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Lalique Encre Noire arrived today

post #1 of 24
9/19/07 at 5:36pm
Thread Starter 
I wanted to try this scent for a long time but was never able to find it at a store. I had been holding an Aedes gift card for the past couple months trying to decide what to buy. A few days ago Aedes started carrying Lalique's Encre Noir so I decided to go with a blind buy. It arrived today and this has to be one of my best blind buys ever!

My first impression was Vetiver Extraordinaire mixed with CDG 2. I get dry, earthy, vetiver but the vetiver is more subdued compared to VE. I also get a hint of citrus which I'm not sure if I'm confusing it for the blackberry-ink note which reminds me of CDG 2. Throw in some dry woods and this one is a winner. I really love this scent. I wish the vetiver was more prominent. Also the scent itself isn't very strong and is linear. In this case it smells so nice that I don't mind it being linear. There is an EDP form but it has a ridicuolous price tag of $750 for 2.0 oz, I would love to try it but that price is insane. The EDT is much more reasonably priced. I also love the box and bottle of this scent. A square wood cap with a slightly transparent heavy glass bottle.

Heres a link to the bottle:
http://www.aedes.com/product.php?product_id=2091
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post #2 of 24
9/19/07 at 6:03pm
I tried EN at a Lalique shop in Houston and I thought it was a Wow. But when I asked for a sample, I was told by the older, female SA that, "Lalique doesn't do that." - as if giving out samples was too common - Anyways, I never buy a frag without giving it a trial run, so I put it on hold, but if it's good enough for Aedes and you, it's good enough for me.
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post #3 of 24
9/19/07 at 6:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruggles View Post

I tried EN at a Lalique shop in Houston and I thought it was a Wow. But when I asked for a sample, I was told by the older, female SA that, "Lalique doesn't do that." - as if giving out samples was too common - Anyways, I never buy a frag without giving it a trial run, so I put it on hold, but if it's good enough for Aedes and you, it's good enough for me.

Hey Ruggles,
Lalique does do this in a sample size. I scored a couple of them a few months ago. It's a great scent.
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post #4 of 24
9/19/07 at 9:00pm
Fierce bottle!

The notes sound incredible and, yes, the price of the EdP sounds positively ridiculous.

I will keep my eyes peeled for smelling this one.
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post #5 of 24
9/19/07 at 9:36pm

http://www.parfum1.com/perfume.asp?t...me=Encre+Noire

http://www.perfumebay.com/men-s-e-en...e-for-men.html


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post #6 of 24
9/19/07 at 11:25pm
  • IKL
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I too am a big fan of Encre Noir. I agree with you that it is quite linear and that the Vetiver note in it smells almost identical to the Vertiver in CdG Man2 which is one of my favourite Vetiver based scents alongside CdG Vetteviru. I find Encre Noir to be some what smooth and also very addictive (I can't stop smelling my wrist when I spray this). The Vetiver and ink notes in combination remind me of the smell of a fresh newspaper.

The EdP version that you saw for $750 has that ridiculas price tag because of the ornate crystal bottle the fragrance comes in. There is a version of the EdP which has the same price as the EdT but I can't seem to find the link. I will post it as soon as I find it
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post #7 of 24
9/20/07 at 4:58am
I, too, am waiting for the regular edp version to arrive in North America. But I did find the link to a European site and the edp there is about 110$ Canadian, I believe with the current exchange rate.

Apparently, the collectible versions of Lion, Equus, etc, were released in the more expensive versions first before becoming available in the mass-market edp format.

http://www.avdp.fr/boutique/fiche_pr..._fr&pag=1&num=
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post #8 of 24
9/20/07 at 5:06am
I dont think anyone would ever plunk down 750 for the EDP in the ornate bottle, the scent itself, while a great scent, is simply not worth that much. Its like selling coke in a baccarat bottle!
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post #9 of 24
9/20/07 at 7:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by IKL View Post

The Vetiver and ink notes in combination remind me of the smell of a fresh newspaper.

Actually, I love that combo of notes too - I get it from other Comme des Garcons scents including the green/milky Calamus (from Series1) and Odeur 71.
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post #10 of 24
9/21/07 at 2:06pm
QUOTE Ruggles"I tried EN at a Lalique shop in Houston and I thought it was a Wow. But when I asked for a sample, I was told by the older, female SA that, "Lalique doesn't do that."

Ruggles, You tell that SA from Jontue-hell that Lalique does do samples and did so with the launch of Encre Noire in Canada (and still does) and I'm sure, the United States and the rest of the free world. Such impertinence!
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post #11 of 24
9/21/07 at 2:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by graffham View Post

Ruggles, You tell that SA from Jontue-hell that Lalique does do samples and did so with the launch of Encre Noire in Canada (and still does) and I'm sure, the United States and the rest of the free world. Such impertinence!

LOL. 'Jontue hell'.
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post #12 of 24
9/22/07 at 8:48am
Wait - Scentiments has it already? And for really cheap!

Exactly when was this fragrance released?
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post #13 of 24
9/22/07 at 10:48pm
Tried it today, the bottle is gorgeous, however, the scent was very recognisable...It starts of with a very crude Vetiver accord, exactly like MPG's route de vetiver (sour, and smokey), then it soften into a more refined vetiver (vetiver extraordinare), and finally the vetiver becomes and equal player, now at the final stage the scent becomes a clean vetiver, I'm now smelling Esccentric 01....this is a great deal at 100 bucks, it's just a lil boring for me since I like all the scents, but not love....
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post #14 of 24
9/26/07 at 2:11pm
Got this one last night...I agree with all the comments so far.
I got two compliments at dinner last night from it.
Quite handsome and minimalistic, and the bottle is beautiful.

Will make a great work scent and one that I wear when I want to relax...Kyoto gives me a similar vibe when I wear it also.
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post #15 of 24
10/19/07 at 4:39pm
OK - so I gave Encre Noir a full wearing today - from a sample that I scored at Neimans this week.

My first impression was one of 'oily vetiver' - great I thought (ala Route du Vetiver) but on my skin it immediately fell back into the background and became much more subdued and quiet, to my dismay. The first few minutes the incense notes became apparent (perhaps frankincense? smoke, but light smoke).

I kept waiting for the 'fresh' and 'uplifitng' vetiver to arrive, that I noticed in a lot of EN reviews - but I never got this.

If i had to compare it to another scent I've tried - I'd probably say Moss Breches by Tom Ford is the closest to this. However MB is more...well, mossier (green?). EN an elegant but restrained scent.

Perhaps I was expecting too much from this (the bottle is beautiful, all of the SA's at Neimans were going on-and-on about it, etc.) but I cannot imagine owning a bottle of this. I would like to try it again soon. Maybe the humidity in Miami today, wiped out the 'good parts' of the scent that I missed. Or maybe I'd much rather enjoy the EdP that's $800 or some god awful price like that...which even if I smell and love I probably won't end up owning. If I'm going to drop more than $700 for one bottle of fragrance, it's gonna be the parfum of Black Orchid, that's for sure.

Disappointed.
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post #16 of 24
10/19/07 at 6:06pm
I was in Seattle earlier in the week and stopped by Parfums Nasreen and she sprayed some on my wrist. My skin ate this up in 5 minutes. Nasreen said she couldn't smell it on me either. IMO very low drug store quality.
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post #17 of 24
10/20/07 at 7:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

I was in Seattle earlier in the week and stopped by Parfums Nasreen and she sprayed some on my wrist. My skin ate this up in 5 minutes. Nasreen said she couldn't smell it on me either. IMO very low drug store quality.

I don't usually have a problem with low longevity - if I think the scent is interesting, different and I feel good wearing it. That's not the case with EN, though.
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post #18 of 24
10/20/07 at 7:45am
Thread Starter 
I've been wearing this a lot lately and I agree the sillage and longevity are poor. I spray this with a heavy hand and I still get poor sillage from this. I love the scent but wish it was stronger.
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post #19 of 24
10/20/07 at 1:15pm
I just bought Encre Noire this afternoon along with the deo stick. After 3 hours I can still detect the notes on my left arm where I sprayed it twice.

This is a wonderfully handsome and thought provoking fragrance. Use a little unscented body lotion after showering and give a spray a bit more on your chest and arms, this should help.

But I can not wait for the edp version...NOT the edp in the $750 bottle. Though, with the exchange rate favoring the Canadian dollar now I might just think about it.
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post #20 of 24
11/1/07 at 6:57pm
Tried this in Montreal recently. Thought of Gucci PH & CdG Man 2 inititally. Definitely need to score a sample of this one. Only available at Neiman in the US?

Also, being unfamilar with Lalique in general, is their other men's frags any good? They're pretty cheap on Scentiments.
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post #21 of 24
11/1/07 at 7:49pm
Lalique lion is really good!
Crisp citrus top notes, rich ozonic floral heart, cedar/patchouli/vanilla base.
Very manly and formal scent.

Lalique le Faune is quite similar to Allure pour homme.

I don't like Lalique Equus though.
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post #22 of 24
11/1/07 at 9:00pm
They make minis of this, big samples, I got one at Neiman Marcus.

I haven't really warmed up to it yet, it's so...pitch black.

(sniffing my mini)

I think I will eventually enjoy it though!
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post #23 of 24
1/4/08 at 7:15am
Sorry to resurrect the thread.
For fellow Canadians, I was at Sephora (Toronto Eaton Centre) yesterday and saw this. I just asked the SA to spray it into 2 sample vials and brought it back home to test. I agree it is very similar to FM VE, not much sillage though.
$85 for 50ml and I think $110 for 100ml. Don't think I will get one since I have and love VE.
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post #24 of 24
1/4/08 at 8:33am
Has anyone tried the eau de parfum version of Encre Noire and, if so, where?
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