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Help! If I love SL Chergui...

post #1 of 18
4/30/10 at 1:06pm
Thread Starter 
Will I love Fumerie Turque?

I am considering purchasing a bottle without having smelled it, ever. It sounds like it would be perfect for me... but so did Arabie. And I disliked Arabie! Chergui on the other hand is simply amazing. I am as in love with it as I thought I would be.

Am I being stupid? Should I just let it go? Help.

Other SL that I love...
Gris Clair
Ambre Sultan
Fleurs d'oranger
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post #2 of 18
4/30/10 at 3:28pm
I've just bought a bottle of Fumerie Turque and I'm waiting for it to arrive...I've not smelt it either although,like you,I think it sounds amazing...Fingers crossed.
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post #3 of 18
4/30/10 at 3:35pm
No retail outlet in your area? Barney's maybe? I'd say sample first, just 'cause SL is pricey. . . though I have to say I purchased Chergui and Ambre Sultan with only the briefest of in-store sampling, and I love them both. . .
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post #4 of 18
4/30/10 at 5:21pm
I'd say try it first. Fumerie Turque is not like Chergui, nor is it truly comparable to any of the other Lutens you've tried except in a general sense of being sweet and oriental.

Personally, I thought I'd love Fumerie Turque or hate it, but instead I was somewhat underwhelmed and it came off as a little "flat" on me compared to most other fragrances from this house.
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post #5 of 18
4/30/10 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
I tried. I was at Barney's the other day (the only place that carries SL in chicago that I am aware of) and they didn't have it. The SA said it's been discontinued but from what I've read it's simply being pulled from the export line.

I can't say I've really hated any SL fragrances... except maybe the couple that radiated cumin. But even with the cumin, I was still able to appreciate and enjoy santal de mysore.
Of course, there are a few that did nothing on my skin... Daim Blonde, Feminite du bois, and un bois vanille. Never developed and then disappeared. I guess that's what I am most afraid of. It just falling flat like galamb_borong said.

I've heard the smokiness described as incense and others describe it like a campfire. How would you describe it? I like Avignon-like incense.

Chapter10- I can't wait to hear what you think of it! I am anxiously awaiting your response.
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post #6 of 18
4/30/10 at 8:11pm
If you can't find a sample locally, I'd be more than happy to send you mine. I know I have a little somewhere around here; PM-me if you'd to try it.

To me, the smokinesss reminds me of something burnt, like a pan heated too high until it started to smoke, but not quite as unpleasant as that. Oddly, I don't get too much tobacco; much more of a sweet patchouli.
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post #7 of 18
4/30/10 at 8:16pm
I traded mine for Montale Black Aoud. (which I like better FWIW.)

My initial response on my blind buy of FT was as follows: With an opening of lovely pipe tobacco (fresh, not smoky) that is quickly followed by a more bitter smoky smell, this is intriguing and very odd. The incense and not-too-sweet honey soon follows and is intoxicating...tempered with the bitter smoke. As NillaGoon pointed out, the scent a few inches from the skin is much different from close up... the ash/smoke is more prevalent close. FT's longevity is good on my skin, and the base of amber and honey keeps me sniffing the back of my hand for hours. There's a hint of sex to this one, particularly in the middle, that put me in a slightly altered state. Woke up with hints of it on my skin this morning, wanting to try this one for mystery at the office tomorrow.
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post #8 of 18
5/1/10 at 1:03am
Try it first, let the friendly person send you a sample... I have a friend who also, like you, thought she would love Arabie by the sound of it and bought it blind. She almost wept when it arrived, how little did she like it, and I know she hates Fumerie Turque...
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post #9 of 18
5/1/10 at 2:16am
Definitely try Fumerie Turque first! I ADORE Chergui, but to me Fumerie Turque is one-dimensional, like a cold ashtray as someone put it so very correctly. I like it when layered with 1-2 drops of (Bulgarian) Rose. Also, it is not a youthful scent as I perceive it.
My understanding is that Fumerie Turque was one of the annual releases to the export line (from the exclusives) and once these are gone, it remains an exclusive. BTW, I detest Arabie - I had to wash it off so utterly disgusting to me
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post #10 of 18
5/1/10 at 8:42am
Thread Starter 
Im just too afraid of ordering it and hating it. It wouldn't bother me if it turns out to be a so-so scent... but I would cry, like Rain's friend, if I hated it.

Galamb_Borong, Thank you!! I sent you a PM.

To the Chegui lovers... what other SL do you love?
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post #11 of 18
5/1/10 at 9:25am
Ambre Sultan and also Fille en Aiguilles (but less) from the Export line. There are some real gems among the Exclusives. If you like the fruity sweet richness in Chergui, try to get hold of a sample of Fourreau Noir (2009). Maybe you can also get a sample of Borneo 1834 for its uniqueness - very warm and dry.
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post #12 of 18
5/1/10 at 9:58am
For the price, I'd say every SL is a risky blind buy. Fumerie Turque IMO is riskier than some. While its myriad scents - the smoke, the cured leather, etc. from a bazaar in Marrakech may sound exotic, I don't find it very wearable. And it only lasts 3 hours on my skin. Definitely a 'try before you buy'.

Btw if you love Chergui, you might like Serge Noir, Fille en Aiguilles and Ambre Sultan. IMO they belong at different points to the same spectrum: (Drier, smokier) <- SN - FeA -Chergui - AS -> (sweeter, ambery)
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post #13 of 18
5/1/10 at 10:39am
My favorite among the oriental sweets of the Lutens line is Fille En Aiguilles. Very sweet, spiced, ambery pine ( I usually do NOT like pine, but I love this - it's so different from any other pine fragrance ). It's edgier than Chergui but much less weird than Arabie.

Also, I'll second the recommendations of Borneo 1834 and Serge Noir, though the latter is very dry in contrast to Chergui's sweetness. Chene, Rousse, and Five O'Clock are all worth checking out too, though it's been a while since I last tried them.

Taking things out of the Lutens' line, Kilian Back To Black, Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, Parfumerie Generale Bois Blond, and Hermes Ambre Narguille are all worth trying, sharing one aspect or another with Chergui.
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post #14 of 18
5/1/10 at 11:22am
I also think that MPG's Bois de Turquie shares a certain time frame where I get a feeling quite close to Chergui.
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post #15 of 18
5/1/10 at 12:50pm
Thread Starter 
I have a sample of Fille en Aiguilles the the SA gave me when I bought Chergui. I haven't tried it yet because I was afraid that the pine was going to make it too wintery. But now that I have read all your positive comments about it, tonight is the night.

Your other suggestions sounds wonderful. I love Tom Fords Amber Absolute. I've not tried Tobacco Vanille yet. And for Perfumerie Generale, I love L'ombre Fauve. Obviously, I have a lot of testing to do.
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post #16 of 18
5/1/10 at 1:01pm
I own and adore Chergui,Borneo 1834,Miel de Bois,Feminite du Bois,Louve,Ambre Sultan and Muscs Koublai Khan....I think Serge Noir is next on my purchase list...Or possibly Aomassai from Parfumerie Generale.
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post #17 of 18
5/2/10 at 8:03am
Cannes, you can buy a sample from the perfumed court, too.
I've worn Chergui four times now, and took that long to finally appreciate it. however, it was never a 'love'. i would be careful with this one; it opened warm, spicy and lovely on me, but around the 3 hour mark it tends to slip into a stink hole that it can't dig itself out of. I found that the more I wore it 'on my clothes' and hte less 'on my skin' the nicer it behaved.

I should add, however, that i'm not a fan of anything in the SL line, they don't wear well with my chemistry. (i will have a different opinion that someone who can wear this line)
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post #18 of 18
5/17/10 at 7:21pm
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I have to say that SL has to be my all time favourites - Fumerie Turque can be deceptive as it is really intoxicating that sometimes I find myself trying to not choke on it - the scent is close to the skin but it is powerfully lingering and very smoky but once that phase is past, you get the most sublime incense base - last for ages. Chene on the other hand is all about woods and oak in particular - one of the best fall fragrances - reminds you of the outdoors. One of the easiest to wear is Un Bois Sepia - damp, moist and earthy. If you like incense - Mandarine Mandarine is about mandarin and incense and a lot less smoky than FT. If you love the sweetnes in Chergui, you might like to consider La Myrhhe - this one took a few years for me to understand but the base notes are well worth the wait - can be quite intoxicating at first. Borneo 1834 is all about patchouli and very dry at that with a hint of coffee/chocolate notes. Santal de Mysore is what I think of as a quinessential Lutens - wonderful sandalwood, rosewood, spices and resins - all I ever wanted in a perfume. Hope you have fun trying - you may find things that you might like that you have previously dismissed.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › Help! If I love SL Chergui...