Jeux de Peau by Serge Lutens

Bread Notes, Spices, Licorice, Apricot, Immortelle, Sandalwood, Woody Notes, Amber.

Imagine Serge Lutens releasing an eccentric fragrance the likes of Jeux de Peau? I know, it's a real stretch, but that's exactly how I consider this particular scent. Jeux de Peau conjures up the image of a non-passable cross dresser since the fragrance itself is akin to a masculinized perfume for women that smells better on a man. Confused? Well, you should be because there's no doubt that I am.

Have I described it as such because behind the ambiguous opening lies wood? I should think not, even though Jeux de Peau is a substantial woodie, this girl likes to flaunt it after 10 minutes on the skin. Yes my friends, under the dress there's not only trunk, but junk.

Jeux de Peau opens with what smells like slightly burnt anise-infused fruit and spice. The spices, at least to me, are a combination of cinnamon and cumin and they also possess the quality of being under a heat lamp. The licorice quality is the alpha note during the opening and holds fast even in the eventual transition. Once the top is peeled away, the Sandalwood enlarges and merges with the slowly dissipating introductory accord. I feel like I just experienced a macho feminine get aroused in a very masculine fashion. Now, either I'm simply feeling extremely weird today and I chose the wrong time to review this, or the Serge is as strange as I ever thought he was.

To sum up my opinion of Jeux de Peau, I find the tough feminine opening turned masculine finish rather interesting, not to mention disorienting. Would I wear it? You can bet your local hermaphrodite on it I would. The reason is the Sandalwood core that is the heartbeat of this offbeat concoction. There's similarities to i Profumi di Firenze's Dolce Patchouly of all things, but that is due to the prominent licorice.

My recommendation, other than to sample anything before purchase, is for Sandalwood fans to try this strange rendition. Even if you don't lean toward sandal in general, pick up a sample and delve into the mind of this....this......very different parfumeur. A cautious thumbs up from Aromi for Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau.

Comments

Newport by Caswell Massey

Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemon, Lavender, Geranium, Muguet, Rose, Ambergris, Cedar, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Musk. After wearing Newport by Caswell Massey a few times and then reading what others had to say about this recent formulation, I found some of the opinions harsh. I have no way to compare it to the heralded vintage formula, nor can I use memory as I've never tried the original. Enter the current version. I do agree with some reviews that this rendition does not bring about the sense of beach and salt, but there's a long line of fragrances that fail to represent their depictions. However, Newport isn't so far off the mark that it's a complete misrepresentation. I can imagine wearing Newport ( or something similar ) in a beach setting. It smells classic due to the way Citrus, Lavender and Geranium are implemented. It's assuredly retro, but it seems to have that intangible I like that keeps me sniffing. Newport, at least on my skin, is top heavy in the sens...

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Lanvin L'Homme

Lord knows the world has enough fresh woody citrus fragrances. It's a hackneyed genre of masculine perfume, having been done to death by countless designer firms cranking these things out since the 1990s, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Lanvin L'Homme, released in 1997, is one of the early woody citrus releases, but it (along with Essenza di Zegna) stands out because it's one of the best. That may sound like it's not saying much, but Lanvin L'Homme really is excellent. I won't get into a long treatise about all of the notes contained in this and how they evolve. Lanvin L'Homme is sparkling, spicy, woody, transparent and dry. What I love about this scent is how brilliantly it uses vetiver - the vetiver gives Lanvin L'Homme a woody, dry and somewhat bitter smell, but it also manages to create an effect of sustaining the citrus top notes for several hours. This results in a fragrance that smells fresh and cheerful from beginning ...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog