New Perfume Review: Anya’s Garden Enticing + Carnal Desire Draw

Enticing Collage composed by Anya McCoy - Super Moon over Miami and Tuberose photos by Anya McCoy - Reclining Lady by Raimundo Madrazo

Enticing Collage composed by Anya McCoy – Super Moon over Miami and Tuberose photos by Anya McCoy – Reclining Lady by Raimundo Madrazo

Get ready to be carried along on a journey of carnal desires sought out and satiated with the new release from Anya’s Garden Perfumes, Enticing.  Enticing binds the sultry white floral scent of tuberose to the intoxicating smell of a lover’s warm skin, celebrating the sexiness, sensuousness, and dangerous pleasures that are promised in the lore surrounding tuberose.

Anya McCoy of Anyas Garden Perfumes

Anya McCoy of Anyas Garden Perfumes

Perfumer Anya McCoy of Anya’s Garden Perfumes has built a sophisticated and well-rounded line of all natural perfumes.  When the latest spark of inspiration brought Anya to the perfumer’s bench, it was by way of two of her early passions: herbalism and ethnobotany.  The legends and properties of tuberose inspired her to explore and exalt this “bad boy of flowers” in her new perfume.

Movie poster for Rajnigandha, meaning Tuberose

Movie poster for Rajnigandha, (Tuberose)

Anya’s ethnobotanical research traced the history of tuberose from its origins in Mexico.  It was appreciated for its fragrance, but its nefarious reputation did not begin until it started its journey across the globe in a most unusual way.  Unlike cocoa, vanilla, and many other resources from the region that followed a trade route from west to east across the Atlantic, tuberose traveled from east to west through the south pacific and arrived in Indonesia.  It spread through India and the Middle East, arriving later in Italy, France, and Spain.  It was in the most unlikely of places, in India, that its tale began to grow.  India was known for its rich and sensuous resources and practices.  From jasmine flowers, sandalwood pastes, and fragrant attars to its collection of erotic texts such as the Kama Sutra, one might have expected India to embrace the captivating and alluring scent of tuberose.

DangerousPleasure belinda durrant

Dangerous Pleasure Belinda Durrant

Instead, it was attributed with bewitching properties and a reputation held by few other flowers, able to compel good girls to abandon virtue and chastity for a taste of erotic enjoyments, leaving them ripe for seduction.  A potent evening-blooming flower, its scent would spread through the night air to lead young women astray.  Tuberose’s scent is multi-faceted and complex, showing shades of green, wafting heady and intoxicating white flower notes, and revealing smooth creamy aromas hinting at pleasures of the flesh.  How could such a flower fail to inspire myths, legends, and perfumes?

 

 jacob collins seated nude

Jacob Collins Seated Nude 2011 artnet.com

In Enticing, Anya explores the many dimensions of tuberose, but truly exalts and embraces the creamy, musky, sexy notes of skin.  During her research on tuberose, she began to wonder if there may be some primal, pheromonal effect possessed by this simple looking white flower that fueled young women to such states of desire and want.  With a deft and careful hand, without allowing it to becoming harsh or vulgar, Anya combined tuberose absolute with a handmade extract of tuberose from her garden and began accenting and emphasizing the creamy skin scents and fixing them on a warm sultry base including genuine musk tincture.

Daytime Tuberose photo by Anya McCoy

Daytime Tuberose photo by Anya McCoy

Enticing opens with a bright and enlivening green note reminiscent of fresh cut flowers.  As this refreshing scent lulls you into a happy comfort, the rich and opulent floral aromas of tuberose begin to assert themselves and Enticing’s spell has caught hold of you.  The sumptuous, creamy, buttery white flower notes dance in and out of the greens, hypnotically pulling your nose back to it and stoking the fires of the libido.  It’s easy to relax and let go into tuberose’s warm embrace, losing yourself in thoughts of amour.  As the fresh cut green recedes, a spicy muskiness begins to blend with the buttery floral notes of tuberose, suggesting a depth and darkness, the nighttime hours when tuberose seduces.  It conjures to mind drawing a stem of tuberose flowers along a lover’s bare skin.  Eased into the spell is a touch of damp, fertile soil that speaks of stealing away to a dark quiet corner of a greenhouse or to a secluded space outdoors under the moonlight to seek out promised pleasures.  As the last breaths of tuberose’s heady scent fade, the carnal deeds commence, full with musk and earth and sex.  The deeds done, this rich musky scent lingers like that of a lover’s skin, a memory of forbidden pleasures sated and promises of more to come.

jacob collins  odalisque

Jacob Collins, Odalisque, 2009 Courtesy John Pence Gallery, San Francisco, California

Enticing is a musky floral tuberose that wears closer to the skin as with many natural perfumes, but shares its scent well with those in close proximity.  It has wonderful longevity, lingering on the skin for well past 6 hours.  Its scent carries on clothes into the next day.  While a strong floral often tends towards feminine, this scent can easily be unisex and is sure to draw much attention to a male wearer.

Perfume Ingredients: Tuberose Absolute, Scented Alcohol extracted from Anya’s handmade Tuberose Enfleurage Pomade, Butter CO2, Opoponax Absolute, Clary Sage EO, Terpene Acetate Isolate ex. Cardamom, Beeswax Absolute and Anya’s handmade Beeswax Tincture, Patchouli EO, Mushroom Absolute, Siberian Musk Tincture.

Michael Singels, Guest Contributor

(disclosure: my sample was provided by Anya’s Garden Perfumes for review)

Enticing 4 ml Perfume Extrait photo by Anya McCoy

Thanks to the generosity of Anya’s Garden Perfumes, we have a draw for a 4ml pure perfume extrait of Enticing for a reader in the USA.  To be eligible please leave a comment with why you want to try Enticing, what appeals to you about Enticing and if you have a favorite Anya’s Garden perfume.  Draw closes  6/1//2015.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

 

 

 

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51 comments

  • I have been searching for a nice romantic fragrance and would love to give Enticing a try. I just recently found Anya’s page and love reading her stories. I would love to put a fragrance to a face! Love you Anya <3

  • I have wanted to try Anya’s Garden for a while but had forgotten about it. I just went to her site and realized that it was Moondance that I wanted to try. I love all the white flowers. When done well in perfume they can become magical and Enticing seems to be just that.

  • Ooooooh yes please! I’m currently taking Anya’s natural perfumery class and would love to try a perfume by the master. 6hr wear time? Tuberose and mushroom and a million other amazing ingredients? I can’t wait!!!

  • Katherine Turcotte says:

    I am entranced by the description. I am studying aromatherapy and learning my way around scents and would love to explore this one.

  • As a natural perfumer and a big supporter of the carnal pleasures that naturals can influence I would love to try out Anya’s new perfume. It sounds wonderfully sexy.

  • fazalcheema says:

    I would like to try Enticing because it is clear creating this perfume was a proper intellectual exercise for Anya, backed by extensive research. I am also aware of the fact Anya has explored different facets of tuberose in this perfume. I have not tried an Anya creation yet and this could be first. thanks so much for the draw. I am in the US

  • leathermountain says:

    I would like to try enticing because it sounds like a very thoughtful and also very beautiful interpretation of tuberose. Also I love the fact that Anya is producing some of her own raw materials for her fragrance. I don’t have a favorite Anya’s Garden perfume yet, but I think this would make a great candidate! I’m in the US, and thank you for the article and the draw.

  • IslandKatz says:

    I’m such a sucker for sexy white flowers. If gardenia is the queen of them in my book, then tuberose is the high priestess—the one who communicates directly with the goddess of sensuality. That’s why I’d love to try Enticing. As for my favorite of Anya’s perfumes… I just revisited ten of them. And got really stuck on three—I considered wearing them all at once. Kewdra, Ambress, and Fairchild. I really couldn’t narrow it to one. What a great article, Michael. Talk about enticing the reader… 🙂

  • I’d love to try Enticing because Tuberose is one of my favorite flowers and scents – it’s close behind my favorite, Gardenia.

  • Thank you, Michael and Michelyn, for the review of Enticing. This is my first new perfume in four years, and I wanted to make it memorable, and of course, have it reflect what everyone wants most in a perfume: something that entices others to you. Good luck to all those who comment!

  • Tuberose has such an exotic fragrance and I can only imagine how Enticing must smell under Anya’s magical blending expertise. I am a fan.

  • I’ve never smelled a tuberose I didn’t like, so I am sure I would like Enticing. Tuberose and spicy musk sound like a wonderful combination. Sadly, I have never tried one of Anya’s perfumes so I don’t have a favorite, but I’d love to acquire one!

  • Wow Michael!
    So well written and really captures the artistic and meticulous nature of Anya McCoy. Being her first perfume in four years is quite a celebration and you have encapsulated it all: passion, plant, history and her story!

    Congrats to Anya, who never stops in her botanical artistry and teaching and to Michael and his own enchantments.

    Cheers!

  • Azucena! No spiritualist’s mesa blanca (white table) would be complete without this flower. The first gift my husband gave me was a sprig of tuberose. I kept it pressed in a notebook and it scented the entire thing for years. So of course I would love to try Anya’s creation. I haven’t tried any of her fragrances but would love to try this one.

  • I love Tuberose so much since I was a little girl growing in the Carribean island. My father buys tuberose to welcome me when I visit him. I known the scent and I have tried so many tuberoses fragrances but it is not yet to my like. The blend of Honey, Musk, Opoponax, Pachouli, is very interesting. I know this perfume will be another jewel in Anya’s fragrance collection of 100% natural perfumes.

  • Mushroom absolute! I am intrigued! I have to say I was liking the description already and the note breakdown was checking a lot of my boxes but reading about the mushroom got me overly excited.

    I have yet to experience anything from Anya’s garden so this draw is especially appreciated. I am in the US.

  • See how far down the list mushroom absolute is? It’s a minor player. Now, if you like opoponax, butter, and beeswax, you’re on the right scent trail 🙂

  • Anya has such a reputation in the perfume world. I first heard about her from a perfumer friend but never had the chance to try her work. This sounds indeed seductive. One feels seduced by the descriptions here! I would love to be put in the mood to wear this! Perhaps by wearing the moods simply arises..I am in the US. Thank you kindly for the draw.

  • I would love to try this Enticing perfume from Anya. First of all you say it has a 6 plus hours of staying power which is so much longer from other organic perfumes I have tried. Second, tuberose absolute sounds like a very good vodka. And third, Clary sage and cardamom sounds like an unbeatable combination. Add the mushroom….very enticing!

  • I haven’t yet tried a tuberose fragrance and this one sounds enchanting! I’ve been wanting to try Anya’s perfumes for ages.

  • Nicole Like says:

    I LOVE tuberose! It sounds like a beautiful blend; I would love to try it!

  • Alice Black says:

    I am an avid follower of Anya’s on her perfume listservs and would love to experience her perfumes magic in Enticing. This tuberose perfume sounds decadent!!!

  • Alexandra says:

    This perfume sounds delicious. I love earthy, sensual perfumes and night-blooming flowers. And I am so intrigued by the mushroom in this blend! Wonderful review too–I almost felt like I could smell the perfume right through my computer.

  • Does this perfume come with a big handsome fella? Sounds delightfully dangerous. Sounds divine. Kewda and White Smoke are my favorite of Anyas. She is truly a gifted perfumer (and teacher). I am in the US. Thanks for the draw.

  • I love tuberose and am especially interested to try a perfume made with Anya’s tuberose enfluerage pomade. I am in the US. Thank you for the lovely review and the draw too.

  • Lisa Spencer says:

    Tuberose is my hands-down all-time favourite floral! It reminds me of my first visit to Hawaii, getting ‘leied’ at the airport – luxuriating in the heady, sensual perfume of tuberose enveloping the warm, tropical night air of Honolulu. Wonderful memories arise every time I smell this lovely flower.

  • Valentine Girl says:

    A perfume that conjures up the image of “drawing a stem of tuberose flowers along a lover’s bare skin”, sounds very Enticing! I also have a strong interest in ethnobotany & I found the story of the history and origin of tuberose & its journey from east to west extremely fascinating. I was intrigued by Anya’s use of both tuberose absolute & enfleurage from her own garden in the final composition.

    Although my favorite flower of all is Plumeria (love the photo of her sniffing that gorgeous, blooming, plumeria inflo-btw), I also have a fondness for night blooming flowers & a pot of tuberose is part of my moon garden every year. While I haven’t tried any of Anya’s creations yet, I once read a review of “Kaffir” and was immediately drawn to it, because I have a Thai lime tree and I love the smell of the freshly crushed fragrant leaves! USA resident.

  • ah, it is the base-notes that entice me 🙂

    and for that same reason, i love anya’s PAN most.

    (still in the u.s.)

  • Scott Kenney says:

    This sounds like an olfactory Joy! I must smell this blend. Starflower is my favorite.

  • Keith Brough says:

    I would LOVE to try the new Enticing perfume because it sounds historically crafted, with a keen “eye” on what really “entices” one’s drive and vigor: a musky sensuality.

    …what appeals to me about Enticing?…its research into the design– a Musky scent that is sexy and warm sounds more sensual than “fresh” or “floral” designed fragrances… and a favorite?…well, Oud is gorgeously bewitching.

  • Dawn Rose says:

    I love that you’re featuring Tuberose as a scent! I was a florist for 20 years. They’ve always been my favorite, most under-appreciated flower. Every time I smell them, they take me to my sensual happy place where nothing bad ever happens. I’ve loved Light. It’s delicious. And you are a scent-scientist!

  • A.M. Cella says:

    Summer and sweet, fertile earth….what a natural combination. Even for us in SW Phila.

    As a lover of ‘Light’, I look forward to this primal scent.

  • After reading about tuberose’s fascinating history, I want to try Enticing, because this musky floral appeals to me. I have not yet had the pleasure of wearing an Anya’s Garden fragrance.

  • I would very much love to win this fragrance!! It sounds divine and I would own all of her scents if I was able to.

  • I’m a tuberose lover since a teenager so I’d really like to wear
    Anya’s Enticing. It sounds so magical.

  • I’m not familiar with any of Anya’s creations, but I’m intrigued by Enticing — I still remember the first and only time I’ve sampled Carnal Flower and I was utterly conflicted! I alternated between loving it and feeling a bit overwhelmed by it. I’d love to find a more everyday-friendly tuberose scent. I live in the US and thanks for the draw!

  • Thank you for this review and draw! I learned a lot about tuberose–didn’t know it originated in Mexico or that it went to India via the Pacific. Enticing sounds really interesting as an exploration of why tuberose is uniquely ‘seductive’ not just in European cultures but in Indian as well. I’d love to try it! The musk especially draws me in. No favorite yet. USA

  • I fell in love with natural perfume some years ago and tried so many scents..that said, I have never tried Anya’s perfume. Sounds like Enticing would be a great start!

  • Enticing sounds incredible! I have recently started exploring the facets of musks, and want very much to find a white floral to love. Enticing sounds like it would be right up my alley. And it will be the first fragrance by Anya that I try. I’ve been looking at her site quite a bit but haven’t actually taken the plunge yet. It was fascinating reading about the history of the tuberose as well. Thanks for the lesson!

  • I would very much like to try Anya’s new perfumer.
    Would love to experience what you descibed, see how I relate to the scents in contrast to the picture drawn in this review.
    And deffinitly have a favorite: Royal Lotus

    Hemla
    (I have family in the US, so if I win they will recieve the perfume in my name)

  • Leigh Allen says:

    I have tried and liked several fragrances, love reading the stories and articles, especially the informative ones, and would love to try a romantic springlike fragrance.

  • Leslie Sartori says:

    I’m new to natural perfumes. Enticing sounds so awesome. I would love to have Enticing be my introduction to Anya’s natural perfumes. Tuberose is one of my favorite flower scents. This perfume sound absolutely Enticing!

  • The sun and moon’s love for the earth comes through in every thing you do. Romance and passion, power and light, all infused in botanicals and extracted with respectful, knowledgeable intention. There is no doubt your new scent delivers on all of its promise.

  • If forced to choose, I do believe tuberose is my favorite floral note. So, of course I am totally drawn to Anya’s take on it! I love the headiness of tuberose, and this one sounds so sensual. I am intrigued! My favorite of Anya’s so far that I’ve sampled is Fairchild. I really hope to have the chance to try Enticing! I’m in the US, thanks.