Sunday, January 24, 2010

L'Eau par Serge Lutens: fragrance review & a draw

I was wondering when next there would be some blogosphere ruffle about a release which creates chasms of opinion, has Turania pan it mercilessly because it doesn't exactly follow the "grand manner"* and creates queues at online decanters to sample it to satisfy the most aimed-at attribute of them all: curiosity! Serge Lutens doesn't miss a beat: With L'Eau Serge Lutens he presents a completely atypical composition ~clean, iron-pressed, steaming like the hot towels infused with citrusy accents presented at luxury hotels for guests to freshen up before diving to the house-warming basket of delicacies.
And he will certainly have everyone wondering how and why he chose this path. Some will put it down to artistic decisions after exhausting the theme of balsams, cedar, cumin and dried fruits, which Serge has indeed culminated into an apotheosis. It could be; great artists are those who abandon la manière (and please note how Gris Clair, Clair de Musc, Iris Silver Mist and Encens et Lavande are essentially none of those things). Some others will venture this is a move to corner the emerging China market. However it is reported that the real turnover on luxury products in China accounts for the household name brands (Cartier, Chanel, Hermès etc). Nah...Others still will put it down to the industry being restricted right and left because of IFRA; if one is only allowed to play with a diminished palette they might as well be insolent and do a 180degree turn!

Whatever it is, Serge Lutens presents L'Eau Serge Lutens, "L'Anti-Parfum": "le savon le plus cher du monde" (i.e.the world's most expensive soap), that is to say a perfumer's idea of "clean", conceived alongside his long-time collaborator Chris Sheldrake. The new fragrance, which I got as a preview and have been testing this past weekend fascinated by its surprising yet familiar feel, is not an eau de cologne version, certainly not an aquatic, nor a light skin-like oriental in the manner of Clair de Musc. L'Eau Serge Lutens is almost mineral-like, in the manner that Eau de Gentiane Blanche is like white volcanic dust on a cool morning, and it would make me feel that the convergence of Mars and the dark side of the Moon ~two diametrically different artists~ has finally happened.
Yet the feel compared to the Hermès cologne is different: a little less bitter in the opening, a hint of bleach even, a little sweeter overall while still a quite bitter "clean". It's like a silvery white book on a shelf, all cool glossy pages, bookended on one side by citrus (the tinge of a little grapefruit, some of the nitrile in Sécrétions Magnifiques too; Quest's Marenil molecule it seems? but good God don't stop reading yet!) and on the other end by musks. There is kinship** with Essence by Narciso Rodriguez as well as Perfect Veil by Creative Scentualisation to give you an idea, but it manages to be neither's replica and to stand on its own feet, more aloof, more Chinese dry-cleaner's white shirt than either.
I bet it will infuriate those who expect opulent baroque from Lutens by default and it will be shunned by neo-bourgeois as well as those who insist on "smelling pretty". L'Eau Serge Lutens is handsome ~and perfectly unisex~ in its austere cleanliness, but pretty it is not. The lasting power is phenomenal, especially on fabric, where the facets of bitter and "nautical" are more evident.

But if papa Serge maintains cleanliness is the new ideal, is "cleanliness next to godliness" or is that only a Protestant concept?
The avant-garde painter Francis Picabia (1879-1953) had interestingly proclaimed between 1912-1920 that "la propreté est le luxe du pauvre: soyez sale!" (i.e. "cleanliness is the luxury of the poor: be dirty!") Certainly with the increasing commodities in plumbing and indoors water supply, the urban lower classes ~ for centuries destined to live among filth~ suddenly had access to the elements of hugiene, equating them in outer appearence at least to the upper classes. This elitist stance by Picabia was echoing in my ears as I read the new promo material by Lutens in which "cleanliness is the new luxury": Could it be that Serge is having a good laugh on us all? It wouldn't be the first time he employs a healthy dose of humour in his opus (see Fille en Aiguilles, Tubereuse Criminelle, Mandarine Mandarin...) Personally, it's that wry humour which I most appreciate in his work, regardless of whether I wear them all.

*Well, we saw what happens to new releases following the grand manner: they get discontinued!

**One of the ingredients is Tris (tetramethylhydroxypiperidinol) Citrate, a widely used Ph adjuster and "buffer" which extends the life and aroma of deodorants, after shaves and eaux de toilette. I suppose this is part of the familiarity too.

The new L'Eau Serge Lutens is embottled in a longer, even more architectural flacon which reminds me of the first cosmetic preparations by Shiseido and Eudermine, the beautifying lotion-cum-aromatic in the long red bottle.
L'Eau Serge Lutens is part of the export line and will be available in Europe from February 1st at the boutiques selling Lutens scents and from February 15th also online. Release for American stores is scheduled for March.

For those of you who simply can't wait, I have a sample for a lucky reader. State your interest in the comments! Draw is now closed, winner announced shortly!

In the interests of full disclosure I got sent a small sample as part of the communication by Les Salons which I am offering for the draw.

Painting Girl in the Bathtub by Everett Shinn (1903). Lutens portrait via press material

101 comments:

  1. Oh, yes please. :) I'm very interested (and I'm sure there will be many more after me). It really makes me wonder what it smells like, especially after getting used to and loving quite a lot of SL creations.

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  2. Well, you've certainly made me curious, E. I have yet to encounter a Lutens creation that I could love wholeheartedly, and I doubt this one would break that record--but it does sound very engaging. I would love to find an austere scent that spoke to me. I'm eager to see how this one is received.

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  3. Moi, moi, mooooi! S'il vous plait (with a cherry on top). Oh this has got to be tested (par moi, bien sur)!
    Mwah :-)

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  4. You wrote "state your interest" in the post. I am interested in the sample because: I am now fascinated, as you've written the only review that hasn't panned this fragrance out of hand (or so it seems). But, I'm always intrigued by anything Lutens does. You've only caused me to become more intrigued, and I've been dying to try Lutens' take on "clean."

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  5. Wow you are so lucky to have a sample- and I really enjoyed your review, especially as this doesn't sound like an easy scent to write about at all. I am quite fascinated actually. I love clean smells but not necessarily to smell of them myself- though at times it can make a lovely change I suppose. The idea of a clean but not pretty smell is interesting though.

    As for the reason, well perhaps it was an excercise in the exact opposite or something? The water to his normal fire- the white to his normal black?

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  6. and yes please enter me in the draw!

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  7. I would love to be entered! Thank you!

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  8. Ines,

    any new Lutens has the potential to have tongues wagging and talking and then talking some more. I guess it goes with the terriotory. This is nothing like a typical Lutens, nothing!

    You're in!

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  9. M,

    it's very peculiar, and me who is a dedicated Lutens fan have trouble accustoming myself to this. Yet there is certainly some reason behind this all, which is fun to ponder on. I doubt it would make you fall in love, but it's an interesting move towards a demographic and a tendency which up till now was unexplored by the Lutensian clientele. The way I see it, there is a definite new wave of "clean" aoart from the aquatics, we have ample proof of that thus far.

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  10. Hello Dusan! How are you?

    Of course I am including you, I know you have a keen interest in anything Lutens. It seems this one will have the perfume community amok with discussion upon discussion: it's a Sphinx!

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  11. Julie,

    thank you for your comment and explaining your intrigue, I'm flattered.
    Well, I don't like to pan anything, although sometimes I'm sorely tried (Cacharel's Scarlet anyone?). I try to justify the reasons behind anything that isn't obviously just a cutting corners on the budget and the ideas. SL and Shiseido are very careful about their brand, they wouldn't just issue something just to issue something. Therefore, there needs to be some thought process into analysing. It's different than anything Lutens so far, that's for sure. ;-)

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  12. Oh and you're included!

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  13. PhinClio15:59

    Please enter me in the draw!

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  14. K,

    no, it certainly wasn't an easy review to write about. Some fragrances have such a bombastic presence or provide such visceral reactions that reviews almost write themselves. This one is apocryphal and in fact makes me still wonder what it is that gives me this impression of almost bleach-like effect. It's very weird!

    You're in!

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  15. Bloody Frida,

    best of luck!

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  16. Phin Clio,

    good luck, you're in!

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  17. This sounds divine. I would love a sample. I've been hoping Serge would give his tried-and-true a rest, and how he has I am extremely excited. Thank you!

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  18. Me, too, please! I frequently crave soapy musk + citrus (e.g. Glow, China Rain). Intrigued by the juxtaposition of citrus/bitter/sweet musk. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz used to make a "Clean Musk" scent with grapefruit and citronella--sweet laundry soap with a bitter citrus edge. Also reminded of Bulgari au the Blanc, musky-sweet, oddly yet pleasingly metallic, with bitter-herbal notes. I wonder which cheap drugstore product reviewers will compare it to (e.g. Dial Soap, Mennen Speed Stick)?
    --Amy aka Elfriede

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  19. S,

    well, it's an oddball, don't want to have your expectations too high. But it's certainly not what we expected, which makes it...interesting!

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  20. Anonymous16:51

    I would like a sample.

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  21. I'd love to give it a sniff :)
    I really enjoy experiencing and wearing a range of fragrances, and a fragrance like this could certainly find a well loved place in my small collection. And it's good to read a review of this which isn't sorely disappointed/unhappy/bored by the fragrance.

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  22. Hello Amy,

    thanks so much for stopping by, so nice to "see" you here. :-)

    I certainly am one who sees the appeal of soapy musk (and citrus too) and am fascinated by your comments. I really like some of the DSH musks too (more to follow!)
    This one sounds like neither, though (I know the Bulgari, but not that specific DSH): it has a tinge of bleach, coupled with the musks. It's weird and unusual.
    I'm very much interested (and will be entertained) by the comparisons/comments on it! Luckily I am not familiar with Dial or Mennen but would seek them out just to compare, if need be.

    You're included, best of luck!

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  23. Lulu,

    of course a pleasure to include you!

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  24. Prox,

    I don't believe in panning without testing, and as far as I know this is the first review "review" in the English speaking blogosphere. So if they were dismissive/bored/whatever without sampling, imagine what's in store for later, LOL!!
    It's a little odd and not a masterpiece, still it has its interests, so sample-worthy. It's a SL after all...;-)

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  25. Hooray for weird and unusual! Especially when combined with the familiar and homely.

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  26. Datura,

    my pleasure, good luck!

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  27. Amy,

    LOL, did I just contradict myself? I think I did!!! ROTFLMAO!!!
    Well, goes to show you, I'm equally baffled. It would be interesting to hear it from Serge himself, as to why and how. :-)

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  28. Your review described it as "surprising yet familiar." Which is ot a contradiction--it can be both!

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  29. phew.....

    *morale boosted now*

    :-)

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  30. I'd love a sample - in the hope of finding a Lutens I could love wholeheartedly and unreservedly.

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  31. Dolly Dagger17:58

    I'm always interested in all things Lutens. Please add me to the drawing.

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  32. Hello, E. Very intriguing! Please enter me in the draw! (and forgive me for being out of touch for so long!)

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  33. I am very intrigued! Would love to try this!

    And fabulous review E :-)

    ~Trish

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  34. Anonymous18:58

    Dear E,

    I would love to be entered in the draw for a sample. Never smelled a fragrance that aimed for the pressed shirt smell so this sounds new and different, unless you work at the aforementioned Chinese laundry.

    Natalia

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  35. Joanna,

    what you're saying is certainly valid and I know lots of people have this desire. You're included!

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  36. Natalie,

    the "at least he's never boring!" rationale has long been my own POV on several occasions and fandoms! Glad we touch base with this. It's like Nietzsche's Ecce Homo a bit: You know it errs ever so vividly to madness sometimes, but you can't but admit the brilliance too!
    Good luck!

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  37. DD,

    they do present a fascinating draw, don't they? You're in!

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  38. Jarvis,

    hello there! Glad to see you back, was wondering what happened to you. I would be happy to hear of your news if you care. :-)

    Reverting to our issue, yes, it's something completely unexpected from Lutens and I can mentally see the eyebrows raised right and left. I tend to interpret his ad copy/press releases as Wahnbriefe (as referenced above), but it seems like there is some degree of it in the actual scent as well. Ah, let's not predispose you, you will sample it and see what you think!

    Good luck!

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  39. Trish,

    thank you! Hope you're well :-)You're certainly in. It's...peculiar.

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  40. Natalia,

    yeah, a very salient point about the workers in the laundry ;)

    There's a bitter edge which is unusual for clean musk/dryer sheet scents and which is oddly interesting. I don't recall if you liked those scents?

    Good Luck!

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  41. Hi, I got a sample of this in the post today. I get a strong iris feel combined with that mysterious musky thing going on in Mugler's cologne. Smells like a heavily steamed crisp clean sea island cotton shirt. Very bright and very long lasting. Still going after 9 hours. I will never have to wash again!!

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  42. Well, of course I am interested, but don't put me in the draw, I expect I'll get my hands on it sooner or later! I can't remember, did you smell the Maison Francis Kurkdjian scents? Is this anything like any of those? (The universal water, and I think there was a cologne-y one?) This doesn't sound very cologne-ish.

    I retried Essence, coincidentally, the other day, and liked it much more than the first time, I'm not sure why...

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  43. Rappleyea23:10

    Mainly stopping by to say hi and to let you know I'm reading even if I don't comment.

    This sounds positively dreadful and I resent feeling that he is goofing on us! Laughing all the way to the bank at the expense of his perfume fans who will buy whatever he churns out with his chemistry set.

    Hmm...I might be a tad grouchy.

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  44. I do feel like 'opulent baroque' is one of the clearest way to describe a lot of Serge Lutens line, taking into account the odd deviation like Clair de Musc (which I love). I am very excited for the house's interpretation of an 'anti-scent'. Thanks for the review! I'd love a sample, so of course I'd like to be included in the raffle.

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  45. You got me with "mineral" and "bitter clean", now I really got to test this! Clean is not unsually my cup of tea, I'm on the dirty leather side but if l'eau SL has the same effect with clean that Iris silver Mist with cold, I'll go for it in extasy.

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  46. Fernando00:19

    Who can resist the offer of a sample of the new Lutens? I hope I win!

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  47. I'd love to try it!

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  48. Chris G03:21

    I know so little about Lutens fragrances - please enter me in the draw. Thanks!

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  49. Sign me up for some perfumer's soap...

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  50. Roberto C.04:36

    please enter my name in the draw! I'd love to try this new Lutens!!!

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  51. Sonia Garcia04:37

    I love serge lutens! and I simply can't wait to try this one!!! please, please enter my name in the draw.

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  52. Would love to try this, please enter me in the sample draw, thanks!

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  53. maria08:49

    Sl is a truly love of mine. But about thos one I am CONCERNED! I try to get through your lines here. You don't seem excited nor dissapointed and I'm wandering if this is a reaction for a SL smell. I'm very curious.
    Please enter me in the draw.

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  54. Lately I feel like running out of wearable scents (interesting - there are millions) so I would be very happy to sniff it. Might sleep better then ;-)

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  55. Stephen,

    I agree with your smart assesment, it's exceptionally lasting, especially for something so "light" in feel. Steamed cotton shirt is a perfect way of describing. A little bleach left on the fabric in there too, perhaps. I hadn't thought to compare with the Mygler Cologne, but now I want to: I consider the latter a great example of modern "clean" so it needs a side-by-side comparison, great idea!

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  56. Hello March!

    This Eau is definitely not Cologne-ish, nothing like it. And there's no orange blossom abstraction like the AU from FK, at least from the little I know of it. (I would probably need to resniff or get a decant for reference's sake)
    This SL is rather strange, I get a bleachy-bitterness like the one in Secretions Magnifiques along with the citrus (very characteristic, like those warm towels they give after meals), then it's all metallic musks and some undefineable rooty-iris-abstract thing. I expect it will have people shouting off the rooftops how it's betraying the SL vision, how it's nothing much, how it's completely surprising from such a brand etc etc. Then again it's clearly stated as an "anti-parfum", right? ;-)
    I am looking forward to what you will think when you try it out.
    Essence in comparison is warmer and a little sweeter.

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  57. Are you kidding? I am just dying to try this!

    I recently fell in love with Un Bois Vanille, and I really liked the artistic concepts in Gentiane Blanche. So I'm interested to see how the guy behind UBV interprets those same concepts from GB. (BTW, your description of it is dead on)

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  58. D,

    thanks for commenting even if you're doing it to show me how loyal you are :-))

    I think it wouldn't be your style at all. But I honestly don't think he's doing it to cash out, because otherwise they wouldn't send around preview samples which might have their customers offput, anyway, wouldn't they? (I assume more would try out of curiosity if unsampled).
    In a way I can totally see how he's probably fed up with this whole "perfumery as statement" trend (I am too and I'm not as immersed as he is in it) and is going against the grain. He always has had, so why not now? I choose to see it through that prism, at least.

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  59. Pros,

    thanks, I guess most of the line being Arabic inspired is indeed rather...lush and deep and dramatic.
    Interestingly, this is exactly what touted out to be: an anti-scent! So we can't complain we were warned, can we.

    You're of course included, good luck!

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  60. Anatole,

    glad I created interest, then! :-) Indeed ISM is very cool (the very name translated in odour so well!) and this is bitter clean with some elements of ISM too, so I wouldn't be surprised if you came to like it despite your usual tendency.

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  61. Fernando,

    true! Good luck!!

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  62. Chris,

    hope you win then! And do try the line if you can, it's very worth sampling. It was/is pioneering.

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  63. Womo's,

    thanks for stopping by, one perfumer's soap coming up! :-)
    Good luck!

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  64. Roberto,

    of course, hope you win!

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  65. Sonia,

    be prepared for it to be completely different than most. You're in, best of luck!

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  66. Mikael,

    of course I'm including you. Thanks for stopping by!

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  67. Maria,

    valid observation and point, indeed let me clarify. I am not surprised/disappointed because I had read very carefully the press copy beforehand and had thought about it in some depth, so I had an idea in my head; on the other hand it's not the SL I would choose if I were to be stranded on a desert island and had to pick only one, if you know what I mean. Still, it presents interest because it's such an "anti" statement.
    Hope you win so you try it out yourself and see what the fuss is about. :-)

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  68. Andreea,

    interesting dead end! I should think it would be more difficult to find something really fascinating. But I see where you're coming from and if I can help with a sample of this...hope you win!

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  69. Gator Grad,

    thanks for your nice compliment on the GB for starters and indeed if you're thinking along those lines I bet you will be scratching your head for days to come up with a conclusion on this one and who could blame you? If hard-pressed I doubt anyone who knows both fragrances would peg them out to be penned by the same two pairs of hands (Sheldrake is not one who goes for very light, ethereal scents either.)
    The staying power and projection/radiance is so surprising in L'Eau: the thing practically radiates white light!

    Of course I am including you, it would be torture not to, after all the above ;-)

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  70. Hi, E. If it's not too late, would you include my name in the drawing too? On the one hand, I'm pretty sure this scent is not my kind of thing, but on the other, you've got me intrigued by that description, "like white volcanic dust on a cool morning." :-)

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  71. Anonymous13:48

    Lovely review and I cannot wait to smell this. Please do put my name in for the draw.

    Dagney

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  72. Sure I want to try, add me to the draw.
    I think this won't be my cup of tea but... well.
    (the best smell of cleanlines I've bumped into is Bois de Santal by Keiko Mecheri but I'm going through a woody period these days...)

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  73. Well, I'm certainly curious! Thanks for the review and please enter me in the draw.

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  74. Anonymous15:57

    Hm, sounds interesting, especially coming from Lutens. Gris Clair and Encens et Lavande are my two faves from the line, so it might just be right up my alley (and what's more, a Lutens that's appropriate for the office!). Please enter me in the draw.

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  75. Suzanne,

    of course I'm putting your name in the hat!

    Careful, I used that descriptor for the Eau de Gentiane Blanche. This is similar, but not exactly the same: the citrus is a little more prominent (on fabric especially) and the feel is a little less bitter.
    Worth sampling though!;-)

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  76. Dagney,

    thanks for the kind words. You're in, hope you win!

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  77. Liisa,

    hi darling, how are you? Nice to see you!! :-)

    You think eh? Now I'm getting a yearning for the KM! LOL
    It's certainly sharper than anything sandalwood. I peg sandalwood as "creamy" most of the time. Woodies can be very nice, especially for this time of the year.

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  78. Abyss,

    you're welcome and thanks for stopping by!
    Included you, it's an odd one so I hope the sample serves a purpose to whoever wins it.

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  79. A,

    yup! If it weren't coming from SL I doubt we would be so immersed in discussion about its goals, orientation, statement etc, LOL. But we know he's a stickler for perfection and we know how he likes to present something different than all the others, so...

    You're in, it would be lovely to find an office-apropriate Lutens, although I can't see why your two choices mentioned can't be carried there! Mmmm, they would be very nice!
    Have you ever tried wearing them in the office?

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  80. No need to add me, E. My sample awaited me after 4 days away from home. White light is right. Goodness me, for an anti-perfume, this stuff sure has a lot of poke.

    Strikes me the same way as white often does in flowers - something staring/glaring about it, and I can't yet work out if that's attractive or not. The potency is such that I keep attempting to metaphorically look away, but its kick pulls me back in...

    For a moment, I think it's like a smooth white ceramic on a stone surface, and then something jagged breaks up that ease. I'm discombobulated.

    And floundering. It's odd and conventional. But most of all, it's nuclear! and it reminds me of something ... just at this moment... out of reach...

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  81. I hope I'm not to late to enter....i would adore being included in the draw, and adore winning even more! I need some olfactory clarity and with all the heavy scents I've adorned lately. Thank you!

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  82. I always appreciate Serge, but hardly ever wear him -- wouldn't it be funny if I wanted to wear this one? And I'm not a "clean" scent girl, but love of Perfumery is always full of surprises, count me in! If not, I'll sniff in Paris in June ; ) XXX

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  83. Thanks for your wise response, E., and after a much better day, I'm sure you're probably right. :-)

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  84. Anonymous01:29

    ooh, hope i'm not too late. i would love to sniff this! i still have faith in lutens and sheldrake doing something interesting!

    minette

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  85. Nikki F04:20

    Love these columns, thanks for your review! I like so much of Lutens' line, but find some of the best-regarded end up turning a little "old-fashioned" on my skin (too much like dried fruits and flowers), so I'm excited to see something this different coming from him. Until I smell otherwise, I give him the benefit of the doubt -- also, I totally trust Chris Sheldrake! (Borneo, perhaps counterintuitively, already is my antidote to the embalmed world).

    Please enter me in the drawing if I'm not too late.

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  86. If it's not too late, please enter me in the draw.

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  87. Lee,

    darling, good to see you, hope you're fine! (and how's the canine life?) :-)

    Your impression is identical to mine, it seems. White nuclear light or ceramic radiating from nuclear activity is about right! (like the thermoradiation technique we use in archaeology for chronologising, sort of).
    Discombubulating is also right, we're a little stumped. He warned us, didn't he? It's odd though as none of the others have this vibe. I wonder whether we would be discussing it so much if it weren't a SL. :P

    The strength of projection reminds me of White Linen, although I wouldn't peg this one as completely soapy. It has a weird bleach note, which disappears on the skin though ~but is very evident on fabric and paper, did you think so too??

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  88. LTSs,

    you're included, I really hope you win and like it. I can definitely see people confused about it, that's for sure!

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  89. Wendy,

    probably not your "style", but I very well know what you mean. One HAS to try! I am including you, of course. Good luck!

    Hugs! :-) (and what a lovely time to visit Paris!)

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  90. D,

    any time, honey, any time. I never know if I am correct with those "business" guesses, I just go with logical assumptions. And "when one has eliminated the impossible, what remains must be the truth"

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  91. Minette,

    never too late :-)
    Let's see what you think, if you win! Good luck to you.

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  92. Nikki,

    thank you very much for saying so and for visiting and commenting!
    Yeah, I can see how someone who finds a big part of the line too heavy or too orientalised would yearn for something different. This is SO different that it will create discussion for sure. Good luck!

    (btw, Borneo is the perfect antidote to the embalmed world, so uncanningly wondrous in its caphor and chocolate edges! Great choice!!)

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  93. Nicrobliz,

    sure, you're included! Thanks for commenting.

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  94. I'd certainly love to be in your draw if it's still open. This could be interesting, and I have to admit I love Gentiane Blanche, so a take in a different direction is intriguing.

    To follow up your last comment, I'm very much in love with Borneo!

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  95. If the drawing is still open, I'd be interested in trying the new Lutens, because I want to try all of them--but this one makes me nervous, because it sounds like so many other scents out there, and that's something that Lutens has never done. I hope that this isn't a sign of things to come. I hope even more that L'Eau Serge Lutens is really good.

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  96. Alexp14:27

    Pleeease enter me into the drawing just to dry my tears after reading of the discontinuations of some beloved SL!

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  97. Joe,

    it's still open, so great timing. :-)
    I do love Gentiane Blanche as well. I'm not sure whether this starched clothes (EdSL) is as pleasant as the cool white rocks (EdGB), but it's worth deciding for yourself. It's definitely something SL has never done before!

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  98. R,

    it's very atypical. So atypical that I am sure the Internet will be ablaze when it launches! ;-)
    In the meantime, you're included!

    ReplyDelete
  99. A,

    of course, best of luck! (I know how you feel....)

    ReplyDelete

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