Poetry in the form of perfume: Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque and Santal de Mysore

In tribute to some of the stunning beauty I've found in the Serge Lutens line, I wanted to post my thoughts on two of these gorgeous fragrances, if it's not too selfish to do so In my short years as a fragrance enthusiast, I've smelled several fragrances now, and several from Serge Lutens and Christopher Sheldrake in specific, but have realized I'm a bit late to the party in discovering a few of the more gorgeous fragrances they have to offer.


Ambre Sultan has always been a favorite and always will be. Its herbal, sweet amber goodness is well known here at Basenotes. And though I am equally impressed with the somewhat controversial Arabie (the Lutens/Sheldrake aesthetic pushed to what might seem its logical ceiling point), I wanted to focus on two recent discoveries of mine that have really enraptured me.


Fumerie Turque includes currants, white honey, candied Turkish rose, Egyptian jasmine, smoked leather, beeswax, Balkan tobacco, Peru balsam, patchouli, tonka bean, styrax, juniper, and vanilla. When I look at those notes it is like reading poetry to me.

I can only describe Fumerie Turque as it occurs to me and what I sense is a very tightly constructed, sweet, compact and dense incense fragrance. Not incense as a note of course, but rather, a composition which might yield the perfume used to scent incense meant to be burned. For me the impression of Fumerie Turque is that of an ever so slightly smoked sweet amber mixed with an earthy, leathery, tobacco accord. A beautiful and contemplative fragrance. When I wear it I'm whisked away to the place which inspired this incredible fragrance, crowded bazaar spaces and towering Mosques. It's so much more than a fragrance that I marvel at how these images are rendered just by inhaling!


With notes of Mysore sandalwood, cumin, spices, styrax balsam, and caramelized Siamese benzoin, Santal de Mysore opens with an almost aggressive sweetness, but if one can hold on for a few moments, it rewards its wearer by transforming beautifully into a delicious, luxurious, undulating blanket of textures and sensations. The combination of creamy sandalwood densely packed with dry Indian spices enveloped by a layer of rich sweetness that in my mind's eye takes on an almost glowing, hot red hue is enough to take me to a different place. A hot day, a crowded market, whiffs of spices, cooking, arid air, it's all present in this amazingly transportive (I'm making up a word) fragrance that again, is like inhaling a world of experiences, textures, sights, and sounds.

I really hope some of you would like to discuss your impressions of these fragrances or others that have given you a similar poetic or "transportive" feel or impression. Fragrances which you think are more than just the sum of their ingredients somehow. Thanks for reading!

Hey guys, thanks for responding so soon!

Amit, I was thinking the SAME THING about the wallet.. "did they have to be exclusive to the Palais??" I haven't even purchased Ambre Sultan yet so I think I'll be relying on samples for now anyway

You know Jenson, I haven't tried Cedre. And quite honestly, I've heard some discrepancy over the use of Mysore sandalwood in SdM but I'm just not that knowledgeable about those things. Maybe someone else will know.

And Mike, I know that a lot of people are meh about these two which was why I was hesitant in posting but they just do something for me so I thought, what the heck post. haha... I should be honest, it took me a while to fall in love with them, constant wearing, morning, night, to bed, reapplications, etc... And I guess I kinda, honestly, gave myself into the "story" of each one (were it that they had one) and I don't know... it just stuck L'Autre has always sounded blisfully intriguing to me... I'm going to have to try it next time in the states.

I'm not a HUGE fan of Serge Lutens and often the ones other fans love, I'm so so about and vice versa. For me, I want my Lutens to be a plane ticket to the Orient, the Middle East, wherever. I have so much appreciation for Iris Silver Mist which is a different type of artwork in my mind but a masterwork in just the same, as well as Borneo, Encens et Lavande, etc but these spicy, sweet, wonders which repulse many just seem to call my name!

You are speaking my language!

Hey Redneck_Perfumisto, thanks for responding. I honestly was hoping to get a nice little thread going but I guess I'm not all that popular here on basenotes haha, or perhaps these two Serges aren't.

Redneck, the thing about me seeing someone putting one of my recs on a sampling list is that I have a kind of wild imagination when it comes to fragrances. I'm the guy who falls for the story they feed me every time so if you are going to put FT on your short list promise me you'll sniff it with that in mind so that you don't think "what is this sweet smoky weird thing nthy recommended?!" I'd almost be more excited for you to try SdM if you haven't. It's the one that seemed the most exotic scent journey wise. That said, I'm putting L'Heur Bleue PdT on the list, too. That's what I'm talking about... I want to hear more about the perfumes that really get the creative juices flowing!

Another thing occurred to me as I let Fumerie Turque dry down into its wee moments is that it is extremely patchouli prominent and I see a definite link between this and Borneo in the 8+ hour dry down phase. Just mentioning.

Hey GAIVS, I think stuffy is a pretty good word for the drydown. This fragrance is deceptively sweet and its denseness can be overpowering. I feel like it's a "at home" fragrance, although that hasn't stopped me from wearing it in 80 degree weather lately.

About the Patchouli, I was wearing a Rose 31 on my hand, and when I went back to the FT on the other arm, the patchouli softly made its presence known. Sometimes that happens to me when my nose goes back and forth between different scents. Certain notes seem to spring out so perhaps my perception was affected by this. I'm also really patch sensitive. Thanks for writing. I wonder if it's still a favorite of yours.