Loretta, from Tableau de Parfums was released in 2012. The perfumer behind this creation is Andy Tauer. It has the top notes of Aldehydes, Fruity Notes, Plum, and Rose, middle notes of Carnation, Cinnamon, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, and Tuberose, and base notes of Ambergris, Labdanum, Leather, Orris Root, Patchouli, Resins, and Woody Notes.
When I first tried Loretta more than a year ago, I felt a bit disappointed. I was expecting a ripe fruit drenched tuberose. Leather. The bad stuff IFRA wants out of our diet. Sorry, perfume. Instead I got a kind of musty gasoline accord, something that I wasn't expecting at all, and that I would later find amplified in Sotto la Luna Gardenia. I couldn't for the life of me imagine the star of the movie by Brian Pera wearing it. It wasn't right. Many wearings later I kind of found the appeal in Gardenia, and while I no longer feel like crawling out of my skin when I wear it, I long to be in Lorreta's skin. Tauer offerings tend to divide people; love or hate. And if you hate them at first, there's a little voice that whispers "try me" deep inside the bottle. Loretta has evolved. Or rather, I've evolved. Now, under the misty halo, there's everything I wanted from her. There's a ripe fruitiness I can't quit figure, but it feels extremely decadent. The kind of ripeness that is well past expiration. There's a tuberose that feels austere, but at the same time elegant. The matriarch tuberose. The gasoline accord feels more like an 'oily' accord. As if the perfume was drawn as an oil canvas, rich in color saturation. The leather and the Tauerade add a musky feel to the entire picture. I guess that I saw Loretta, the protagonist, as full of life. But that's not the case. Loretta lives in a dream world. And as is so often the case, imaginary is quite often more vivid. More languid. It might work or it might not. I'm happy that I kept paying attention to the little voice, because when I let Loretta take me inside her world, her imagination became mine. I dreamt her dreams. As much as it sounds austere and weird, it isn't. After all it's a tuberose fragrance. With animalic leather, and plum, and carnations. It's a powerhouse floral, in the dream dimension. I'm just happy to be there, whenever I feel like escaping my world. Out of the 3 offerings, I found my alter ego in Loretta; she's strong, powerful and long lasting. She feels with her heart, and if you're one of the lucky ones to enter her world, well it's a hell of a ride. But be prepared for it; she ain't easy, and she ain't here to please you. She's just here to help you please yourself. A hedonistic tuberose ride!