A guy diving into tuberose: Criminelle or Carnal?

Until recently, I thought I hated white florals. Tuberose reminded me of, well, my mom. She used to wear Poison. A lot.

Then, about a month ago, I felt a weird craving to smell the note again. Or rather, a fascination or an impulse. Wasn't sure at all that I liked it. Just that I wanted to wrap my mind around it. (This sort of fascination mixed with trepidation usually signals I'm about to fall for something.) So I went out and got one of the inexpensive travel bottles of Histoires de Parfums Tubereuse 3 Animale. Not bad.

I read a bunch about Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle. I sprayed some on at Barney's to get the experience for myself. I actually LIKE the menthol opening, and, yes indeed, its transformation into a beautiful realistic flower is remarkable. But that floral it turns into... well... on its own, is it so exciting, I wondered? It seemed a bit quiet. A bit ... untroubled. Kind of ho-hum after the opening.

Last night I spritzed (a small spritz) of Malle's Carnal Flower on my arm. Which then exploded into the rest of my evening. But I wasn't repulsed. I mean, sure, it was a big white flower, but it also felt fresh, sharp, and a little green. Not like grandma's suffocating perfume, certainly. I could almost see rocking this. The only letdown was the far dry-down (which I sniffed the next morning!), which was a wan little thing -- pale and feminine in a rather generic sense, to me.

Anyway, guys, what think you: I'm tempted to invest in the Serge based on its reputation and because I appreciate that opening, but what's your experience? Is most of the life of TC just that quieter flower, pretty and untroubled? Is the opening drama the real reason this frag gets so much attention? Seems like a neat trick once or twice, but then, I have to have the stuff on the rest of the day. (Still, if some of that menthol hung around, maybe if I sprayed under my shirt, well, that could work.)

And as far as Carnal Flower -- damn, I can't deny that stuff smelled good. Any experience on how this comes off on a guy? Sort of a crisp, fresh, elegant effect?

I sort of wish the opening of Tubereuse Criminelle led to the tuberose of Carnal Flower. But then, we can't have it all.

And wait a minute -- did I just write a whole post going on about buying a tuberose fragrance? That's ... not me at all ... or ... damn ... I don't know who I am anymore!

Yep! As noted above, I grabbed a travel bottle of this as a first tender, fearful toe into the tuberose tub. Haven't worn it for a full day yet, but test sprays on my arm have been good so far. I wish it didn't have whatever kind of white musk it uses, though. I'm super sensitive to one or two white musks -- they come across as screechy and overpowering to me. :-(


This is exactly my hesitation with Tuberose Criminelle. Unless that complicating menthol lasts throughout the scent in a meaningful way (it didn't when sprayed on my arm, but maybe it would if it were under my shirt -- I notice my shirt tends to hold top notes a bit), it may not have enough depth to "go the distance" as a regular full-day wear. I'd love to hear more folks experience with it in this regard, but I really appreciate the comments so far.

Ah, good suggestion. I tend to like iris (thanks to my long love affair with Dior Homme), so I'll have to give HdP's Tubereuse 1 a try. I do like the idea of tuberose as one element of a more complex composition, though the sheer beauty of Carnal Flower is captivating.

I'm still surprised I'm coming around to this note. Now it seems anything is possible.

I'd love to check out XPEC Original -- sounds promising -- but it doesn't seem to be available in the U.S. MonkeyBars, where did you manage to find it?

Thanks again for all the helpful information. Given the notion that Carnal Flower isn't an easy wear, can anyone comment on the day-to-day experience of wearing Tubereuse Criminelle? What's the effect, feel, and experience, especially beyond the top notes?