Some houses just won't open their doors for me.

Among them have (so far) been most notably Hermès and Serge Lutens. I just don't know which ones to keep sampling to not lose interest altogether. Out of Hermès' perfumes, I have tried Eau des Merveilles, L'Ambre des Merveilles and Un Jardin sur le Nil, and while they are all good perfumes in their own right (and I can appreciate them as such) they just haven't struck a single chord with me. I am hoping this will change with Calèche, of which I just bought a vintage edt mini, but I am also thinking of just leaving Hermès be for now should I not like it.

And as for Serge Lutens, I really need to come clean: so far, I haven't found a single perfect ten or even a laudable nine. SL has a large selection though, but after Chergui, Ambre Sultan, À la Nuit, Bas de Soie, Fleurs d'Oranger, Gris Clair, Daim Blond and Féminité du Bois I just don't know if I should keep trying. Have I been sampling the wrong ones? I really thought, given SL's penchant for dark orientals, that this would be the house for me, but it turns out his aesthetic doesn't really translate to fragrance, for me at least. I have heard good things about Cuir Ottoman Mauresque (oops!), and am intrigued about Une Voix Noire and Sarrasins, but if Fleurs d'Oranger and À la Nuit wouldn't work for me, am I misplacing my interest?

Perfume is, IMHO, important, but never really urgent, as someone on Parfumo said to me a while ago. But I'd like to have a better understanding of these illustrious houses and I feel like I keep missing with my sampling choices.