To-Day Will Die To-Morrow

[JazzieCazzie]

Siamese benzoin, white lilac, tuberose, aniseseed, and white carnation.

When I saw the notes for this I practically tripped over my own hands to buy a bottle.

IN THE BOTTLE: I literally said "oh my God" when I got my first sniff of this. I would say that in the bottle, the white lilac and tuberose were about 50-50 in terms of racing each other to astound and delight my olfactory nerves, with an ethereal, spicy scent providing the follow-up hit.

Dabbed on one wrist and in the crook of that arm.

WET: Once on my skin, the tuberose took over and the rest of the notes combined for a very complex and appealing supporting act. The white lilac provides a little variety to what I term the "lush hot-house floral" vibe (I tend to lump lilac, tuberose and gardenia in that group and, occasionally, jasmine). The carnation provides a tiny bit of spice. And what I THINK must be the benzoin (since I've seen it described as something not unlike vanilla) and the aniseseed really come through, for me, on the drydown.

DRYDOWN: Somehow, this develops a slightly "candied" scent to it as it dries and the best way I can describe it is "tuberose-meets-Good-'n'-Plenty." It keeps morphing on each sniff from floral to sweet to licorice (so maybe I should call it "tuberose-meets-Good-'n'-Plenty-meets-Everlasting-Gobstoppers."

OVERALL: I really, really, really like this A LOT. A little goes a long way and I need to remember in the future to apply in moderation since it has a TON of throw and I can see it being a scent that will have its big fans and its big un-fans. If you like tuberose, this is a no-brainer, I think. If you don't like the tuberose-gardenia-jasmine family of floral notes, you will probably not be a huge fan.

On a scale of 1-5, a strong 4 and a keeper.

[tziporra]

Oh no I am in trouble.

 

Lilac. Wasn't I just saying I needed a bpal lilac? (why yes, I just revived a rec thread to ask about lilac)

 

And this one is swoon worthy. At the very bottom of the lush heady lilac I can pick out LICORICE (another win note on me - anise, fennel, whatever, I love it all). The tuberose is damp around the edges, graciously allowing lilac to take the center floral stage. The resin keeps the whole diaphanous concoction from floating of into space where ungrounded florals tend to head.

 

Unfortunately I get zero carnation. Doesn't matter, still awesome.

 

Definite bottle.

 

Tzi

[theseagrows]

at first this is all tuberose, which is a note i like, so it's just fine. very floral, not for the floral-haters at all. then comes the aniseed, and now it's tuberose and aniseseed primarily. I don't smell the lilac, or it's very subtle, and the carnation doesn't seem to come through much at all, but i think white carnation is less spicy, so maybe it's subtle, hanging out in the background. this is a herbal-floral on me. pretty and different than the usual floral scents, but it's not really wowing me as a scent i would personally wear often.

[windbourne]

I am not a tuberose fan, so my decision to try a decant of this was based mostly around the word "aniseseed" and hope. Oops.

 

That certainly is a mess of sweet white flowers blossoming off my wrist.

 

Tuberose is definitely the strongest note on me, followed by the lilac and carnation and then the benzoin (which is nice, but not a super-fave of mine, either) and way down at the very bottom end of the stack, a tiny hint of anise. It's quite a pale scent, but very rich, and reminds me of one of those really lush hothouse gardens where everything is just a little damp and it's almost too warm for comfort.

 

It's pretty strong, though not super long-lasting, and wow, if you like tuberose, please do engage yourself in a quick purchase of this perfume. I don't, so, er, I'll just be passing this along to my friend who does.

[Floria]

When just applied, this is primarily floral. I get a lot of damp, dewy, slightly indolic lilac, and, a bit disappointingly, not much carnation. The florals soften on the drydown but don't disappear. At this stage the anise and benzoin come forward - these two sweet notes have merged into an almost candlylike accord. The anise dominates, with the benzoin taking a supporting role, but it's more complex than pure licorice. It's a femme floral that's sweet but not syrupy, and the anise and benzoin base is a nice change from musks.

[Thimbleviolet]

I have to begin with a disclaimer: I'm a sucker for lilac. Anything with lilac or gardenia is usually a safe bet for me. That said, I don't think this is an overly lilac cloud inducing blend. It's there, soft and sweet in the background, but it is the other notes that make this what it is.

 

In the bottle: A slightly herbal, heady floral with faint hints of spice

 

Wet: Hello anise! This goes spice-rack for a bit, and I can just smell the carnation

 

Drydown: Ooh, lovely purple florals. I know it says white, but this is a purple floral on me. The lilac and tuberose go 'starry' with the benzoin and there is a faint hint of the anise in the background. Good throw and staying power.

 

When I put this on this morning I thought 'nice, but I have a lot of lilac and I'm not crazy about strong anise.' Now I am seriously considering a bottle because it morphs into this gorgeous, nocturnal, sparkling and slightly warm floral. There is definitely something magical about this.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Sweet, clean, non-offensive flowers. Subdued but pretty.

 

Drydown/Dry: I’m mostly getting the lilac, which does indeed smell white. It’s bordering on sharp-white-floral territory, but manages to stay in the safe zone. Slightly soapy and cool. Very innocent. Something sweet and curious keeps poking it’s head out from the background, but it never comes out enough for me to get a good feel for what it is. Overall, this is clean, pillowy, soft, and fresh.

 

 

 

 

6.5 out of 10 bones

[Magycmyste]

My gracious decant circle host gave me an extra sniffie of this scent, along with the decant, so I used that to test.

 

In the bottle: There's only a sniffie amount in here, but it fills the air with the scent of tuberose, with the barest int of anise.

 

Wet on skin: Still primarily tuberose, but the carnation comes out more now.

 

Dried down: Primarily tuberose and carnation. I'm not really familiar with the smell of lilac, so I'm not sure if that's joining into the florals. I don't really get much of the anise at all, except as an edge to the tuberose, and I'm not picking up the benzoin at all, although it could be blending in with the anise, and I'm still not completely familiar with it - I just know I've liked everything that contained it so far.

 

Throw: This definitely has some throw. I have this cloud of tuberose floating around my head, grabbing my attention. All of the other notes I get seem to be a background to the tuberose.

 

Verdict: ***** This is just beautiful. I've never really been drawn to tuberose before, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be in for at least a bottle, maybe two. My mom is a huge fan of tuberose, so I might need to share.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Magycmyste

[milo]

This is quite odd on me from wet to dry. I'm getting a totally unfamilar note that is dominating on me, it's a bit herbal, kind of gummy, like thick pulpy stems of stuff. Kind of reminds me of the greenness of U Mutter Museum blend. It starts to smell like some sort of industrial oil or chemical after a bit. My skin is doing strange things to this one. I wonder what the culprit is...

[becca_s]

This starts out so pretty - the Tuberose and lilac create a really realistic lush, floral scent ... like walking through a garden. Then after a little while the anise starts to take over and adds an odd element to the scent, it just doesn't seem to fit in with the florals on my skin, it's almost like I am wearing two separate perfumes and they are both competing for my attention.

[zankoku_zen]

Lush tuberose, lilac and hints of carnation.

 

Sadly, tuberose is a giant bully and turns this blend into something that smells like hairspray.

 

Boo. Hiss.

[waternight]

In the imp: Lush, bright floral, lightly spicy, a hint of light resin.

Wet: Yummy...just...yummy. Lush lilac and carnation, a bit of benzoin, a subtle thread of aniseseed...this blend is just heavenly.

Dry: Benzoin gets a bit more assertive. This is a very rich scent - lilac and carnation supported by benzoin and little hints of tuberose and aniseseed. Full, rich, lush...mature and confidant and womanly. Absolutely amazing.

[mymymai]

ITI: It's papery white florals, lilac, and anise seed on first sniff. Interesting.

 

Wet: It's warmer on my skin, with the benzoin offering a slightly resinous tone to the carnation and lilac. Just under both of those is the tuberose and the anise seed, contributing some softness as well as some of that pungent licorice smell that characterizes anise. Very nice so far. I like what the anise is doing here, but I do love licorice notes as well.

 

Dry: As it was drying, I kept thinking about paper, but more along the lines of bamboo paper. After 8 hours, the scent is now primarily lilac and anise seed.

[OctoberGwen]

I had very high hopes for this, as benzoin and each of these florals is really lovely on my skin. Sadly, the aniseseed takes over and ruins all The Pretty. It seems to be even stronger than even plain old anise, which was....disappointing.

 

If you like tuberose, carnation, and lilac and have a fondness for anise you will probably love this.

[missnix]

Very few perfumes have conflicted me as much as this one. I love every note... except for the anise which I almost always hate. Tuberose, lilac, and carnation are among my absolute favorite florals and it's so rare to see them together in a scent.

I've finally decided that as this has aged, I like it more. The anise is still very much present, but it's pretty well tempered by the sweet creaminess of the florals and benzoin. And, I have to admit, it gives a certain elegance and uniqueness to what would otherwise be (to most people) a too-sweet pale floral blend.