With Carnal Flower, the man-eating tuberose is tamed by a refreshing dose of bergamot and melon – a perilous note if there ever was, ubiquitous in 90s aquatic fragrances like L’Eau d’Issey and now in the air freshener Febreze…
But fear not: the melon stays well in the background: Dominique Ropion has used it much in the same way as Edmond Roudnitska did in, say, Diorella and Le Parfum de Thérèse, to evoke the water in a flower vase.
Ropion, who has composed a series of expansive white florals (Ysatis and Amarige for Givenchy; Pure Poison for Dior; Flowerbomb for Viktor & Rolf), is said to have spent two years perfecting his formula for Frédéric Malle Éditions de Parfums. Again, the template was Fracas. The result is remarkably different.
Carnal Flower has the freshness of the cold storage room in a flower shop. In it, tuberose swaps some of its brazen vulgarity – however you love it, it is an in-your-face flower – for poised elegance. The medicinal greenness of eucalyptus underlines this sensation of broken stems oozing sap and cold air trapped between petals; a coconut note, already present in tuberose absolute, intensifies its buttery, almost gustatory sweetness, as does the orange blossom.
Thanks to this cool-warm effect, Carnal Flower may be worn equally in the dead of winter and in the summer heat, which allows white florals to bloom.
Thanks to this cool-warm effect, Carnal Flower may be worn equally in the dead of winter and in the summer heat, which allows white florals to bloom.
If Carnal Flower lives up to its promises of fleshly pleasures, it is much in the way of a Parisian belle de jour, veiling her secret pleasures under an impeccably cut Yves Saint Laurent frock. However, despite its well-bred airs, Carnal Flower is far from discreet: douse yourself in it, and your paramour will come out smelling of flowers. Trust me on this. Carnal Flower is a kiss-and-tell.
Image: Catherine Deneuve in Luis Buñuel's Belle de Jour (1967).
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This is one of my favorite scents. I agree on the cold-hot duality; it is equally appropriate whatever the weather. I think it may feel most "right" on a hot day, though, given its heaviness.
RépondreSupprimerWelcome to Grain de Musc!
RépondreSupprimerMy view on its appropriateness in winter may be tinged by the fact that I first tried it on a bitingly cold day. It just radiated. But I'm like you, I love my white florals in the heat...
Thank you for the welcome! I just discovered you through another blog and am thrilled, especially since I can now pratice my French. ;)
RépondreSupprimerYes, the English/French versions will help... They say the same thing, but they're not necessarily phrased in exactly the same way, as you might discover.
RépondreSupprimerI just discovered your blog this past week, and as a lover of white florals and big, big scents, am thrilled by your series on the luscious tuberose fragrances.
RépondreSupprimerCarnal Flower is the fragrance that gets me the most compliments, though, interestingly, not from men but from women. I have often wondered if it's because women, more so than men, are the receivers of floral bouqets, corsages, etc. Anyway, whatever the reason, I get gushing compliments from women when I wear CF. Thanks for your wonderful review!
Welcome to you too, Suzanne...
RépondreSupprimerTuberoses are indeed *big* scents and can hardly be ignored. I get most of my compliments on Carnal Flower and Tubéreuse Criminelle myself. Your theory on why women make the most compliments on them is interesting... I find that often women are more comfortable complimenting other women, because from men it could be misinterpreted. And floral perfumes are more easily identifiable than more complex blends such as chypres, so they might get a more spontaneous response. I mean, who doesn't love the smell of flowers? Of course, it could *also* be because we have terrific taste! ;-)
Here's to Yves St. Laurent, by the way.
RépondreSupprimerHi Cait. Yes, here's to Yves Saint Laurent. A post will be put up soon, I just need to translate it from the French.
RépondreSupprimerIt's hard for me to believe this is based on Fracas (not that I doubt you!) because they're so wildly different to my nose. In the summer I often buy tuberoses and keep them in my home -- their fragrance is so powerful that 6 or 7 stems will scent most of my apartment. Carnal Flower smells the most like real tuberoses of any perfume I've ever encountered -- it's a dead ringer for them. Gorgeous and seductive.
RépondreSupprimerA., I should've said that Fracas was the reference tuberose fragrance, not the template: Carnal Flower was clearly not based on it, but it had to steer clear of Fracas territory. Your nose is right, my prose is wrong!
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