Serge Lutens ‘Jeux de Peau’ : My Journey From the Center of the Earth + ‘Urge for Serge’ Draw

 

 

Like many perfumes lovers, Serge Lutens's work has made my heart beat for many years. My First Serge Lutens was "Ambre Sultan", discovered in the famous Palais-Royal boutique but now my 'urge for Serge is a 'constant craving'… " Mauresque", "Tubéreuse Criminelle" or "Santal de Mysore"  are part of my fragrance répertoire. In April 2010, I was able to get to the Palais-Royal boutique, going there on the train just to smell the new "baby" Lutens and to get reacquainted with some beautiful bell jars just for fun.

 

What’s the buzz among Parisian ‘perfumistas’? The new Lutens smells like bread!

 

  

 

 

In any case,  that’s the official statement given by the Master himself, as an "avant-première" at the Salons du Palais-Royal on February 1, 2011 (the rest of the world will have the opportunity March 1, 2011). Hardly the first samples and bottles were circulating in the capital; the nostrils were in full swing to capture the scent of this new composition, aptly named "Jeux de Peau" ("Skin Games").   

 

 

 

My Journey From the Center of the Earth: Salvatore Dali

 

The grand launch of a new Lutens is always an EVENT, and I try to attend each one. Unfortunately I had left Paris for the south of France, and missed it, due to working long hours(Oh how difficult especially because I was in Perpignan, near the train station certified "Center of the World" by Salvador Dali). During those weeks, my rare excursions to Paris were like meetings with long distance lovers, much anticipated.  But finally thanks to my colleagues I managed to go to the Palais Royal and test Jeux de Peu.

All Lutens are highly anticipated Lutens, but the smell of bread?  Many of the earlier SL creations are Oriental and now considered "classics", they were provocative for their day too. Jeux de Peau is a neat construction, both gourmand, childish and sensual. Yes, this "baker's jus" plays with us! And Serge Lutens plays too, as he evokes his childhood in northern France, the smell of warm bread that he would buy at the bakery  when coming back from school, a toasted bread, then spread with butter for the 4 o'clock snack..

 

 

The creator of "Féminité du Bois" is a wonderful storyteller and he takes you into a magical world, often very personal, guiding you like a compass (except for the "Eau de Lutens", that many of his fans, myself included, have not yet fully understood the whys and hows).

 

 

 

The Three Sphinxes of Bikini: Salvatore Dali

 

But there's one caveat with the charismatic Serge Luten; sometimes, you feel “obliged" to understand his work exactly the way he explains it to you. With the risk of not being on the same wave length of  the Master, you can feel frustrated or ignorant, since you didn’t ‘get’  the same reading on your skin (this is where we have to appreciate our own impressions and judgments and let our unique experience and personality speak).

 

 

 

For  me, "Jeux de Peau",  evoked  a French toast ("pain perdu") just  turning golden in a skillet and then sweetened with condensed milk spread. The apricot gives a slightly fruity note, which "wakes up " the milky appearance. Now, a big thank to Elizabeth de Feydeau, a great French historian of perfumes, who identified the note that I couldn't put a name to: chicory. This coffee drink, very popular in France for breakfast, adds to the "grilled" perfume sensation and blends perfectly with the world of "Jeux de Peau". In terms of "true" composition, it speaks of sandalwood, spices, licorice, buttery notes … A real fantasy!

 

 

 How did I feel wearing the new Lutens? At first a sense of attraction to its warm side, But not love at first  sniff I could not tune in on the  fantasy behind the fragrance. The day that I really let go and lost my own sense of judgment of Jeux de Peux was when it played games with  strangers to my skin – with the friend with whom I  met for an appointment, the waiter in the restaurant and my neighbor in the subway; all asked me what I wore … finding this fragrance absolutely delicious. Just like "Carnal Flower" a few years ago, my skin had spoken to others before it whispered to me

 

"Jeux de Peau" is an invitation to explore both skin games and head games in a fragrance… Enjoy!

 

Emmanuelle Varron, Contributor

 

(Michelyn Camen, Editor-In-Chief: Art Director)

 

Editor's Note: I have not had the pleasure of testing this fragrance, but I am reminded of Fran Lebowitz quote below (Ms. Lebowitz is the quintessential New Yorker known for  her wit, recently featured in a HBO documentary Public Speaking directed by Martin Scorsese).

 “Do you know on this one block you can buy croissants in five different places? There's one store called Bonjour Croissant. It makes me want to go to Paris and open up a store called Hello Toast.”
 Fran Lebowitz 

 

UPDATE: THE DRAW IS NOW FOR 5ML FLACONS  AND ENDS AT 6PM  FEBRUARY 28 AT 6PM THANK YOU TO THE FLAGSHIP PALAIS ROYALE STORE IN PARIS

 

If you want to discover "Jeux de Peau", please leave a comment. Two names will be drawn and the winners be sent one 1ml sample each directly from Salons du Palais-Royal.  Tell us  why you have an 'urge for Serge',  your favorite SL perfume , a memory of a beloved snack from your youth, a comment on Dali and of course why you want to try this fragrance. Draw ends February 27, 2011 .

 

 

 

 

 *********************En  Francais *******************

 

 Jeux de Peau : une arme de séduction gourmande…

Comme beaucoup d'amoureux des parfums, le travail de Serge Lutens me touche depuis de longues années. "Ambre Sultan", découvert dans le fameux écrin du Palais-Royal, a été mon initiateur, mais déjà exercée à changer quasi quotidiennement d'accompagnement parfumé, je lui faisais quelques infidélités fraternelles à coups de "Cuir Mauresque", "Tubéreuse Criminelle", ou encore "Santal de Mysore".

 

Et quel est le buzz qui fourmille ces dernières semaines dans le tout Paris des perfumistas… Le nouveau Lutens sentirait le pain !

 

En tout cas, c'est le message que le Maître a malicieusement fait passer pour évoquer sa toute dernière création disponible depuis le 1er février en avant-première aux Salons du Palais Royal et que le reste du monde découvrira le 1er mars. A peine les échantillons et premiers flacons circulaient-ils dans la Capitale, les narines étaient en pleine effervescence pour capter la Vérité de ce nouvel opus, judicieusement baptisé "Jeux de Peau".

 

La naissance d'un nouveau Lutens a toujours été un véritable événement, et je n’ai jamais manqué d'être au rendez-vous le jour de la sortie. Puis je suis partie dans le sud de la France, et là, j'ai un peu perdu le fil, d'autant qu'à Perpignan, nous avions beau posséder une gare certifiée "centre du monde" par Salvador Dali, en matière de parfumerie, nous étions un peu en bout de quai. De retour sur Paris en avril 2010, enfin, j'ai repris mes bonnes habitudes au Palais-Royal, m'y rendant régulièrement pour refaire connaissance avec certaines créations pour le plaisir du nez, et de l'esprit. Et pour "Jeux de Peau", je ne me suis pas fait prier, d'autant que par le biais d'un collègue, j'ai pu le découvrir avant sa première sortie parisienne.

 

Tous les Lutens sont très attendus, mais quid de l’odeur du pain ?  Bon nombre des précédentes créations ‘’Lutésiennes’’ évoquent l'univers oriental, désormais connus comme des "classiques" mais à l’époque considérés comme provocants. ‘’Jeux de Peau’’ a une construction aussi soignée que ses ainés, à la fois gourmand, enfantin et sensuel. Car oui, il joue avec nous, ce jus boulanger ! Et Serge Lutens aussi, évoquant son enfance dans le nord de la France, l'odeur du pain chaud qu'il allait chercher en rentrant de l'école, ce pain grillé, puis tartiné au goûter…

 

Le créateur de "Féminité du Bois" est un merveilleux conteur d'histoires ; il vous emmène dans un univers magique, souvent très personnel, avec une ligne directrice très identifiable (si l'on excepte l'Eau, mais là, beaucoup de ses fans, et moi-même, n'avons pas encore complètement compris le pourquoi du comment).

 

Le seul piège, avec le charismatique Serge Lutens, c'est que vous vous sentez parfois "obligée" de comprendre ses créations comme lui vous les explique. Au risque de ne pas être, parfois, sur la même longueur d'ondes, et de vous sentir frustrée ou trop bête pour adopter son parfum, puisque vous, vous n'en avez pas la même lecture (c’est là où il faut couper le cordon, prendre en compte ses propres impressions et jugements, afin de vous-même l'imprégner de votre vécu et de votre personnalité).

 

 

Pour "Jeux de Peau", ma lecture se dirige plus vers un pain perdu, qu'on aurait tout juste doré à la poêle puis qu'on aurait tartiné, à chaud, de lait concentré sucré. L'abricot lui donne une note légèrement fruitée, qui "réveille" l'aspect laiteux. Un grand merci à Elisabeth de Feydeau, grande historienne du parfum, qui a identifié la note qui me tournait dans la tête et sur laquelle je n'arrivais pas à mettre un nom : la chicorée. Cette boisson au café, très populaire du petit déjeuner en France, rajoute en effet une pointe "grillée" au parfum, et se marie à la perfection à l'univers de "Jeux de Peau". Pour ce qui est de sa composition ‘’officielle’’, on parle de santal, d'épices, de réglisse, de notes beurrées… Un vrai fantasme !

 

Ce que j'ai ressenti, en portant le nouveau Lutens ? Au premier abord, une attirance, un côté doudou, chaud, plus généreux que nombriliste. Mais pas le coup de foudre, en tout cas pas au diapason avec un fantasme inavoué. Ce sont les autres qui m'ont ouvert les yeux… et le nez. Le jour où je l'ai réellement porté, c'est-à-dire pas sur un bout de poignet, mais comme un véritable parfum, l'amie avec qui j'avais rendez-vous, le serveur du restaurant et ma voisine de métro m'ont demandé ce que je portais… trouvant ce parfum absolument délicieux. Tout comme "Carnal Flower" il y a quelques années, ma peau a parlé aux autres avant de me parler à moi-même. 

"Jeux de Peau" est une invitation à l’exploration, celle de l’alliance entre la peau et l’imaginaire… A déguster !

 

Si vous souhaitez découvrir "Jeux de Peau", n'hésitez pas à laisser un commentaire. L'un d'entre eux sera tiré au sort et se verra envoyer par les Salons du Palais-Royal un échantillon de ce merveilleux nouveau parfum

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


63 comments

  • My favorite Lutens so far are the irresistible Ambre Sultan and the undeniably beautiful Sa Majeste la Rose.
    I would love to sample the Proustian Jeux de Peau. I too, used to enjoy buttered toast (sometimes with sugar sprinkled on top) as a snack after school.

    My favorite bell jar, I suppose, would be one of Rose de Nuit.

  • This one sounds odd but very intriguing, I would love to try it! Who does not like buttered toast? 🙂
    My favorite Serge is probably Un Lys, but I also love Datura Noir, A La Nuit,  Fumerie Turque, Tubereuse Criminelle, Nuit de Cellophane, and others. Not all of them work on me, but the ones that do, it's like they were made for me.

  • my favorite bell jar is Rahat Loukoum. alas  I am not eligible for this draw. i liked miroir des envies that had a toasty accord with jam smell, but not  bois de farine..

  • Claudia Kroyer says:

    This is another SL that that sounds wonderful. My favorite Bell Jar at this point is the lovely Chergui, followed by Sarrasins (Jasmine and i generally do not get along very well), but Sarrasins is an amazing fragrance. I would love to get the El Attarine next and bell jars are so simplistically  beautiful. Not all Serge Lutens fragrances work for me either, but i definitely have my favorites and they will have a forever spot in my collection. 🙂

  • DidierCholay says:

    Les articles d'Emmanuelle croustillent… J'espere que nous allons bientot "casser la croute" avec ma mie, Miche-lyn… 3 nez partageant le pain quotidien et un peu du beurre de CaFleureBon!

  • I have long loved Arabie, a profoundly exotic fragrance which speaks to me as if it held all my past lives. To a slightly lesser (but no more devoted) degree, I love Borneo 1834’s dark-chocolate patchouli, La Myrrhe’s alien aldehydes, and Un Bois Vanille’s comforting warmth.

  • My two favorite Lutens are Un Bois Vanille and Santal Blanc. And while I don't own a bell jar of it, Santal de Mysore is pretty amazing as well.
     
    When I was a kid, my favorite birthday cake was angel food cake with this chocolate icing that turned into a soft fudge.  My mom made it for years but then somehow lost the frosting recipe. Angel food cake has never been the same since.

  • Tiara… How i envy you as a child i was allergic to Chocolate cinnamon and nuts, hich may explain my attraction to gourmands

    Olenska. Borneo on the right person is magic

    Didier LOL mais Emmanuelle le criique est splendide

    Claudia- hmmm perhaps I should try Sarrasins

  • Claudia Kroyer says:

    M…i love Rahat Loukhoum, but it does not last on me at all and then there is Rose de Nuit……beautiful.

  • When I was a kid, my mom would make homemade cakes. Any leftover icing would go on Ritz crackers, and we'd get to snack on them!

    I haven't tried Lutens (there are no local retailers and somehow I haven't loaded up a sample order yet). Pretty sure I'll love Ambre Sultan and Borneo, though, and probably others!

    *Jen

  • I'm so curious about Jeux de Peau, and this review got me even more curious. I see that all lutens seem to have a kind of optical approach to the scents. He seems for me to explore the light and dark aspects of the same notes according the composition he wants to create, trying to catch these notes in a saturation light that is interesting to see, but hard to wear sometimes. One of my favorite Lutens is one that seems to be very hated – Chypre Rouge. I love the fruity, boozy aspects over the dark base on my skin. Can never get enough of it!
    From the bell jar line, one that i wish i had at this moment is Boxeuses. The leather and fruity theme works very well for me.

  • Serge Lutens is my favorite fragrance house and I am so curious to try Jeux de Peau.  I am curious about the autobiographic origins of this one. 
     
    Snack from my youth. Hmm, my grandmother made wonderful oatmeal cookies.  But i would not want a fragrance that evoked this. Just the cookie.  
     
    My favorite SL is Daim Blond. I can wear it anywhere and frequently receive compliments. 
     
    I only own one bell jar. My dream bell jar would be Iris Silver Mist.  Nobody does it better. 
     
     

  • I do not have any SL at the moment but love Borneo.. Snack from childhood was of course homemade bread with real butter freshly churnned..Love it much that I still make my own bread to this day..

  • Carlos Powell says:

    Wonderful review Emmanuelle! Serge is by far one of my favorite lines. Ambre Sultan, Gris Clair, Un Boise Vanille, so many I love!  I am excited to try this new addition.

  • I have to say that I have never that the pleasure of smelling a Serge Lutens. Would love a chance to win a sample.I have been studying natural perfume with a great perfumer here in Canada. I created a great little oriental amber and she said it smelled a lot like Ambre Sultan. Would love to compare. ….And bread ooooh, bread my weakness the soft  delicate buttery sweetness with a  toasted salty crust.

  • I haven't tried a single SL's perfume yet. It wasn't some type of principle or anything like that – it just happened. But I plan to. Soon. It's just too hard to decide where to start when you're sooooo far behind.

  •  
    I certainly have an "urge for Serge" In the 90s I tried Feminite du Bois, and before that I would receive a darling correspondece from him with a lovely postcard depicting the Salons du Palais-Royal and even an image of Coco Chanel if my memory is not being funny, that arrived in difficult times when I was in Haiti. I loved his correspondence, it connected me to the world outside, and later on I would get a bottle of Feminite du Bois in Europe. 
     
    Croissants, do you know my mother just came now with a bag filled with new baked croissants? I have to finish first my herbs before the coffee and the croissants. In the 80s we would wait around 5 in the morning for a bakery to finish the croissants and get some. Meanwhile, while waiting, the smell cannot be described. sweet, butter, this scent that changes from bakery to bakery. Pastroudis in Alexandria, that is very particular and the one down the school that used to add sugar on the croissants like "almibar" that became dry and crunchy! The scent of all this takes me to the early years of my teen years but very much to my childhood. And yes, there were different bakeries where I lived but I always bought at the same one because i liked everything about those croissants.
     
    About two years ago, I went to Perpignan and saw that big building that has the name Au Bonheur Des Dames or Au Plaisir Des Dames… then the tran station, La Station de Perpignan, because I had heard about it through Dali's words. There was even an arts program on tv that was bearing that name honoring him. 
     
    I want to to try this fragrance because I always love to let myself go and feel or try to feel what the creator of the perfume felt when he or she created a perfume. It is the story of the soul, the universe, and I love learning and seeing them through perfumes.

  • I am really looking forward to trying Jeau de Peau.  Thanks for hosting the draw.
    My favorite bell jar fragrance is Iris Silver Mist.
    Thanks!
     

  • My favorite SL perfume is Five o'clock au Gingembre. It's a really comforting scent.
    There is a snack that I loved when I was a child. They were Cheetos Crunchy (the orange colour ones). I would eat some right now! 🙂
    Dali… Wonderful artist. A very special person. He was quite conceited and egocentric, but he was a genius. I love his collaborations with Disney.
    I would love to try Jeux de Peau because I'm very intrigued by the bread and butter smell.
    And I have never tried a bell jar fragrance, but I think I would love Al Attarine.
    Thank you!

  • My favorite SL happens to be a bell jar, which is Iris Silver Mist.  I dare not wear it too often because it is simply too stunning and I'm afraid of depleting my precious supply before my own visit to the mothership in Paris.  As for why Jeux de Peau, because even though man cannot live on bread alone, boy would I love to =)

  • Lutens fragrances are always so interesting and challenging , how can I not have an urge to sniff a new Serge ? The first of his scents I sniffed and loved was Ambre Sultan , but somehow never bought…I really love the incensey Serge Noir . Thanks to Ines , I now own a Bell Jar of Chergui , my favorite Bell Jar scent  : Fourreau Noir …
    I also really enjoy Borneo. There are many I have not had the chance to sniff !!
    My Mom used to put chocolate fudge between saltine crackers , I loved that combo of sweet and salty…this was in the sixties , long before salted caramels became trendy !
    I want to try Jeaux de Peau because I want to try every new scent !
    Please enter me in the draw , thank you .

  • For some people, SL doesn't work…for me? EVERYTHING works! I love love Ambre Sultan, Muscs Kublai Khan, Arabie. Cedre works lovely on me, A La Nuit, Chergui, FdB…I love them all! Ambre Sultan is my current favorite…a bell jar? MKK in a jar…. or Sarrasins would be a lovely purple dream!

  • I adore SL perfumes. I own so many, but the one that stands out to me as the 'one that made me swoon' was Fumerie Turque. Up to that point, I was all about vanilla and that one took me to the dark side. I'm very curious about Jeux de Peau since I am a fan of mixing gourmand notes with darker, less sweet elements.
    As for favorite bell jar, that would be Rose de Nuit if I could get my paws on it!!! Thanks for the draw:)

  • I'm sorry to say that I've not had the pleasure of sniffing any SL magic. 
    This one might make me hunger for nutella and bananas on myself 😀

    When I was a girl, my mother would make these snacks called Peanut Butter Balls.  They were PB, oats, honey, vanilla extract (only the REAL stuff), sunflower seeds, raisins, and coconut.  Mixed up and turned into bite sized treats!  I make them for my own children now 🙂

  • Well, I have an "urge for Serge" because I'm not al all familiar with his line. (Bad perfumista!).  Not totally accurate, I did try a dab of Fille en Aiguilles once.  But I'd love to try more, and I love the idea of the "buttered toast" note in this one.  Please do enter me!

  • My urge for Serge comes when I think of Sarrasins and the color of the fragrance inside that beautiful bell jar.   Oh how I'd love to own a bell jar or more!   My only "tasting" to date is Five o'clock Gingembre which is luscious and enjoyed by me….I  have a sample only   🙁   Please enter me in the draw to win this fab gift.  Merci.

  • Thanks for the review, and as I have already received a sample of JdP(of course I should not be in the draw for a sample, but for the surprise perhaps :-)), I must say I couldn't agree more on the description. At first,  the golden baked baguette, and describing the scent as childish, is oh so true. The milk, butter sweetness in the background, lovely…And I adore the burnt toast note.
    I love SL, his parfumes is what got me into "niche" fragrance in the first place. I would have a hard time picking ONE above the rest, but perhaps, in this very moment, Serge Noire(oh, it might already have changed) and my favourite Bell Jar Boxeuses. I love the feeling of this almost "feminine", yet confident, leather, to die for…
    My own childhood snack; pancakes(crepes) with sugar:-P

  • Absolutely irresistible! Buttered toast, eh? This might be one I could wear around my sweetheart. Thanks for the review, and for the chance for a "taste". My favorite SL has got to be Chergui, second favorite Cuir Mauresque… there is something so sensual about the almost-syrupy Lutens' that is again, irresistible! A favorite snack from my youth that is conjured by the SL line: A campfire-smoke-scented nearly black toasted marshmallow, dripping nearly blazing hot into my mouth. Oh, the burnt-sugary and bitter charcoal goodness! That, and lying back on a bed of grass and watching the clouds make animal shapes in the sky (which is the memory the Dali painting conjures… what is it that I am seeing?)

  • This sounds like it could be my ideal comfort scent! My current favorite is Cedre, but I think Jeax de Peau might take the cake (bread?) so to speak. Thanks for the chance to try a sample!

  • Well, who doesn't want to try this? 
    A beloved snack, would be Fluffernutter with bananas.   I still love it. 
    I love Un Lys and Tubby Crimmy (this is the only Bell Jar that I own).  Fumerie Turque, is also a favorite, but my husband discovered it, and now it belongs to him.

  • Urge for Serge, well!  For many of my perfume minded friends Serge Lutens was the fork in the road where they stopped and never came back to mainstream. This fact makes me curious.  I've heard wonderful things about many Lutens perfumes that I haven't tried myself (La Myrrhe for one), and I am trying the ones I can get my hands on, slowly but surely.  I already have a couple of strong likes (Rousse, Bas de Soie) and a love, which also happens to be a Bell Jar Exclusive — Un Lys.  This is my favorite cold weather lily, and it always makes me think about Annunciation.  I love that.
    I'd love to try Jeax de Peau because — come on, because I have just said I'll be interested in trying everything Serge, but really, there's more to it than that.  I am interested in a new direction a couple of new releases were going to — associating  perfumes with simple everyday things, the pleasures of life that are very close to us.  Maybe it is not prominent enough to be a trend, but I have just come back from trying Jo Malone's tea collection, a high tea is on my mind, and bread, milk and apricot jam fit in with no effort.  I see it as a very interesting development.  Needless to say, I love apricot notes in perfume and I have just discovered that I may very well like milk notes as well.
    I would love to say that crusty bread with butter was my favorite childhood snack, but it was not.  Fresh bread was hard to come by in a difficulty ridden city I grew up in, and the butter was often frozen.  A future perfumista, I did not know much about perfume, but I knew that sometimes butter smelled delicious and sometimes it smelled bad and I wouldn't eat it.  Nor did I like to take chances with it.  So my favorite snacks were easy to make from the stuff from the pantry.  I liked to mix up cocoa and sugar and make some hot cocoa.  I would add an egg yolk to thicken it.  How great no one could freeze eggs!
    Does it sound crazy? It's just because I grew up in a different world.  That's what Dali does, he takes one into a different world and one may think he is crazy, Dali is crazy, the world is crazy… while in fact it can be a joyful exploration of something new. 
    Which brings me back to thinking about The Good News.  And yes, the Annunciation and Un Lys. 
    Thank you for the draw and thanks for letting me ramble 🙂

  • My favorite SL fragrance?  Probably Iris Silver Mist, sometimes Douce Amere.
    I really want to try this new fragrance, because after all of the descriptions that I have read, I still have no idea exactly how this will smell!  Will it smell like bread, or french toast, or more like a true gourmand, or like apricot jam, or sandalwood?  I have no idea.  And that makes it all the more interesting.
    Thank you for entering me in the draw.
     

  • I'm intrigued by the mention of the "chicory" note in Jeux de Peau.
    Lovely review.
    My favorite SL is Fleurs d'Oranger.
    ~Dawn 

  • I want to smell like buttered toast! My husband's favorite smell 🙂
    The only Serge I actually own a full-bottle of is Sa Majeste la Rose, but I'm fond of Boise Vanielle and Chergui; Miel de Bois is at the top of my SL sniff-list, right after Jeux de Peau!

  • My favourite Serge (and bell jar) is La Myrrhe.  But any new one is worth a sniff.  Especially one that has a chance of smelling like cinnamon toast which is a very vivid childhood smell for me – and one I haven't had since childhood for some reason.  Dali I just don't get, I'm afraid.  But then there are a fair number of Serges I don't get either – yes, I'm thinking of you Chypre Rouge, Borneo and Louve.

  • My favorite Serge Lutens are the classy Bas de Soie for its timeless elegance, Nuit de Cellophane the best long lasting/fresh fruity floral for hot humid conditions, the lethal yet sensual Tubereuse Criminelle and the mythical Feminite du Bois of course. I tried Jeux de Peau already, love it, smells like hot bread to me, skin like sandalwood based drydow, gourmand but not overly sweet, addictive.
    I will be getting a bottle of Jeux de Peau as soon as it's released in the US.

  • Thank you all for your comments.
    Very happy to see that Serge Lutens is so appreciated. He created something different in the French perfume industry, that is now spreading all over the world. I own quite a lot of his perfumes, as my skin seems to love them. I should add to the one quoted in the article Bornéo, Five O'Clock Gingembre, Fille en Aiguilles, Fumerie Turque, Rousse… I've had some for years now, as the bell jars are not only beautiful, they protect the perfume well.
    I believe Jeux de Peau is going to be my next addictive one, as it gets definitely magic on my skin. And others, around me, love it too…
    @VintageLady : the building you were talking about in Perpignan is called "Les Dames de France". It used to be a huge departement store, and is now hosting many shops. And as you said, you can clearly see from that place the Perpignan train station, beloved by Dali…
    Emmanuelle

  • I've become a huge fan of Serge Lutens over the past couple of months. My favourite is Muscs Koublai Khan, because of what that scent does on my skin. It's completely unique and, on my skin, has been absolutely intoxicating to me and everyone I know – from the initial application to complete dry down. I guess my second favourite would be Chergui. What's fascinated me most about Serge Lutens fragrances is that they can take one on a journey. MKK can seem like a sexual/sensual experience (from the act of getting ready before you go out, then going through every step of the way, all the way to the morning after!), while Chergui seems almost more poetic in the way the fragrance changes over time on the skin. Fascinating stuff! 
    I've not been able to try many, as I'm a student living in Canada. But I definitely would love to try Jeux de Peau.  A fragrance hinting at the smell of warm bread seems like such an interesting experience! =)

  • I haven't been able to try everything from Serge Lutens, but I love Bois de Violette, Daim Blond, Chergui & Douce Amere. I'm dying to try Jeux de Peau.

  • One of my favourite SL perfumes is Five O'Clock au Gingembre. I love its ginger cookie and tea scent. Which also makes a great snack! And my favourite Bell Jar perfume would be Bois de Violette.

  • SL, nothing else will do now.
    Love Ambre Sultan, which my BF has now adopted, last purchase was Datura Noir, but took a lot of decision making. Can't wait for Jeux de Peau, I'm like a child a Christmas.

  • Gosh, what a wonderfully written, thoughtful article! And it just so happens to be about my absolutely favorite perfume line 🙂 There's not one of them I wouldn't want to own, really. But if hard pressed to pick one (or two), my choices would be Fumerie Turque, my first SL love and so far my only bell jar, and Tubereuse Criminelle, for its fascinating, dead sexy representation of tuberose. Can I also mention Rose de Nuit, Sarassins, El Attarine, Un Lys and Datura Noir? Please? Cos I adore these 🙂 Would of course love to sample Jeux de Peau as it sounds fantastic!

  • Salut Emmanuelle !
    Quel bel article tu as écrit là ! On n'aurait pas pu mieux décrire cette nouvelle fragrance du "maître", comme tu l'appelles.
    Galeries Lafayettement vôtre.

  • I always want to try a new Lutens! As I've been trying to bake crusty boules in my home kitchen, this would be a welcome new scent, and I'm most curious. 
    My favorite Lutens scent is Chergui, which I haven't the ability to explain. If I did, I'd be a perfume writer, perhaps. I once called Chergui "my new lover." I went through a period were I could wear nothing else!
    On the bread theme, one of my favorite childhood snacks was simple bread and butter. It was the now reviled "Wonder Bread" with the crust cut off. Now, I favor crust over crumb, but I still adore butter.
    As for Dali, that is his painting of bread, no? He's known for surrealism, but he could also paint simple bread very nicely. I prefer the bread.

  • My favourite snack as a child was always lemonade ice-lollies from the local ice cream makers. I was OBSESSED. They tasted of fizzy lemonade (the sugary, barely lemony, carbonated drink we have here in the UK isn't really like traditional lemonade).
    My favourite Lutens are Iris Silver Mist & Fille en Aiguilles, but Jeux de Peau has me very intrigued!

  • I certainly have an urge for this Serge! My absolute favorite breakfast? Buttered toast. My absolute favorite late-night snack? Buttered toast. For years my husband has gotten a kick from telling people of how the first time I was blottoed around him I requested buttered toast…and that to this day I remain consistent with that request. Needless to say as soon as I read about tJeux de Peau, I felt butterflies, posted it on mua then called dear hubby to tell him I must try it and hopefully have it!
    I love Chergui, Un Lys and Iris Silver Mist, but my favorite Lutens is Fourreau Noir. I typically shy away from lavender, but Fourreau Noir is absolutely gorgeous!

  • I am dying to try this SL–as I am always interested in "comfort scents." My favorite SL is Arabie since it is so unique an "foodie". I have yet to have a bell jar but a lady can hope can't she? A snack from my youth that I can remember is cinnamon toast–warm and definately comfort food!

  • Just when I thought I couldn't salivate any more in anticipation of Jeux de  Peau, I came across your post. I have had the urge (obsession) with trying Serge Lutens perfumes when I first tried Chergui, and on–I have tried a good dose of Arabian attars and tabacco-dosed perfumes, but nothing I've tried manages to be so luscious without being just a bit shrill, loud or overly masculine on my skin.
    Choosing a favorite Lutens is incredibly difficult–I think Cuir Mauresque might be the loveliest leather perfume I've tried, with spicy warmth and velvety gentleness that I haven't found with classic birch tar bombs or even the other niche offerings. Douce Amere is irresistable as I love anise like a maniac….Oh Serge, why can't mainstream perfumery have even 1/10th of the daring and artistry you provide?
    I am only familiar with Dali's most famous works, but I've always been invigorated to encounter them–that painting The Three Sphinxes of Bikini is on the cover of a book by Humberto Maturana called Tree of Knowledge–opening my mind about the meaning of science by introducing me to Cybernetics, which is as much philosophy as guidelibes for constructive scientific thinking.
    I love Dali's painting "The Happy Unicorn" though, I feel peaceful and optimistic looking at it.
    My favorite childhood snack? A fresh avocado drizzled with lime juice! I was born in northern california, and the ripe avocado is one of those common delicacies, beautiful color, texture of cream, and savoury flavor that doesn't give a headache of guilty pleasure. Maybe Serge will create a perfume with an avocado note someday….

  • Michelle Hunt says:

    I would just love to win this…what an intriguing description!
    My favorite childhood snack was a very simple milk and Hydrox cookies, now discontinued I believe.  They smell different than Oreos, so Oreos pose no temptation. 

    I'm afraid I do not have a favorite bell jar fragrance yet, put I hope to one day 🙂
    Thanks for the opportunity!

  • I would feel honored to wear either of Mr. Luten's new fragrances.  I am his biggest fan.  I adore every fragrance he has ever created!

  • Favorite Lutens – Bois de Violette!  Favorite childhood snack – ICE CREAM, always ice cream.  🙂  And who doesn't have an urge for Serge???? 

  • It's brave to go into actual food territory with perfume. I, like you, love Santal de Mysore, but many I know think it smells too much like buttered popcorn! I'm excited about Je de Peau and hope I win! 🙂

  • How gracious of Serge Luten to upgrade this offer! I am sure I entered earlier but can't remember. Picked up a Dali at an estate auction, good deal and got offered 10 X price before we even left the auction:)

  • Thanks to all of you… "Jeux de Peau" is definitely a great creation of M. Lutens, one that pleases everyone around me…
    Merci à Stéphane ! 😉
    And congratulations to the winners !

  • Incredible- I just tried it for the first time…thought it sounded so different that I had to see for myself. This is one of the quirkiest, yet most fabulous fragrances I've encountered in years…it somehow manages to smell a little like food and incredibly sexy at the same time…I love it!!