Tulipano Nero Spezierie Palazzo Vecchio 1990 Eau de Parfum

Tulipano Nero was introduced to me during a visit to Pickwick's Mercantile in Portsmouth NH while I was sampling selections from I Profumi di Firenze. Opening with the soapy sparkle of aldehydic lily, it settles into a darkly floral and resinous heart. Its most forward notes are ylang ylang and myrrh, with the narcotic yellow floral of the former forming an alluring contrast with the bittersweet spicy earthiness of the latter.

What I love about it is that it's a deconstruction of the floral amber structure found in Opium or Cinnabar, where there's no clear articulation of the florals and resins, making it hypnotic and amorphous, no seams can be detected. Yet in a way, it showcases the beauty of its discrete elements in a prismatic manner, similar to the holographic rose of Guerlain Nahema. It's as mystifying in feel as Serge Lutens La Myrrhe, with the myrrh exalted through the aldehydes and ylang ylang and then anchored into the dry down via musk and vetiver.

It's among the best from I Profumi di Firenze.

This perfume is mystery and sex appeal. I can't stop sniffing myself. I bought a bottle. It hearkens back to Balenciaga's Rumba. That kind of spice. It's a little in the line of an Opium or a Tabu or Jacqueline. Not for the faint of heart. Feminine but for a woman who howls at the moon and loves the night. This fragrance lasts forever and projects. A little goes a long way. I can't live without it.