Lumiere Intense

Lumiere Intense is old school and, to me at least, that's a good thing! I'm a huge fan of Rochas' older scents (haven't been as into the newer ones...), especially Femme and Mme. Rochas because my mom used to wear those back in the 1970's when I was little. Lumiere Intense is less wild and animalic -- more sophisticated -- than Femme and less approachable than the aldehydic, sweet floral bouquet that is Mme. Rochas. Rather, Lumiere Intense is elegant and powdery -- almost dusty -- and austere in its grandeur due, I think, to serious amounts of jasmine -- the indolic, "haughty" kind. Along with some aldehydes, I also get a green freshness (violets?) and a fruity, rich, ripe rose, almost like rose hips. I can't detect what's below all of those overpowering flowers, but the base notes listed on a different perfume website are sandalwood, cedar, oakmoss, and musk; I don't get any of that because, to my nose, it's a BIG jasmine-centric floral. Anyway, I love it! I got it for a really good price (maybe $25?) on FragranceNet and, like a few of my fellow Fragranticans below, the nozzle on my bottle doesn't quite operate correctly, either. Lumiere Intense is great and definitely makes a statement. And it's for serious jasmine and old school/classic perfume lovers only! ---------------------------------------------------------- 7/2024 Update I've been wearing Lumiere Intense in HOT weather and it really blooms in the heat -- absolutely gorgeous! To my nose, LI has really good, though not monstrous, longevity. I still am aware of a beautiful scent cloud 7 hours after last applying it (but I will still apply some more!). I don't think the sillage is enormous; no one has ever commented on it, at least. I do not get the comparisons to either Chanel No. 5 or Poison, by the way; though they both have noticeable aldehydes, No. 5 is woody and has a lot of civet and sandalwood (LI is excessively floral), and Poison is a spicy, rich, plummy affair. The only similarity is that all three scents are decidedly vintage-smelling. Lumiere Intense is such a beautiful scent!

Vintage WHITE-FLORAL-ALDEHYDE. This is the perfect scent to spray on a scarf for a drive in a vintage convertible. Has reminders of classic white-floral-aldehydes, but not a close dupe of anything I can think of. Strong projection with moderate longevity (~4 hours , 6 at most). There's alot going on here but I will do my best to describe what I get since there's no notes listed: Opening: burst of spicy white-florals, including gardenia, ylang, nutmeg, aldehydes, faint bergamot. Heart: sweet, powdery, soapy, faint green & creamy white-florals including tuberose, orange blossom, neroli, gardenia, jasmine, iris. Base: white-floral support including (sandal)wood, amber, vanilla, oakmoss, musk Contrast to Chanel No 5 EDP Chanel: With its cult following, it's hard to compare anything to Chanel No 5. These are different, but there is a white floral aldehyde vibe in both, although aldehydes are more forward in Chanel No 5. Chanel No 5 outperforms. Contrast to Boucheron Boucheron: These are different, but there is a similar white floral aldehyde vibe. Boucheron turns near-maple in its sweetness with benzoin at the drydown, while I don't get that in Lumiere Intense. Boucheron outperforms. Contrast to Red Door Elizabeth Arden: These are different, but there is a similar vintage white floral vibe. Tuberose is more creamy and forward in Red Door, while aldehydes are more forward in Lumiere Intense. Red Door outperforms. Overall: Excellent project and average longevity with a beautiful vintage white-floral aldehyde scent profile. It's a love for me. Enjoy!

This is a peculiar and lovely early eighties-style fragrance. I don't know the date of its release but there doesn't appear to be many reviews on this. If you like big, complex and heady fragrances with aldehydes e.g. Chanel No 5 with a sweet and very slightly amber drydown, this is a charming and persistent fragrance. I would recommend spraying on your clothes the night before and lightly misting on your skin. It has excellent sillage and longevity. Additionally, because it is part of an 'old school', vintage composition, it tends to stand out. Unfortunately, my bottle had a faulty nozzle and would occasionally emit a continuous spray (rather than a single spritz) once the nozzle once depressed. The bottle is now entirely gone. I can still smell parts of soft furnishing or shelves on which this phenomenon had occurred; I still find the accidental discovery of its scent to be disarmingly charming. I think white floral or sweet tubereuse would be a base note on this perfume, which is unusual, as it starts with a very strong, almost floral-chypre.

I received this today-unboxed-My first reaction was OMG-this is a fake-it's used-and defective! Because-Please hear me. The label was almost erased on it. I couldn't see the bottom as it was concealed with a bar code, the spray part on top looked crooked (defective) and there were finger prints on it!! Ugh! I knew it was an unboxed purchase but this bottle looked a bit more than what you'd expect from an 'unboxed' purchase :-((( So I started researching and I realize it really is somewhat coveted vintage and is discontinued. Although I was certain I would return it-I still wanted to smell it so much, I decided to spray it..and OMG..OMG..OMG..This is a TREASURE. THIS IS A TREASURE. THIS IS A TREASURE!! I'm so glad I didn't send it back right away!!

This is a stunning perfume. It is incredibly similar to Chanel No. 5, almost like a flanker. It's practically impossible to tell them apart. For the price it is totally a bargain and great to keep for trips abroad when you don't want to bring an expensive perfume. Has similiar notes to Chanel No. 5 such as aldehydes, bergamot, oakmoss, neroli, ylang-ylang, rose, and sandalwood with additional notes of violet, orange blossom, honeysuckle, hyacinth, oriss root, tuberose, cedar, musk, oakmoss and vetiver at the base. There is a definite strong muskiness in such a pleasant way. Best bang for the buck. A quiet, hidden gem of a perfume that you will grow to treasure and love.