SERGE LUTENS
ECRIN DE FUMEE
2023
Cacao
Tobacco
Smoke
Rum
Woody Notes
‘Infused with the sweet and sensual scent of tobacco, this is a poetic ode to those who burn life at both ends. To those for whom excess is a way of life, who love celebrating the pleasures of living in the most opulent luxury. To those who know that time flies so fast that life must be lived intensely and celebrated to the hilt. Living dangerously has its limits, and disenchantment is inevitable. When the party ends and the smokescreen falls, lost illusions resurface. A tragic and fascinating reality check. Quick, quick, the world is ending! Our very existence needs urgent tending. Amid the roar of the cannons, the champagne flows. Corks in the air, could they be aflame? Beneath the smokescreen, life is a decadent game.’ – Serge Lutens
Lately, I’ve falling in love with quite a few Serge Lutens (especially Feminite Du Bois). Right in time for their latest release, Ecrin de Fumee, which seemed to be up my alley.
Straight from the opening this reminds me a lot of Les Indemodables Vanille Havane. That smoky, slightly dirty chocolate scent with a hint of booze is very similar on the surface to me.
Ecrin de Fumee is not as resinous and more spiced. There is a slightly oily, resinous vibe still though, but maybe more like a rubbery, leathery tinge that I get throughout.
It goes a bit lighter as it dries, maybe towards Van Cleef & Arpels Bois Dore territory a bit. There’s a fresher hint, like a green suede, but it’s barely noticeable as it’s mostly spicy tobacco; more on the sweet and warm side, although not overly so.
The namesake smoke is prominent throughout, but it’s sweet enough to keep it from being challenging at any moment in my opinion. I have to say the sweetness itself moves on from chocolate almost instantly and becomes a less good smelling indistinct sweetness.
I have to say that this is nice, but from the first sniff, this isn’t nearly as interesting or good as Vanille Havane in my opinion, so I wouldn’t be tempted to add it to my collection. I wanted to like Ecrin de Fumee a lot more than I actually did… it was slightly underwhelming.