Fourreau Noir (2009)
by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

First let me say: I LOVE Gris Clair. However Gris Clair doesn't feel at all like a Lutens to me. THIS (Fourreau Noir) is what I would imagine for a Lutens take on Lavender. Still, I feel that they are not redundant, as the mood is quite different even where the note pyramids align closely.

Where Gris Clair has that bracing ICY COLD to DRY HOT thing (and I love it in the summer), Fourreu Noir is all warm and cozy and perfect for the snuggle seasons. Not too sweet and syrupy as many Lutens Scents can be (though I'm not opposed to this quality), the bright interplay of lavender with his signature sensual honeyed, musky smoke accord is welcomed in my wardrobe. I'm not getting the citrus (or maybe I am, and confusing it with the sparkle of the Lutens lavender style).

Like another reviewer, the name (which had to be translated to me by the beautiful attendant in the equally beautiful Palais flagship shop) caught me off guard. I find the gorgeous lavender quite masculine, but the rich heart and base take a warming, gourmand tone and leave this comfortably unisex.

Delicious. Alongside Gris Clair, Keeping me happy in Lutens-style Lavender year-around.

10th January, 2012.

The lavender comes on soft and fades rather quickly to me. There is something very fougère about the fade of the top notes from lavender to powder, but Fourreau is more of a gourmand to my nose - perhaps the most the most tasteful evocation of a doughnut dusted in powder sugar around, but with a hint of something dark and cool that prevents it getting too sweet.

I'm just slightly giving this a thumbs up, because overall it's an enjoyable wear, just a little dull after the first half hour or so, and not that much better than many mainstream orientals and gourmands.

30th May, 2010.

I'm a bit surprised the name suggests this is a feminine fragrance. I suppose that's what's original about it, because upon first application I think it smells like a generic 21th century masculine fragrance: cool, clean and abstract with some sweetness and notes of licorice/anise, woods and nondescript florals, possibly iris. Then it turns drier, dustier, smokier and morphs into a very close relative of Gris Clair, only inferior. Gris Clair pour femme? It's the exact same combination of lavender, tonka and smoke, only muted by that "generic 21th century masculine" feeling. It's a bit sweeter, more syrupy, too I think but that doesn't detract from the "generic masculine" as they tend to be pretty sweet nowadays. I love Gris Clair and that bias makes me like Fourreau Noir as well, but I really don't see the point of such a similar scent in the same line.

6th May, 2010.

Well, this really grabbed me and had me sniff the wax sample three days in a row before I ordered it.
When I was a teenager one of my very first bottles I owned was Jil Sander's Feeling Man - this is quite it, actually!
This is also for the ones that adore the richness in Chergui (in particular the bell jar) since this is so very rich.
The initial boozy, rich and sweet (dark berries) start-off reminds me of something wine-like from raspberries produced here locally - very yummy! It soon settles to a slightly less sweet level, lots of lavender and the dark berries/fruit. There is no big turn while the fragrance dries down. On my skin it is mainly more and more myrrh shining through, which is so VERY nice giving the richness and sweetness the best turn possible. After let's say 3-4 hours a certain degree of misty darkness and depth is developping (musk).
I LOVE IT. It is not for every day, but it just doesn't have to be...

29th April, 2010.

A plunging neckline for the nose, lined with cocoa dust and feathers. It starts high and cold and sheerly lavendered, but very soon curvaceous suction sets in, you’re in a tunnel of nougat, mourning and allure. After about half an hour, a stable aspect-shift has been established , and you can move, almost at will, between the upward, smoky notes and the gravitational warmth of almonds, or hover, like a fakir, in mid-air. Some say the opening reeks of dihydromyrcenol, but that's fine by me, I drink diydromyrcenol for breakfast while listening to my Culture Club CD. There is indeed something faintly off-putting about the whole thing, but then that’s true of pretty much everything/everyone sexy.

22nd November, 2009. (Last Edited: 24th March, 2010.)

Serge Lutens Fourreau Noir

One of my favorite Serge Lutens fragrances is Encens et Lavande. The balance between the incense and lavender is exquisite and it is the lavender that seems special in that scent. The 2009 release Fourreau Noir re-visits that lavender accord from Encens et Lavande and Christopher Sheldrake and Serge Lutens add some different playmates to the olfactory schoolyard. Right from the top the lovely lavender comes to the fore, it is cut with a scalpel sharp citrus accord. This is the only aspect of Fourreau Noir I didn't care for. Lavender has its own sharp edges and astringency to it and the addition of more sharpness made me worry that the citrus was going to bully the lavender into submission. Thankfully the sharp citrus lasts for a short time and tonka appears along with a lively musk. In combination with the lavender this gives a rich feel to the heart of Fourreau Noir and this is the part of Fourreau Noir that persists the longest on me. As this scent develops immortelle and its maple syrup accord appears and really adds depth to the heart. The base is all warm sweet amber and this comes the closest to Encens et Lavande as both of these fragrances end up in confortable spaces on my skin. I like Fourreau Noir but that initial citrus note, which has been identified by other reviewers as dihydromyrcenol, was borderline unpleasant on me and if it was to last longer it would be difficult to overcome my dislike for it. Fourreau Noir has excellent longevity and average sillage. I'm not sure that Fourreau Noir is all I would have wanted in a lavender centered scent form Serge Lutens but its a good start.

31st October, 2009.