Carnal Flower by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, 2005

Stunning. 10/10. Masterpiece. I've always loved tuberose. As a man (and acknowledging that fragrance molecules don't have a gender) I didn't think I could ever pull off wearing a tuberose-centric scent because they were always too sweet and/or screamed blinding white floral (hello Fracas!). With its bergamot and green-tinged edge (me thinks it's the eucalyptus) to keep the florals in check, a smidgen of coconut to soften and round things out (no worries, you won't smell like a tropical drink), melon and musk, it is perfection, bottled. Dead sexy perfection. Men, if you're wondering if you can pull this off, the answer is "Yes. Absolutely." The cost is a little high but in my opinion, it's worth every penny. And you certainly won't smell like 10 other men you run into on your way to work. Get yourself a sample. You will not be disappointed. Update: 19 November, 2012: It's official. I'm an addict. A Carnal Flower addict. I've been wearing it nonstop for a month now, neglecting every other bottle of fragrance in my relatively extensive (50+ bottles) collection. While I wear it for myself, receiving compliments (and inquires) from strangers every day is a nice bonus. I rarely tell people what it is because I want to keep it all to myself. Must. Acquire. Back up. Bottle. And a jar of the 'beurre exquise'. Absolutely lovely.

Carnal Flower opens with a beautiful, almost Eau de cologne-like opening blast of natural bergamot and mild citrus that is all too brief. At that point the real floral assault begins with tuberose playing the starring role. When I say assault I do not mean this in a bad way, but it is potent to be sure. The base is a nice clean light musk that does not call attention to itself, mixing with the tuberose as it eventually recedes. Projection is average to above average, but longevity is below average on my skin. At first, the scent smelled very familiar to me but it took me a few hours into wearing it before I realized where I have either smelled it, or something similar to it before... It was at one of the high end hotels in Las Vegas, where the scent of the casinos and guest rooms smelled of Carnal Flower. Please do not take this as a slight to the scent, as it actually is a compliment... That resort pumps scents like that into its money making areas for a reason... It smells high class and incredible! If you feel comfortable wearing non-rose florals, then this should definitely be on your buy list, IMO, as Ropion has another winner here. On a lady in particular, I absolutely think this shines. As for myself, I'll certainly purchase a bottle as the scent is definitely collection-worthy, but I generally would rather smell this on a lady than wear it myself. I'll stick to rose scents for my own florals like Ropion's Portrait of a Lady. Both scents are winners, however and this one earns 4 stars out of 5.