SERGE LUTENS UN BOIS VANILLE, BOURREAU DES FLEURS, ROSE DE NUIT REVIEW

Mexican black vanilla, Sandalwood, Liquorice

From the brand: A carnal, radiant, and dry perfume.

This is my first ever Serge Lutens perfume. Admittedly, I know nothing about them and added several samples on a whim into my STC basket. 

While searching more about Serge Lutens, I learned about his complex relationship with his mother/muse and his successful career in beauty, fashion, and photography. 

Sweet, warm, bright, vanilla, birthday cake, spun sugar, sandalwood, syrupy/resinous, powdery, a little musky, smokey. 

Sillage is intimate with moderate longevity. I placed a small dab around my wrist, wrote about what I smelled or learned about the brand, and when I returned for another sniff, it smelled like barely anything was there! I wore it to work and stopped smelling it after one hour. There was a faint trace when I pressed my nose to my skin at the end of the day.

My skin is mildly allergic to fragrance. After dabbing this on my neck and crook of my elbow, I noticed red marks that lasted longer than other perfumes. My neck was itchy, irritated, and radiated heat.

Bois Vanille is a cozy and enticing fragrance that is great for chilly days, but the sillage and longevity are underwhelming. 

BOURREAU DES FLEURS

Executioner of Flowers

This perfume symbolizes Lutens' relationship with his mother. TL;DR Serge Lutens is a child of an extramarital affair; the city he lives in punishes adultresses, his mother gave him up, and more trauma that confuses me, so I will not go in-depth.  

Fragrance notes from the Section d’Or are secret. My untrained nose will struggle to discern anything, so I refer to this Kafkaesque post.

Oriental, lacquered wood, resinous, ambery, warm, stewed stone fruits, musky, spicy. 

Thick, heady, musky, and musty, not in a terrible way. Reminds me of an armoire you find in an estate sale of a woman who used to wear Givenchy L'Interdit. Alternatively, Givenchy L'Interdit is aged in wooden caskets like alcohol. 

F/W scent. Leans more mature and feminine. Oddly conjures the image of Elsa Schiaparelli. Hair neatly combed back into a chignon or French twist. Small victory rolls. Red lipstick was applied with sharp, clean lines. A hat that is askew in the most chic manner. A skirt and jacket set that nips in at the waist and accentuates all the curves without being restrictive. 

Comparatively better sillage and longevity than Bois de Vanille. 

ROSE DE NUIT

A musky rose that smells sour and off/dirty. Distilled roses, so attar-like? Disclaimer: I have never smelled attar, but the process aligns with what I smell. I wore it for several hours and noticed it became much woodier and reminiscent of another fragrance I forget the name of.

I do not have much to say about this perfume. Despite my dislike for rose fragrances, which stems from my bad experience with Parfums de Marly's Delina, I wanted to give Rose de Nuit a chance after my love for Byredo's Rose of No Man's Land. STC's description of a darker, thornier, and seductive rose sold me. Quite disappointed it doesn't work with my skin chemistry.

It may be the perfume selection, but Serge Lutens' perfumes lean on the more mature side. They are luxe fragrances and nuanced, but they don't work with me: my age, style, and personality. I'm open to trying more from them, though I won't be purchasing more samples. I'll spritz if I see it in store or go to Paris.