Rousse is all about cinnamon. Not as gourmand and vanilla-heavy as, say, Yves Saint Laurent’s Opium or Fendi’s Theorema. In Rousse, cinnamon is first illuminated by mandarin, enriched by carnation later, and polished by amber and sandalwood in the drydown. Picture Feminite du Bois by Shiseido minus the dried fruit accord and slightly less cedar. As much as I love Serge Lutens fragrances, most of them have a conceptual appeal (which simply means I find it hard to wear them). Rousse seems to be the exception. Not only does it strike me as wonderfully blended and very much wearable but also takes the first place among the latest Serge Lutens offerings, i.e., Chypre Rouge and Mandarine-Mandarin.

Rousse features the notes of mandarin, cinnamon, carnation, cedar, sandalwood, violet, vanilla, amber, resins.

Image source: www.femina.fr

I find it a bit challenging to describe Mandarine-Mandarin, possibly due to the fact I’ve never encountered a similar fragrance before. It starts out not as much citrusy (the way citrusy top notes tend to be) as slightly pungent, sweet orange peel-like. I get a nutty undertone that’s most likely the candied mandarin note. I’ve seen Mandarine-Mandarin compared to another Serge Lutens fragrance, Fleur d’Oranger, and, while I see the reason behind it, I don’t really find them similar – maybe in the general, as I said, slightly pungent orange effect of top notes. In middle notes, nutmeg adds a mulled wine/cider accord. While the composition is very much aromatic throughout, the smoky tea adds a somewhat dusty quality, and amber isn’t your typical warm amber – in fact, I don’t find Mandarine-Mandarin a warm scent at all. It very much stands on its own, demanding to be approached instead of approaching. I’ve approached it, and it has won me over (especially the drydown), and I still feel like I can’t quite convey what it smells like to do it justice.

For other impressions, you can read Victoria’s review and Helene’s review.

P.S. After I wrote the review, I came up with another association – lacquer. There’s a pronounced lacquer effect in the drydown which makes the scent one of a kind.

Image source: www.salons-shiseido.com