Perfume Review: Mandarine-Mandarin by Serge Lutens
September 28th, 2006
Mandarine-Mandarin is the newest addition to the Serge Lutens exclusive, non-export line of perfumes. Created around Chinese motifs, it’s undoubtedly an oriental composition - a spicy oriental with a capital “o”. It’s said to be built around a “black mandarin” note, with smoky tea and amber as its base. The official notes are Chinese orange, nutmeg, candied mandarin, orange peel, smoky tea, rock rose, labdanum, tonka beans, ambergris. Needless to say, it’s been much anticipated and loved in advance. I’m happy to say it’s proved to be worthy of adoration almost instantly.
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
Entry Filed under: New Perfumes, Perfume Reviews
27 Comments Add your own
1. Marina | September 28th, 2006 at 10:00 pm
*weeps, wails, sobs, tears hair*
WANT!
Lacquer, you say? Chinatown has that “lacquered box” smell, is it anything like that?
I wish I didn’t read this so late at night. I shall not sleep.
2. dinazad | September 29th, 2006 at 2:50 am
*mutters to self*: you cannot, CANNOT buy this unsniffed, you will NOT buy this unsniffed, NO WAY will you buy this unsniffed…..*grinds teeth, tears hair, bursts out in tears*
3. Elle | September 29th, 2006 at 6:46 am
Marina expressed my exact sentiments w/ perfect eloquence - can’t add anything to it except that I feel the danger of an unsniffed purchase looming…
4. Judith | September 29th, 2006 at 6:47 am
I’m glad you said this is difficult to describe. I find it almost impossible. In fact, I have not mentioned when I am wearing it on MUA because I’m afraid someone will ask me what it’s like, and I will be unable to say:)! There is of course, orange, and smoky tea, and I agree with you about the mulled wine accord–but that doesn’t quite do it, and beyond that I’m lost. I also agree with Helene that it seems somewhat different each time I wear it. Haven’t decided yet whether I need more than my 10 ml. decant yet, but I am thoroughly enjoying it!
5. Judith | September 29th, 2006 at 6:49 am
PS To Marina: On me, at least, it does not smell anything like Chinatown.
6. March | September 29th, 2006 at 7:25 am
Oooooooohhh! Another weird review of this… well, Serge, he toys with us, does he not? I also love the photo I’ve seen of what is I guess some gazillion-dollar dragon bottle…
7. Patty | September 29th, 2006 at 9:11 am
Lacquer, that’s a perfect description! I had a hard time describing this too, it just is like nailing jello to the wall.
8. The Scented Salamander | September 29th, 2006 at 10:27 am
LOL Patty! “…nailing jello to the wall” As March said, I think that SL is definitely toying with us with this scent…just to think of the perfume makes the roots of my hair feel stressed out and painful. Lacquer, I guess that’s what I meant by traditional Chinese furniture too but with woodsier undertones.
9. Leopoldo | September 29th, 2006 at 10:57 am
I’ve just put another splash on, to try it again, and actually at first it smells like jello / jelly (I’m English donchaknow?), totally sans nail though. Then floral, now fruity and spicy. I must femme this up big style you know, because it yells classy chick at me so loudly I feel the need to raid the local ladies who lunch for their Hermes scarves and clutch bags. And then it turns into a chewy, fruit stewy ambered dessert.
10. Twibbet | September 29th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Oh my God. I was drooling over Patty’s description already, but now…
Why does Serge keep doing this to me? It’s not fair! *whines pathetically*
11. chaya ruchama | September 29th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
Thank you, my lady…
I think I am a lost soul.
Virtual poverty is greatly underrated…
I wouldn’t say no if you popped a vial in the mail [without the anthrax, please!]
Seriously, a stimulating post !
Enjoy the w/e, pretty one.
12. Ina | September 29th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
Marina, no, not like Chinatown at all. I think you’ll love it.
13. Ina | September 29th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
Dina, lucky you, you can just order it so easily. Sigh.
14. Ina | September 29th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
Elle-ma belle, consider yourself doomed.
15. Ina | September 29th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
Judith, thank you! I thought I was the only one.
16. Ina | September 29th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
March, that bottle is indeed out of this world.
17. Ina | September 29th, 2006 at 3:03 pm
Helene, I haven’t seen traditional Chinese furniture but I can imagine that’s the smell.
18. Ina | September 29th, 2006 at 3:03 pm
Patty, LOL!!
19. Ina | September 29th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Leopoldo, you nailed it (pun intended).
“A chewy, fruit stewy ambered dessert”.
20. Ina | September 29th, 2006 at 3:05 pm
Twibbet, Serge has never been particularly concerned with our financial well-being.
21. Ina | September 29th, 2006 at 3:05 pm
Chaya, I’m cherishing the little sample I have. Weeping over it…
22. Trina | September 29th, 2006 at 5:39 pm
I am *dying* for my decant to get here!!!
23. MorningOil | September 30th, 2006 at 1:44 pm
No question, this is great, complex stuff, rather beautiful but probably pretty easy wearing. I found it quite feminine so it’s not for me (not that I mind feminine, just that, well, I did in this one) - a fact which makes me rather unhappy!
24. MorningOil | September 30th, 2006 at 1:45 pm
Actually - it reminds me a little bit of AG Eau de Camille, that combination of greenness and vegetal sweetness, although it much less floral than EdC
25. Ina | October 1st, 2006 at 10:12 pm
Trina, I’m in the same boat!
26. Ina | October 1st, 2006 at 10:14 pm
MorningOil, I can’t recall what Eau de Camille smells like but I’ll have to resniff soon. I’m not getting much greenness here. It’s mostly spicy.
27. Aromascope » Perfum&hellip | August 21st, 2007 at 11:42 pm
[…] 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. […]
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