Serge Lutens Encens et Lavande

I'm on a bit of a Lutens bender, as you may have gathered, as I work my way through some of the non-export samples I got from The Perfumed Court recently.

Encens et Lavande was the one I was most doubtful I would like. It's a bit strange, because a few years ago I used to love the smell of lavender, and in fact I still do - the front path of our garden is lined with lavender that blooms magnificently in summer, scenting the air when it is hot and attracting lots of bees and bumblebees. I suppose for me the reason why lavender can be a bit off-putting in perfume (aside from the cliched old-granny associations) is that it can overpower and dominate, at the expense of other notes.

When I ordered this one, I was very interested in finding out how it compares to Gris Clair, another lavender perfume in Lutens' lineup and, funnily enough, the only full bottle in his line that I happen to own. Although I do like Gris Clair, the lavender note in it can become a bit overbearing and cloying at times, particularly in warmer weather. It is also a curious juxtaposition of warm and cold, sweet and herbal. Gris Clair is an austere scent, but in my opinion very well done. I can understand how it does have its detractors though.

The opening of Encens et Lavande left me feeling a bit dismayed. The lavender is strong, pungent and almost oily. It really does smell like you have just mangled the flowers and stems, letting the essential oil drip into a bottle, unadulterated. In a way, I do admire this, and is typical of Lutens ability to shock or jolt the senses, particularly in an opening. Just as I thought this was going to be a no-no for me, the incense seeps through into the composition, tempering the lavender and created a wonderful yin and yang of the resinous, pungent lavender, and a warmer, woodier, yet smoky incense. I haven't seen a lot of notes listed, but two additional ones mentioned are amber and clary sage. As the fragrance moves into its heart and dry down, the amber manages to sweeten the composition, but not too much, still allowing the more resinous incense and lavender to play against each other, while the sage adds a slight herbalness that manages to come across as aromatic rather than too green.

I read a review somewhere that said Gris Clair moves from light to dark, while Encens et Lavande does the opposite and ends up as a fairly warm and comforting scent. I would concur with the opinion. I wouldn't ever say that it ends up warm and fluffy, but it feels like one is enveloped in a warm, snug blanket, sat in front of a subsiding fire in winter, with a smell of slightly sweet herbs mingling with smoke from glowing embers , although I must stress that this is not really a smoky fragrance. 

Although I could and would wear this in warmer weather, I can really see myself wearing this mainly in the cooler months and I can't wait to try this over Christmas. It's a bit weird, but actually I would say this one veers towards masculine, if only because lavender is so often used in men's fragrances (which makes me wonder why lavender is then so often thought of as an old lady smell?).  Another winner from Lutens and I am so glad I've managed to sample this excellent perfume.

Image credit - http://fimgs.net/images/perfume/

Bleu de Chanel revisited

The best thing about Bleu de Chanel is its slick and sleek packaging and bottle. Millions was spent on the marketing campaign last year and by all accounts it has worked; this along with the juggernaut Chanel brand has catapulted Bleu de Chanel into the heady realm of one of the most successful and popular men's fragrances of the last twelve months.

Well, frankly, I clearly am not one of those who view Bleu de Chanel thus. When I wrote about it more than a year ago, I felt that it was a boring, generic and uninspired perfume. Twelve months on my opinion hasn't changed. I wore it again today and I can barely recall a single thing about it, other than it must be the most yawn-inducing dreck ever put out by Chanel. There's nothing bad about it, there's nothing good about it. It's telling that the only thing that stands out for me is the packaging. Although I've never cared much for Allure and its flankers, they are a damn sight better than Bleu de Chanel. If this is the way Chanel's mainstream perfumes are headed, I think I'm going to head in the opposite direction.

Image credit - http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/

Serge Lutens Santal de Mysore

It was with great glee that I recently opened one of my sample packages from The Perfumed Court and saw the little vial of Santal de Mysore. I was quite taken with the intensity of the appearance of the juice itself, which in a certain light is jewel-like and looks like it carries a punch, a bit like others in Lutens' stable, such as Fumerie Turque, Chergui, Ambre Sultan, etc. 

I've seen pictures of Santal de Mysore packaged in the standard-issue tall bottle, common to the export range and saw it listed on Luckyscent's website, so it leads me to believe that this has been available as a limited edition export at some point. Well, I certainly have never seen it here in the UK, but that's not to say it hasn't. In any event, the bell jar pictured above is so beautiful that I preferred to present this picture instead.

The opening of Santal de Mysore is a little strange. There is quite a hefty dose of sandalwood, but it is mingled with certain notes that are decidedly gourmand. I immediately got the connection with another, more recent Lutens creation, Jeux de Peau. I'm not saying the opening is identical, far from it. While Jeax de Peau smells very bread-and-pastry like, Mysore     is a more restrained version. Many reviews I've read of Mysore describe it as smelling like a sandalwood and curry pudding, or something to that effect. While cumin is listed in the notes, I honestly do not get any curry association with this perfume. I do get a gourmand feel to start, with a little spice, yes. But curry? No. 

The middle phase of Mysore is possibly my favourite part, when I detect a musky skin scent, ever so slightly dirty/sexy, that reminds me a little of Kurkdjian's Absolue Pour le Soir, mixed with a woody sandalwood and what I thought was a gorgeous incense note cutting through. The notes don't mention incense, but list styrax and benzoin, which I think might be lending this effect. 

In the dry down the perfume sweetens slightly and becomes milder, when I can most identify with the progression from Mysore to Santal Blanc to Jeux de Peau. Although these three perfumes were all released at very different times, they all share some lineage. Santal de Mysore is a perfume that has marvelous presence and longevity. I dabbed it from a vial and it wears very well that way, when it is warm and intimate, but still full of character. I suspect spraying from a bottle it could produce quite a lot of sillage. 

I haven't tried many Lutens non-exports, but Santal de Mysore is one of those perfumes that to me I almost knew from first spray I was going to like. I love it when I experience that thought-burst of "wow, this is amazing" and my senses go zing! That's a great sign for me that I have a new perfume love.

Incidentally, a few years ago I ordered the wax samples of the non-exports and I have to say that they give you very little of the true feel and smell of the actual perfume. After I had a shower, the faint smell left was closest to what the wax sample smelled like. I think Santal de Mysore would work equally well on man or woman.

Image credit - http://fimgs.net/images/perfume/

Weekend roundup

I haven't done one of these roundups in a while, not that anyone would miss it anyway, but still...

For what it's worth, a few new releases have made their way to my neck of the woods in the last month or so and while I haven't felt hugely compelled to write about these, I thought I would give a brief overview of my impressions of some the more mainstream releases of late.

Elie Saab Le Parfum - I can't remember much about it. I do recall a honey note, but it struck me as a very sweet perfume, full of musky undertones, but not particular compelling. Pass.

Calvin Klein Shock for Him - I've read some very favourable reviews of this one. Frankly, I don't get it. It smells generic and again, very sweet. Too sweet. Amber gone wrong. Pass.

Serge Lutens Vitriol d'oeillet - readers of my blog will know my love for the good uncle's perfumes. This is a strange one. I can't say it moves me. I also felt the same about Bas de Soie. Jeux de Peaux is the most interesting of his recent export releases, I think. Not quite a pass, but hovering on the fence. At least it doesn't smell like everything else out there.

Tom Ford Violet Blonde - I've only tried this one on paper. I haven't formed an opinion yet. It certainly smells decent. Time will tell. I need to try it on skin.

Diesel Loverdose - WTF. Pass already. Tacky, in capital, shiny, neon letters.

Prada Candy - Gorgeous bottle, must say. I'm not really sure of this one. It's not bad, but I just don't warm to Prada's perfumes. Candy still dries down to that weird incipid note that I get from all the Prada perfumes, masculine or feminine. I just don't like their house accord. Still, of the mainstream releases listed here it strikes me, with the Tom Ford, as the most decent of the  bunch.

I'm sure there are plenty more new releases out there, but these are the ones I've stumbled across. I can't say that I'm impressed generally. 

Ungaro III

Following on from my recent post on Ungaro I and II, I have also been sampling Ungaro III. Released in 1993, in short succession after I and II, Ungaro III has the distinction of being the only one of the triumvirate that is still in production and relatively easy to find.

Somewhat ironically, the only one still in production also happens to be, in my view, the least original of the three, and the one that seems most modern and 'in line' with other successful male perfume formulas of the 1990's. The notes include lavender, clary sage, rosewood, coriander, geranium, jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, patchouli, cedar, musk and moss. To be honest, these notes make Ungaro III appear a lot more complicated than it really is. On my skin this wears mostly as a slightly metallic, citrus scent for the duration. Mind you, it isn't a bad fragrance, but a case of been-there-done-that and I'm-sure-I've-smelled-this-before. If I were to compare it to a perfume, it reminds me a bit of Chanel's Egoiste Platinum. It's mostly about citrus, a hint of rose and cedar. 

I feel bad in a way being so neutral about Ungaro III. It is by no means a poor perfume, but it doesn't add anything new to my experience of perfume and is simply a decent, fairly predictable masculine almost-fougere. It certain smells a lot better than some of the dross out there at present, but I wouldn't go searching for a bottle. Now, if they would only bring back I and II....

Image credit - http://www.perfumecountry.com/

Ungaro I and II

So, my samples have arrived and today I tested Ungaro I and II. I'm guessing Ungaro doesn't get much attention, especially among the ladies. Look on Basenotes and there will be plenty of discussion about both of these, each of which is discontinued and very difficult to find, but this tends to be from a very male point of view.

Not surprisingly, both of these do tend to be more masculine and dating from 1991 and 1992 respectively, they feel a bit more eighties in style. Actually Ungaro I feels very eighties in some ways; II smells timeless to me. Getting a bit more specific, Ungaro I opens with quite a bit of lavender, probably my least favourite phase. Soon after it it develops into what I think is a fougere, but not as typical in style as some better known perfumes in this genre. It tends to be a bit woodier, with hints of rose and leather. I really like Ungaro I. It isn't a particularly loud perfume and in a way smells a bit like what I thought Domenico Caraceni would smell like, for some reason, but never did. It is also slightly herbal, with a touch of earthy patchouli, but well blended. 

Ungaro II reminds me in style very much of Guerlain, in particular Jicky meets Mouchoir de Monsieur meets Shalimar. There is also something about it that evokes Di Nicolai's New York, but luckily for me doesn't make me feel ill (I know New York has its avid fans, but it brings me to the edge of nausea, quite literally, and I've never been able to explain why). Ungaro II is essentially a blend of lavender, lemon/citrus, civet and vanilla. It smells great too, but I don't have much more to say about it because if you've smelled the Guerlains in particular, you will have a pretty good idea of what Ungaro II is like. Having said that, it is a very good fragrance and I like it.

The question I'm left asking is why were I and II discontinued? They are lovely fragrances, ever so slightly quirky and superior to some of the dross Ungaro has released since. After 1991 and 1992 came the marine wave, the obsession with clean and fresh. In a way I can see that poor  Ungaro I and II had little chance. Still, given the choice, were I able to get my hands on a bottle, I know which perfume I would go for.

Image credit - http://www.basenotes.net/

Hooray, some samples at last

After a crappy Monday, I got home to discover that some of my samples from the Perfumed Court have arrived. I've been waiting with bated breath, so now I can't wait to try some Uncle Serge, Ungaro and some oud from Ajmal! Hopefully I'll find the time to actually blog about these for a change...