Sweet Sexy Tuberose: Heely Bubblegum Chic vs Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia

Every time I spritzed on Heeley's Bubblegum Chic, the intense heady top notes reminded me of another perfume I knew I had in my collection. No, not the ass-kicking-take-no-prisoners tuberose of Fracas. It was definitely something more velvety and smooth. Bubblegum Chic is sold as a jasmine perfume, but I have to say the jasmine takes a back seat to the tuberose. Not surprising, as tuberose rarely takes a back seat to any other note in perfume. Such a diva, that flower.

Almost as soon as I took the cap off my Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia I knew this was the one. Gorgeous, creamy and bewitching, ELPC Tuberose Gardenia is my favourite tuberose perfume. It just sings on the skin, wafts gently all day long, weaving slowly in and out of tuberose and then gardenia notes. It is a mostly green scent, I'd say. I read a review awhile back that said EL PC Tuberose Gardenia was more about the "perfume of a flower" vs "a flower" - could not have said it better myself. It is like the heady air around the flowers - heavy, moist and sweet. The gardenia note takes the floral aspect and makes it headier and greener, but the sweet tuberose is always there. In true Estee Lauder perfume fashion, the concentration of perfume, even in the eau de parfum, is high, and the lasting power incredible. The parfum is divine, as are all the parfums/extraits in her Private Collection series. Seriously, smell them all if you can.

Estee Lauder diva who would LOVE Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia

These perfumes start out quite similarly, but the heart and drydown is where the differences start to show. Something to love in both of them...

Frenchy blow bubbles....

Heeley Bubblegum Chic Extrait de Parfum takes that initial heady blast of sweet tuberose and takes in a different direction with sweet, watery fruity notes. I don't get bubblegum exactly, although if you said it was Strawberry Bubblicious, or maybe Watermelon Bubblicious, then I would say yes! This fruity candy is a perfectly complimentary note to the tuberose. It makes the tuberose ethereal and fairy like - like a tuberose dream rather than a garden overflowing with the perfume of ripe tuberose flowers. I say strawberry because I do detect that note, but I also get a melon note, albeit a sweet watery melon. The jasmine note gently whispers thoughout the drydown and it's progression is soft and dreamy. The perfume is softer than the Estee Lauder, and wears closer to the skin, while still being a sexy whisper of tuberose. I'd say this is the perfect tuberose scent for the tuberose phobic, as the soft yummy fruity notes make this a lovely and wearable scent. "Chic" is an appropriate name as well. As is the case with all Heeley perfumes, this perfume is elegant and refined, even with the word "Bubblegum" alongside it. Not surprising from the company that makes the most heavenly and ethereal incense perfume I've ever sniffed, Cardinal.

So, does one win? No way! I love them both, and both have a place in my collection. Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia when I am feeling like a diva, and Heeley Bubblegum Chic when I feel more ladylike than man-eater.

Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia is available online and at select Estee Lauder counters. Heeley Bubblebum Chic is available online at Heeley and online and in person from MIN New York.

Describing L'Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons Perfume is like Chasing Butterflies

One of my most favourite gentle floral perfumes for warmer days is L'Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons (Chasing Butterflies). It was launched in 1999, and is to me, a perfect representation of the perfume house of L'Artisan Parfumeur. Sheer, delicate and elegant, La Chasse is a summer day in a garden of tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine and lime blossom. It's tuberose for those who find Fracas just  Too Much and who find Jo Malone Orange Blossom just Too Little. The floral notes are beautifully balanced and never ever ever offend. It is delicate and gauzy, just like a butterfly, and if I close my eyes and sniff, I am in a garden on a hot sunny day. Maybe I love La Chasse because it reminds me of my most favourite kind of weather in the whole world? I swear I can even see blue skies when I wear it. There is the tiniest hint of soap in the dry down but nowhere near the soapy levels in, say, Prada Infusion Fleur d'Oranger, which I love, but in a OMG Soap! kind of way. There is no weird musk dry down and when La Chasse goes away it gently flutters away making you wish it would hang around a little longer. That is the one complaint most have with this perfume- that it is too fleeting. I don't have a problem with that, as I simply apply more. I'd rather miss a perfume than wish I could get. It. Off. Now.

It is one of L'Artisan's best sellers, and when I wear it I see why. I want to cover myself in it. I like that it simply smells pretty. It doesn't try to impress with weird trendy notes (oud- I am looking at you) or blow away the competition with killer sillage that fills the room. It just makes you smell pretty. When I wear this, I always get asked what perfume am I wearing. But, only by people who get close enough to smell it.  Which is the way it should be, in my opinion. I know it is unpopular in most perfume circles but honestly. If we all wore monster perfumes we would all be competing for air space and no one could enjoy anything. Don't wear perfume like yours is the only one that matters. Even strong perfumes can be judiciously applied. Share the air. Please.

This is a scent I'd love in my hair. Oscar Blandi has a jasmine shampoo but it is nowhere as pretty as La Chasse. For some reason the thought of a sitting in a butterfly garden, with a breeze blowing through my hair, wafting gentle, transparent and "sparkling" flower notes around me is just so romantic... I would like to go to there please. So today I will spritz some La Chasse aux Papillons, and walk in the sunshine. I am feeling pretty blessed these days. 

Keiko Mecheri Tuberose & Iles de Lointaines- White Floral Beauty

Keiko Mecheri is a niche perfumer working out of California. She has a large catalogue of scents and is best known for her gourmand beauty Loukhoum, based on the sweet Turkish desert of rose, almond and dates. I am not a gourmand lover so while I appreciate the beauty of this scent, it is never one that appealed to me, but there is a massive cult following for her Loukhoum series. If you love that kind of scent, then you must try them as they probably are among the best of the genre.

She recently launched two white floral scents which are more my speed. I read about them on Ca Fleur Bon and was lucky enough to receive one of each, Tuberose (tuberose and jasmine) and Iles de Lointaines (jasmine, gardenia and amber). As a lover of feminine floral scents I was quite excited to try these. They. Are. Gorgeous. They are quite different from each other, so it is possible you might need both but that said, I can see each one appealing to different noses who want something special out of their white florals.

The tuberose is an unusual and beautiful flower in perfume. I have been scared of tuberose as a perfume after repeated attempts to wear and at least tolerate Fracas, the Grande Dame of Tuberose Perfumes. I cannot wear it, I cannot bear it, and somehow doubt I ever will. It makes my eyes water and I can almost feel an asthma attack come on yet the beauty of tuberose makes me wish I could wear it. I love and adore Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia and that is my benchmark for a ladylike, feminine and drop dead gorgeous white floral- the kind of perfume a Hitchcock Blonde would wear... but still leave men trembling in her wake like a Bardot bombshell. Humour me.

Enter Keiko Mecheri Tuberose. This is a modern stunning take on tuberose using jasmine to shape shift into a New Flower. It is clean straightforward and unusual as it opens with a mentholated camphor blast that would seem to be the last thing you’d expect or even want in a floral. Think again, because this is incredible. A revelation. It elevates the tuberose scent to something otherworldly, like a space flower from a tropical planet. I call it an Extreme Green Note and it really is the best way to make such a serious flower “bloom” in a perfume. It does veer into soap territory but such a gorgeous unexpected way that soapy seems like the wrong word. Flowing waterfall ice cold clean green bursting flowers in the rainforest is my stream of consciousness description for Tuberose. If you love this flower, you simply must try this scent. I LOVE it and think I would most enjoy wearing this in hot weather. I look forward to leaving a trail of swooning admirers behind me…

Iles de Lointaines gives us jasmine and gardenia tempered with the soft powdery sweetness of amber. Of the two, this one might be the more wearable and easy scent, especially if you are just getting into white florals. The jasmine and gardenia are lowercase here, gentle and soft, like a warm and humid tropical evening. The amber sweetens and softens the flowers and somehow I get wafts of a monoi like scent. There is not coconut per say, but the illusion of a sweet chewy tropical vibe that feels like coconut. Keiko Mecheri knows sweet and she can amp it up to tooth curling levels or keep it a gentle as she has with Iles de Lointaines. It’s almost like the amber is a soft powdered dusting on the jasmine and gardenia to make sure they don’t try to be sharp or indolic. There is still a hint of green here too, but its not nuclear green like Tuberose and is more like you are holding the flowers with the stems and leaves covered in dew still attached. Lovers of (discontinued) Guerlain Plus Que Jamais and Parfums MDCI Promess de l’Aube may enjoy this one – sweet creamy jasmine that makes you want to lean in to get the full effect. In French, Lointaines was a princess used in medieval stories, a “Distant Princess” and the term is often used to describe an unattainable love interest- one that princes would fall in love with, sight unseen, upon just hearing her description. I’m not sure if Ms Mecheri intended to use the word in this manner but I love the romance of that concept…

Sarah Bernhardt as Princesse Lointaine

Keiko Mecheri perfumes are available on her website, from Luckyscent and in Canada, from The Perfume Shoppe. I don’t see Tuberose and Iles de Lointaines on The Perfume Shoppe website yet, but I am sure they will be available there soon.

The Beautiful Spicy Flowers of Creed Tubereuse Indiana

Tubereuse Indiana is one of my favourite Creed perfumes.  It has the famous creed ambergris base that I find so mouth watering- it lingers on my skin forever and gets warmer as the day or evening goes on. It’s a different twist on tuberose- warmed up with vanilla and ambergris and some spice that is not listed by Creed- it takes the white floral and makes it sweet. This isn’t the bombastic (and unwearable in my case) Piguet Fracas, or the full blown green & lush Frederic Malle Carnal Flower (which is beautiful but not always wearable…) Straight up tuberose perfumes tend to have that dreaded “cheese” note for me- L’Artisan Tubereuse, Jo Malone Tubereuse among others. I’ve learned that I prefer a white floral blend- a soft one that does not present an olfactory challenge, and I like them more if they tend to be on the soapy side of a floral. L’Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons Extreme is a good example- much maligned by perfumistas as bland and pedestrian, but I adore it. It smells pretty, clean soft and feminine and often that is just what I want. 

As much as I adore gorgeous beautifully composed perfumes, as time has gone on I don’t want sillage monsters that reach out to strangle anyone in the near vicinity. I find that those who do are suffering from olfactory exhaustion, meaning they no longer smell the perfume they wear every day, and add more and more or go for killer perfumes that should not be worn in public. I wore Givenchy Amarige back when it was launched, and even Giorgio...before I knew better. Funny how our perfume tastes evolve. Thankfully!

As for a my white floral preferences, I prefer the gentle and sweet tropical night blooming variety.  I would not be surprised to find out Tubereuse Indiana had a bit of soft jasmine, orange blossom or gardenia even if they don’t say so. I won’t hold that against Creed because it just smells so good. So I won’t get into whethere or not Tubereuse Indiana is a “ true tuberose” perfume or not…

It does smell slightly tropical, but then takes a slightly unexpected turn to oriental with the vanilla ambergris combination. I know there must be other spices in there, but according the Creed there is just bergamot, tuberose, vanilla and ambergris. They claim the tuberose is Indian, hence the name, but I also thought the name might be a twist on the spices. Whatever else might be in there, it’s so soft and beautifully composed that it becomes a sum of it’s parts. Never too much, not indolic at all, the warm spicy notes accentuate the creamy quality of the white flowers. This is a huge compliment getter, and men and women seem to love it equally. I love that is not common at all, and I have yet to run into anyone who wears it. I’ve had people say it makes them think of walking at night under flowering trees while on tropical vacations and others have said it smells like a beautiful flowery soap.

As with almost all Creeds, this wears excellently. It lasts for hours and the ambergris gives it a tenacious but not cloying quality. I love it because it can go from jeans and a nice sweater to an evening event- it dresses up or down beautifully- and is one my favourite “blends into the skin” florals. Lovely. I love it in the summer, but it takes on a slightly different character in the winter. The soft spices become slightly more prominent, and it makes me think of sweet spicy floral tea. I end up wearing this more in cooler weather, and it is a holiday favourite for me.

Creed is available at select Holt Renfrew stores across Canada or from the Creed website. 

The Beauty of Cartier Panthere Parfum

I recently found a bottle of this online- I suppose it is vintage as it is in a bottle style not available for quite awhile. I know this seller and he stocks an incredible array of vintage and hard to find scents. I remember when this oriental floral was launched, in 1986, because at the time I was obsessed with the Cartier Panthere watch. Which I wear pretty much everyday- Cartier jewellery becomes part of you, just like the perfume.

Of all the versions the parfum is my favourite. It has the strongest concentration of that magic 80s perfume ingredient that amps up the all the notes. Some kind of musk or maybe ambergris- whatever it is it gives the perfume a deep earthy richness that a white floral on its own could never attain. Add to those notes some smoky incense and a whisper civet to elevate this to a dangerously sexy perfume. The notes are a veritable laundry list of ingredients, but it is the middle floral notes that are to die for elegant and gorgeous- jasmine, gardenia, tuberose, freesia, orris, narcissus and ylang ylang. Seriously? Wow.

This is a madame going out to the opera kind of perfume and I feel like I should have red glossy fingernails and lips when I wear it. It starts out with a bang then just melts into the skin. The parfum or extrait is ideal as you only need a few dabs to last all night.  This is the perfect way to wear those 80s scents as opposed to spraying the air all around you and creating a cloud of fragrance that can frighten horses. Panthere parfum warms up beautifully on the skin, and the sillage stays close to the body, and invites you in to smell more. The tonka and vanilla add a sweetness that is practically mouth watering.

Yes, Panthere is a visceral perfume experience. If you like a real grown up perfume not for the shy, then I recommend you track some down. I imagine there has been reformulation since the 80s as most of the ingredients in this perfume have been regulated or banned. I think the vintage eau de perfume would also be lovely, but since I stumbled upon this beauty I chose parfum. I got the 15ml ligne de voyage bottle, which is a small but heavy glass bottle that feels like cut crystal. Even the act of taking off the cap and dabbing behind my ear feels uber feminine. Just beautiful.