I moved to Los Angeles, because
There is a perfume for every mood and every moment, including this grand new chapter. J'Adore, my signature, is always appropriate, but there are times when I want to experience the comfort of what I know and the allure of the unknown simultaneously. I want to be true to my roots while moving forward; I want to be true to myself while transforming into someone new. This impossible combination is possible thanks to the French master perfumer Calice Becker, who is responsible for J'Adore and almost all the By Kilian perfumes. If my signature is "I love", then By Kilian's Beyond Love is the logical sequential progression.
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| By Kilian's Beyond Love © LuckyScent |
During the development of "Beyond Love," there was this moment that was most amazing. It was my first trial and Kilian smelled it and proclaimed it was "the one." It was love at first sight... or smell! He said to me, "Leave it. Don't ruin it. It is perfect." This was a magical moment. He is the only one in my career that has ever done this and I imagine the last!
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| Karen Black, Day of the Locust |
And it is perfect, in an uninhibited, spontaneous, divinely inspired way. It begins with excitement- a bright, rash opening of green notes, coconut, and fiery tuberose. The heart of Beyond Love is tuberose upon jasmine upon tuberose, an accord that seems to build in volume on my wrists, begging to go out and paint the town red. Some have called this gorgeous scent the child of Fracas and Carnal Flower. Its youthful opening lacks the haughtiness of Fracas or the lewdness of Carnal Flower, yet it is undeniably tuberose, a flower summed up by Roja Dove as the "harlot of perfumery."
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| Lindsay Lohan, The Canyons |
Tuberose has the distinct quality of being both light and dark at the same time; a bright white flower that smells of blood and meat when it rots. The energizing opening that demands to be taken out and into the night quickly darkens on the skin, transforming appropriately for a night of decadence. The first few spritzes of ostentatious euphoria deepen to an earthier, muskier, almost raunchy base. As if these complex florals couldn't become any more intense, ambergris (an evocative note which I've spoken about when describing Guerlain's Après L'Ondée) adds a sense of longing, even sorrow. As the night progresses, softer, melancholy jasmine pairs with warm ambergris to accentuate the ever expanding tuberose. This ongoing romance is intoxicating and addictive and tragically beautiful.
I try not to use the word "romance" when I speak of perfumes unless it is absolutely necessary, but in this case, it is absolutely necessary. There is something about this creamy, dreamy scent that captures my heart. Tuberose sums up the contradiction between what we expect women to be and what we want from them; the grace they must embody for polite society and the gory realities of the work their bodies perform. It conjures this conflict without dissonance, just as we expect a woman to. It is a powerful, yet supremely elegant perfume.
I have actually worked my way through a very large decant, and this entry marks the last drop. It is an unusual event for me- besides J'adore, I never finish bottles, decants, or even imps. Now that I have finally made it to LA, all roads lead to Lucky Scent.
