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Serge Lutens scents for beginners

post #1 of 43
11/4/10 at 12:01pm
Thread Starter 
Hello all,

Soon I will be going to NYC and intend to try a lot of niche perfumes. Of course, I'm interested in the Serge Lutens line - any *masculine* smelling frags in the line that are good to start with?
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post #2 of 43
11/4/10 at 12:07pm
It depends on what you like, but I find Gris Clair to be an essential Serge sniffer. Lavender and incense, cool and hot.
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post #3 of 43
11/4/10 at 12:14pm
Thread Starter 
Well, I'm in my early 20's, so I don't want something that will make me smell like I'm trying too hard (in the words of Off-Scenter). I generally will take anything except for apple and cilantro. I don't really like overly sweet scents.

Otherwise, I'm excited to try the line.
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post #4 of 43
11/4/10 at 12:16pm
Ambre Sultan
Chergui
Gris Clair
Arabie
Cuir Mauresque
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post #5 of 43
11/4/10 at 1:21pm
SL doesn't do "social scent", so sniff the maximum you can and let your brain choose :-)
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post #6 of 43
11/4/10 at 1:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grottola View Post

Well, I'm in my early 20's, so I don't want something that will make me smell like I'm trying too hard (in the words of Off-Scenter). I generally will take anything except for apple and cilantro. I don't really like overly sweet scents.

Otherwise, I'm excited to try the line.

If you don't like "overly sweet" scents, this will probably not be the line for you. Test Gris Clair, as has been mentioned, and Muscs Koublai Kahn if they have it. Those aren't sweet, but pretty much all of the SL line, leans toward the syrupy. I can't believe WillC suggested Arabie to somebody who wants a masculine scent that isn't sweet! Yikes!
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post #7 of 43
11/4/10 at 1:34pm
Thread Starter 
Well Tony, (nice name btw - that's my name too ) it's not that sweet scents BOTHER me, per se, it's just that I'm not exactly a fan of scents that are sweet to the point where that's only what they are - sweet and nothing else (e.g. The Dreamer, Pi).

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, though! I definitely have been wanting to try Muscs Koublaï Khän.....
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post #8 of 43
11/4/10 at 3:33pm
Hey, Tony. If you're open to the sweeter ones, I'd say be sure to try Ambre Sultan and Fumerie Turque. I still have to maintain my "Yikes!" regarding Arabie, though! Have fun with your testing!
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post #9 of 43
11/4/10 at 6:15pm
Gris Clair
Vetiver Oriental
Ambre Sultan
Chergui
Five O'clock Au Gingembre
Douce Amere
Chene

Smell all you can. Educate yourself. =)
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post #10 of 43
11/4/10 at 6:57pm
Many good suggestions, I would also cite one that does not get a lot of attention and is rarely mentioned but I find Daim Blond to be a great fragrance, very well balanced and confortable. One of the sleeper of the line.
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post #11 of 43
11/4/10 at 7:01pm
  • jss
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Not overly sweet:
Gris Clair
Five O'clock Au Gingembre
Serge Noire

And....try everything from this house.
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post #12 of 43
11/4/10 at 7:10pm
  • MFJ
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From my own experiences, Chene does draw a slightly more masculine association, when compared to others.


Quote:
Originally Posted by jss View Post


And....try everything from this house.

Oh, yes.
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post #13 of 43
11/4/10 at 7:20pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks a lot everyone! I'll check the reviews and write 'em down
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post #14 of 43
11/4/10 at 7:44pm
Gris Clair
Chene
Borneo 1834
L'Eau (fresh, much different from most in the line)
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post #15 of 43
11/4/10 at 8:11pm
Serge Noire... it's about as manly as it gets.
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post #16 of 43
11/4/10 at 9:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grottola View Post

Well Tony, (nice name btw - that's my name too ) it's not that sweet scents BOTHER me, per se, it's just that I'm not exactly a fan of scents that are sweet to the point where that's only what they are - sweet and nothing else (e.g. The Dreamer, Pi).

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, though! I definitely have been wanting to try Muscs Koublaï Khän.....

MKK?? woooww :P nasty and beautiful.. definitely a must try from lutens.. but like i said, many call it nasty/dirty.. let us know if you liked it

i suggest daim blond.. classy, unique & easy to love.. cool suedey scent
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post #17 of 43
11/4/10 at 9:59pm
Given Grottola's criteria, Fille en Aiguilles, Gris Clair, Chêne, and Cuir Mauresque would be my first recommendations.
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post #18 of 43
11/4/10 at 10:27pm
Nothing Safe in SL, and almost all of them are unisex. Having said that; Chergui and Ambre Sultan.
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post #19 of 43
11/5/10 at 12:24am
All of them require at least 15 min of sniffing on your skin before judging them. Do not make any decision after 3 min of blotter sniffing, what will grow on your skin is completely different and some of them are among the least linear scents on the market (e.g. with Serge Noire, you will get 3 or 4 fragrances for the price of one).
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post #20 of 43
11/5/10 at 12:54am
If you will try masculine fragrances, then look further!
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post #21 of 43
11/5/10 at 2:45am
Now that most of them have been reformulated, being suitable for 'beginners' shouldn't be an issue...
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post #22 of 43
11/5/10 at 2:51am
Picture Morocco when you sample them.
It is an easier way to understand the artistic point of view for the whole line.
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post #23 of 43
11/5/10 at 3:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CX827 View Post

Picture Morocco when you sample them.

And the glamorous Moroccan castles/mansions that he and the cream of the French elite reside in... thanks to your money.
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post #24 of 43
11/5/10 at 3:14am
^That's true too.
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post #25 of 43
11/5/10 at 7:48am
L'Eau to begin with. it's the closest lutens got bridging designer flavors to waht he does.. you could then sample Chergui, Serge Noire, MKK (it;s not tht scary, beleive me on that! ), if you liked A*Men, then Boreneo 1834 should be the next. if you ever like Gucci Envy, then you could relate to 5'O clock gingembre followed by the seminal Arabie... im sure by now your nose would be tired...
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post #26 of 43
11/5/10 at 8:07am
There is no logical progression to the line as each fragrance drew inspiration from a variety of subjects. Just sample as many as you can. And sample fragrance lines from other houses. Then go back to review the Serge Lutens and decide for yourself if your initial impressions have changed.
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post #27 of 43
11/5/10 at 9:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CX827 View Post

Picture Morocco when you sample them.
It is an easier way to understand the artistic point of view for the whole line.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Trebor View Post

And the glamorous Moroccan castles/mansions that he and the cream of the French elite reside in... thanks to your money.

((giggle))

As has already been mentioned, try Gris Clair. They have them at Bergdorf Goodman's, Aedes and Barneys (I think).
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post #28 of 43
11/5/10 at 4:26pm
Sample as many you can. Pay special attention to those you find intriguing and compelling yet not exactly love at first sniff. In my experience, the Lutens scents for which I develop a deeper appreciation and understanding over time are the scents I come to love and admire. Approach with an open mind and plenty of patience.
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post #29 of 43
11/5/10 at 4:44pm
Of course, trying as many as possible is the best solution, but my personal SL favorite remains Chypre Rouge, which I fondly recommend
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post #30 of 43
11/5/10 at 6:35pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you all for your suggestions.

I arrived today and tried Serge Noir (awesome), Gris Clair (awesome), 5 O'Clock Gingembre (not my style, it was okay), MKK (VERY STRONG but different and interesting! I wouldn't wear it though), and....

Vetiver Oriental, my favorite so far. Sunday I'll have time to try more.....
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post #31 of 43
11/6/10 at 7:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mon-Petit View Post

SL doesn't do "social scent", so sniff the maximum you can and let your brain choose :-)

I agree. My advice would be to completely throw away any preconceived notions about your personal tastes and what you think you should smell like. I'm an early 20s guy too, I don't care for overly sweet scents, and I don't want to smell like I'm trying too hard either, but SL scents don't exactly "fit" any mainstream genres. If you go in, with no barriers set, you're bound to come away with some winners. Personally I love the line.
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post #32 of 43
11/6/10 at 7:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grottola View Post

Well Tony, (nice name btw - that's my name too ) it's not that sweet scents BOTHER me, per se, it's just that I'm not exactly a fan of scents that are sweet to the point where that's only what they are - sweet and nothing else (e.g. The Dreamer, Pi).

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, though! I definitely have been wanting to try Muscs Koublaï Khän.....

That's another thing I'd like to mention. Scents that are SWEET in the designer world, are generally poorly constructed, synthetic sweet scents, thus they can be very overbearing. The very good sweet scents in niche, tend to be far better balanced, and can be appreciated more easily. Chergui for example, many would say is quite sweet, but it's got enough spices and incense to dry it out and ground it into a wearable and amazing fragrance.
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post #33 of 43
11/6/10 at 7:45pm
Chergui and Ambre Sultan seem to be the most popular in the line.
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post #34 of 43
11/6/10 at 8:02pm
Chergui smells amazing. For me personally, it is totally unwearable though, it's really syrupy sweet.
I was not impressed by Ambre Sultan and MKK.

I'm also in my 20's btw.
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post #35 of 43
11/6/10 at 8:07pm
Definitely try Chergui.
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post #36 of 43
11/6/10 at 8:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grottola View Post

Thank you all for your suggestions.

I arrived today and tried Serge Noir (awesome), Gris Clair (awesome), 5 O'Clock Gingembre (not my style, it was okay), MKK (VERY STRONG but different and interesting! I wouldn't wear it though), and....

Vetiver Oriental, my favorite so far. Sunday I'll have time to try more.....

If you like Vetiverver Oriental, you better grab a bottle quick. I read somewhere that it's being removed from the export line. You should also check out the other fragrances that SL brought out from their exclusive line on a limited release. MKK is one of them, but you've tried it already. You should also try Borneo 1834 and Chene (if you can find it).

Personally, I wouldn't encourage you to try too many because you'll get very poor very quickly
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post #37 of 43
11/6/10 at 8:52pm
Thread Starter 
Trying Chergui, Chêne, Ambre Sultan, Borneo 1834 and Daim Blond tomorrow....
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post #38 of 43
11/7/10 at 7:16pm
Thread Starter 
Well, it was a hell of a tough choice to make, but I found Vetiver Oriental to be my favorite of the line, and ended up purchasing it. Vetiver is one of my favorite notes and the way it was executed in Vetiver Oriental is something awesome and unlike anything I've ever smelled.

As far as the rest of the scents I tried.....

Chergui was a delicious syrupy tobacco. An extremely rich scent that I strongly considered buying. Is this what Tobacco Vanille smells like?

Ambre Sultan was a very spicy and sweet fragrance. I didn't really like it at first, but the drydown was nice.

Chêne was one of the best woodsy scents I've ever smelled. Quite rich and syrupy, though.

Borneo 1834 smelled like an expensive, refined A*Men to me. I loved the usage of patchouli....and A*Men is one of my least favorite scents.

Daim Blond was interesting. A floral/musky leather. A bit too feminine for my tastes, though.

Once again, thank you all for the suggestions and kind tidbits!
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post #39 of 43
11/8/10 at 8:14am
congrats on your purchase.. sounds awesome..
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post #40 of 43
11/8/10 at 9:00am
Chêne, not an easy one but probably the most masculine
Miel de bois
Gris clair
Un Bois Sepia
Cuir Mauresque
Fumerie Turque
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post #41 of 43
11/8/10 at 2:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grottola View Post

Hello all,

Soon I will be going to NYC and intend to try a lot of niche perfumes. Of course, I'm interested in the Serge Lutens line - any *masculine* smelling frags in the line that are good to start with?

Fille en Aiguilles.
A wild poem of pine needles, resins, smoke, amber.
A must have!
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post #42 of 43
11/8/10 at 8:57pm
Great choice on the Vetiver Oriental. I was getting tired of Vetivers, but this one is just a masterpiece. It doesn't do enough for a lot of people, but I find its development damn near perfect without being overpowering. The closing musk note is my favorite ever - I ended up getting a bottle of MKK and layer a spray with Vetiver Oriental to bring out the musk note earlier. Not sure if Mr Lutens would approve, but those two scents together are just perfect.
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post #43 of 43
11/9/10 at 10:42am
Thread Starter 
Indeed, Steve, I love Vetiver Oriental's smoothness. I will have to try layering it!
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