Perfumer: Sege Lutens
Olfactive notes of: Ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, plum, peach, orange blossom, violet, beewax, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla, benzoin
Olfactive Family - woody-floral
Gender: Feminine
Description by the Brand: tribute to perfection, beauty and pure sensual femininity.
Description by + Q Perfume: WOODY CEDAR FLORAL PLUMMY
Sillage: very difuse
Technological improvement: woody perfumes for women
Fixation: long
Rating:✪✪✪✪
where:
✪✪✪✪✪ - Pure femininity
✪✪✪✪ - Luxurious femininity
✪✪✪ - Feminine yes, wearable thou?
✪✪ - cheap pencil note
✪ - not for women, not for men
You will find Serge Lutens fragrances at Essenza Nobile. The providers of this sampling for my blog.
FÉMINITÉ DU BOIS EDP- SERGE LUTENS
In 1992 Serge Lutens teamed up with Pierre Bourdon and Christopher Sheldrake to create for Shiseido a woody fragrance for women called Féminité du Bois, around a Cedar Atlas note from Morocco.
In the 90's Women were competing for jobs with men, demanding higher salaries, wearing suits and defining their own femininity. Since woody fragrances were widely explored in the masculine world, bringing them to the ladies would also bridge the two kingdoms. With the grunge trend in fashion that decade (where the looks were rather androgynous), woody perfumes with floral and fruity compositions seemed to be the way to bring a new concept of femininity. Women were no longer fragile beings.
( Notice that CK One by CK was launched as the first modern unisex fragrances, in 1994).
In 2009 Serge Lutens relaunched the fragrance recreating the juice in its true form: pure and nude. As he describes it: "it is a judge in love with the criminal". Where cedar is the criminal.
Cedar of Morocco
The perfume received a new flacon - simple, where the color of the fragrance - pale brown-ish pink, could be seen through a transparent grass bottle.
When Serge Lutens traveled to Morocco for the first time, he fell in love with this special wood, so he knew one day he would create a perfume around this fragrance. At that time he thought of naming it Cédre. He would go back to a concept of purity where one would be able to identify the note in the fragrance.
Féminité de Bois EDP was altered, recreated or undressed (as the perfumer describes it) to show the simplicity the perfumer wanted to give to the perfume.
Notes of ginger explode with notes of Cedar on the skin.
I smell cumin as a subtle undertone - although not mentioned by the brand, but cleverly mentioned by Katie P. And it is to my senses a bit annoying, as I am not really fond of armpit BO, but it does bring reference to Middle Eastern cultures, where cumin is sprinkled in almost every dish. So I understand where it came from.
Spiced by cinnamon and cloves, cedar becomes very pleasant and wearable.
Cardamom is there, vibrant and belly dancing, but not separable from the rest. You cannot smell any purity of notes here. Although the perfumer says you can, + Q Perfume Blog can only separate the cedar itself from the others. The hold hands. They are not nomads in the desert.
SERGE LUTENS MAKE UP ART
What captured my attention is the fact that this fragrance has the olfactive representation of his makeup palettes. With pale pinks, cinnamon browns, burgundy plumy - clove-ish tons, pale nude powdery silky touches of peachy and bee-wax colors, blended into shades of mate gold. If you look at this image above, it is exactly how I picture this fragrance. A dry woody beauty, with a touch of classy femininity.
Plum notes are sweeten by orange blossom, slightly flowery and very fruity. There is no gap between the fruity notes and the spicy ones. It feels like the spices left the cedar and jumped to compose a sangria-mix with the fruits. (before pouring into the wine - because you don't have that note in this perfume).
Plum, peach and orange is joyful, vibrant, alive and syrupy. The perfume emerges from dryness to pulp nectars. As if dusty notes of powdered spices and dry cedars were mixed in a moisture blend of the liquid the fruits.
Erg Shabby Sand Dunes -Sahara Moroccan desert
photo credit: Mike Mellinger
The color palette of the sandy wilderness of the desert represented in orange olfactive notes of peach and orange blossoms. The pale plum and cinnamon, blending in arid creamy yellows... they are all there!
The perfume is not only an artistic interpretation of aromas and scents, but also a lesson of color blending.
The waxy note add another texture to the fragrance, that so far was mixing liquids and powders. In my skin is very pronounced and very welcomed. I love touches of honey and bee-wax in perfumes. A trace of pollen, a trace of the energy of bees, a trace of honey...it is delicate and it brings softness to this perfume.
A base of sandalwood, vanilla and benzoin, slightly gourmand, sweet, comforting, smooth and woody wraps the package.
Obs: I gave a 4 star rating because in my opinion it is rather strong. It could be less diffuse. Maybe an EDT would make me smile more. It is to my senses too much of Serge.
DIOR NEW LOOKS 2010/2011
Fémenité du Bois EDP by Serge Lutens is the fragrance to wear with the new look presented by Dior. It will work as an olfactive extension of the textures and colors of these looks. And they were brought here as the first experience of matching fragrances with fashion.
I have been harmonizing fragrances with images, with music, with videos, with art, poetry, and lately with food. But this is not an image - fragrance association. It goes beyond that. The concept of these looks, inspired by the heroic romanticism of french 17th century, is Seduction and Liberty.
When Serge Lutens first created this fragrance, that was women were looking for. Liberty to be equal as men. Liberty to be able to reach positions and financial conquests like men did.
And the perfumer recreated the fragrance to be nude. Nude seems to be the word nowadays. And Dior brought pale tons, with seductive plums and burgundies. Pale pinks and sandy creams. Mini dresses and ruffles (as promised by Li Edelkoort). Transparency and and curly hairs. (not a problem to wear by this blogger!!!).
It is 100% the look of + Q Perfume Blog.
If I had the bucks, probably the entire collection was already pre ordered to be delivered to me!!! Transparency and delicacy mixed with heavy, roughness of leathers and wools. Pale palettes, chiffons, dryness X pulpiness and femininity are going to be the hit of fall, and Serge Lutens Féminité du Bois EDP will be a must-wear fragrance!
A woman who is feminine but not fragile. That is the aura of this perfume, that is the aura of this Dior collection.
Para uma avaliação em Português - clique aqui e entre no mundo mágico da minha amiga Gaëlle. 
