Rose de Nuit
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

I have tried nearly all, and owned many, of the Lutens fragrances, and this is the only one that's stayed in my collection. I first bought it on a trip to Paris, and wearing it home on the Eurostar, I literally had men following me up and down the train inhaling deeply (and getting a bit too close in the refreshments queue). That never happens to me, at least not because of my fragrance. ;-) If you put this on and stick your nose to your wrist, it's going to smell awful - a mucky, murky mess. If you put this on and forget about it for a while, you'll notice the truest rose you've ever found in a fragrance, rich and bright, hovering around you over a bed of mossy woods and musk. Seductive in a very earthy way.

On first application, I didn't use enough, and thus Rose de Nuit vanished in a matter of minutes on me. I'd normally give it up for lost, as I do some quick-fading fragrances, but recently, in the spirit of revisitation, I used up the rest of my sample on my wrist and chest.

While the sillage is still delicate, this time the result was much more sustained and I got a chance to truly smell it. The longevity is actually not bad at all on this fragrance, averaging around eight hours with moderate sillage, and about twice that smelled near the skin.

It is interesting to contrast this with Sa Majeste La Rose, Lutens' export rose offering. The two could not be more different in their treatment of the same note. Sa Majeste is naturalistic where De Nuit is abstract; fresh, cool and dewy where De Nuit is warm, dry and leathery. While I often can't figure out their reasoning, the choice of export for Sa Majeste and non-export for De Nuit makes a lot of sense. The former is so extroverted and immediately appealing; the latter is subtle, "difficult" and somewhat old-fashioned. They are polar opposites within the same note.

Usually classified as a chypre, the bergamot is fairly mild if detectable to my nose in this fragrance, but burns off very quickly. Oak moss, however, practically co-stars with with rose and is noticeable from the top to the bottom of this fragrance, something I greatly appreciate.

I have the most minuscule sample of vintage Mitsouko parfum that I put a drop of on the opposite wrist to compare Rose De Nuit with a classic chypre directly. The two are different in many ways, but they really do share a certain feel. It's a certain mellow, velvety smoothness that gives them a soft-focus touch.

Through the heart, however, it's not a Guerlain I'm reminded of - it's a Caron. There's a touch of something smoky and leathery dancing around the mossy rose core; something reminiscent of Tabac Blond's leather note. There is also a hint of incense darkening the blend, making De Nuit's title somewhat more appropriate to my nose.

The base, however, is lighter. Some of the heaviness subsides and honey unexpectedly emerges to give a cheerful touch to a rather brooding fragrance. By this point, though, De Nuit is quite delicate and soft.

I still retain an impression that I would prefer this fragrance in a parfum format as I'd like it stronger and more concentrated. At the same time, I recognize the innate heaviness of this fragrance might make it overbearing if turned up to high volume.

All in all, Rose De Nuit is quite interesting, but I don't love it. I deeply appreciate it on some level, and it's a fragrance I want to try and savor again, but I doubt I'll ever pick up a bottle.

I feel every fragrance conjures up a personality, and Rose De Nuit comes across as a bit of an elderly high society lady wearing what was the height of fashion fifty years ago. More than a touch of Maleficent to Sa Majeste's Snow White, to be sure...

A beautiful dark and leathery rose with undertones of apricot and a bit of urine, which puts it somewhere between Paloma Picasso and Bandit. Not exactly a photorealistic rose or even a rose at all. Abstract, complex and greater than the sum of its parts.

The opening is brilliant, it´s strong sensual rose that is fleshy and earthy. Kind of like the jasmine in A La Nuit. Sadly it doesn´t maintain this opening for long enough and it begins to fade and change into something different. A bit more animalic, a bit of leather..less pretty and more dangerous. Compared to the opening however I find it less thrilling and I lose interest and re apply after 3 hours because I can barely smell it anymore. If you combine Dzing and Voleur de Roses you get a more interesting combination that lasts longer but it doesn´t smell as seductive and carnal as this one those.

One of my favorite Lutens. One of my favorite roses. One of my favorite fragrances. A lush rose that turns cold, but then is rose ever really cold? In spite of being cool, it emits a smooth nighttime siren call. Which makes this a paradox. Expensive smelling, to be paired with leather, silk, fur, wine (whiskey too, I'll bet). But good on nothing but skin. That one isn't quite as much a paradox. Meant to work on the opposite sex, but in actuality it works on me when I wear it. One of those fragrances that makes me feel like it smells. To tell the truth, that's probably why I wear it. One of the best things about this class of fragrance is it put you *in the mood*. Everyone needs a couple of these.

One day while perusing a thrift shop I found an exquisite pair of vintage leather boots in mint condition, their shape retained carefully by two rolled-up magazines. When I arrived home, I quickly removed the magazines, anxious to try the boots on for size. To my surprise, the glossies were vintage, also-"erotica" circa 1975. They were an au pair, special editions based on 'The Story of O.' I was somehow nauseated and fascinated at once. Well, that day I was wearing Rose de Nuit. It was perfect, really, the situation and the perfume. Perfect and disturbing. Rose de Nuit is like dark rose petals shrouded by vintage leather, a whiff of cruelty and frailty, promise and depravity, the secret under your nose. I could never wear the perfume again after that day.