Chypre Rouge is the newest release by Serge Lutens, described as pecan on caramelized base of oakmoss. It is going to be available starting mid July from Salons Shiseido and Senteurs d’Ailleurs.
Another new release by Serge Lutens, this time made exclusive to the Palais Royal Salons Shiseido line, is Mandarine Mandarin. Featuring a mandarine note that is both candied and burnt, cashmeran, clove, honey, beeswax and ambergris, the composition promises to continue the oriental tradition of Serge Lutens fragrances. Mandarine Mandarin will be available starting September.
15 Comments
cynthia: Wow! Both sound amazing. I can’t wait to read your reviews. 🙂 June 11, 2006 at 3:18pm
BoisdeJasmin: Cynthia, they do! Serge Lutens rarely disappoints me. June 11, 2006 at 6:08pm
BoisdeJasmin: E, I cannot really picture Chypre Rouge in my mind, but I know that I want to try it anyway. I agree with you on Mandarine Mandarin and its great play on words. Sounds like another great fragrance in the making. June 11, 2006 at 6:14pm
helg: Hi Vic!
Hope you had a good time.
(BTW, I mailed you on MUA, I’d appreciate your advice on a matter)
Chypre rouge is weird from the description but of course everyone will want to try it, myself included, LOL.
Mandarine mandarin is a lovely wordplay on mandarin chinese ( the administrative people in the chinese empire and their language) and on mandarin the fruit.
The tangerine peel note is also featured as a top in La Myrrhe and I personally love it, it’s sensual, not too sweet, makes for a lovely opening to a skin-scent.
Let’s hope this one will be fab! June 11, 2006 at 5:05pm
BoisdeJasmin: J, thanks. I did not come across that yet. The person who tried it told me that it reminded her of Fleurs d’Oranger. I will wait to make my own judgement until I try it myself.
Perhaps, the play on words could also be a mixture of French and English. At any rate, it could be called just M, and I would still be curious to try it. 🙂 June 11, 2006 at 11:05pm
Bela: Actually, V, it’s not described as similar to Fleurs d’Oranger. The item says, “Couleur similaire à Fleurs d’Oranger mais avec une touche de bleu…”, which means “The colour of the juice is similar to that of Fleurs d’Oranger’s, but with a hint of blue…” It would have puzzling if it had referred to the scent itself since Fleurs d’Oranger doesn’t smell citrusy at all.
I find La Myrrhe *much* too sickly so I hope this new one is nothing like it.
As for the play on words, it’s lovely, but Mandarin being an adjective as well as a noun (here it’s the latter), the scent could have been called Mandarine Mandarine, since Mandarine (the fruit) is feminine. LOL! June 11, 2006 at 10:17pm
Madelyn Etkind: Dear Victoria,
Hi! I recently received a slew of samples of Serge Lutens and Frederic Malle. They are the creme de la creme. I must interject that the seeminly frowing popularityn of orange/tangerine infused fragrances are , yes, refreshing – but it is very rare to find a mandarine/orange like scent that is balanced and not too sharp. Fleursb D’orabger bt SL, L’artisan’s vintage Orange flower, (maybe not Guerlain’ Orange based spray)m are in my opinion not so wearable – they are too harsh. I will have to try this one on for size myself- maybe the drydown will be softer. Victoria, I just returned from a all too brief holiday in Montreal. Great perfume city. I was seduced , opnce, again by a new fragrance:Carita Eau De Parfum!~ It it a sheer, yet warm, sensual floral.. Have you tried it ? Best to you !
Love-Madelyn E June 12, 2006 at 2:27am
helg: @Bela : actually it’s correct as it is, because it’s Mandarin that refers to the chinese dimplomats and Mandarine that refers to the fruit.
The order of the words should be reversed perhaps if you want to be a stickler for accuracy or they are playing with the connotations it has both in french and english.
Fleurs d’oranger is sweet too, although of course not a citrusy scent ( I love it!), so I don’t think the comparison might be too far fetched. You’re right about the colour of the jus though, indeed they say it has a tinge of blue ( which would result in what? ) June 12, 2006 at 6:25am
BoisdeJasmin: Madelyn, I have tried Carita EDP, and it is very pleasant. Sounds like you had a perfect holiday in Montreal! Glad that you enjoyed it. June 12, 2006 at 4:05pm
BoisdeJasmin: E, I would love to see the photo of the limited edition bottle they are going to have for Mandarine Mandarin. The one for Borneo was stunning. June 12, 2006 at 5:24pm
Diane: ooh, I can’t wait to try these both despite having found so many favorites in the vintage and classical realm. You know what I mean, dear 😉 June 13, 2006 at 5:29pm
Bela: As you know, Helg, I am French, and a linguist.
I never said Mandarine Mandarin wasn’t correct (like most people, I do know what Mandarine and Mandarin mean respectively, and I said ‘could have been called’ not ‘should…’). As it is, the name is a juxtaposition of two words (nouns, substantives, call them what you will) that have no *grammatical* connection at all – and I’m not saying it matters in any way, b/c it doesn’t.
In English, the name is pronounced as if both words were spelled the same, but not in French (Mandarin ends with the nasal sound ‘in’-ein-ain’) that’s why I said that had Mandarin been an adjective it would have been Mandarine (since the fruit is feminine) and had SL gone for ‘funny/silly’ in French too, instead of ‘classy’ he could have called his perfume Mandarine Mandarine.
I was being facetious. June 13, 2006 at 10:28pm
BoisdeJasmin: Diane, yes, I know exactly what you mean. Despite the deluge of releases and plenty of vintages to discover, I am still tempted by Serge Lutens. June 14, 2006 at 12:31pm
BoisdeJasmin: Bela, I just have to say that I love your linguistic explanations. June 14, 2006 at 12:38pm
helg: @ Bela : of course I know you know what you’re talking about, dear, no offence meant, I was saying it for the benefit of non-knowledgable people reading it.(not all of them speak french, LOL).
Indeed the pronunciation in french is different, but it is that difference that makes for an interesting phonetic interplay between the two words ( because if mandarin complied and became feminine to match the fruit, it would just be a repetition of sounds like -say- Bora Bora is…)
I think they were aiming at that with the wordplay, as you point out yourself (“classy” instead of “silly”).
Anyway, the fragrance sounds interesting because of the eastern touch and I am anxious to try it when it gets out, which would be the definitive time to comment on it fully. June 15, 2006 at 6:28am