January. The meh month, as far as I’m concerned. I know a lot of people dislike February given it feels like the ongoing drag of winter, but for me it’s January. And, we’re raining again. Flooding last week; today’s forecast is rain, after heavy rain on Sunday. I’m trying to memorise French verb tenses.
I went looking for some samples at a place I look sometimes. It’s a bricks & mortar shop in London that also has an online offer.
For some reason I decided to look at their Serge Lutens offer. I’m pretty sure they were one of the first places to offer Lutens in the UK way long ago.
What did I find? Seven bottles listed, with only one at full price, and that’s sold out. So, I’m thinking they are offloading the brand, which is interesting. It is pretty easy to get Lutens here – on lots of different platforms. So, makes more sense to go to a discounter than to a generally fancy full priced shop.
I have a lot of time for SL. I didn’t come upon it until I started looking at the MakeUp Alley Fragrance page (where a number of Posse people posted back in the day). Lutens was a big thing back then (maybe early 2000s). My entry into niche/independent perfumery was l’Artisan and Annick Goutal back in NYC. This Lutens stuff sounded very intriguing.
Anyway, I did a lot of sampling and over time the only bottles I ended up with were Ambre Sultan (which disappeared at some point) and Rose de Nuit. I found that quite a few things just didn’t quite work on me no matter how much I wanted them to (eg, Chergui).
Anyway, back to my samples. I decided to get a couple of things just for kicks and giggles and then be able to mooge on about Lutens a bit.
I currently own a full bottle of Arabie, which I love but only visit with in the winter. That heavy stewed fruit thing works beautifully when it’s cold and dry. I also own the dregs of a Belle Jar of Rose de Nuit. My fave rose with that pronounced apricot note, making it a dirty knickers fragrance. Finally, I own a travel size of La Dompteuse Encagee which has to be the stupidest name for a truly lovely, unique floral. I’ve gone on a lot about this but it’s truly gorgeous. Comes out in spring and summer.
The Serges that have never done much for me are the Bois.
I ended up getting samples of Santal Majuscule and La Fille de Berlin. Neither that exciting.
The Santal is sour on me initially and then just sweet cedar more than sandalwood (jasmine, rose, cocoa, honey, amber and sandalwood). It doesn’t do a lot. La Fille de Berlin … well, it starts vegetal/metallic rose and then becomes a fairly pedestrian rose (rose, geranium, palmarosa, honey, moss and patchouli). Someone in a review on Fragrantica actually cited a metallic blood smell and I see what they mean.
So, yeah. As noted I have a lot of time for Uncle Serge’s perfumes and I really do hope that one day I can visit the Palais Royale shop (it was closed last time I was in Paris) just to play – and possibly buy a Belle Jar of Rose de Nuit (current cost around £250 vs £110 when I bought it probably 20 or so years ago). I don’t think we’d have a lot of the niche/independent brands now available without Lutens having started up ages ago.
So, what about you? I know there are the lovers of Muscs Kublai Khan. What else Lutens floats your boat – or doesn’t? If you own SLs, do you remember what the first one was?
Pics: Wiki parfums, mine
I’m not a huge fan of the Uncle Serge oruvre but Daim Blond is a perennial Autumn favorite and De Profundis is perfect anytime I need to Think About Life
oeuvre not oruvre …sigh
I keep meaning to re-try Daimler Blond. Goes on list.
Daim Blond- how gorgeous is that. Especially in the cold.
I didn’t care for Santal Majuscule but the only real scrubber in the line was for me Jeux de Peau, which had a note on me of cheap buttered” popcorn that sent me to the hills. Or the showers. with a scrub brush and good carbolic soap.
I thought the same about Arabie until I gave myself a healthy spritz at the behest of the SA at Barneys who made me wear it out of the store and in the heat. OMG as wonderful as it is in the chill of winter it absolutely gorgeous. Fille de Berlin is, I think, one of the most accessible of the SL line, but I still like it a lot.
I am sure you know the rest of my SL faves. Lord knows I go on about them enough..
Both you and Portia have the Arabie in the heat point. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.
Will have to have a go with Jeux de Peau just for the experience.
‘have made’, not ‘have’
I absolutely loathe Jeux de Peau! I am always shocked by how many love it.
Right? I wanted to chop off my arm and send it out to be dry-cleaned.
Same
LOVE Uncle Serge, although I’ve lost track of many/most of the new releases. My OG loves (besides FdB) are the weirdos Miel de Bois and Fleurs d’Oranger, plus a whole bunch of “likes”. I think I’ll put FdO on right now!
Miel de Bois … uh, no. I’m on the wrong side of that one. I recall you saying it was good on you. Perfume is unfathomable.
Hey Cinnamon,
LOVE SL and have a box of them from across the different eras. Some are way too precious and will never be opened. Did have a bunch of bell jars but after opening one and never using it because I’ll always head from something that spritzes, they all got sold off.
The ones I use most regularly are Five O’Clock Au Gingembre, Santal Majuscule (we get very different experiences with it), Le Participe Passé, Poivre Noire, and Des Clous Pour Une Pelure. Sometimes another will jump into my hand but these are the faves.
Let’s try and do Paris together.
Portia xx
You know, Portia, a number of these I’ve never heard of. Need to pay more attention when I peruse the Lutens site.
And need to try Gingembre again. I’m sure I did when it was released but no memory.
Ah, Paris, indeed. It will happen!
Cinnamon,
Great topic! The first Serge Lutens I loved and bought was a very atypical one from his line, not his normal style at all: Clair de Musc, which is an iris musk. It’s demure, ethereal, and totally not dried fruits or weirdness. I guess I missed the point completely. Next: Bas de Soie which is hyacinth and lovely spring floral. Finally I got braver and bought Fille en Aigulles, the piney, resinous walk in the forest one. But then I retreated back to the comfort of Iris with Iris Silver Mist, an incense iris beauty. I acquired Fleur d’Oranger mini as a gift in a perfume package swap. It’s pretty and a bit challenging with that cumin note. And a won a mini of L’Halaine des Dieux, a unisex amber with every note but the kitchen sink that I gifted to a perfume friend. I’m way behind the times — haven’t sniffed any of his new releases.
I remain sad Fleur d’Oranger doesn’t work on me. I like Fille en Aigulles for the apple and pine. Such an interesting combo.
Fille en Aiguilles is the only SL I own – I bought it on a trip to Paris many moons ago, when it wasn’t yet available in the US. I work in forestry-adjacent things so the pine resin is perfect for me.
I think my first Serge Lutens was either Arabie or Feminite du Bois and love both. I love Rose de Nuit but a bell jar isn’t in the cards due to the expense along with Iris Silver Mist. I have fallen in love with A la Nuit but that’s more of a spring/summer scent to me. I was fortunate enough to nab bottles of Sarrasins and De Profundis off of Ebay. I adore Sarrasins in all of it’s leather and jasmine glory and De Profundis in all of its strangest.
The breadth of Luton’s is wonderful. All kinds of different directions to go.
I am still mourning my empty spray bottle of Muscs Kublai Khan. The bell jar seems so impractical for someone who travels.
You can decant from the Belle Jar into a travel spray. Here, Muji has decent ones. I think the box also comes with pipettes.
Uncle Serge was the first niche house I went a bit gaga for. Ambre Sultan was my gateway bottle. I still have a 5ml mini with the very first label which I treasure.
The only Bois I enjoy is Feminite du Bois, plum in perfumery is a favourite note.
I do still own many SLs. My recentish Sarrasins was a disappointment, the leather had gone. It is currently maturing in a cold, dark drawer to see if time & a little oxygen will improve it.
I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of Santal Majescule & Fille de Berlin
Plum is lovely. And peach and apricot (Rose de Nuit).
I wonder what they did to Sarrasins — I mean, why remove leather?
Probably the Birch Tar Cinnamon.
It wasn’t available for years. I’m guessing one of the leather accord molecules became banned or the legal levels reduced to the point where the effect is lost. It’s now a very beautiful, jasmine soliflore. Not as skanky as A La Nuit or as mixed white flower as Dompteuse. I miss the complexity of the previous formula. If it is still hasn’t developed it may get moved on.
Interesting- I liked it when it came out but felt it went sort of flat on me. The opening was stunning: “A sigh in time”. The rest was nice but I wanted more.
My favourite Serge is still, I think, Iris Silver Mist although La Myrrhe is gorgeous too. Like you, I’m not too keen on the Bois series. I hoped Bois de Violette would grow on me as I’d heard such rave reviews about it, but sadly no. My first SL was Bois de Vanille which I still quite like but won’t bother to replace when my bottle runs out. Chergui I blow hot and cold about, like Boxeuses which I sometimes find too much. The final SL I own is Cèdre which for some reason I now like more than I used to.
Ah, ISM is one I can’t wear. Too cold (I have low body temp). I wish Chergui worked on me but something in there just pushes it the wrong direction.