I have not had much exposure to the Serge Lutens line and after seeing/reading about the frags I decided enough is enough and I have to try them out. Is Chergui really that amazing? Is Ambre Sultan the Sultan of Ambers? And being a gourmand fan how does Un bois vanille stack up to the rest? I had to know.
I went to the Thomas Mair boutique in Miami to narrow down what I was going to sample. In addition to carrying the beige Lutens line the store also stocked Nassomoto and Diptyque.
So I took my nose to the scents and decided to test Un Bois Vanille, Chergui, Five O’Clock Au Gingembre, and Gris Clair.
Vetiver Original I will try next time and I thought it smelled really fresh. Ambre Sultan I did not even want to spray on me. I did not like it all, it reminded me of Amber Absolut by Tom Ford. Something about the way they smell just doesn't appeal to me at this time. It smelled very old fashioned like my grandparents basement. The amber is VERY strong and a raw amber. I prefer smoother ones or my amber paired with vanilla similar to Amber Oud by Kilian
Impressions
Un Bois Vanille - Wow! Very strong and excellent projection. Definite sillage trail with this one! It smells like a vanilla that's being cooked. Its very different from all other vanillas that I have (Im a huge SDV fan). That sweet cooked vanilla dominates for 2 hours and then gives way to a little bit of a woodsy tree with some licorice in the background making it no so linear in my book. To me I would wear this when its cold and crispy outside. This scent got a little cloying during the 80 degree days down here and the drydown which took a while to get to was much appreciated. This is a casual fragrance that would be hard for me to get versatility out of. I still prefer other vanillas (SDV) over this.
Five O’Clock Au Gingembre - To me from the initial blast to the drydown it smelled like incense. An woody incense with a little pepper and ginger lingering quietly. I did not pick up on any cocoa in it that some people say they get. The scent is very linear, has good longevity and it doesn't project much more than 1-2 inches off your skin. Sillage is decent during the first 15-20 mins. This smell reminds me of a nice fall day. This is a light transparent fragrance that I can see being worn to work and casual encounters as it is very non offensive.
Chergui - Ahh the much talked about Chergui. Upon the initial blast I got a lot of freshness out this, cool and almost mint like. 2-3 hours later It dries down into smooth tobacco. I do actually get a hay smell out of this. A little late on the amber pops out and its a tolerable amber for me. This scent has good longevity. The sillage is minimal and it doesn't project much at all. This scent gets a lot of hype being a high class scent and I don't get the vibe out of this. I would use it for a date night or going to the office. Now I don't think this is for casual use, but it also doesn't remind me of a black tie event. I think that this is an excellently blended fragrance and is my favorite out of the Lutens line.
Gris Clair - This scent is very faint. It stood out the least from the others I tried. This scent smells like warm clothes out of the dryer. Very unimpressive but very well done. This is a very transparent scent that can be worn all year. When randomly asking people which scent they preferred most people picked this one. Its a smooth lavender and iris. I don't get much other notes in this. Projection, sillage and longevity are all very poor. After 2 hours this is nothing more than a skin scent. If i had this I would be using it for casual settings when I didn't want to smell like I was wearing a fragrance but still wanted to smell good.
I hope you guys got something out of this. Maybe next time I should just do a video
I went to the Thomas Mair boutique in Miami to narrow down what I was going to sample. In addition to carrying the beige Lutens line the store also stocked Nassomoto and Diptyque.
So I took my nose to the scents and decided to test Un Bois Vanille, Chergui, Five O’Clock Au Gingembre, and Gris Clair.
Vetiver Original I will try next time and I thought it smelled really fresh. Ambre Sultan I did not even want to spray on me. I did not like it all, it reminded me of Amber Absolut by Tom Ford. Something about the way they smell just doesn't appeal to me at this time. It smelled very old fashioned like my grandparents basement. The amber is VERY strong and a raw amber. I prefer smoother ones or my amber paired with vanilla similar to Amber Oud by Kilian
Impressions
Un Bois Vanille - Wow! Very strong and excellent projection. Definite sillage trail with this one! It smells like a vanilla that's being cooked. Its very different from all other vanillas that I have (Im a huge SDV fan). That sweet cooked vanilla dominates for 2 hours and then gives way to a little bit of a woodsy tree with some licorice in the background making it no so linear in my book. To me I would wear this when its cold and crispy outside. This scent got a little cloying during the 80 degree days down here and the drydown which took a while to get to was much appreciated. This is a casual fragrance that would be hard for me to get versatility out of. I still prefer other vanillas (SDV) over this.
Five O’Clock Au Gingembre - To me from the initial blast to the drydown it smelled like incense. An woody incense with a little pepper and ginger lingering quietly. I did not pick up on any cocoa in it that some people say they get. The scent is very linear, has good longevity and it doesn't project much more than 1-2 inches off your skin. Sillage is decent during the first 15-20 mins. This smell reminds me of a nice fall day. This is a light transparent fragrance that I can see being worn to work and casual encounters as it is very non offensive.
Chergui - Ahh the much talked about Chergui. Upon the initial blast I got a lot of freshness out this, cool and almost mint like. 2-3 hours later It dries down into smooth tobacco. I do actually get a hay smell out of this. A little late on the amber pops out and its a tolerable amber for me. This scent has good longevity. The sillage is minimal and it doesn't project much at all. This scent gets a lot of hype being a high class scent and I don't get the vibe out of this. I would use it for a date night or going to the office. Now I don't think this is for casual use, but it also doesn't remind me of a black tie event. I think that this is an excellently blended fragrance and is my favorite out of the Lutens line.
Gris Clair - This scent is very faint. It stood out the least from the others I tried. This scent smells like warm clothes out of the dryer. Very unimpressive but very well done. This is a very transparent scent that can be worn all year. When randomly asking people which scent they preferred most people picked this one. Its a smooth lavender and iris. I don't get much other notes in this. Projection, sillage and longevity are all very poor. After 2 hours this is nothing more than a skin scent. If i had this I would be using it for casual settings when I didn't want to smell like I was wearing a fragrance but still wanted to smell good.
I hope you guys got something out of this. Maybe next time I should just do a video
