Serge Lutens - L'Eau Serge Lutens

Perfume: L'Eau Serge Lutens
House: Serge Lutens
Nose: Christopher Sheldrake
Notes: aldehydes, citrus, magnolia, white mint, clary sage, ozonic notes and musk

The scent of clean skin, ironing a white cotton shirt, linen hung on a line in the sun.

Serge Lutens is famous for his, shall we say, more aggressive perfumes. I have a few that I will review later, but his style is known to include spices, stewed fruits and animalic notes. This is the opposite of all that. This is Serge's "anti-perfume."

It’s like stepping out of the bath. Like putting on a freshly ironed shirt, or slipping into a bed with clean sheets…
- Serge Lutens

And, of course, he's exactly right. L'Eau starts very "clean," and it smells like ironing. There's a light, sparkling citrus, slightly dry and bitter. After the top notes fade it becomes a lovely magnolia, that creamy white and pink flower, and clean musk.

The musk in L'Eau lasts and lasts. I can smell it clearly 10 hours later. As a perfume it lifted my mood and was perfect for the office and yoga class. L'Eau is also a great unisex scent, and I'd love to smell it on a man. I didn't expect to like this "anti-perfume" but it's excellent, as I should have expected from Serge Lutens.


Photo: thecityofjess