Remember when this brand was among the most popular, beloved and talked about brands in the Perfumeland? Bell jars were highly-coveted items, each new release would ripple around the blogosphere in multiple reviews and discussions, and the samples were almost a convertible currency. These days, the brand seems to have lost its royal standing, the next generation of perfume lovers does not talk about it with bated breath, and seasoned perfumistas do not favor it compared to a dozen other brands they do not pay too much attention to any longer because their collections are bursting as is.
Saturday Question #227:
What Was The Last New Serge Lutens Perfume You Tried?
Did you pay for the sample? Did you like it? Do you plan to buy a bottle? Is there any perfume from the brand that you would like to try (it doesn’t have to be a new release)?
My Answer
The last new perfume from Serge Lutens I tried was La Dompteuse Encagée. I tried a sample of it three (!) years ago, liked it, and later that year bought a bottle. But since then I haven’t tried any of their new releases.
It is not that I am not interested in this brand: they’ll have to ruin most of my favorites completely and launch at least a couple of new perfumes that I don’t find interesting for me to take them off my mental “to try” list. This hasn’t happened yet, partially because no retailers around carry the brand, and bottles of my favorites are not even close to being empty – hence no need to pay for testing how the current reformulation smells. But because no stores have Serge Lutens for me to test, with my low-buy in the recent couple of years, I didn’t want to pay for samples of new ones from the brand either. I might one day.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
The last one I tried from the brand was their rose scent, La Fille Tour de Fer. I paid for the sample, and find it to be their most straightforward rose. It’s less metallic than La Fille de Berlin, less honeyed than Sa Majeste la Rose and less dark and gothic than Rose de Nuit. It’s pretty, rounded and smooth. I liked it and used most of my sample, but didn’t put it on my wishlist. I still need to try La Dompteuse Encagée.
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I think La Fille Tour de Fer is the latest one. My relationships with SL roses are mixed – I liked La Fille de Berlin (but had some issues with the story – probably not any more), and didn’t like Sa Majeste la Rose. So, if I happen to come by it at a store, I’ll try it.
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Hello!
I wore DE yesterday-I bought a bottle last year when it was really inexpensive of Fragrance net. I had asked for a sample from Holts, when I was making other purchases, and liked it, so when some came up I bought it. I just did the same thing on Thursday past-bought La Fille Tour de Fer unsniffed, since it was about $50 CDN. The prices have skyrocketed-it’s $215 now for 50 ml, unless you can find it at a discounter. It makes sense, I guess, since all the prices have gone up but I don’t think I’d pay that much for a fragrance. My collection will outlast me as it is.
I do remember how hard it was to get samples, and how people would just exclaim over how perfect the line is. I have and love quite a few. Loved the Le Vapo line. Loved the older style 50 ml bottles with paper labels. I like the Gratte Ciel bottles, and I’ve never had a bell bottle. I bought Iris Silver Mist about 7 years ago when it was a Le Vapo product, and I really like it. I wanted to try it for more than a decade so it’s pretty special to me. I still like reading about different people’s experiences at the Salon in Paris-Portia did some great in depth writing on it, and it’s like being there with them.
Slightly off topic-if you get a chance to try the cosmetics dive right in. Fragrance net also had some lipsticks so I bought those, too, and they’re really beautiful. I love the minimalist packaging, very similar to the Le Vapo presentation. M3 is my favourite. It’s a plum sort of red. Very dramatic if applied right from the tube and very wearable. Fades evenly after about four hours, doesn’t bleed or feather.
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We have had some extraordinary experiences at the Palais Royale store over the years Carole. That purple room still scares the bejebus out of me. So creepy. Plus the ultra gorgeous gothic vampires working there. It’s like stepping into another world.
Portia xx
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My bottle of LDE also wasn’t expensive. I wouldn’t have paid $200+ for it, even though I liked it.
I remember trying a couple of SL lipsticks at Barney’s. I thought they were nice, but I wasn’t prepared to pay their full price, so I didn’t test it thoroughly.
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Hey Undina,
I still try to get the new Serge under my nose but things have slipped a bit.
Last year at Harvey Niche in London I tried Écrin de Fumée and fell madly in love but have not yet purchased. Someday soon I will.
Portia xx
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I haven’t tried Écrin de Fumée yet. I will eventually.
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It has now made its way into my cart, awaiting funds.
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I visited their boutique in Paris in June and tried all of them then, most for the first time. I really wanted to like L’Orpheline because I loved the special edition design with its fantastical illustration, but the dry incense focus wasn’t my style and I couldn’t justify buying it just for a picture on the bottle.
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I saw that special bottle: it’s beautiful! And I liked perfume, but I didn’t love it to warrant paying full price for that bottle.
Last year I was tempted by the Ambre Sultan limited edition bottle, but my current one is still at least half full (I think :) ), so I had to pass.
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The last Serge Lutens I got to sample was Périlleusement Vôtre. Nice, but not really what I would expect from the brand. Barneys New York was my go to for in person Serge Lutens sampling. Since Barneys no long exists, I have no other “in person” chance to sample the latest. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like I haven’t tried.
I’ve had an order Serge Lutens’ online store that were cancel due to availability three weeks after the orders were placed. That order included some more recent samples, which I obviously didn’t receive. I have an order I placed in the end of July, which is now on the way to me after being stuck in customs here in the U.S. for two weeks because of missing information from Serge Lutens. I’ll have a post coming soon on this latest experience. I’m suppose to receive samples of La fille tour de fer, Parole d’eau and Dans le bleu qui pétille. The package is due Monday.
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I hope you got your package :)
Périlleusement Vôtre… I’m not sure I even heard that name. I am really behind.
I miss Barney’s. I bought my Ambre Sultan from them. Not because I couldn’t buy it online but because I felt like I “owed” them to buy something after many times I went there just for testing.
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I did get my package, Undina. The box is a story all unto itself. More to come on that. I received La fille tour de fer, Parole d’eau and Dans le bleu qui pétille, so I’m ready to sample. 😉
Périlleusement Vôtre has notes of oud and rose. It’s nice, just not exactly what I would expect from the brand. It’s almost like someone said, there must be an oud/rose fragrance in the collection.
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You know what? It was so long ago that I don’t even remember! Back in the 20-teens, I was so excited that the SL boutique was a must see but now, meh.
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Are there any places in NY where you can try SL? I remember that at some point Saks had bell jars, but I haven’t visited it during my last visit, so I don’t know if they still do.
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I haven’t tried anything new from them! The most recent was probably from 2012? I had limited time when we were in Paris in 2018 and I chose not to visit due to price point – I preferred to go where I had a chance at actually purchasing! I have a handful of bottles of older classics, no bell jars. My interest in sampling has gone wayyyyy down these days!
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We all test less. Probably because we do not really plan to buy more.
I would test more if I didn’t have to pay for it or make some special efforts.
When I was in Paris, I tried to visit SL boutique, but it was closed.
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Very interesting question, I used to be able to smell these all over the place in the UAE but since coming back to the US it is much more difficult and with a string of not very interesting releases (to me, at least) I kind of stopped hunting down samples. That said, while in Italy last year I was able to try Écrin de Fumée and immediately snapped up a 50ml bottle which does give me hope that the brand has some magic left. I’m happy to have my significant collection of older releases to enjoy but, it is sad that they have seemed to have gotten lost in the hoards of new brands and releases.
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Yours is the second vote for Écrin de Fumée! I should probably make an effort to try it.
I’m also sad that SL (and several other favorites of the past) has drowned in the ocean of new brands/releases.
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La Couche du Diable maybe. I thought it was well done, but didn’t want to buy it. I’m interested in trying the new La Fille Tour de Fer just because I know it is dedicated to the Eiffel Tower. I love the Lutens that I own, but the fragrances all seem stuck in a certain style and I already have enough of that already.
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I think I tried La Couche du Diable, and while I didn’t dislike it, nothing was forcing my hand on that “buy” button.
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Good question. SL has slipped totally off my radar. When I first became a part of the perfume community over 15 years ago, SL releases were exclaimed over and anticipated. I have a few bottles of the old ones, but in all honesty I don’t reach for them much anymore. And as for sampling? Too long ago to remember!
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It’s good to see you!
You mentioned not reaching to the older SL bottles, so I wonder: do you use other perfumes from those times more often? Or is it just a function of time where newer additions to our collections get more skin time than their older “siblings”?
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Er…something from a long time ago? Put it this way, I have not tried any of the Serge Lutens scents mentioned by other commenters!
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That’s a good measuring stick! :)
And I don’t think you missed much.
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I went to the SL boutique when we were in Paris this past February and tried the new one, La Fille Tour de Fer. It was very pretty but I didn’t want to pay full price for a bottle, given how many fragrances I already have (including several by SL).
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