Thissideup

This one knows how to make a good impression. At the beginning, it seems to be well blended and rather seductive. It’s like a more outgoing, flirtatious brother of Orpheline by the same brand. But when you take a closer look, you can see that there isn’t that much hiding behind the pretty façade. The fragrance does not develop well, its individual components seem to be falling apart leaving something which is still pleasant, but lacking harmony and sophistication. What seemed to smell like black pepper at the beginning deteriorates into something unpleasantly warm, like a pack of nutmeg and ground chilies that stayed opened for too long. Pleasant but disappointing.

This one is very mysterious. But not because it emanates a mysterious atmosphere, nothing of the kind. It’s more due to the fact, that I’m absolutely not sure what I’m smelling here. It seems to give me completely different vibes on different days. While my first impression was of a very original take on a very masculine scent, on some other days it actually feels very feminine to me. On some days, it feels very cold and unfriendly, on others confident, attractive and comforting at the same time. I find it very hard to discern any particular notes here. Incense, yes, I can confirm that, but I don’t understand why this is described as smoky. I can detect much more freshness than smokiness here. I own an older bottle with a smaller label, maybe that’s why. I think there might be nutmeg in here, too…

The name Orpheline is a peculiar choice, but it does describe this fragrance perfectly. I associated with someone rather cold, confident, elegant, witty, and above all strict. I’m just not sure I want to be that person.

This was a blind buy, and I was sure I was not going to regret it. The fragrance turned out to be exactly how I imagined it to be. The name says it all: cold water. Without anything too artificial or tacky. It smells of mint, of a sunny morning, a fresh linen. It’s very unobtrusive and decent. It stays close to my skin, but remains there for a long time. There is nothing here that could be offensive, nauseating, too heavy. Nothing here is going to give me a headache, nothing here is too much. It’s my favourite choice for travelling because it indeed is like cold water, giving a feeling of freshness without really smelling of anything in particular. And if I don’t feel like wearing any of my other fragrances, I can always come back to this one.

This is a very interesting take on aquatic, marine scents, with purely detectable Serge Lutens DNA. Even if not mentioned in the original description, I’m pretty sure this one also contains incense, which is so typical for Serge Lutens. But unlike other fragrances by the brand, this one seems to be more fresh, sunnier, without becoming overly sweet. There is some slight sweetness there too, but it’s well balanced; hardly detectable, but sometimes also slightly annoying. To me, this fragrance has many faces, it’s somewhat of a chameleon, depending on my mood. It’s a perfect companion for the days, where I feel like something lighter and more uplifting, it’s a perfect choice for a walk in a park. It’s elegant and a very relaxed, casual manner. But on other days, where I feel like something darker and edgier, I can hardly understand why I bought the bottle in the first place…

It’s like a happier, sunnier and more sociable version of Orpheline.

I can very well understand why this one might be polarising. At the beginning, I myself wasn’t sure if I love it or hate it. But it was definitely nothing in between. The opening is sharp, reminiscent more of a detergent than of a perfume as I used to know it. But this has intrigued me so much, that very soon I’ve become literally obsessed with this fragrance. It’s like a sharp cold breeze at the seaside, it’s like a blow of cool air, it brings to mind vast spaces, sunlight, and like the name suggests – fog. I also seem to be detecting algae, which makes it even more interesting. This fragrance is similar to no other and it’s brilliant and its extreme simplicity.