Brandonxfl

Let me start by saying, that this scent has a fruit based aroma to it. The lemon note that is contained in Creed Aventus (Aventus vs Imperial Millesime Comparison Review), is not the same type of lemon as in Imperial, this lemon is Sicilian lemon and it is blended with a sea salt and bergamot note to help produce a melon sort of aroma.

Yes, the opening has a fresh watermelon/melon vibe to it with a background of marine notes and musk, which get hidden a bit from the start. Imperial has a musk note that peaks in from the start, it really isn’t heavy, but provides a great complement to the bright citrus open.

Millesime Imperial is a crisp and clean cologne which is beautifully constructed. It reminds me of a summer day spent along the coast, as it is warm, inviting, and almost juicy in its presence.

The dry down period subtly shifts from the abundant fruity notes to the more marine or oceanic side of things, which reveals a certain masculinity to the scent.

This one has plenty of that salty oceanic smell to it, as it wears on, but the fruit notes are still the star overall.

Further along, Millesime Imperial, continues as a fruity marine scent but the light iris note comes through with a hint of powder sitting underneath it all. It’s a nice touch to a fragrance, that is already luxurious, and that create such a strong imagery of coastal summers.

There’s a warm dryness which runs through its heart and really stands out from other aquatic colognes.

The opening sprays of L’Instant EDT are a blend of citrus and spice. The main notes are lemon and star anise. The secondary ingredients are a bit of lime and pepper. The lemon note is deep and pairs wonderfully with the warm though not too intense spice of the star anise.

Sitting behind this is a light herbal tea note, that fades rather quickly to my nose. I love the start of this cologne, it has a dry and powdered warmth, with spice, and a sharp juicy lemon note. It’s unique and definitely takes a different path from most other men’s fragrances.

The jasmine and sandalwood, peak through the composition fairly early, and give this its dry powdery aspect. The opening act, as I said, is unique. It can be off putting at times, but this one needs to develop further on the skin, to really reach its zenith.

As it moves along, L’Instant de Guerlain, starts to be less spicy. The cocoa note strengthens and the anise fades, a good deal. It’s sweet and dry, like a cocoa mix, and the patchouli gives it an earthy companion.

What I get for the rest of the wear is: cocoa, lemon, patchouli, sandalwood, musk, with a touch of florals. It’s got an herbal quality, wrapped up in a dry wamth, with sweetness, and a lingering spice sitting underneath. It all comes together as very smooth, somewhat smoky, and subtle.

Before we get into my review, let’s see how Serge Lutens describes this fragrance: Imagine a village fair where the smell of gunfire from the shooting range mingles with the sweeter aroma of gingerbread, cinnamon, clove, and candied orange and you have Bapteme du Feu!

Right from the start, you know this is going to be an odd fragrance. I mean, just read the description. Once, you spray it on, its uniqueness doesn’t suddenly disappear.

Bapteme du feu opens up with a juicy and quite sugary blast of orange or tangerine. Yes, it really does have a candied aroma, and smells quite intense. Not too out of the ordinary, as many scents have a strong citrus.

However, then the gunpowder note comes in. It’s a warm spent cartridge smell. A bit smoky, somewhat powdery from mixing with the other ingredients, and hangs in the air with a metallic smell.

At first, this note gets mixed with some spiciness. Cinnamon and gingerbread, come through more, later in the wear. Near the start though, I get a lot of clove. It’s super sweet orange, clove, and gunpowder. Man, I really don’t care for these smells combined together.

Does Bapteme du Feu get better, as it moves along? Yes, once the clove dies down, I can stand it more. It continues into being more gingerbread dominant, with orange highlights, and a general hazy smoke aroma. That’s essentially what it is for the rest of its cycle.

So, expect a warm, sweet, baked goods, spicy, gunpowder smell.

The opening of Cool Water is quite aquatic to my nose, but bolstered by the inclusion of both mint and tobacco. Pretty sharp/ The tobacco smells quite green and unprocessed, sort of like that found in Versace’s Dreamer.

It is slightly spicy with a crisp cold air running through the heart of the scent. Very refreshing and clean, with bits of lavender and neroli floral essence.

As it moves along, Cool Water feels more soapy and woody, and this is the part that gets compared to Green Irish Tweed or Chez Bond. I’d say it’s closer to the latter, but again, has much more of an aquatic aroma than either of those do.

Is Cool Water better than either? Almost certainly not, but it is wayyyy cheaper than either of those pricey colognes. The rosemary doesn’t feel all that heavy to my nose, though, it is detectable just not all that prominent.

Then, after that soapy phase, it becomes more aquatic with a dry woods undertone. So, I get marine notes, mint, and lavender. The tobacco note fades, while the neroli hangs around somewhat. Then, there is dry oak moss and sandalwood at the base.

Eventually, a slight musk shows up. To me, the mint and aquatic elements, really make this scent. It’s like a nice pick me up, not too complex, but still attractive after all these years.

Ambre Sultan opens up with the amber note, that is joined by quite a resinous aroma, and a healthy dose of spice. Coriander, bay leaf, and some herbal spices are fairly heavy at the start of this fragrance.

I was expecting it to be a warmer and sweeter fragrance than it is, but I instead get, a lot of sandalwood and the aforementioned spice notes. It does get somewhat sweeter, as it wears on, but it’s nothing super dramatic.

Ambre Sultan actually has a oriental smokiness to it (incense) and the distinct smell of myrrh. I pick this up, at about 10 minutes after spraying, and it reminds me a lot of other scents that I know I’ve review on this site but cannot recall the name of.

Anyway, as it dries down, it actually does become drier and a hint of vanilla peaks through to make things feel creamier with that sandalwood.

After this first hour or two of wear, you pretty much know what you’re going to get from this Serge Lutens fragrance, as it is pretty linear from here on. It is a dry and smokey resinous smell from the base notes, with some sweet vanilla, a sandalwood, and spice led by a dominant bay leaf note.

Seriously, the bay leaf is much stronger than I figured it’d be in this composition, so be aware of that before you buy.