Histoires de Parfums - Three Reviews

This weekend, I've had the pleasure of wearing three fragrances by the wonderful house of Histoires de Parfums, two of which are exquisite interpretations of tuberose, and one that is something completely different. It's been such a pleasure for me to test these beautiful scents, which are available through the company's website, Histoires de Parfums, and at select retail locations worldwide. I can't wait to wear more creations from this superb line.

Tuberose 3 - Animale

Despite it's well-known association with lovely Hawaiian wedding leis, for me, the scent of tuberose evokes India, where it is called rat ki rani, The Mistress of the Night. Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine believe that tuberose improves ones capacity for emotional depth, opens the crown chakra to improve psychic powers, and amplifies artistic inspiration.

Tuberose - Animale explores the sensual, grounded aspect of the flower. The fragrance opens with a fresh zing of kumquat and neroli - like the last, cool slivers of dawn before the sun begins to rise. As the scent dries, it amps up into candied plum and warm, herbaceous hay that is just this side of weedy, underpinned by the sensuous headiness of the tuberose. I love the heart of this perfume! It's very grounded, earthy and 'real'. The base of the blend centers on the full realization of the tuberose interjected by a hint of fresh tobacco and a warm, woody note of immortelle.

While wearing Tuberose - Animale, I was constantly reminded of the beautiful, sensuously erotic sandstone sculptures of 12th century temples in India, in which the perfection of the human form was so joyously celebrated.

Dancing Devata (c. 12th C), Uttar Pradesh, India

Tuberose 2 - Virginale

While Animale's translation of tuberose is tactile, Virginale for me is more like a dream - a more ethereal but no less captivating tuberose. The topnotes of mandarin and cherry begin the fragrance with a sense of sparkle and exuberance. While the orange dissipates fairly quickly, the cherry lingers into the middle notes, wrapping itself playfully around the tuberose, frangipani, tiare and jasmine. These white florals in the heart are quite tenacious, lasting for several hours on my skin, with the tuberose rising above the other notes like a beautiful white balloon. Virginale's drydown is vanilla and wood, spiked with a breath of patchouli.

Tuberose - Virginale reminded me of this striking image by the great American photographer, Imogen Cunningham who so effectively captured the crisp purity of the tuberose blossom.

Tuberose, (c. 1920), Gelatin silver print, Imogen Cunningham

I believe that mid-summer is the perfect time to wear tuberose perfumes, when the full richness of this floral can be most fully appreciated.

Moulin Rouge

A complete change of pace was Moulin Rouge, a scent which had my nose implanted in the crook of my arm fairly obsessively for a good 30 minutes before I finally forced myself to get on with life. I smell lipstick and face powder, and a glass of absinthe in the hand of a gentleman meeting his mistress, who is wearing a fringed shawl infused with patchouli. I smell the scent of full-blown roses, just at the stage of wilting, and the spiky aura of iris as a woman with a loud laugh walks past. The bartender leans forward and I catch the essence of fern in his cologne.

Moulin Rouge perfectly encapsulates the vision of Gerald Ghislain - a night in Montmartre at the Moulin Rouge. This fragrance smells like somewhere I've never been, but somehow I have.

Jardin De Paris - Design for a Poster (1901), Pablo Picasso