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Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan Eau de Parfum
by lillamarta
Launched: 2000
Group: Oriental
INTRODUCTION
After having reviewed a few generic and mainstream fragrances that were quite off the mark of what I expect to be great perfumery I had a craving for something genuine, solid and unpretentious so I picked up my my third and last Serge Lutens miniature (the other two ... are Chergui and Arabia) unreviewed so far
THE PACKAGING
Niche lines often use the same packaging for all their editions, this is no:different with Serge Lutens creations: The smaller, 50ml perfumes come in sleek, tall, rectangular bottles that have a simple, practical, yet elegant and stylish look to them. The liquid is a lovely, luminous amber colour naturally representing the scent within.
THE FRAGRANCE
Top notes: coriander, bay leaf, oregano, myrtle
After a dab on my wrists I'm instantly hit with bitter, boozy amber mixed with a liqueur-like sweetness that's spiked with a somewhat sharp, peppery or ginger-like seasoning. Imagine sniffing a lovely bourbon with nuances of vanilla and pungent spices that also has a sublte darkness to it; a prelude to what is to come next.
Heart notes: patchouli, myrrh, resins
About 15 minutes later Ambre Sultan turns sweeter, creamier and even spicier than before. Although not listed, my nose discerns cinnamon (the styrax used in the amber accord perhaps) and also stewed prunes (a facet of labdanum used in the amber) together with vanilla sugar and dry, nose tickling powdery patchouli reminiscent of Christian La-croix's C'est la fete Patchouli.
The patchouli here is a lot darker and smokier than in any perfume I have encountered before and that is because it's combined with dry, dark, woodsy, spicy and resinous notes giving an intense insensy feel as a result. The final accord is reminiscent of the smoky, gummy insense you get in churches or in eastern perfumes only softened by the presence of sweet dried fruity nuances and vanilla. Dramatic and gorgeous!,
Base notes: sandalwood, benzoin, vanilla, amber
With the hours going by and the insense, patchouli and spicy aspects having largely evaporated, the composition settled as a soft,vanillic woody scent with the emphasis on woods and sandalwood in particular resting on a bed of amber. The distant whisper of cedar, vanilla and sandalwood coupled with a light and subtle undertone of amber acted as a natural fixative lasted more than 8 - 10 hours on me. The current warm weather was possibly responsible for the quicker evaporation time: however the fragrance did stay on my clothes where it gave off a light sillage I could perceive well after 12 hours of wear.
CONCLUSION
Designed to showcase a single amber note using multiple ingredients and complex blending, Ambre Sultan is a lovely piece of perfumery in the oriental category. Refined yet bold, it has a style on its own amongst amber scents. It is elegant, rich and versatile - if somewhat linear - with a heart that tends to evoke the richness and depth of Middle Eastern attar-type fragrances. The relatively thin structure of the base and the transparent drydown however mark a definite difference and put Ambre Sultan more in line with contemporary niche fragrances.
Following the gourmand trend of the 2000s, Ambre Sultan is sweet and vanillic whilst being rich, spicy and woody drawing on many of the most exquisite oriental ingredients including its namesake amber. I recommend Ambre Sultan despite the steep price tag as only a tiny spray suffices for a day's wear. Suitable for men and women who love rich and complex orientals and especially ambers to be worn - as its sillage is moderate - in the daytime or evening summer and winter alike. To sum up, a versatile, lovely, well-worked amber all year round.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
UK department stores (House of Fraser, Selfridges, Liberty, Harrods) stock it however prices can vary con-siderably from £69 to £102/ 50ml Eau de Parfum. The same range of prices apply online on Amazon so the best bet would be to try winning a bid on eBay.
Thank you for reading.
©powered by lillybee also posted on ciao.co.uk
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Serge Lutens Vitriol D'Oeillet Eau de Parfum
by pink_glitter
I recently received two Serge Lutens perfume samples, from Glossybox if I recall rightly. The first one I tried was L'Eau which is a very simple scent yet absolutely gorgeous and I think I fell in love with it just a little bit, so I was really looking forward to trying the other Serge Lutens scent I received, Vitriol ... d'oeillet.
I do not have the full sized product, only a small sample spray but I will touch briefly on the packaging. The full sized bottle is very plain and simple being tall and rectangular with a rounded lid. As far as I can tell the majority of Serge Lutens bottles are all the same aside from the labels and perhaps the colour of the fragrance inside. I am not quite sure what I think of this idea, as on the one hand it hopefully makes the bottle be easily identifiable as a Serge Lutens scent, but on the other hand I do think the packaging lacks personality and wouldn't stand out to me on a shelf.
When the fragrance is first sprayed, I am hit by a very spicy scent combined with a sharpness that smells a lot like patchouli. The spiciness is pleasant with a cinnamon aroma coming through strongly. I am not a fan of spicy scents, they tend to be a little too masculine for my tastes, but this one wasn't too bad on that score. That said, to some degree I do think it would be more suited to a home fragrancing product than a perfume.
As the scent settles on my skin, the patchouli tone fades the unmistakable aroma of nutmeg lingers. I can't recall ever using a perfume with nutmeg in it, and it does seem a strange choice. I love the smell of nutmeg when baking but do I want to smell like it? I'm not so sure...
The spicy aroma lingers on my skin for some time and the cinnamon/nutmeg mix never really seems to fade. Apparently having now looked at the fragrance notes, this scent also includes pink pepper, clove, black pepper and paprika -all very spicy. Cinnamon doesn't get a mention, although I still maintain that it smells like cinnamon to me!
The staying power of the scent is quite good - it's one of those you can smell on your skin when you're wearing it - and if I apply in the morning, the scent is still lingering there mid-late afternoon.
I'd definitely describe this as a winter scent. It reminds me of Christmas and I guess that would be the ideal time to wear it. Now that we're heading towards spring, I am favouring a lighter scent and this is a bit too heavy and too spicy for the warmer weather. I'd also say that it is a daytime scent rather than an evening one. In the evenings I prefer something a little more special, especially if I'm going out - this in my opinion does not fall into the category of special, it's quite a boring scent.
Age range for this scent is a difficult question to answer. Teens will probably prefer something lighter, but anyone older with a love of spicy scents may appreciate it.
The only place I can find this scent online is House of Fraser and I have never seen it in the shops. They are charging a ridiculous £73 for 50ml (down from £78!). I do think that's way overpriced, I would expect the fragrance to be exceptional for that, which I don't think it is.
Overall, this is an OK fragrance, but not really 'me'. I don't like spicy fragrances to begin with, so it didn't have much of a chance in fairness, but it hasn't won me over. I'm sure if they made it into a candle or air freshener it would sell well, but I don't think the scent suits being a perfume (if that makes sense!) and so I would not recommend it.
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Serge Lutens L'Eau Eau de Parfum
by pink_glitter
I received a couple of sample vials of Serge Lutens perfumes around three or four months ago. I will hold my hands up and say that I had not heard of the brand at the time although I have since seen the name pop up a few times.
Serge Lutens is a French perfumier who has worked for Vogue, Christian Dior and Shiseido in his ... time. He now concentrates on his own perfume line and over the years he has notched up in excess of fifty scents.
One of the samples I received, and the first I was to try, was the L'Eau eau de parfum. Marketed as being a simple, clean scent, it really appealed to me and I hoped it would be one that I could spritz throughout the day, whether it be to the office, to lunch or out shopping/with friends.
As I simply have a small vial of this, I will not dwell on the bottle too much, although I feel it deserves a mention. The bottle is very plain and simple, which at first I thought was to reflect the scent inside. Having looked into it however, it seems that the majority of Serge Lutens scents are packaged in very similar bottles - tall and rectangular plain glass with a rounded lid. Whilst I can understand that this makes the bottles instantly recognisable as the Serge Lutens brand, I personally would prefer a bit of variety and tend to go for the more flamboyant or pretty designs when looking at perfume.
The official description of the scent is as follows: 'Get some clarity with this uncharacteristically floaty fragrance. Light as snow, clean as fresh laundry and optimistic as an endless blue sky, this scent is like breath of fresh air.' I actually thought that sounded rather lovely and couldn't wait to try it out.
I had to look up the notes of L'Eau online which was harder than anticipated. I found the following list of notes, however I am not sure in which order they are meant to appear, so I am just giving you purely my opinion on what I can smell in this scent.
Notes: Aldehydes, citrus, magnolia, white mint, clary sage, ozonic notes, musk.
When I first sprayed this, I was surprised at just how light it was. I had of course expected it to be light, but this was so light it was barely there. I would only usually apply one spritz of a perfume to my wrist, but felt two or three were required with this particular fragrance, as otherwise it was so light I didn't notice it.
Despite being so light, the fragrance is undeniably pleasant. It does indeed smell very clean, very fresh and initially there is a light, white floral scent that comes across, which I can only imagine to be the magnolia - although to some degree it also reminds me of lily.
This floral seems to fade rather quickly, to reveal crisp heart notes, which again are very fresh but rather than being floral, the scent smells quite soapy. What I was actually reminded of here, is those little tablets of white soap you tend to get in posh hotels, which smell simple, yet luxurious. The smell actually reminded me of a spa hotel I stayed in a couple of years back and even now when I wear this scent it takes me back to that holiday.
At first, when I read that the scent contained mint, I was surprised, but now I know, I can definitely smell it in there and think it is one of the lingering notes along with the teeniest hint of musk. I wouldn't say however, that it smells minty - this perfume will not smell like toothpaste or chewing gum, so don't worry about that! There's only a subtle hint of it and it works really well.
The notes combine to make a beautiful light, fresh, crisp fragrance which smells clean, simple and sophisticated.
For such a light fragrance, the perfume has great staying power. I can apply in the morning and still smell a trace of it by afternoon. Being such a light, understated scent, it is not necessarily one that others will notice you wearing, chances are they will just think you have used a nice quality soap recently!
Given the simplicity of the scent, I feel it is perfect for daytime wear. During the evening I prefer something stronger with a bit more personality and sex appeal! I think it would appeal to all age groups, it really is both ageless and timeless in my opinion.
I was a little disappointed when I found out the price of this scent, mainly because I can't afford it! It appears to only be available in a 100ml bottle, costing £86 from either House of Fraser or Space NK. I do feel that is a lot and despite the big bottle, I probably couldn't justify the cost as I own so many perfumes already.
If you are looking for a clean, simple, sophisticated and luxurious scent which is soft and subtle, then this one is ideal. It is pricey, but I think if I could afford it or if I found it on offer, I would be tempted to buy the full bottle.
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