My Favorite Tuberose Perfumes

I've been testing a wonderful new tuberose fragrance, Loretta, from Andy Tauer's Tableau de Parfums series. I'll review it next week, but in the meantime here's a list of my favorite tuberose perfumes. Note that this is my very personal preferences-- some white floral fragrances don't work for me as well as I'd like, so they're missing from this post. These are the ones that make me happy to have a nose. In no particular order:

Robert Piguet- Fracas. Let's get this one out of the way. She is the queen, the diva, ruler of the universe. I can only wear her in parfum concentrartion and have only learned to really worship her since I found some vintage, but there's nothing like Fracas. Nothing.

Serge Lutens- Tubereuse Criminelle and Cedre. The first one is a modern classic, a freaky camphor and gasoline tuberose.The latter is a wonderful surprise. Despite the name, Cedre is a wood and tuberose fragrance, sweet and heady. Might cause addiction.

Ayala Moriel- Treazon. A new love. I can't wait till the official launch in December when I can get a bottle of this rich and sumptuous tuberose-vanilla nectar. Treazon is definitely one of my favorite perfumes of the year.

Arquiste- Flor y Canto. Sensual and just a little weird. Tuberose juxtaposed with marigold. A very modern take on this classic subject.

Providence Perfume Company- Cocoa Tuberose. Edible and exquisite. As sexy as they come.

Parfumerie Generale- Tubereuse Couture. A greener cousin of Tubereuse Criminelle.

Mona di Orio- Les Nombres d'Or Tubereuse. Oh, Mona! Skin and milk, musk and coconut. Supremely elegant.

Givenchy- Amarige. 1) Go find a vintage bottle of the parfum. 2) Dab carefully. 3) make Luca Turin smell you until he begs for mercy.  Honestly, not as trashy as you remember.

Michale Kors- Michael. Has a bad reputation, but if you can find an older bottle of the extrait de parfum you'll smell a much more elegant blend of flowers and incense.

 Histoires de Parfums- Tubereuse 3 Animale. Roar. Not for the faint of heart (that's what Tubereuse 1 and 2 are for).

Vero Profumo- Rubj. A golden blend of white flowers and love.

JAR- Ferme tes Yeux. I can't officially confirm there's tuberose there, but that's what my nose is telling me. Dirty, animalic, insane. Probably my favorite.


Honorable Mentions: Ramon Monegal- Kiss My Name (I've just begun testing it, but so far I'm in love);  Shalini (Maurice Roucel does tuberose. Heaven until you see the price tag); Nasomatto Narcotic Venus (the name says it all); Fragile by Jean Paul Gaultier (another one for the trashy side, but how fabulous! Not to mention the bottle). Strange Invisible Perfumes- Narcotic (Fracas raised by wolves).

Image: Tuberose (Pollanthes tuberosa), from the Flowers series for Old Judge Cigarettes Issued by Goodwin & Company via The Metropolitan Museum of Art.