La Myrrhe (1995)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

i had been looking forward to this for some time and had a certain idea of what it might smell like. bought the jar totally blind and, well, hit the aldehydic jackpot! it does soar but the soil/mineral earthiness of the myrrh really gives it true simultaneous duality. this is quality art in a bottle and what longevity (with ideal sillage)!
with sarrasins, chergui, filles & aiguilles, gris clair & iris silver mist and now this, i believe i now own enough lutens to be content for a while :)

merci serge!

28th December, 2011.

This is the best of Serge Lutens, truly a masterpiece from start to finish. I wish there were more fragrances out there that had the same personality of La Myrrhe. Best Aldehydic scent in my collection.

5th August, 2011.

La Myrrhe is a soaring duet of myrrh and mandarin, performed on a stage floodlit by aldehydes. It is resinously bitter and searingly bright. Apart from gentle nods towards liquorice and honey, it eschews the Lutens house style of fruits 'n' brandy and is a member in that minority of zero-gravity scents – along with Iris Silver Mist and Sarrasins – from a house that seems to delight in playing with perfume weight.

Despite La Myrrhe's nerve-wracking start, any stage fright about wearing it is assuaged as the fragrance warms on the skin and lends its wearer a benign, bittersweet glow that hovers somewhere between copper and cola.

10th June, 2011. (Last Edited: 5th September, 2011.)

La myrrhe is a splendour, a unique and paradoxal personality, at the same time hot and cold, dark and luminous, acid and sweet, aerial and sticky...something sparkling in the darkness of the night.

The top notes appear golden, scintillating on a dazzling China's mandarin accord, subtly sweeten by the oriental bitter almond (note that this sharp start can disturb on inapropriate skin chemistry, excessivly acid and ruins the composition... ).

The nervous departure gets drowsy and let emerge the misty freshness who spreads naturally from the myrrh... The most nocturnal and haunting myrrh note ever seen in a perfume! The balsamic sweetness caracteristic of the resin mingles with woody tones (santal), oriental spices (pimento, star anise,...) and honey.

The base blossoms on a rich blend of jasmin, amber and musc that's second the mysterious aspect of this nocturnal scent. The ensemble is concordant, no notes exceeds the following.

A gothic masterpiece, one of the best Lutens.

9th December, 2010.

If I ever was to be restricted to all my fragrances coming only from one house, La Myrrhe would show me why it would definitely be Serge Lutens for me. I had thought of whether I should blind buy La Myrrhe and Sarrasins or not (from the wax samples). Fortunately, all the reviews here led me to think I can't go wrong with these.
I was surprised with La Myrrhe to find it much more 'charming' or let's say 'accessible' than some reviews might suggest. I personally would have never come to think of Chanel aldehydes when referring to the opening blast of this. Aldehydes yes, but not overpowering to me (I'm not particularly fond of Chanel). My next surprise was that I found it a comfortably, but more sweet scent that I had expected. The initial sweetness is pulled back a bit with the myrrh coming to the foreground more, which I absolutely enjoy. This development reminds me of Fourreau Noir, although this is a quite different story.
I can see no gender classification appropriate here. There is nothing feminine or masculine about La Myrrhe. Serge Lutens has nearly always masterfully achieved a unisexness or genderlessness in their fragrances, which is really unique to me. SL will always have my highest esteem for this, because they are so utterly right in executing it skillfully. La Myrrhe is a pinnacle among the SLs, besides Chergui, Rose de Nuit, Sarrasins, Fourreau Noir, Cuir Mauresque,... Again, I have stated this a couple of times, the top quality lies in the exclusive line.

23rd July, 2010.

La Myrrhe is one of those SL scents, that justify and enforce the idea behind the ‘’Bel Jar’’ marketing policy of the house. Actually it’s the only way to discourage you from wasting precious molecules of the “jus” in the air. Wearable or not (who cares anyway), this is a reference scent made for those few romantics, that can afford to put this wonderful bottle in a glass display and treat it like a museum item. The word “inspired” finds its true meaning in La Myrrhe. A complex and “thick” scent, built around a main note idea, but with a much more interesting and captivating surrounding. Overtaking the top note resemblance to parts of Chanel’s No5 or No22 due to the use of aldehydes, you find a most alluring and warm heart balancing skillfully between bitter, resinous, sweet and floral. A marvelous feast for the mind and the senses. The anise note comes for me much later along with amber and musk for a soft and sensual base. If I had to give it a gender, I would say feminine, but I would be unfair. This gem belongs to everybody. I wouldn’t buy it, but I feel so lucky I had the chance to smell it.

26th January, 2010.