Datura noir Serge Lutens 2001 Eau de Parfum

"Datura fastuosa (The Beautiful Datura)" - this is the name of a novella by E.T.A. Hoffmann, one of the most famous writers of German Romanticism. The novella is about a naive youth named Eugenius who becomes involved in the mysterious machinations of the diabolical Count Angelo Mora. The titular plant Datura fastuosa plays a central role in the intrigue surrounding Eugenius and becomes a symbol of temptation and beautiful deception in the narrative.

Since E.T.A. Hoffmann is one of my favorite authors, of course I could not help but try the fragrance, whose name reminded me of the hoffmann novella. Back then (a few years ago), the very first thing I was drawn to was perfume names, not fragrances. If the name appealed to me and made me curious, the perfume had to be tested. And with Serge Lutens fragrances, I found the strangest and most intriguing word creations! After many tests, for the time being, three perfumes from him moved in with me one after the other - including the beautiful mysterious Datura noir.

Undoubtedly, Serge Lutens - just like E.T.A. Hoffmann at the time - was inspired by the reputation of Datura as a narcotic hallucinogenic plant, this "devil's herb", which has been used since rather in the Old and New World in so-called witch potions and initiation rituals. Even today, the description of this nightshade plant in any reference book is accompanied by the reference to its high toxicity.

Did the fragrance then live up to this "devilish" reputation? Does the perfume smell as if its floral ingredients came from a hoffmannesque garden? The fragrance is generally considered heavy, sweet, floral-opulent (which is off-putting to many), although there are other voices on Parfumo that describe the scent as light, creamy and tame. However, the creator himself has dubbed the Datura as the seductress of twilight ("séductrice du crépuscule") and thus we are all entitled to expect a beguiling (even sensory-robbing) effect:)

Well, the Datura Noir has this effect for me, but in a subtle - yes just dodgy - way. He is for me the olfactory embodiment of the femme fatale, a type of woman who is present since ancient times in human perception and thus in art and literature (as we know him, for example, from the film Noir of the 40s). A mysterious woman whose beauty seems enigmatic and threatening, but is always almost hypnotically attractive. A woman who is characterized by intelligence, certain coldness of feeling, striving for power and urge for self-determination, and therefore very often perceived as a demonic deadly seductress.

So for me the fragrance - neither heavy nor overly sweet, but unmistakably strong in character and very attractive. It is floral, but in a wonderfully elegant and adult way - and please do not confuse adult with mature! As with another Serge Lutens I own, my fragrance compass, which is also unreliable anyway, fails here - I can't for the life of me enumerate the exact sequence of floral notes and all the other ingredients, as they are so artfully woven together here. The scent is also not at all somber to me, but actually bright, or rather transparent. Yes, it has for me despite the warm creamy notes a certain crystal clear coolness that makes it seem distant.

It's neither clingy nor superficial, it's not everyday but it's suitable for everyday use, it doesn't hit any big curves in the course but stays true to its line without becoming boring - all thanks to its complexity and appeal. Yes, he is truly a femme fatale, once known as a dangerous seductress, nowadays simply a woman who knows what she wants and goes her own way:)

PS. And what does this have to do with E.T.A. Hoffman in the end? Well, you probably won't be surprised to learn that there is also a femme fatale in the aforementioned novella - as a female counterpart to the Datura from the garden of the mysterious Count - namely the beautiful mysterious Countess Gabriela, whose charms almost became the undoing of the poor main hero. But don't worry - he managed to escape her fascination and her seductive powers. However, I am completely addicted to the attraction of the Serge Lutens fragrance:)