Un bois sépia Serge Lutens 2008

Un Bois Sépia surprised me greatly, as it is a southern French perfume that develops in a very varied way and has a good sillage. Scents of nature, walks through a cypress grove, a forest, an arboretum park, or an avenue where cypress trees meet moss-covered oaks. It is shortly after the rain and in late summer or early autumn when a distinct smell of damp earth from the rain, earthy patchouli, cypress bark, and green leaves, as well as the dry essence of Gris Clair and a hint of sweet mint can be detected. After a few hours, the last sip of coffee that one enjoys so much while hiking on a wooden bench from a thermos comes through, something I did not expect at all, given the completely contradictory reviews, which are rare; I could not imagine the perfume at all. The more I felt drawn to it. So I blindly reached for the bottle and do not regret it in the slightest. No flimsy goods. Vintage collectors and nature lovers will get their money's worth here. A sensual, elegant, and very pleasant aromatherapy that caresses the senses and the soul. It feels like wrapping oneself in a light, sheer scarf that evokes memories of the summer just passed and the autumn to come.

If someone had held the scent under my nose blindfolded -
or even just announced it as a Serge Lutens -
my reaction would have been a definite NO!
A Lutens? Never!
Even though I am sitting here now reading the list of ingredients, I imagine a completely different fragrance.
As I wore un Bois Sepia on the back of my hand, a scent association immediately came to mind, *g* I envision a tanned, well-built man diving off a cliff into the blue sea and then basking in the sun with his water-droplet skin.

An aquatic-sounding men's fragrance like Cool Water. *shudder*

But the ingredients are quite different!

Still, it has a typically freshly washed but clearly masculine scent of an aftershave from a blue bottle. I imagined the scent to be more green based on the name and the fragrance notes - not at all - it’s blue.
In any case, I don’t perceive any of the beloved vetiver. Patchouli, sandalwood, cypress are all building blocks I greatly appreciate, yet I can’t distinctly identify any of them here.
Then there’s opoponax… Shouldn’t that provide the famous Lutensian balsamic richness? It doesn’t. *scratches head* Where on earth does the aquatic come from?
I like it neither on myself nor on a man.
So I’m not getting anywhere here, sorry.
May someone come to my aid.