Kxnaiades

Chergui is my spoilt brat perfume, a perfume reflecting a lifestyle of pure luxuriousness, NOT compulsive, mindless consumption though. A life where the possibility of two weeks' of holiday to travel in Morocco and amongst other things, experience this desert wind that blows hot in summer and cold in winter. Just as how the scent blooms beautifully on a sunny day and how it gives a warm glow in colder weather. The dark rich brown of the liquid gives a glimpse as to the character of the scent and the evoked images it brings, rich, warm and inviting. Like dark sweet honey. Or a man lounging in a sharp suit, comfortable in his surroundings, knowing that he would belong and be accepted anywhere, slowly puffing on a finely carved pipe. The warm rich reds, oranges, yellows and greens of amber, holding the secrets of hundreds of years ago in their transparency. A woman in a white linen dress, fortunate to have the time in to stop and smell the roses, to turn her face up to the glow of the sun's rays and wind bringing in raw natural smells far away from cityscapes. When she is tired, she returns indoors to a warm hearth, where she reads to her heart's content in a silk slip, to the accompaniment of trails of incense, flickering lights, a silver dish of roasted nuts and a warm mug of tea next to her with strangely enough, Massive Attack playing in the background. I swear I was not on drugs while wearing Chergui!
I love how the fragrances of this house bring varied stories to my mind, I love the emotions the scents arouse in me and take me away from the humdrum of my daily life into landscapes I may never see this lifetime, stories and people as colourful as Dr Parnassus' Imaginarium.
I am grateful that on me at least, Lutens' last forever just as Chergui does and stays like a basking, reassuring glow around me while it does.

First I would like to thank all the enablers on here for piquing my curiosity about Gaultier 2 and finally getting around to blind buying this with confidence after the reviews. The fact that Kurkdjian was behind this was also a selling point for me, I have yet to dislike anything he creates. This is truly a beauty and true to its note pyramid. The vanilla does not turn this into a gourmand, it merely adds a touch of sweetness to it. This is a warm, cozy, balmy, musky oriental-basically everything good. It reminds me of Les Nez's L'Antimatiere and considering it is a lot less expensive despite being discontinued, it knocked the Les Nez off my want list. Both are sweet balmy musks with a whiff of animal. Cozy as a downy blanket, channeling innocence like a babe, yet walking on the wild side after hours. Remember Alicia Silverstone in Aerosmith's Crazy video? That girl, this scent. Longevity is amazing, it stayed on my cardigan for three days, although I had to give it a close sniff by then. On me sillage is rather close as compared to what the other reviewers got. This is a beautiful resinous musk beauty. Do try it!

A well-named scent. I am in the camp of perfumeheads that finds this a lighter, more airy version of the elegant First. One could say it is the free-spirited yet well-mannered daughter of the Lady First. As much as I adore my vintage bottle of First, I have always found it difficult to carry it off. I do not have this problem with Un Air de First, with its brilliant sunny character of aldehydes and the gorgeous bitter galbanum that pairs beautifully with the tiny white flowers. For me it is a breath of fresh air in my heavy Oriental and gourmand populated perfume collection. Sillage and longevity are excellent for Un Air de First. Feminine without the posy of roses, sophisticated without being unreachable, fresh and sparkling without being an aquatic.

My food tastes have evolved since childhood but a few things remained. Like slowly finishing a whole baguette myself, whilst staring into space or reading a novel. I love the yeasty smell of the soft inner part of the baguette, the mild sweetness of the bread as I chew, the sound a fresh crusty baguette makes when broken into. It was and still is one of my comfort food. Jeux de Peau does the same for me. I can understand that the yeast accord would not suit everyone's taste but it suits my chemistry beautifully. I smell like the welcoming warmth of a good old-fashioned bakery in the middle of a frigid winter. The usual gourmand suspects like vanilla and chocolate are missing. Instead we have creamy milk, golden butter and of course bread. Like Heidi's breakfast with the Alm-Uncle on the Alps. Sillage is good and longevity decent, 6-8 hours. Not a safe blind buy but on the right person, this is as comforting as a big hug.

I have seen this and dismissed it a number of times as it seemed too neutral, too indistinct to fit into my caravan of bold riches. I don't know what possessed me to blind buy a bottle, perhaps the glowing articles on several blogs had something to do with it. This is a strange one. Not in a bad way. I got clean musk, chinese parsley, grass and brewed black coffee, no sugar. The ingredients really look like a weird mix and it initially smells as the notes listed above. As it stayed on my skin and clothes, I was aware throughout the day of something pillowy soft. Clean like sun dried sheets. With some lingering grassy smell left behind from the washing soap. I was told that I smelt like a baby, during a hug with a loved one. It lasts forever but remains subtle. Not a safe blind buy but definitely worthy of a few tries before passing judgement.