Serge Lutens - Fleurs de Citronnier

I'm usually  a little nervous of any flower theme by Serge Lutens. His perfumes are big and bold, often oriental and last for hours. I love the smell of lemon blossom, a smell I can easily identify with, as I grew up with a lemon tree in my garden, and my association with this flower (and orange blossom for that matter) lies with late spring, when it is just starting to warm up sufficiently to realise that summer is just around the corner. However, I needn't have worried in this case - Fleurs de Citronnier is simply wonderful.

Fleurs de Citronnier has quite a simple construction and its notes consist of lemon blossom, neroli, tuberose and musk. However, simple is not necessarily inferior and this is a gorgeous, lush perfume, without ever being too floral and heady. It opens with an exquisite lemon and neroli top note; if I could bottle just this accord and have it last for ages, that would be a dream scent for me. Its a very realistic and refreshing accord, perfect for a spring day. It sweetens as the tuberose appears, but thankfully the citrus notes are strong enough to temper the usually heady control that tuberose usually exerts in a fragrance. I say thankfully, because as much as I admire tuberose, it is quite difficult for a man to pull it off when presented in exuberant concentrations. Its actually quite unisex for a tuberose fragrance and I felt as if I had no problem pulling this one off. The musk is a lovely addition to the fragrance, its presence preventing this from being too straightforward. In the late dry down this fragrance is all about the musk to me, and I'm almost certain its the same musk or musks that are used in Muscs Kublai Khan. I wouldn't say they are dirty necessarily, but they are voluptuous in a fleshy, skin-scent sort of way.

I'm actually blown away by Fleurs de Citronnier. I'm not sure I'd wear it in the colder seasons, although I could see the initiall blast of lemon and neroli being a good reminder that spring does exist, but I think it is perfect for late spring weather. This is a massive thumbs up for me and it comes highly recommended. Like all Serge Lutens fragrances, longevity is never a problem and it lasts for a good ten hours on my skin.