Sunday, November 4, 2012

LUSH Tuca Tuca Gorilla Perfume review


          While in Venice, LUSH founder Rowena saw a group of Italian employees dancing the Tuca Tuca. Inspired, she came home to the UK and created Tuca Tuca in fragrance form. LUSH Tuca Tuca Gorilla Perfume channels the joie de vivre of a summer's day or dancing when no-one is watching. The fragrance celebrates the modest violet, a wildflower that is sometimes considered to be a weed. I like to imagine that LUSH Tuca Tuca has bottled the shy optimism of a violet flower peering out from the shade of a fallen log.




          LUSH Tuca Tuca is reminiscent of candied violets served up on a mossy wooden tray.
It's an earthy floral wood with vanilla tones. The intended notes include vanilla, sandalwood, vetivert, violet leaf, and ylang ylang. The scent opens with a sweet relaxed floral; it personifies the violet described above, though in reality the fragrance is due to the Cassie Absolute. There is a dash of vanilla which pulls together the sweet floral and the wood quite nicely. I think some reviewers have found this perfume to be 'too sweet', however I don't find this to be so. Perhaps the presence of moderate amounts of vanilla alongside sweetness may induce the nose into an imagined sugar high a la baked goods. The scent then trails into a mossy wood with a hint of spice. LUSH doesn't use animal products in the perfume spray, so the green and spicy warmth is added using vetivert and ylang ylang. There is a significant amount of wood base in this scent. Sandalwood is fresher than other woods, so it's not too overwhelming. Finally, the earthy green scent of violet leaf grounds the entire fragrance.

          There are mixed reviews concerning LUSH Tuca Tuca Perfume. I think it depends on body chemistry, but also expectections. Tuca Tuca is a sweet floral, but not one that is sparkling or bubbly. It has a soft inner beauty that hugs the ground. For those who enjoy layering perfumes, LUSH Vanillary Perfume (reviewed here) complements the vanilla tones in Tuca Tuca. The combination will also please those who hope to balance out the earthy tones with something more delicious.




         LUSH Tuca Tuca is an earthy floral wood with a grounded optimism. It's subtly sweet, feminine, and off the beaten path. Lately, I've been enjoying more modest florals, so I'm happy to add this to my rotation. The relaxed nature and sandalwood base make it perfect for the cooler fall days ahead! Thanks for reading! Have you tried LUSH Tuca Tuca or any other Gorilla Perfumes? Have you ever eaten candied violets? What is your current favorite fall perfume?

Love, Dovey.

P.S. In the interest of being scientifically accurate, I'd like to note that though my African Violet (Saintpaulia) bears a similar name and striking resemblance to the fragrant Violet (Viola) of the Northern hemisphere, the two are not closely related!
Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent to Cute and Mundane for consideration by PR. The ideas and opinions in this post are genuine and my own.

18 comments:

  1. Why are they called Gorilla perfumes? And they must be hiding this stuff in the LUSH I go to because I never see them! Or it's that my eyes just always go straight to the colourful bombs and soaps. :) I'll have to hunt it down for a sniff test! Great review, Dovey.

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    1. Hi Liz, thanks for the comment! I think at my local LUSH, the Gorilla perfumes are kind of tucked away in a corner near the window. They're all black so they are easy to miss! I actually did not know the reason they're called 'Gorilla', so I did some searching in the recent LUSH mailer. Supposedly it is in reference to an act of 'guerrilla' rebellion on LUSH's part to spend so little time/effort/celebrity/etc. on the packaging of the perfumes and to focus on the scent itself. Hence, we get the simple black packaging seen above :)

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    2. Ah, thanks for answering that! LUSH is at the opposite end of the mall from the entrance I go through and I rarely make it to that end because of the distractions on the way, but now I'm determined to go a-sniffing once more! Thanks, Dovey. :D

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  2. I think a faint woodsy floral smell is good for fall too. Sounds like I would like it.

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    1. Hi Girlie Blogger, I think so too! I become more receptive to wood tones during cooler weather.

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  3. tuca tuca is one of my favorites! I love this one and vanillary :D

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    1. Hi Kelly, it's always good to hear from a fellow LUSHie :) Those two are amongst my favorites too!

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  4. i love the name "tuca tuca" and the story behind it.
    i love violet notes. they could be sharp sometimes but they have this shy sophistication.
    a rounded earthy violet sounds very intriguing. ;)

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    1. Hi Lena, Tuca Tuca is a really fun name :) I'm inspired to explore more violet scents after trying this one!

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  5. Tuca tuca parfum sounds very earthy just like the violet ♥

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    1. Thanks Kate! I think you're right :)

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  6. I like your pictures a lot , Dovey.
    It looks as if the violets were dancing the Tuca Tuca ~

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    1. Haha, Thanks Mallard Duck, I like that visual!

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  7. OMG I love violet fragrances...I should def sniff this one!! I just love your description: "...reminiscent of candied violets served up on a mossy wooden tray.It's an earthy floral wood with vanilla tones." - Sounds so good!!

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    1. Hi Beauty Box, Thank you!!! I'm so glad you liked the description :)

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  8. I bought first my Tuca Tuca massage balm recently & it was sadly told that there were only a few left as the product was no longer being produced. What a shame, such a lovely unique fragrance :/

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    1. Hi Anonymous, that is a shame; I really think the earthy scent is quite special too. I did hear rumors that the perfume will also be discontinued.

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  9. I love tuca tuca! I usse it over the vanilliry stick. I have 10different lush perfumes and this is one of my favorites

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