Rousse (2007)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

Very close to Dior Homme...and with that reason nothing to get really excited about...unfortunately!

9th October, 2011.

I get the cinnamon candy accord here: I don’t like it on myself and can’t imagine liking it on anyone else.

4th July, 2010.

Culinary spices rule the roost in Rousse. (Say that three times fast!) Serve Rousse up next to the fruitcake that is Arabie, and you’ve got yourself a perfectly nice afternoon tea. The spice rack accord at Rousse’s heart doesn’t excite me, but at least it doesn’t swamp me with fruit syrup, either. In the end, I think Rousse is a very conventional fragrance to have come from Serge Lutens, and that makes it something of a disappointment.

13rd December, 2009.

Either my nose is broken or the SA puts a different juice in my official sample from Lutens, for I find myself swimming against the tide of public opinion here. Apart from some dry cinnamon which is nowhere near gourmand, I get a rather prominent lipstick accord albeit one with a tinge of wood spice rounded off by mandarin and a touch of powdery violet. Inspired use of cinnamon this may well be but inspired -BY- cinnamon? Not to me it isn't. ROUSSE feels more like a composition inspired by a stunning redhead in an equally red lipstick. Daring and sensual, very much a head-turner!

12nd December, 2009.

I like!

Smells like the Red Cinnamon chewing gum by Sport Life. Spicy Cinnamon, unmistakenbly Sheldrake / Lutens. Very easy to wear. Good longevity and sillage, as you may expect from Serge Lutens.

19th November, 2009. (Last Edited: 1st December, 2009.)

The Serge Lutens website sums Rousse up with one word: Racy. I think that's about as fitting as it gets. It's so unique, especially for a Lutens. Rousse starts with a candied cinnamon spice (think Red Hot candies) and pretty much stays that way for quite sometime before fading to a soft, amber/floral base that is linear/minimalist. It's simply a good smelling, well rounded, unobtrusive yet nowhere near boring, predictable or average smelling perfume. Racy and red.

10th October, 2009.