Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.
The ethereal beauty of Prada Infusion d’Iris contrasted with the bitterness of vetiver and galbanum was such that this fragrance quickly ended up among my top favorites, where it still remains. When I learned that Prada is launching a whole collection, Ephemeral Infusions, based around select raw materials, I immediately started to anticipate the releases. Alas, the first launch, Infusion de Fleur d’Oranger, turned out to be an utter disappointment for me, being reminiscent of Guerlain L’Heure Bleue, with all of its good parts sheared out. The most recent addition, Infusion de Tubéreuse, promised to be more interesting: a crisp green floral, suggesting the verdant tuberose buds, the flowers just before they are about to open. Yet, once again I suffer disappointment and I have to admit that Infusion de Tubéreuse does not captivate me at all, as it somehow does not even recall its namesake, even if you imagine it painted in pastel tones.
The crisp citrusy opening of the fragrance is lovely: airy, bright, with a pleasing effervescence. Of course, the top notes are merely an opening accord, and soon the composition becomes more floral, with the woody-ambery backdrop. The orange blossom, tuberose, rose and various jasmine notes together produce at best a limpid, diluted effect—neither particularly representative of a specific flower, nor memorable in its own genre. The matters do not improve later on in the drydown, when the white musk notes further wash out the composition, settling down like an opaque cloud. A couple of hours into the wear, and I begin to forget the main structure of the fragrance and certainly the fact that it is supposed to do anything with tuberose.
While light tuberose accords carry their own challenges—tuberose is after all a heady, rich note—there are a number of compositions that suggest an idea of a pastel-tinted tuberose much better than Infusion de Tubéreuse. Diptyque Do Son, L’Artisan La Chasse Aux Papillons, Le Labo Tubereuse 40 and Prada Tubereuse No 6 are among the relatively delicate tuberoses that come to mind. They sketch out the airy, radiant shape of a flower rather elegantly, and while doing so, they nevertheless retain the facets that make tuberose such an alluring fragrance note: complexity, character, sensuality and depth.
Prada Infusion de Tubéreuse includes notes of orange blossom, bitter orange, tuberose, petitgrain, blood orange and amber. It is available from Prada boutiques and select department stores (Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys New York.)
6 Comments
Linda: Dear Victoria,
Thank you so much for this! It is exactly how I feel about Infusion de Tubereuse! I want so much to like it (as I wanted to like Fleur d’Oranger) but although it is very pretty, the fragrance is just too ephemeral. The presentation is tempting: really tasteful and understated – and this makes it even more difficult to resist. But I will.
“Famous last words”?
Best wishes,
Linda September 9, 2010 at 8:02am
Boisdejasmin: Linda, I love the presentation too. If I collected bottles, I would have all four Infusions! 🙂 September 9, 2010 at 1:06pm
Maison Parfum: Cool, probably Infusion de Fleur d’Oranger will improve.. I hope so.. September 15, 2010 at 4:33am
Lynn Morgan: I got in trouble the last tme I shot off my mouth about a tuberose scent, but I feel compelled to stand up for the Prada version so cruelly maligned here!Infusion de Tuberose is a pale, transparent version of the flower people either worship or abhor. It’s a ligher, entry-level version, not the full-blown shiv between the shoulder blades (in a totally good way) that most tuberose scents can be. I find it lively, refreshing, girlish and lovely, but with a bit of an edge… it’s youthful yet precocious and watch out for her when she’s all grown up! Not quite a full-grown femme fatale, but well on her way; Blair Waldorf, not yet Cruella de Ville. I have no issues with that! And I love the hommage to Pucci packaging. Wear it in warm weather and save the heavier versions of tuberose for colder days and darker deeds. September 29, 2010 at 8:50pm
José Marcos: Tuberose, Angélica in Portugues, is one of my favourite scents for it brings good memories from the past, and I do know it won’t come back. But can a man wear it and avoid smell like a woman? As a man and a great fan of the Infusion Family, when the idea of a tuberose infusion was taking form I thought YES, he can. It works for me just because I know toberose is there, as it ws saying to its lovers “I’m here…” and there it stays so close to me. Wearing a scent for me is a very personal pleasure. Others may smell it, too. But it pleases me first, I wear it for myself. Infusion de Tuberose allowas a man to wear Toberose, and that is fantastic. I agree with all the weak, soapy, watery and so on that comes with it, but that is exactly what some people want to wear. And I love it March 6, 2011 at 4:17pm
Victoria: I can see how it can work well on a man. The sweet coconut note that sometimes gives tuberose its candy-like prettiness is made very subtle here. It is definitely all about tuberose buds and leaves. March 6, 2011 at 8:47pm