Labormaus

Dear Serge,

You are my hero, you great Manitou, I admire your work, I can really get excited about your fragrances, but I have one question....what on earth were you thinking with Jeux de Peau!!!
I have never experienced before that a fragrance made me gag!

I had the chance to test Jeux de Peau in the store. Yes, I know the Lutens, I don't need a test strip, so I eagerly sprayed it on my hand.
I wish I hadn't done that!
Immediately, I had a desperate cascade of thoughts that went something like this:

Gag--> customer restroom--> sink--> soap--> more soap--> even more soap!!

I don't want to offend anyone who likes the fragrance, who knows, maybe it's due to my possibly
perverse skin chemistry!
How can such innocently individual notes come together to create such a devastating overall result!

I have also tested other fragrances that contain milk, wheat, or barley notes, like Lann-Ael, which I found to be extremely pleasant.
Is this how fresh rolls are supposed to smell? Then I declare war on those evil carbohydrates with immediate effect!
For me, it is more of a sweet, fermenting smell of rolls with massive health-threatening spore-forming fungal infestation!
An indescribable experience that I would gladly do without repeating!

So dear Serge, I know you can do better!

For hours, I racked my brain to understand this masterpiece.
Yes, the Xerjoff policy really doesn’t make it easy!

So aside from all the marketing secretive nonsense, which I’m not particularly fond of, the good Xerjoff has truly succeeded with the join the Club series!

Now to the Marquee:

It is a relatively light, pleasant fragrance with a slightly special note.
The beginning is marked by the rose, an astonishingly atypical rose. Although jasmine and violet gradually join in,
the scent remains minimally floral. Perhaps it’s also due to the clean patchouli that is present from the start.
A little later, some amber and iris make their presence felt, but the rose is still not neglected.
I think I can detect a slightly bitter note; could that be bergamot?

Marquee puts me in a dilemma. I have tested it several times now, and I am surprised every time by its unpredictable behavior in the base note.
It seems sensitive to temperature fluctuations. When it’s a bit warmer, it comes across as more romantic and rosy, and in cooler temperatures, it feels "clean" and straightforward!

I definitely perceive it as unisex, easy to wear, and yet not everyday.
Who knows, maybe it will soon move in with me :-)

Where to begin with this extraordinary fragrance!
Quality, complexity, scent progression, longevity, I would give full marks for all of them!

In the top notes, there are supposed to be herbs, well, at least nothing spicy. A hint of oud, but of the delicate, non-medical kind, runs like a red thread through the scent, even though it is not listed.
The tobacco note here is also very subtle.

I find it to be extremely alluring and feminine. The fragrance pyramid resembles Laylati, with the difference that there is a hint of saffron and a very fine rose that is anything but overpowering. From the top note to the base note, complexity is emphasized here!
The Wardasina doesn’t scream, but is still very present.

I would describe the scent as the more elegant cousin of Duro, with a few drops of Saffron Troublant and the finest rose in the background.

I have now extensively tested the fragrance and am thrilled with its longevity! Sprayed in the morning and by the next evening, I could still clearly perceive the scent!
That is quite long, and while it is not a given in this price range, it is certainly to be expected!

For me, an absolute candidate for purchase, despite the strange velvet-covered bottle and the ridiculously high price! But it’s also about the inner values ;-)

In search of a good fragrance, I walked into the store armed with a long list, which understandably did not immediately excite the saleswoman!

I quickly nestled into the Serge Lutens corner, then a bit of Tauer, Nasomatto, and Profumum.
The saleswoman continued to look at me skeptically and immediately placed a huge pot of coffee beans in front of me.

-"Have you already tested the new one from Maria Lux?"
I looked at the kitschy bottle and thought... hmmm didn’t my grandma have something similar?
-no thanks, I don’t think that’s for me (knowing that the scent is based on "white flowers")
Nooooo, I’m not into floral bombs.

-"But this is made by Gualtieri!" she said right away

Oops, that got my attention. So I stuck my nose into the coffee beans and was ready for what was to come.

Sprayed on a test strip and cautiously sniffed.
And there it was..... I was... "blown away," I can’t express it any other way!
But I can’t possibly like this, I’m not into flowers!
Gualtieri is indeed a master of his craft and has often surprised me positively so far.

It is an incredibly elegant, yet also opulent and mature fragrance. I smell little powdery notes, and if there is iris in it, it hides very well from me.
Mature white flowers with a bit of amber and a little vetiver, which normally shouldn’t fit in at all!
All in all, a rather intense, "loud" fragrance, with very strong sillage, that doesn’t fit my usual preferences at all, yet has completely captivated me!

What an experience that was! My fragrance horizon has definitely been expanded!

I was so scared to test this fragrance! The notes sounded so beautiful, but all the reports and descriptions left me with a free field for my imagination.

Yes, full-bearded men, on a Harley, tattooed, shouting, where's the roast pig! Those are the images I conjured up, and they didn't stop!

When I was in the store, I didn't know if I should dare to take the bottle in my hand. Since I had previously tested all the "full woman fragrances," I had to approach it cautiously, almost embarrassingly, fearing that the saleswoman would give me some ironic looks!

And there it was, finally I held this treasure in my hand, hesitantly I took off the cap and carefully smelled it.....wait....immediately bring me test strips! This can't be true! Where are my Harley riders? I see no full-body tattoo and what happened to the roast pig?

I smelled pure eroticism. Like a dark erotic dancer, without frills, no flower in her hair or jewelry. Simple and incredibly elegant.

This fragrance will definitely polarize. The woods, the spices, not as loud or complex as one might expect from Serge Lutens or Diptyque, yet still enchanting! You can immediately tell there's Oud in it, but not a sharp medicinal Oud, rather a softer, clear aphrodisiac version.

I believe that any woman who is not fixated on flowers can definitely wear Duro. Perhaps not necessarily during a board meeting, as it might cause some confusion among everyone, but otherwise almost everywhere.

I am certainly enchanted by the fragrance!