Cuir de Lancôme

Even Cowboys from Texas can wear perfume. And not just any old perfume but one of the most beautiful leather perfumes around, Cuir de Lancôme by Lancôme of Paris. As I and so many others have said. Perfume is without gender and what is good for the gander works just as well on the goose. Cuir de Lancôme is from the La Collection Fragrance line by Lancôme. Their exclusive line created a few years back. Many houses now have special lines like Collection Privée by Dior and Les Exclusifs by Chanel. Lancôme has not been left behind in the dust on that account. This fragrance is most interesting in the fact that it is labeled Cuir (Leather) and yet it has not a single so called leather note in it. Yet its overall effect is that of the most luxurious fine leathers one can wear. It opens with a softly sweet and smooth mandarin orange and a slightly bitter bergamot that is given a tawny elegant smoothness with the addition of saffron. This note is where we get the leather. It is a grounded leather close to the earth and rather sensuous and caressing. This wonderful leather effect is created from a flower. Hawthorne lightly sweetens the mid notes and marries the jasmine and ylang ylang under a canopy of sturdy masculine patchouli. It really shines here. Never too loud like some leather perfumes, rather it is like a Gary Cooper cowboy in full control of any situation yet laid back and languorous with a hint of danger behind it. In the dry down it gets even more masculine with a balsamic styrax, the pure beautiful note of birch. These notes meet up with a austerely cool and gorgeous orris root. Cuir de Lancôme is never more beautiful than in its fading moments. With fall fast approaching I know that this will be in my rotation. It simply and effortlessly projects a quite, masculine elegance that with a flip of the coin is equally perfect on the skin of a woman of substantial glamour and poise. There are two noses behind this fragrance Calice Becker (J’adore and Velvet Orchid for Tom Ford) and Pauline Zanoni. Together they have come up with a really beautiful fragrance that lasts on my skin between 8 and 10 hours. Around the third hour it moves closer to the skin were it remains to invite more intimate exploration. The projection is moderate which I like in a leather fragrance. You don’t want to come in with six guns blazing all the time. Sometimes you can say much more leaning against the bar surveying the room from under a ten gallon hat. FIVE GOLD STARS **** (TO READ ABOUT THE COWBOY BEHIND MY REVIEW CHECK MY BLOG SCENTS MEMORY)

Awesomeness nailed it! A floral leather chypre...I had read much about Lancome's La Collection and have had my eye on Sagamore for quite sometime now. I was fortunate enough to be gifted a vial of this by MsMaryO (Thanks, My dear!!) and am totally in love with it... This is almost like someone took all the notes and shuffled them like cards. Patchouli in the heart-not the base, saffron in the top (not the heart), and no moss and only light florals...but it works! This opens with the leathery note immediately apparent, but also the citruses and the saffron's warm floral spicy/pollen-like scent. The beauty in the heart of hawthorn, jasmine and ylang is just wonderful. Sultry, rich and slightly sweet when combined with the patchouli it has an earthy sexiness. Mmmm! The drydown is where I get the best reaction on my skin: styrax (and its mysterious aged scent), birch tar (smoky leather) and cold iris root makes for a dry very chypre-like finish without moss or too much powderiness. A very elegant scent for a woman; but I wear it myself, due to the stunning drydown rich in orris, styrax and birch tar-three of my favorite basenotes! This has a feel of aged and distressed leather, but is elegant and crisp at the same time. My admiration of Lancome in general has grown greatly. And, if this is how they define leather, I cannot wait to see how they define sycamore!! Sillage: better close, but detectable Longevity: good Overall: 4/5 I am amzed more and more at how many "women's" scents smell better on men, and sometimes vice versa...I find this to be a great scent on my skin, and say damn the classifications! The more I sniff real quality scents, no matter what their "gender". This has a lot of flowers, sure, but is very nice on a man and also (I'd imagine) on a woman. Hey! Why not just let the wearer decide-people are gonna wear what they want anyway...

I have always found Chanel Cuir de Russie too aloof, too standoffish, too posh to comfortably wear it, although I respect and love its quality and execution. Cuir de Lancome is the perfect feminine leather for me. It has all the quality and well built structure of the Chanel, but is way friendlier, easier to wear if you don't have enough Chanel suits in your wardrobe and Maseratis in your garage. I clearly smell both the mandarin and the bergamott in the opening, but the leather (birch tar) makes its appearance right away, too. The citruses, as is their wont, pretty soon say goodbye and offer their places to the beautiful yet quite florals: gentle ylang and jasmine. This perfume is much more about buttery, slightly spicy and balsamic notes (saffron, styrax, vanilla) and leather than about florals, yet they are definitely there and help to soften and warm up the leather even more. The general impression is that of a soft, antique rose coloured suede glove that has captured the memory of very high quality perfumes. CdL is sophisticated, elegant but not strict and austere like Cuir de Russie. It has a vintage feel with a modern twist to it, making it very wearable today. Longevity is outstanding, sillage is moderate, but it would not befit this beauty to fill a room. She is too well-bred for that. :-) Except for the worst heat of the summer, I could wear it all year long. It has got very rare these days, so grab it if it comes your way, you will not regret!

I have been testing wrist to wrist Cuir de Lancome and Chanel Cuir de Russie. This is my impression: the opening of CdL is more subdued, more leathery, sweeter where CdR is sharper. I detect no flowers in any of the two. CdL develops in a subtler way while CdR seems a rollercoaster ride, more exciting, more faceted. CdL is quieter and in the drydown much more feminine than CdR. All through its way I can sense no jasmine, no orris, no rose, no flowers at all in CdR while I can feel a very elegant way through expensive materials and a surely very alluring smell. It stays very close to the skin and when completely melts with you, the scent is one of the Seven Wonders of this world. CdL is much like CdR not in the way the two smells but more in the elegance, the old money feeling they give you when wearing them. Definitely I would tend to be of opinion that were CdL much more expensive (the way CdR is) it would be regarded as its Chanel mate by collectors and opinioners worldwide. Cuir de Russie is a monument in perfumery and very rightly so, but in my very humble opinion I think that Cuir de Lancome should not be disregarded in haste. All the contrary. It would rightly deserve a monument as well. (For a more detailed review of Cuir de Lancome see my other review on this page).

Well, call me a sucker for styrax, saffron and hawthorn, I am totally down with this fragrance. A leather without the creaking, CdL might be those brown buttery soft, knee high boots you bought in Italy and refuse to take off even for sex. Or it may be the fabulous tan you got in Spain when white was your colour and the smell of oranges underpinned everything. It's not about sex though, it's too refined for that, but it is very sensuous owing to patchouli and ylang. CdL's base is delicious after sleep but don't get it any warmer, it's not really suited to hot weather when it can be cloying; Russie's brighter rose & citrus might be a better idea then but I've never tried CdR in summer to be sure. I don't worry much about projection, as long as I can smell my own perfume I don't care if anyone else can and CdL has perfect sillage for me. It has longevity to die for, can wear all day on a few morning spritzes and will still be on your clothes come laundry day. You can wear it almost everywhere with anything, it won't ever let you down. Cuir de Russie is a dry, rigorously polished and uptight leather compared with Lancome's golden take on Cuir. Sometimes Russie is right for the moment but mostly I reach for CdL. I'd hate to ever be without it.

I wasn't on the hunt for a new leather perfume as I found the one that hits the spot for me in Etienne Aigner Black. But when I was one of the winners of lovely janudy's giveaway, my curiosity got the better of me and I chose a sample of Cuir de Lancome based on its great reviews. And a beautiful perfume this is indeed. At first on dry skin it's a rather bold leather accord. But as it warms, it softens and fuses with my skin--yes, sensual, leather 'skin' on skin. The flowers give this a lot of dimension and heart; I think soft citrus plays so well with leather too. The drydown is wonderful--complex, sultry yet distantly laid back. Orris and woods give this an aloof facade, yet the touch of vanilla-like styrax/benzoin make this so seductive. I embarassingly feel myself making Bette Davis eyes when I wear Cuir. Personally I couldn't wear this everyday and Etienne Aigner seems to suit my personality better with it falling into the citrus aromatic category (yes, a citrus aromatic leather perfume!). But I do appreciate Lancome's masterful execution of this leather fragrance immensely.

Cuir de Lancome is refreshing to wear, no not because it's "fresh" it's because CdL is real perfume! It wears long but not loud, it changes as it wears, it has personality, and it is not a pale imitation of something else. I personally would categorize this as a Floral Woody Musk--the top notes are a pleasantly harsh saffron/birch mix, to me it smells like sniffing a shot of good whisky, with vapors that burn your nose, while drinking in a warm bar with that has a fireplace burning. At first I thought I would only be able to wear 1 spray of this, as the top is very strong, but CdL wears down into a sueded jasmine/floral, with a heavy wood base and a hint of smoke. The suede and smoke notes start to wear off, and the base wears as a musk/powder/rooty (orris root?) wooded floral blend. I know this isn't a great writeup of the way it smells, but I think CdL smells wonderful, in a league of its own. It has excellent lasting power, nice projection, it smells like a lot of thought was put into it. This perfume is no longer made, and seems to be disappearing, so get it while you can...

Very beautiful, warm, cozy scent. Very classy, old money kind of scent. I do not find it so much floral as others have stated and I do not find it being a "floral chypre" as Fragrantica categorizes it. For me it's a warm cuir scent, do not think about leather similar to Bandit's, Knize Ten or Cabochard, not at all. Cuir has the greasy cuir as you would find in a saddle, expensive English gentleman shoes, the kind of scent you can feel at Hermés when visiting the saddlery section in their stores. All that being said I love it a lot, it's very feminine and at the same time very masculine, it's very very refined, so classy that it's beyond gender classification. It's a soft scent, not loud at all and I love its being so intimate. I always use it sparingly. Immediately after spraying it you are immersed in cuir and minute by minute you are led into softness, a smoky softness at times, a woody softness at others. No flowers for me and no nauseating sweetness as in some other cuir based scents you are overwhelmed with. In a word: PERFECTION IN A BOTTLE.

I'm no fan of leather or suede notes, they always turn to sharp, synthetic plastic on me...but I LOVE this. I was surprised that I loved it as much as I did at first, but when I came on here and saw the notes...well, well, there is no leather or suede in this after all. It just smells suede-like, the combination of the woods, styrax and other notes give it that effect. It's subtly sweet and vanillic, especially when you get to the dry-down, but still with a deep and bitter woodsy-leathery feel that is just delicious. I personally find it cozy and very sensual, but in a very uppity, intellectual manner, I guess 'aristocratic' is the word. Like a lady with a loose French chignon, strands of hair falling around her bedroom eyes, pouty lips, wearing a chic suede camel coat, a sensuous, sultry woman in androgynous style because she has no time to waste on frills and thrills, she'd rather sit and contemplate the meaning of existence,while she enjoys a steaming cup of espresso and a cigarette at her favorite patisserie on a rainy autumn morning. Love it!

Blind bought this barely used on eBay and am so pleased; I'm even considering shelling out for a new bottle while they are still reasonably priced to have a backup. Very nice, smooth and quiet, a rich withdrawn yet comfortable scent, it speaks softly but has lovely things to say. I am not great with notes yet and may never be but to me the patchouli is quite noticeable and smells natural; the rich powder and sweet edge from saffron and orris (I think) mean this is not a hippie patch or the type so common in sweet fruitchoulis nowadays. I can't say this reminds me of the other leathers I have smelled olfactorily but it shares with them an overall impression...if Cuir de Russie is the interior of a Bentley, if Knize is a man's highly polished dress shoe, Cuir de Lancome is the leather tote or satchel you use all the time that gets beaten up but looks and feels all the better for it. I've been wearing it just as often and it feels just as right as my equivalent bag.

What a perfect fragrance! Its brilliance lies in the perfumer's miraculous ability to marry the discordant concepts of 20s leather fragrances and modern woody amber fragrances. The result is at once harmonious and novel. The opening is straight-up 20s leather a la Chanel's Cuir de Russie. It is very plush and luxurious in an extremely classic way. As the fragrance warms up, there is a bit of time traveling, and you can smell the transition from the dense smokey 20s leather to the modern Olivia Giacobetti-style light suede. Not continuing on a linear path, the fragrance dries down to a fantastic patcholi/amber/musk base that is chic and wearable, as one would expect from Ms. Becker. I loved this so much that I went ahead and bought Lancome's entire La Collection line, discovering the even more lovely Sagamore. These fragrances are highly underrated and are disappearing fast - get them while you can.

Cuir De Lancome is my latest purchase. and from the moment I sprayed it ... I really was taken by its... yes, Woody, Smoky and Leathery fragrance .... Its an "Everyday-Leather" scent and luckily for me not too feminine. Although my fave still remains Chanel- Cuir Russie as a definitive "LEATHER SCENT" they do share similar notes... Chanel Cuir de Russie: aldehydes, orange blossom, bergamot, mandarin, clary sage; iris, jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, cedarwood, vetiver; styrax, leather, amber, vanilla. Lancôme Cuir: bergamot, mandarin, saffron, Jasmine, ylang-ylang, hawthorn, patchouli, Iris, birch, orris root, styrax. The difference I found is that there is a grassy green note as it settles on my skin to CUIR DE LANCOME.. not sure what produces this ... but it works for me ... in a strange way A male friend said it smelled like "Expensive Men's Shaving Soap" I think its another great find!!!

I bought this on line from a US site and it arrived at the start of our spring in Sydney - so about September. I tried it a few times and thought it was musty and heavy and debated selling it at some stage. Today is our first cool day as we are in the middle of autumn, and it’s the first day it hasn’t reached 30 degrees for the last week. I thought I should give it another go before I relegate it to the rarely opened bottom drawer. It’s amazing how it performs in cool weather, considering it’s a no-go in the heat. It’s a sublime floral leather, I can smell an elegant combination of wood, caramel and leather. That mustiness I got the first few times has disappeared entirely. I don’t know what the go is with that badly fitting cap, not sure who deliberately designed it that way, but that aside, if you’ve been disappointed with this in warm weather, put it away for the cooler months.

This is fabulous! I only wish all the Lancomes were of such great quality. And I am sure they would sell even more than the common, generic frags Lancome is flooding the market with. Cuir de Lancome is not a straightforward leather... it is a soft, round, very fascinating fragrance that conveys a concept of relaxed, elegant sophistication. My nose was remined of Cuir Beluga (a vanilla suède frag, as well a bit far from the pure leather smell). You get this hint of expensive leather purse but it vanishes in a few minutes; jasmine, a non-invadent one, then ylang ylang. After the flowery wave, you are left with a powdery irris that is contamined by an apricot note (this is osmanthus!!), delicious, not sweet but powdery and refined. The lasting power could be better, but I assume you can't have it all. This fragrance is a marvel. Treat yourself!

Smooth and plush, Cuir de Lancome has just the slightest birch tar in its leather, rendering just the right layer of smokiness in its opening, at first bold and imposing, then descending into a magnificent floral polish in its heart. I pick up the presence of hawthorn (one of my favorite notes, an anisic, powdery, hay-like floral) as it combines with a muted indolic jasmine. What's most noteworthy is the presence of styrax, which extends the leather into the drydown. The resinoid from the Styrax (Liquidambar styraciflua) has exceptional fixative quality, especially with florals, and has a curious styrene-like quality to its top note. Here, it also extends the top notes of the leather accord into the base paired with orris, delicately equipoised, making for a stunning skin scent. Cuir de Lancome is a beautiful and underrated floral leather.

I like to Thank Sparklegoth for send me a sample of this beautiful perfume that I want to try for so long. When I first applied I could smell a lot of similarity with Traversee du Bosphore just not as sweet but the resemblance is there, but as it dries down becomes a very elegant leather. I'm in love. Update (30/11/13) I just received this perfume in the mail today, and just read the back of the box, it is so poetic, the description of the women that wear this perfume. "She embodies those women who possess infinite charm, timeless grace, a unique presence-" I just compare Chanel Cuir de Russie and Cuir de Lancome and they are so similar that I don't think I need the chanel if I have Cuir de Lancome. I love this perfume so much that I want to get a back up bottle.I rate this perfume 10 out of 10. MASTERPIECE.

Cuir de Lancome is the softest, most classy leather fragrance I've ever smelled. Not soft as in faint or close to the skin (this scent has good silliage), but soft as in gentle and caressing. So many leather fragrances are harsh and seem to have too many rough edges, but CdL never falls into that trap. This is like the butter-soft leather of a vintage designer handbag that has soaked up the smell of its owner's favorite vanilla-scented handcream over the years; not the leather of a beat up biker jacket smeared with engine grease.

I love it. It was not love from the first sniff. In fact, the first one was just okay. I saw it deeply discounted at the time and considered buying a second bottle but I was not so impressed with it and passed on the bargain. But as I wore it, I realized this is one of the best perfumes. I wanted a second bottle for sure and ordered one today. Paid more than for my first bottle but it is worth it. I do not get a lot of leather, just a hint maybe. I definitely smell birch. It is very expensive smelling and very elegant perfume.

I know there's no leather listed, but something is giving me an impression of leather---buttery soft leather the color of this perfume. This perfume goes on smooth as silk. Whereas Bvlgari Black makes me feel like I should zip up my leather jacket and take my man's motorcycle for a joyride, this makes me feel like I should sit up straight with my ankles crossed, hair in a bun, but with my blouse unbuttoned a bit more than proper. I think that this is slightly on the feminine side of unisex, but a man could definitely wear it.

Like so many of you, this was a blind buy for me. This is a marvellous thing : Such terrible packaging (that loose plastic cap, ugh!), marketing and distributing - you'd think Lancôme was actually ashamed of Cuir, the way they treat it... And yet it's such a beautiful, noltalgic scent. Warm, dry, boozy and powdery. I believe this one will be hunted down by collectors for the next 20 years or more.

FANTASTIC! It has a great longevity on me. After a lot of hours I still smell it from time to time. Spicy, woody and aristocratic. Sexy in a mature way, sophisticated,elegant and unique, aristocratic and noble! I like it very much! I suspect that styrax is an element that I like very very much in perfumes (I have another perfume with styrax and I am able to distinguish it very clearly).

I love leather fragrances. In special the 'cuir de russie' scents. This one is not an exception. I can get lots of styrax and birch tar. Cuir de Lancôme is very conforting, almost medicinal, bitter-sweet, smoky, tar-like scent. Sometimes on my skin it reminds me of Fahrenheit by Dior. Maybe it is the same styrax gasoline-like note they share. One of my favorite fragrances!!!

I bought Cuir de Lancome blind because it seemed to have everything I like, and Luca Turin has written a nice review on the fragrance in the "PERFUMES: the guide". ...Wow! What a wonderful economy (still of high quality) version of Cuir de Russie! However, like people from different parts of Russia, Cuir de Lancome has its own unique accent. 5 stars to it!!!

the terrible packing is..in every box. Such a mistake. Fortunately, you can fix the plastic ring on the neck of the bottle pressing down with bit force, and then all is okay. I can t understand how lancome made, for all the editions, the same mistake. I have a sealed box and if i shake it I can hear the plastic ring inside. But the scent is simply gorgeous.

If you run accross a bottle..buy it. Its the most wearable birch tar leather. What others have said is true, save your pennies buying Cuir de Russie and get this. Its wonderful theres a little bit of white floral under the leather to give it a femme edge....whomever made the cap should be drug out and flogged...a major house with an issue like that??

Great Fragrance. Nothing much like Cuir De Russie at all. Cuir de lancome is much sweeter and warmer with stronger notes of sharp leather while Cuir De Russie is more soapy and powdery with less warmth & sweetness and smells less feminine. I love both fragrances and I disagree with the resemblance to Cuir De Russie...Both are very different

I have both, 50ml of Cuir de Lancome and 200ml Cuir de Russie de Chanel, Les Exclusifs, and they do have a lot in common. Chanels always have that very distinctive Chanel's heart ( rose-jasmin-yglan-yglan-iris ) but apart from that both Cuirs are almost the same, and quite masculine. The chanel not so much, perhaps? I love them very much.

An elegant french leather. It feels smooth and smells expensive. No nasty surprises which cuir fragrances are often tempted to cause upon their user. I love such surprises, and for me Cuir is too polished to truly fascinate, but it also has enough quality and depth for me to celebrate. ****(*)

Birch, patchouli, styrax creates nice dry soft suede scent on my skin.Very wearable powdery leather plus whiskey accord. And nothing about chypre floral. Reminds me of Armani prive cuir amethyste just not so sweet. Only medium sillage, stays close to the skin. Longevity is very good.

It has violets according Lancome and I definitely smell violets. Everyone keeps saying it is unisex, but to me it is more feminine. Cuir de Russie by Chanel leans more masculine than this does. This fragrance is a very "pretty" refined leather with lots of candied violets.

a very elegant and soft leather scent. The citrus and ? orris cut through it and make it ladylike rather than really sexy. It's a lovely wearable day-leather. I must note that this perfume smells like Shalimar without the Vanilla, so Shalimar fans give this a sniff!

this is amazing. A superlative scent creation that transcends. Honeyed leather in a very comfortable warmth feeling. It's like a hybrid of Bal de Versailles without animalic tone and Cuir de Russie with molasses. Beautiful and addictive

I did not like it on paper, too strong and rather masculine, but on my own wrist was another story. Warm and sexy, yet very elegant and subtle. The perfect scent for a cool night with someone special. A great feminine leather scent.

It's a woman's secret in a bottle. It's pleasure in a bottle. It's woman's skin scent in a bottle. A beautiful flower on a woman's skin. It reminds me of Bvlgari Black, but this one is more feminine.

Smoky soft buttery suede with saffron/ floral tendencies. Im in love, seriously the perfect balance of leather with other notes to tame it, i think it's my holy grail *waves arms around mid air*

Just a perfect, smooth, creamy leather with a hint of amber. Warm and rich. Close to the skin. Love it.

Cuir de Lancôme is in my top 5 perfumes to save if the house was burning down.. It is so amazing!

Thus far, this is my favourite Lancôme fragrance EVER. Perfection in a bottle. Love it.

What a lovely rich fragrance! The first blast is strong and manly, but wait for 15 minutes and it will start developing. The leather note is very noticeable and natural (birch tar / Russia leather) through the whole time, love it! There is no sweetness in the fragrance at this stage at all and the protection is moderate. The dry-down comes in a couple hours and stays close but noticeable very long slowly melting. The dry-down is delicious, it gets sweeter and a bit ambery, the leather note is still there but much softer. I can get here a high quality mix of natural materials: resins (styrax), patchouli, citrus and orris, in line with Hermes Merveilles line + the leather note. Cuir de Lancome can be used by a man (and surely will smell great on a right man!), it's totally unisex by modern standards. It will suit better for the colder seasons I believe. And no, it does not have much in common with Chanel Cuir de Russie which I also have a decant of. The Chanel Cuir is more like No 5 + leather, it's flowery, soapy and lighter as I perceive it, 'an opera theatre perfume'. The Lancome Cuir is warmer, cosier and darker, more 'wrap in cashmere' type of fragrance. LC can prove more challenging to wear if you are not into this kind of fragrances. But it is a brilliantly done scent! I am curious to layer it with some good vanilla scents, it should be absolutely heavenly.

At first it smells a little musty, a little citrusy and floral, and a little soapy. As the flowers die down, the smoky birch tar scent comes through, along with some other odd notes that I’m not so crazy about, sort of like an old pair of cloth and rubber gardening gloves that have never been washed. I think it must be an odd variation on isobutyl quinoline. I was expecting something a lot stronger and more leather-like, so this must be an EdT concentration. Having said that, just when I thought it was about to disappear, it comes back in gentle, sweet floral currents, barely there, but distinct. It seems to take a half hour or so for the odd opening notes to settle down and the true character of the perfume to establish itself. I wouldn’t characterize this as a leather scent so much as a soft, understated, suede-tinged, lightly vanilla-flavored floral. It’s one of those translucent fragrances that’s perfect as a no-brainer default scent to put on before going to work, a lovely, soft and fuzzy pastel sort of perfume that radiates an aura of simple, subtle, sweetness. I think it would even be safe to spray it. The bottom line is that this is a beautiful, low-profile perfume that I’d like to have in my workday rotation if I didn’t have too many already.

A rare gem. Multi-faceted and paradoxical. At once soft and rugged, displaying multiple aspects of leather. Accords of baby oil, elegant cedar, tart violet, richly appointed leather seating, and pleasantly chalky musks. Makes the nerve endings reach out in pleasure. Luxurious in the way that supple worn leather upholstery in an exotic antique car is luxurious, carrying olfactory memories of long-ago smoked cigarettes and gentle leather conditioners. Unisex because of its complexity - it has elements that are both masculine and feminine. Dries down to resemble a luxurious, well-rounded, and supple leathery balm. Compliments and lingering attention for this one. Men with confidence and good taste should wear this, as few leather offerings for men currently match the complexity and tenderness this evokes, not to mention the elevated curiosity and compliments from admirers who respond to this fragrance's call. Reminds me of a denser, more plush, more seductive, and more accessible rendition of the early Narciso Rodriguez For Him, at a time before they pared down all the chalky goodness to reveal more of the green violet handsomeness of NR For Him.

Mmm, lovely, soft, warm leather! My grandfather used to make teddy bears when he retired, and there would be bags of suedey fur around his house, the leather of Cuir reminds me a little of that lovely smell. Quite different from the minimalist luxury car-seat leather of Cuir de Russie It opens with a rich citrus quality that reminds me a little of Shalimar, much softer though. Very complex, it's not a straightforward leather. The tangy warm feel develops into a dusty/sweet quality (that could be both hawthorn and saffron)and there’s an anisic note that smells like licorice. Alongside the birch tar and styrax notes the effect is chewy and leathery, almost gourmand (I'm reminded of a chocolate flavoured liquorice all-sort!) Cuir de Lancome is complex yet cosy and easy to wear, sweet but quite unisex. It’s lightly musky but not animalic (nothing haybarn or cat-pee-esque)more sensual than erotic. In a way it reminds me of Luten's Chergui, but warmer and more golden. I’d imagine wearing it in autumn, but I think it could be worn any time of year, especially evenings, for a luxuriously soft, warm and elegant aura. Everyone will want to cuddle you!

Just got Cuir de Lancome this morning so it's too early for a review but I'll type what's printed on the back of the box for those who are curious: ''The Left Bank; a back-street in St Germain... a woman steps inside the luxurious lobby of a Parisian Hotel. Her appearance creates a silence and freezes time for a short moment. She embodies those women who possess infinite charm, timeless grace, a unique presence - her assured step, even the slightest gesture capture attention and light. Her undeviating stare explores the depths of your soul. Ethereal, almost unreal, she drifts toward a small marble table where a bouquet of flowers and a note await her. Slowly she sinks into the velvet arms of a large sofa. An eternal moment: sensually, she removes her gloves, the warm, supple leather slides gently over her fingertips. Around her, the flowery notes of the bouquet seem to hover in the air. The words she reads draw a smile... like a secret lighting up her lips. Her glowing eyes radiate an intriguing light: that of intense passion. She is, at this very moment, the quintessential woman, her fulfillment is absolute and unveiled.''

Well. This is obviously hugely popular, and deservedly so, as it's a lovely rendition of a classic done with high-quality ingredients and a true desire, apparently, to be faithful to the past. So kudos to Lancome for this, and the others in the series - Sikkim, Magie etc.. Although Cuir opens oddly on me (maybe the saffron?) with a slightly burnt-bacon note which is disconcerting, soon it settles down to a very lovely buttery leather/suede note that is very charming - IF I stick my nose against my arm. Longevity is good. The problem I have is simply one of projection. To me it is terribly faint. DH can smell it quite well (and likes it btw) but I seem to be largely anosmic to it, which is very sad. I bought this blind because it seemed to be everything I love, but am regretting paying quite that much for it! Those reviewers who picked it up for pennies when it was dsicontinued did very well - those days are gone. So if you are considering paying top-dollar for this then I suggest you try before you buy, just in case you can't smell it either!

Oily, bitter leather. The instant the cap fell off, I smelled the bright top notes of Cuir. Cuir has an intense and full color. Orris root, bergamot, mandarin and patchouli with hints of cocoa and creamy wood. Citrus and bergamot remind me of my beloved Shalimar, leather is Cuir Cannage style, and patchouli is from Coromandel. Combining a part of each of the above three perfumes, Cuir, which is warm, spicy and gentle, can be born. In my opinion, Lancome Cuir, which is also birch tar leather, is not like the typical Cuir de Russie. Lancome Cuir is rougher. The amber in the base note is removed and replaced by woody fragrance. It is not as fine as Cuir de Russie, thick and deep. It is round and round like Dior Cuir Cannage, but far less noble and imposing than Cuir de Russie, as bright as gold. Cuir's exotic style is outstanding. It has such a characteristic that other leathers do not have. It is moderate in volume, stable and light. For women, the performance of the first half may be too masculine.

Cuir de Lancome was a blind buy for me and a good one indeed. I've been looking for an every day scent for autumn and winter for over a year now and based on the reviews, Cuir sounded like the one to try. I've never even considered wearing leather, but was too curious to resist buying it. It's very wearable chypre leather, that has history and soul. It makes me feel sophisticated and chic, would wear it to boardroom or to a lounge at night. It's very versatile and definitely the best of Lancome. Out of my humble collection of perfumes and all the samples I have, Cuir smells most like "me", I'm positive it's gonna be my "to go" fragrance. The lasting power is great, sillage is soft, it doesn't scream "here I am", it doesn't just sit on your skin, it becomes you. It's gorgeous. Totally worth checking out. I like that it's not widely available and will leave some (jealous) people wondering what is that gorgeous smell... I'll never tell ;)

Maybe I'm spoiled so long I wanted to have it ... now I don't know whether I want it or not. Truth is Cuir de Lancome is very similar to J'ai Ose (Guy Laroche), and in particular EdT that I loved! But it is a bit cold as Caleche, which I also loved. How strange, I was looking for it in all the perfumes and now it's here on my wrist. Subtle smell like the finest soap, clean (saffron?), deep. So classy to go to the theater, or on the red carpet, but it just wasn't for me anymore. The chypre I loved is here and I am no longer looking for Something. I think this is goodbye, not because I don't like it. In fact it is brilliant. I'm happy that I found it, it really is a clone of my beloved J'ai Ose! edit/ it was as if I had seen my greatest love after 20 years or more ... all the same, and yet not.

You know, if I had tried this one before I tested Serge Lutens's Cuir Mauresque, I would have still ended up with the both of them. :-P Ok, I stated the above to say that Cuir De Lancome reminds me of Serge Lutens Cuir Mauresque in general. But this is a bit more powdery, less oily and more unisex, IMO. Longevity seems to be on par with CM, the sillage seems to be closer to the skin than CM and seems to be more versatile than CM. I could pull this off in the early Spring. I can wear this one with brighter colors. It's the daylight Cuir Mauresque. That makes Cuir De Lancome a winner in my book. Update (10 OCT 2011): Serge Lutens' Cuir Mauresque still tops this one...

Elegance in a bottle. Love the packaging and the quirky loose top on the bottle. The antithesis of J'Adore another of Calice Becker's creation, Cuir de Lancome is understated, subtle allure. It is a mystery to me as to why it would be discontinued. Soft floral, not sweet, I am reminded of a past garden in spring/summer when the hawthorn is in bloom. The leather is not as pronounced at first as in some other leather fragrances (Lauder's Azuree, one of my favorites, comes to mind). The leather comes later in the dry down. I don't know Chanel's version, Cuir de Russie, yet, but CdL is a treasure. I took a risk on a blind buy, and am delighted.

I get pure buttery, leather.. like I just stuck my nose inside a new pair of high-end, tall (past the elbow) gloves. The longer it stays on, the more it feels like a very sophisticated, wealthy woman who is always dressed impeccably and goes to the Plaza for tea would wear. She gets her hair and nails done regularly, and doesn't do her own laundry or clean her own house. I love it, but wouldn't wear it unless really dressed for it's formality. Bandit may be similarly leather-y but in a less formal way. Haven't tried Knize 10 yet to compare.