StellaDiverF
Very helpful Review
3
Ruining A Delicious Mont-Blanc Dessert with A Load of Cream...
I was not impressed by how Tubéreuses Castane smells on the paper: a cloying, excessively creamy vanilla-tonka bean-tuberose trio, unabashedly gourmand and one-dimensional. However, the opening on my skin features a surprisingly vivid roasted chestnut accord.
During the first half hour, I can smell a warm, smoky woodiness, recalling the shell of roasted chestnut without sounding the alarm of acrid woody amber aromachemicals, and an untuous nuttiness evoking the chestnut cream on a Mont Blanc dessert. Moreover, the green camphor of tuberose creeps silently around the edge like poisonous ivy. Combined with the nuttiness, it sometimes even veers towards bitter almond/cyanide, hinting at a potential danger beneath this alluring delicacy.
Sadly, what I smell on as the fragrance dries down about 1 hour later, is the true face of Tubéreuses Castane on my skin. As the fragrance dries down, the nutty and woody smoky aspects disappear, and the greasy vanilla-tonka-tuberose trio takes over. There's no indole, nor green earthiness of tuberose to keep a natural sensation. Instead, the tuberose is more like a buttery, vague floral facet to complement the thick, creamy sweet vanilla. Tubéreuses Castane remains as such from then on, and it's not dissimilar to other gourmand tuberose such as Isabey Lys Noir and Tom Ford Orchid Soleil.
The sillage is heavy to moderate during 3 hours, it then stays closer to skin. I got an 8-hour longevity.
Iinteresting and evocative as its roasted chestnut accord in the opening may be, the generic dry down of Tubéreuses Castane is a let down for me. The lack of nuance and the heavy, sweet creaminess make it feel like a tedious drag on my skin. Nevertheless, Having said that, I think the opening is worth a try to those who are looking for a realistic nutty accord, and I suspect that Tubéreuses Castane might be more appealing to those who enjoy creamy gourmand fragrances, rather than to those who enjoy a more floral, natural tuberose.
Tuberose
Roasted chestnut
Venezuelan tonka bean
Tuberose absolute
Cumulnimbus
MariaS
Elkay
