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dukhalin – :
I admit I blind bought this since S Ramsey loves it I knew it had to be a winner. This is an interesting scent in a good way. I like tuberose and also osmanthus so intrigued as to how they would work together. One is a serious diva. They are well balanced with the Elemi, leather and Myrhh.
I love the smokiness brought in by the Myrhh.
The resins and flowers are evident on the opening but the osmanthus is really evident after 15 mins or so. It never gets really heavy as the oakmoss cuts through the other notes. Its perfectly unisex. It’s soft, almost powdery and smoky. The tuberose, elemis and myrhh keep going right to the end but the leather is not far behind. This is a scent that is mostly about tuberose and resins.
Good longevity and sillage.
banana5130 – :
احد عطور التبروز التي من الممكن أن تعجب الجنسين عطر تشم فيه نوتات ازهار بيضاء مرة لمحة جلود بسيطة جدا برغم انها لم تذكر الا أنها موجودة العطر بالمجمل جميل جدا لمحبي الزهور البيضاء عموما و التبروز خصوصا
olegka2708 – :
Midnight poems – that’s what this fragrance is!
I went to the shop having particularly liked Junky from the same house, bought it, sprayed a couple of others, went away to have a light lunch and stroll around the shops, and 1 hour later went back to the shop and swapped Junky for Marlowe! I was that impressed!
It is a gorgeous myrrh, elemi, labdanum and leather perfume, no idea why almost everyone stresses the tuberose as major component!
dorin111 – :
I find this fragrance very very “unusual” and, for that, interesting. Not necessarily wearable (not for me, at least), but definitely interesting.
While many reviewers mentioned tuberose as the dominant note in this composition, I see it more like a complex mix of notes than a thematic fragrance.
If I keep in mind my tuberoses of reference, for example (Do Son, Carnal Flower, Fracas, or Bubblegum Chic, Tubereuse Vertigineuse, Vamp a NY… give me more!), Marlowe is anything but.
So, almost no tuberose, for me. What I smell foremost is a huge dose of labdanum, which is reminiscent of the beautiful Wish come True by Stephane Humbert Lucas, on a bed of spicy (mainly peppery) osmanthus. Myrrh and musk add a touch of freshness, incense lends some transparency and cedar offers what you’d call a “masculine” twist, very pleasant, but honestly, I’ve never smelled something similar on a man’s skin. It may be interesting, though…
Overall, the concept is definitely interesting and the job is well done, so, I hope it appeals to you. And, if you’re scared of tuberose, this may be your first friendly and light tuberose, I suppose.
ahiyagaloek – :
For me, a near miss – it has all the notes to make me go weak at the knees, but there’s something off in the combined effect of the sharper florals and the warmer resinous stuff underneath. Paradoxically both cool/fresh and dark/warm at once, which is quite a trick to pull off. Unfortunately, for me, in the middle, something bad happens where the two sides meet, and the myrrh begins to go a bit soapy/cloying. Disturbing shades of gel air fresheners. The overall effect is somehow a bit Victorian, conjuring up a dark fusty man den with some extremely overbearing flower arrangements breaking through the gloom. It’s all a bit Gothic (in an 18th-century-literary way, not a Norwegian black metal way.)
A true unisex, seems really organic and full of natural, subtle shades – it’s genuinely intriguing and distinctive. Yet it just can’t get me over the final hurdle. Longevity’s a bit limp, too – 4h max on me.
so: absolutely not a waste of time and worth experimenting with. If you want a considerably darker, more daring, more unisex take on tuberose, it could be splendid for you. Don’t blind buy it though. In my opinion ONLY, 7/10.
allsharing – :
absolutely love it, really different and smells gorgeous
вадим17041995 – :
A tuberose of exceptional longevity. A walk in a forest, though we have no reference to the hay and the grass. It reminds me remotely of Enchanted Forest by The Vagabond Prince and this is good.
Jeff63 – :
What I love about this scent is the warm and cool contrasts. Mostly what I smell is a peachy osmanthus and incense of the cool, churchy kind. There’s a dank basement feel to this perfume-which for me is a good thing. Not green, or mildewy, just damp and cold, slightly musty. My husband said it smells like tobacco, but I still don’t get that.
I suppose my imagination can come up with something that can connect what I smell to Christopher Marlowe, but I enjoy it just for the scent, without all the back story. It’s definitely my favorite from the line.
GLOBAX2009 – :
This ain’t your grandmas tuberose! Tuberose is one of my most hated notes as it usually overpowers any other note but in this it’s rather subdued. This is a rather dense and somewhat sweet fragrance. Not as resinous as you would think. I have not sampled any of the scents that members compare it in previous reviews but I would say it leans a little more feminine than masculine. Overall, it’s likeable but not loveable.
disa986 – :
Dense, thick and dark, this perfume is an attractive dry and retro tuberose scent with quite a lot of smoke and woods. Bitter, flowery and only slightly leathery, it is an original and risky take on tuberose. Perfectly unisex and good for cold weather days. Good longevity and moderate sillage on my skin.
teelrylenty – :
Woody tuberose over myrrh.
I was expecting it to be extremely bitter according to some reviews I’ve read, but Marlowe was not.
I wouldn’t describe it as a traditional tuberose though, mostly because it’s really dry. It’s an original take on the Queen of White Flowers. Instead of being set in a garden along with dewy gardenia and jasmine, the tuberose in Marlowe has been dried, crushed into powder, sprinkled into a peculiar potion of myrrh, mastic (lentisque), dry woods and leather.
Tuberose for badasses, I would say. I love it !
LEOPOLD_KILL – :
What happened to all of the notes? How strange. Please see Marco’s review below (or the Jardins d’Ecrivains’ website) for full list of notes for this gorgeous fragrance.
landrei – :
Mixte, written on the bottle, means: Unisex.
rspeed – :
A take on myrrh in the same vein as Lutens’ La Myrrhe, meaning an inoffensive fizzy, sherbety cola vibe that gives myrrh a fresh rather than resinous character.
The full list of notes from the official site includes animalic components that are sadly lost on my skin, which is strange as it normally amplifies those notes. The alleged presence of moss, labdanum and tonkin musk does not sit well with the abysmal longevity of this fragrance, gone within 4 hours on me.
It’s a nice scent while it last, and a cheaper alternative to the Lutens’ but I really feel the original brief and marketing blurb are miles away from the actual juice. Get a sample to live with it for a few wearings before committing to a bottle based on the opening notes.
namakgri – :
If men can pull off Uncle Serge’s Tubereuse Criminelle–and many men love the stuff–there’s no reason why they couldn’t rock this frag as well.
I can’t wait to get my hands on a bottle of it.
VOVAN7676 – :
It says in the website were I bought this fragrance that Marlowe is unisex. Here on Fragrantica it says for women. I definitely think Marlowe is unisex. At first spray you get tuberose with myhrr, a cross between woman and man. I also smell sweet incense. The dry down is the most beautiful part of this fragrance. I get a little bit of cedar and leather. This is a must try for those who love tuberose and myhrr.
osik1991 – :
This is a unisex fragrance (even the label says it is a ‘mixte’, which means unisex) leaning a bit towards the masculine side. According to Jardins d’Ecrivains’ official website, its notes descriptions are:
Top notes : Tuberose – Osmanthus – Elemi
Middle notes : Myrrh – Dried flowers
Base notes : Cashmeran – Cedar – Javanese vetiver – Oakmoss – Labdanum – Tonkin musk – Leather