Description
When we think of tuberose in perfume, we often think of the version most perfumers like to emphasize: its nocturnal version, when it exudes its most intense scent. More discreet and docile during the day, the flower some call “The Queen of the Night” emerges from its slumber when it’s dark out to emit a deep and almost animalistic aroma.
In Tubéreuse, Mona di Orio creates what she calls a “twilight Tubéreuse”, greener and fresher than its headier nocturnal incarnations but still intoxicating and rich.
It opens with a beautiful and peppery burst of bergamot and green notes, which almost gives tuberose the quality of having been tamed and made more transparent after a refreshing light rain. Soon, the unmistakably narcotic tuberose slinks its way forward, flanked by creamy notes from benzoin and amber, matched with a milky nuttiness from heliotrope and coconut.
Along with Tubéreuse’s top notes, the occasional sharp floral facet from heliotrope joins with Tubéreuse’s green facets, balancing out its creamy and musky base notes. More approachable than its femme fatale counterparts, Tubéreuse nevertheless seduces. Perfect for tuberose fans that want a lighter, friendlier, more verdant interpretation of the flower.
Tubereuse was launched in 2011.
Dok-SuGeon – :
I love tuberose, it’s my favorite flower but this was a literal scrubber on me. It is way too green for me, and there is a metallic scent here that is so strong it makes my teeth hurt. Weird, I know.
dangerdinar – :
Testing from an official sample, sprayed twice to the back of my hand.
This opens with a great big fat, rubbery tuberose punch and a liberal helping of pepper, which I think will make those with sensitive noses sneeze – a lot!
As it dries down, the perfume becomes creamier and I can smell dried, unsweetened coconut (not a listed note, but I’ve just noticed it’s mentioned in the accompanying notes above); it’s also becoming “greener” and slightly powdery. Further into the drydown, this becomes quite woody and vanillic to my nose and also sweetens somewhat, but the pepper remains throughout and there’s a slight but persistent rubber smell.
I love tuberose scents and this one is no exception. It’s not the bold, brash flower of Fracas or Madonna’s ToD – and it’s not the creamy, ladylike, gourmand flower to be found in Twilly. Mona Di Orio’s tuberose occupies a middle ground.
I am not sure about longevity or sillage yet, but I suspect both will be better than moderate on me, especially if applied normally (for me – i.e. 2 or 3 sprays to neck/chest, one between both wrists and another 2 on clothing).
This is the first Mona di Orio scent I’ve tested – it’s pure class and is worth every penny.
kuzma – :
Interesting fragrance of Mona di Orio.
Opening fresh and green, I also feel a slight animal touch, but the highlight of the opening is a rather spicy and spicy note due to the pink pepper (very realistic) immediately rises the absolute of nard to stay until the end, narcotic, majestic , It is not a garish sparrow, it is quite creamy, it is even soft and warm due to the note of heliotrope that assembles to the nardo effect, it has a rather dairy touch and facets of coconut very of the style of the bronceadores that have that smell, nota Which are noted and lasts a long time, this conjunction of notes will not disappear until the end of drying.
Everything is moderately sweetened by benzoin and musks including cashmere (cashmeran) giving it enough body and a certain woody effect, turning off the floral effect of the tuberose.
This is a spice of the most unisex I have ever smelled, of modern development, the duration is excellent, good projection and qualities: many of the essences are natural and absolute essential oils, all excellent qualities.
Mona calls this nard: “Tuberous Twilight” because it is greener and fresher than most of its counterparts.
It just seems cool to me at first, then it gets warm, creamy and stale.
Rating: 7
shpriz – :
To my weird nose (or brain, whichever is the one making sense of this), this is HOT.
Nope, not in the I-want-to-lick-you-all-over hot.
More like two-rabbits-exercising-in-a-wool-sock hot.
Which is a relief, because the thought of cold, clammy, always-smells-like-rot-to-me-tuberose is seriously not my thing. But here I am, contradicting myself and my “I hate tuberose” perpetual line with a 100ml bottle that went straight on my “have” shelf.
Mona, you rascal.
bobanzz – :
Cashmeran + bergamot + pink pepper creates a cedar accord to my nose: raspy, aromatic, dry and bracing to open. This is the driest, woodiest rendition of tuberose I have encountered. And it’s incredibly handsome.
Heliotrope combined with benzoin offers a nuttiness that’s almost creamy, perhaps a little like a dusting of marzipan — very subtly almond-like, a touch of powdered makeup yet unisex.
There seems to be an undercurrent of toxic, milky plant sap, the type that is bitter and excreted from green leaves.
Intriguing, alien-like poisonous wooded tuberose. Carnal but a completely different interpretation of the flower in comparison to Frederic Malle’s. This would be utterly fascinating on a man or a woman.
мишаня 24 – :
This is one of the most beautiful takes on the Tuberose I have ever tried. That is quite a feat, as I have tried just about all of them, the good, the bad, and the quite ugly.
This is the answer to Fracas if you have ever worn it and felt self-conscious in a crowd or wondered if a man might approach you and ask “how much?” Not that Fracas is bad, but she is far more daring and “come hither”, which does make a woman think twice about if she is NOT looking for male attention. Of course, this beautiful concoction might lead to male attention anyway, as it is suggestive of a quieter sensuality that might suggest a longer term interest…or the old saying “it’s the quiet ones you have to look out for”.
I definitely get the pepper in the opening, which for some may be bothersome, but I find it a nice balancing feature that illuminates the scent and doesn’t last for me as a “pepper”, but smooths out and lays gently in the background. The tuberose is bright, green and herbaceous, but somehow still sensual. How did Mona do it? It is a juxtaposition of scents that somehow work. Truly artistic!
As the scent wears on, the creamier facets of the flower start to come forward, and the reward is a gorgeous aspect of Tuberose that embraces the beauty while keeping the notorious skank at bay. There is something else happening here…but I cannot quite speak to it…yet. But I like it. A lot!
dokkot – :
Greeny lime tuberose with a very slight pinch of pepper with a slight of sweetness and wooden touch. As it cools down the jasmine comes up with it’s slight rancidity.
This is a slight sweet fresh green tuberose. fun to try if you like green & tuberose.
Olegas – :
Fizzy bergamot greeted me on initial spray and pink pepper joined in too.
Then after this stage I got the most non screechy, friendlier, easier to wear green tuberose.
It’s not intense like Carnal flower which I adore, but this feels like a lighter, modern take on tuberose that is a fantastic starter scent for the tuberose shy among us. It’s full bottle worthy for me. It’s silage isn’t huge but longevity is pretty good.
demians89 – :
Tubereuse – Les Nombres D’Or
This tuberose fragrance from the late Mona Di Orio is a gorgeous, refreshing take on the tuberose. Orio called this a “twilight tuberose.”
The first spray is fresh, green with bergamot. I sense pink peppercorn, the bergamot is still faintly present. The tuberose comes through, ahhh, a bright radiant airy tuberose with a tinge of coconut underneath. The heliotrope softens the overall fragrance. The tuberose is warmed by the delicate spices, cashmeran, soft benzoin-vanilla accord.
Instead of being assaulted by the tuberose, you will be dainty enveloped by a seductive and elegant tuberose glow. I think that this is a versatile yet complex tuberose fragrance, easy for anyone to wear all year around.
(Notes taken from Luckyscents- Pink pepper, bergamot from Calabria, green leaves, Indian tuberose absolute, Siamese benzoin, heliotrope, Amber, coconut milk, musk)
ded59 – :
Mona di Orio Tubereuse has a green, spicy and creamy blast at first which makes me think of how this could work very well as a unisex tuberose. As time passes and the scent develops on my skin, i sense green coconuts or coconut water, a gentle reminder of balmy summer days drinking these straight from the fruit. It gets even warmer though as I detect a hint of sunscreen, which I quite like and find surprising in one of Mona di Orio’s perfumes. I imagine the rest of her line to be refined and classic like Musc, so colour me confused when I find a scent familiarly modern! As the perfume wears on, I also feel more pink pepper, not my all-time favourite note but I suppose that I can handle it here. Pink pepper is present during the whole duration, a spicy kick to awaken the senses and handle the creaminess from the coconut and sunscreen accord. The dry down is warm, musky and fuzzy in texture from the coconut, amber, heliotrope and white floral ensemble. This is no big white floral bouquet, it is a tuberose plant on holiday, somewhere tropical and humid with fresh coconuts and sunscreen. I recommend Mona di Orio’s Tubereuse for men and women, due to the spiciness from the pink pepper and this deters the composition from being too girly and pretentious. This is the only tuberose scent I own that I would declare it undoubtedly unisex! Perfectly appropriate for any relaxed occasion, try it for yourself.
glonceice – :
The initial phase of this perfume is very much an impression of earthy Tuberose, I smell greenery and the earth, a little mentholated..breifly. Yet the sweet Tuberose is distant or rather it falls quite “flat” on my skin, though it is still sweet, pretty and natural. I do not pick up any spicy/pepper nuance, though i do pick up a sweet musc..gently in the background.
After this “fresh green’ phase, it turns out to be a sweet and quite an indolic Jasmine scent left on my skin, very natural, though it is no longer a tuberose perfume, or at least the kind I like…but it is Jasmine! quite unexpected. A Lovely perfume none the less, sample first..no blind buys here.
Plainnyjamjem – :
One of the most achingly beautiful and sexy openings for a tuberose scent I’ve ever experienced. It starts off vey green and just so slightly spicy. The middle is veiled tuberose buried amidst greenery with the tiniest bit of heliotrope that never becomes too sweet or too powdery. All the heady greenery finally gives way to a suggestion of coconut that only serves to lend a more creamy rounded note that seamlessly blends into a tuberose cashmere blanket at the end. Forgive the analogy, but it is the perfume equivalent of passionate sex followed by languid cuddling on a rainy afternoon. Divine!
valjek – :
I love this scent, it is a new very original approach to tubereuse. The first time I smelled it was on a card, it seemed then greener and spicer than it was when I could finally test it on skin.
Not a linear scent at all, first blast is green weat tuberose flower with lots of pink pepper. It suddenly changes with a short rubber phase to a milkier and warmer (benzoin) stage that slowly melts into a very subtle woody and powdery and sightly animalic tuberose that seems to float 2 millimeters above the skin.
It is extremely close to skin on me and here comes my big problem with it, just lasted for a couple of hours… What a terrible thing, really if it had low projection but at least an acceptable longevity, I would buy a full bottle, even if that meant saving for several months. I just can’t find the way to justify paying such a high price when it would be having such a short life on me. I guess I’ll try to buy a sample, just for the pleasure of smelling it from time to time, but can’t go for a full bottle in this condition.
It could have been the perfect tuberose summer daily perfume 🙁
EDIT: I had a chance to get a bottle for a better price and now it is mine. Sometimes you just need to be patient.
dimabum2008 – :
Profumo stupendo, morbido, verde quanto basta, una tuberosa terrosa, umida, notturna, sognante, segreta. Da provare assolutamente, consigliato a chi non tollera la dolcezza un po’ zuccherina di Fracas. Per me insieme a Carnal Flower è la migliore in assoluto.
vanja971997 – :
If there was ever a tuberose fragrance that a man could wear, it’s THIS one. Spicy, green and musky, Les Nombres d`Or Tubereuse is beautiful. Mona Do Orio’s creations are so natural – this is what I love about her creations. Longevity and sillage are both exceptional. The scent is just magnetizing. I often sniff myself when I wear this – even in public. The only negative thing that I could state is this: When I last received a compliment for wearing this (“Wow. You smell so good!”), I replied with, “I know”.
bazuka007 – :
Mona’s Tubereuse is a daring composition. An interesting take on tuberose that unfortunately flat lined on me. I actually loved it at first but being familiar with Mona’s line, I know that it takes multiple tests to see if I really like the fragrance. After a couple tests, I realized that this wasn’t my cup of tea. I get where Mona was going with this one; the idea of a spicy tuberose that was picked fresh from milky soil after a tropical rain. Awesome concept but I personally couldn’t handle the milkiness. On my skin it created a soiled spicy milky scent that intrigued me but ultimately turned me off. This is a very unique fragrance but not for me. However, you’ve got to admire Mona’s artistry here.
fib2009 – :
Thanks to generous samples provided by two different emporia, I have been able to wear Mona di Orio Les Nombres d’Or Tubéreuse several times. On each occasion, I have been struck by the woody quality of this composition, which seems strange because nothing approaching wood is listed among the notes–beyond cashmeran. This will sound odd, but to me the strong wood quality evokes memories of redwood splinters. Perhaps I am perceiving a unique epiphenomenal sensation created by the combination of pink pepper and cashmeran, because really this smells like neither to me!
The tuberose itself is somewhat green and not quite sharp but definitely not soft and wilted, like the vague hothouse-scented tuberose perfumes I’ve smelled. I do not find this scent vegetal, à la Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower. Nor, on the other hand, is this anything like Robert Piguet Fracas.
Mona di Orio’s composition is wild smelling, less polished than Fracas and more earthy, without, however, smelling animalic (as in Versace Blonde). I believe that men could wear this scent well because of the woody-earthy quality and the decided lack of a big white flower bouquet demeanor.
I find this perfume to be unique among the many contenders in the tuberose category, and I like it a lot, though I have to admit that it took some getting used to.
DrupadyChe – :
I liked the scent thanks to its soily notes mixed with tubereuse in dew, but without wind to shake those watery drops from the flower onto the ground. The scent lived on me nicely and without all that much of emotion, and not exactly thick, but I felt like the flower came from Slumberland. It was alive, not dried up, not frozen, but sleepy. Or lazy? I don’t know. Anyway, it’s a fine scent for me to remember.
grigsilla – :
Now this is interesting.
At first, it smells like bitter-green-spicy milk. Unsual for a fragrance, almost medicinal scent
The dry-down is more floral; pleasant tuberose and coconut, and light trail of spice
I like it.
nikolanestero – :
A tuberose for people who aren’t quite sure they like tuberose. Strong pepper note coupled with significant green, I kind of feel like tuberose is the backup singer and pepper is the star of this one. I went back and forth with whether I liked or disliked this as it is well done and I can appreciate the artistry, but at the end of the day I have no intention of wearing this again and will be giving away the rest of my sample.
Saneg – :
I’m finally going to put my my review for this as I’ve actually ordered a full bottle.
First application; I got a nose full of pepper. It was a bit stronger than I had initially anticipated. Along with that you get this push of green notes along with it.
The first 15 or so minutes I get this rather Red Hots Candy smell.
After that, then and only then, do I smell the Tuberose Absolute.
Its certainly a different Tuberose than anything I have in my perfume wardrobe, this is lighter, and I dare say, friendlier. But it still envelopes the wearer in its embrace.
The florals do a Pas de Gras around each other, and in the background you get a lovely creaminess of coconut milk, amber, musk, and pepper.
I love how the notes wind around each other and compliment each other. Its just an amazing juice.
Certainly a long lasting scent on me, I clocked it at well over 10 hours with 4 sprays.
I would say its worth sampling for sure.
razyel – :
This is so beautiful! I normally can`t wear anything with white flowers because it gives me nausea, or are way to prominent on my skin. However, this one is perfectly blended. I feel like I`m on a pacific Island after dark. Sitting on the porch, sipping to a glass of good quality red wine. The sounds of the jungle behind me are different from daytime. The creatures of the night is taking over…
Mona di Orio: Yo are a true artist!
Alfilatow – :
cant wait to test it! sound like the perfect powdery, peppery combo, if there is not too much coconut