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Serge Noire by Serge Lutens

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Have you ever encountered a particular house that numerous people love and all that house has ever done for you ( with an occasional exception ) was bust your chops? Ah yes.........Serge Lutens......Eccentricities personified and creator of some flat-out weird juice.

There's something about the house notes and/or accords that almost always come off (to my nose)  as a hairspray accord. I find it EXTREMELY annoying and I'm quite certain the problem is on my end. I guess I'll just never love anything from this house.


For the record, I find Borneo a very good release and on par with the likes of Coromandel. That aside, Serge Noire is yet another strange brew with the patented hairspray aura. It's very linear and the clash of cinnamon against black woods is ....well.....disjointed, but somehow it has me smelling my wrist repeatedly. It's like these 2 notes are forced against their will to be joined together. There's patchouli in here as well, but it's buried under the cinna-woods and a sticky amber. It's very different and pleasant in an ugly fashion. Yes.....it's ugly but pleasant. I have no other way to describe this......this.....hairspray passing itself off as an EDP.

Now, to be fair, it settles down to weird woody in 15 minutes or so. I also get a subtle, already-been-chewed bubble gum aroma and wool  in the extended drydown.  I cannot say I'd find occasion to wear something like this AND ENJOY IT.   I CAN SAY I would never purchase it. Serge Noire is just strange enough to be okay but bottle worthy? All I can recommend to those who enjoy Lutens is you need to sample first before pulling the trigger on this baby.
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  1. ElisaJuly 26, 2011 at 12:56 PM

    Interesting -- I get something like a hairspray accord (maybe more like hair gel) from Chergui. I still like it, but it's not love. I haven't noticed that same note in other Lutenses, but maybe it's due to the same material.

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