Serge Lutens Fourreau Noir has notes of tonka bean, lavender, musk, smoky notes. Well, you know Serge loves to give us lots and lots of particulars on his newest creation. *rolls eyes* Let’s assume his next scent will be released with the explanation: “Made of some stuff that smells.”
The lavender on the open about killed me, and it appeared as if it wasn’t going to moderate quick enough for me to avoid death by lavender. It’s pretty much the Lavender from Encens et Lavande, without the insense. Luckily! In a few short moments, the lavender sank under the surface, leaving a nice surface patina on the fragrance without overwhelming it, and then some kind of caramely smell wafted through, lots of smoke. Think of it like this, it’s the Sonic Drive-in where Encens Et Lavande, Chergui and Fumerie Turque all show up, their brakes go out simulataneously, and they all wind up in an incredibly interesting jumble on the menu, something like: “Lavender Pancake Syrup with Hookah.”
Do I like it? Yeah, I do. Carmen and Lee were in the more “meh” category on it. I like it more than they do/did. It’s not over the top love. but an enthusiastic like! It turns and stays pretty smoky on me, and I get just a hint of the lavender all the way through. The immortelle is what makes it interesting and the part I really like, it gives it charm and warmth that the lavender open really needed. It sweetens the smoke and makes the lavender less cold. I can see where the combination may miss its target with some noses and hit it pretty great on others.
Of course we’ll do a give-away. Just drop a comment, you can just say hi, if you like, to be entered!
Thanks for this review/suggestion. I’m a sucker for lavender scents, so I know I will give this one a shot.
Death by lavender, what a way to go….I’m not usually a big fan of lavender, but done right, I love it. This one sounds interesting, and if anyone can do it, it’s SL. Im sure I’m too late for the drawing, though, so I’ll have to console myself with some Jicky…
Sounds like a blend of all of my favorite SL’s. How was the lasting power (I assume quite a long time being that it’s based/similar to FT and Chergui. Please enter me in the drawing as well.
Ah Serge, he never bores, does he? I am not quite on his wavelength yet, but I do yearn to be. That may sound odd, but like olives, blue cheese and fine wines I am coming around to the slightly off-putting items that become clutched to the bosom eventually, like a long-lost love. I’m hoping this is my affair to come! 😉
Big Lutens fan – I would love to try this!
Do please enter me, I am up for whatever weirdness Serge throws my way, thanks!
If it’s not too late, please enter me in the draw!
sounds like the perfect fall scent! Please enter me in the draw. Thanks!
I love lavender, but can’t imagine the combination. Please enter me in the drawing.Thanks.
Oh, I’d love to try it, if I’m not too late. We do not have it locally yet and I’m so curious (and in the mood for something lavendery). I’m wondering how it compares to Kiki.
Thanks for the great blog. I’ve only lurked so far, but love the discussion.
Ack! Am I too late to enter in the drawing?! Love me some SL.
lavender sounds really nice and calmin but i am confused by all the tobacco notes- i am curious enough to try it though! please consider me as well
Hmm, lavender and incense — could be fantastic or horrifying! Can’t wait to try it based on your “lavender pancake syrup with hookah” description.
I keep wanting to like SL fragrances, but have yet to get beyond a lukewarm “all right I guess”. Would almost prefer taking them into violent dislike…
I love your Sonic Smash-Up description! 🙂 Do please enter me in the drawing, as I would love to experience this one. Thanks for the droll review … I needed a giggle today!
I am always on the lookout for more smoky fragrances — still haven’t found that perfect fit, so please enter me in the drawing.
Hi–This sounds great–please enter me in the draw! MJ
The notes on this one sound like My Personal Trainwreck Nightmare, so no need to enter me in the drawing. Just wanted to say that “Made of some stuff that smells” made me choke on my coffee – thanks for that!
Sounds intriguing, please enter me in the draw! Not wild about the lavender part but the smoke sounds good.
I want stuff that smells…please enter me in the drawing!
Smoky lavendar with pancake syrup sounds like it might be good. Or disgusting. Please enter me into the drawing.
Thanks!
Hmm.. smoky lavender is a good thing, but I’m having some brain difficulties with the pancake syrup part. But I’d love to find out if it works, so please enter me in the draw. If you think it’s alright, then it stands a reasonable chance with me.
I read “hookah” as “hooker” with a New England accent, and thinking of “lavender pancake syrup with hookers” made me remember sitting in a breakfast diner in Halifax (meh food but endless pots of coffee) early in the morning with a friend next to a couple of tables populated by prostitutes just off the night shift (they generally stick together for safety’s sake), and it also made me think of lavender jelly, which is quite nice and can be made as you would make any other preserve with sugar and pectin and lavender flowers, and I see that I have had too much caffeine and am writing one endless sentence and will stop now.
I’d love to try this, please enter me in the drawing. I haven’t really smelled any of the newer Lutens and that Goth kid inside me is always curious about anything with ‘Noir” in the title!!
I went to Scent Bar to try it, but wasn’t available at that time, I’d love to try it, please enter me in the draw.
Thank you.
Roberto
I love lavender and tobacco, so please enter me!
Sounds a little like Kiki, a little like Patou Ma Liberte. I would love to take a sniff. Please enter me in the draw, too.
Hi! Very curious–can’t even fully imagine the “final” effect of this combination of flavors–errr, scents! Please enter me in the drive-thru! (:
I admit…I love immortelle…but c’mon, Sergey is starting to use it like it’s Iso E Super! Either way, now that I can’t find Eau Noire (sob), I guess I’ll have to make do with something else.
Still baffled by the kitty on the bottle(?)
I have nothing pithy to say – off to the plant with the 30′ hopper, on about 4 hours sleep. Can I be in the draw anyway?
xoxoxo >-)
:-#
Oh no, the blasted emoticon won’t work! 8-|
:-$
Have the oily manhunks arrived yet? Mush, y’all!
Besides, we really need to provide Shelley with new, exciting and lower cholesterol imagery.
Sometimes lavender loves me, sometimes it gives me the cold shoulder. This one, with the immortelle for “charm and warmth” sounds like a lover… 🙂
Ah, see, I was going to say “sounds like the kind of something I would really like…or really not like.” And then I shook my own head at my own self…brilliant insight, that, no? I think the combination of your description, with Carter’s image, has created a CatJemima flipping smokey sweet lavender flapjacks that is totally messing with my brain.
Yes, please hat me. Maybe if I get a chance to actually sniff, I can get out of this mess. {Hot, sticky, mess…oh, my brain…}
Great review! Please enter me in the drawing!
Many thanks,
Ross.
See, “Lavender Pancake Syrup with Hookah” sounds pretty fabulous to me. It’s high time I buckled down and committed to a full SL bottle, so please, include me in the draw, and thank you!
Lavender often doesn’t work for me….but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to try! Please enter me in the draw and THANK YOU!
Well since this is a Serge, I must beg to be hatted, pretty please! :-*
Sounds good -uneasy, difficult, ungefällig, sperrig – please do include me in the draw!
Andrea
Please enter me!
i luuuuv all stuff that smells
i luuuuv lavender
i luuuuv pancakesyrupy imortelle
i luuuuv fumerie turque and
i luuuuuuuuuuuuv the idea of them all mixed together and to see
how he balances this!!so
i luuuuv to win this
I’d be interested in trying this…. Well, as long as the lavender disappears right away…. Lavender smells disgusting on my skin!
Well, I guess that’s better than a Hookah with Lavender Pancake Syrup, unless you fantasize about having your flapjack flipped by Aunt Jemima in a purple catsuit ;).
I am anxiously awaiting a split, which should be here any minute, so no need to enter me in the draw.
I hadn’t that fantasy in mind until reading your comment, Carter…now, of course, I am haunted by the idea. But the woman in the catsuit keeps on morphing into Diana Rigg. It’s all so odd.
The FN has landed and 15 minutes in the lavender and fougere aspects are seated in the way-back with the immortelle and tonka at the controls. If it doesn’t pile on the smoke, I’m thinking I like it quite a lot. Not FBW for me, but this 10 ml split is just dandy.
Cold, cold, cold. That’s all I’m saying. It’s the metallic edge of the unsheathed sword, or something…
I would be glad to be entered in the drawing, thank you.
No need to put me in that draw: to me, Fourreau Noir was like those people who make a bad impression with the first move, and you can never quite get over it, no matter how interesting they turn out to be in the long run… I did promise myself I’d sample it again, though that little drop they anoint you with at the Palais Royal is never worth a good spritz to really form an opinion.
Agree with chasa – like to smell it, just not on me. I find it too masculine for me too wear. Plus, it is similar to Jicky which I much prefer due to the great whallop of vanilla in Jicky
After that description, how could I resist? Count me in, please!
“Lavender Pancake Syrup with Hookahâ€..
Love the idea of that; would love to smell the reality..
This is such a irreverant and fun review! And I need to try more Serge (have a Chergui sample and I think I’ve concluded that while it’s a scent I’d like to catch a whiff of in the air, I don’t necessarily want to smell it on my person).
Ooh, it sounds a little like smoked Kiki to me…I would love to try this! Thanks for the chance. 🙂
I love stuff that smells.
Hi
When am I going to ever have the patience to see if the top bit I hate turns into something I like?? Usually my feeling is, getitoffmegetitoffmegetitoffme.
“Made of some stuff that smells” HA!
Ah, just love it! Love both lavender and incense and am drawn to the “warm” scent groups (vanilla, amber, heliotrope, etc.) and sometimes gourmand scent notes fit that bill. Just how foody is this though? The caramel/pancake syrup mentions have me a little worried, but very, very curious.
“Lavender Pancake Syrup with Hookahâ€? Sounds like the next special at IHOP! I’d love to try this – even though it doesn’t sound like I’ll be able to wear it anywhere but in my house.
Sounds interesting although I can get tired of lavender fairly quickly.
“Lavender Pancake Syrup with Hookah� I need to try that! It sounds like a hot mess, but SL never bores. Thanks for the review and the laugh.
Hm, smoky, tobacco, lavender? Guess I have to try this and see what happens on me. Love your comments!