here. The strength and staying power is top notch. However, I find this one too feminine. Probably great on a woman but don't really see this one on a Man. Not for me!

Champs Lunaires (2018)

Tuberose dead center. All else falls by the wayside. This to my nose begins as a tuberose sole flore, but soon other notes come to surround it. I detect the coconut, which gives it a nuttiness. This is an interesting substitute for the peach found in Fracas, the classic all-time best tuberose creation.

As the dry down continues the rubbery green molecules in the tuberose essential oil take over and the sandalwood/musk combo gives this some needed support. Excellent projection and longetivity, which is to be expected from this powerful floral.

Similar tuberose scents to Champs include Carolina Herrera, Cacharel’s Lou Lou, and Lutens’ Tubereuse Criminelle. Very feminine and aimed at big personalities.

A very decent tuberose, although I wonder why attempt something like this that is so prevalent in the perfume world, without saying something truly new.

Champs Lunaires

Killer tuberose— if you love big, opaque tuberose fragrances that have persistent sillage and imbibe the linens within a few yards of you with the rich scent, then this is for you. There is a studied balance between the umami aspect and the soaring high-pitch aspect of the tuberose. Smelling this makes me suddenly realize that Fracas must have been reformulated (IFRA?) in recent years, because the tuberose here is closer to my memory of Fracas than the current Fracas I tried last year. I say that because both this and earlier versions of Fracas gave me the same screeching headache on contact. I unfortunately shouldn’t have put this on; I couldn’t get it off. I will say that if this kind of white floral is your cuppa, you will love this, but please go easy on the application.

The opening is beach and white florals, specifically the jasmine. This leans very feminine to me. The drydown goes more floral, smells mature.

Projection is solid as I have no problem smelling this, really jumps off my skin.