Lumiere Original

This is why I buy vintage scents. One whiff and I feel like I'm smelling an organic concoction of incredible ingredients that make up a Lumiere or a Habanita or a Poison. It's intense. Lumiere opens really big and I'm immediately transported to my tropical home town in 1985. (Seriously, for a whole hour the first time I smelt this I'm just reminiscing and I have to force myself to leave that place and do something useful.) It's bright and hot like being out in the sun. It opens quite strong, very green, a little bitter. It starts off soapy to me, A bitter, soapy, slight smokiness that reminds me of my dad. The flowers are in there and they slowly move to the front. The smokiness leaves after about 15 minutes and the greenness and bitterness slowly subside over the next three or four hours as the fragrance gets softer. This brings the flowers to the forefront and it gets sweeter and sweeter with the flowers. It's lost its soapiness for me hours in. Very well blended. Very well balanced. Sometimes it even reminds me of Poison! I get more sandalwood than ceder. Not much musk, but the vetiver and oakmoss are heaven. This lasts all day on me as a gentle soft sweet floral and then I have to shower. This is not a manicured garden. It's a freeform garden that's growing a bit wild. My joy in Lumiere is in the realism. It's not antiseptic. It makes me feel like I'm outside in the sun rummaging through our farm for elephant grass to feed my rabbits and Guinea pigs. I'm checking up on the chickens and the parrot, making sure everyone has food and water and company. I stay out in our lovely garden until sunset with my cat and dog because the house is big and empty and scary, till my mum comes home. For the first time in years I remember *all* the animals I had growing up and I miss them. Then it occurs to me that most of them were brought home by family who weren't actually there ninety percent of the time! I was the only one there!! I'm not complaining. They brought joy to my life and kept me company in the years I spent 'alone'. Now Lumiere can take me back there anytime.

Having a passion for "oriental" fragrances, when I was offered a 3/4 full ORIGINAL Lumiere 100ml (EDP? EDT?? It does not say!), I just could not say "no"! I have never smelled the "newer" version, and have to say after smelling this one: WHY would I ever?!? Lumiere (torch, or "light" in French) opens with your typical (but never generic) 80's aldehydes and powdery florals, with just a kiss of fruitiness and something vaguely cool underneath, resembling mint or eucalyptus (this fades quickly though). The composition of the flowers in the heart is similar to other Rochas releases, but here the heavier flowers (jasmine, rose and ylang) overpower the softer ones (muguet and daffodils) to result in something thick and almost boozy in the way it smells. Not like alcohol itself, but having that same "vapory" glow and heady warmth. After these "drunken" flowers have passed out (calmed down a bit), the lighter ones do come out to play, honeysuckle and hyacinth being the most noticeable to my nose. And then tuberose has her solo and sings a raspy sultry number (think "Fever") to introduce a wonderful woody melange of cedar, sandalwood and vetiver; kissed with musk and dry green moss. Lumiere may be for women (as far as to whom it is marketed), but I find it to be a stunning male scent as well. Despite the abundance of flowers; the fruits, greens and woods balance this very well. This is a wonderful "80's" perfume...without all the shoulder pads and big hair vibes, that retains all of the richness of that era and none of its tackiness. Sillage: very good Longevity: great Overall: 4.25/5 WOW! I cannot believe that I actually own the original Lumiere, and owe a very big THANK YOU to cisco, who swapped this to me. I just adore this fragrance and cannot wait to wear it on the cooler summer nights and warm fall days to come! This scent definitely lives up to its name, it is bright and warm (like a torch) but is not "light" by any means, and it is definitely something that would attract me like a moth to a flame...

A masterpiece. It's so sad that perfumes like this get discontinued. I guess this is due to the fact Rochas is not such a fashionable house anymore. If Lumiere had been a Guerlain or chanel fragrance, believe me it would be still in production. Lumiere is a bold, floral fruity perfume, offspring of the eighties. It shares some vibes with Byzance and Poison. I remember stealing sprays from my cousin's bottle (i was a kid and could not afford buying bottles but i had my tastes and nose well delevoped in the field!). It is, as many recall, a ray of light. The light that perks in through the blinds in a late summer afternoon. That light is warm and smells of ripe fruit and summer flowers it's comforting and reviving. Lumiere manages to be fresh with hyacinth and jasmin, then gets sweet with a honeyed rose and ripe fruit. It never sickens, unlike the fruitchouli disasters we smell nowadays. Lumiere is bold femininity, but not cloying. It remains airy, like that ray of light. I wish i still had a bottle of this glorious perfume.

Finally got this beautiful gem. She has born the same year my eldest child. This is a beauty that needs time to develop on Your skin. This is art in a bottle. Ouuuu it make ́s me wonder---- just to refer Led Zeppelin ́s text from "Stairway to heaven". She gives You all the time in the world, settles into your skin tenderly, comforting You the hole evening and early night whispering everything ́s gonna be allright! She ́s a skin scent. Reminds me of Fidji by Guy Laroche and eau de JLO, but much much more tenderly- is this a trip to Eden gardens? Thank You so much Nicolas Mamounas for creating this beauty! This and Mystere are the very best creations made by him!

It's like opening a grave. The original box. The shimmering flask pristine. The liquid still clear. This almost 40 yo bottle gives me crushed, rotting white flowers, a fallen down structure of what once was a unique beauty. Still sharp, almost green, and sweet like death. For almost 40 years I've kept her in my memory, but now, I am fully accepting that she is gone. An hour in, shadows of her flutter by, ghost-like. Elusive in a sour, bitter, chaos of fragments. And, at the end, the softest woods and musk. I feel like a necrophiliac.

The old Lumiere opens with a classic explosion of aldehyde, along the lines of Madame Rochas but not so acute. The opening gives way to a beautiful floral green. Quite and long lasting, with hyacinths and daffodils. It softens it through wear, but I do not get the glorious woods that others report. It dries until a soapy mash gently lingers. The EDP is worn close to the skin but for 6-8 hours.

gorgeous for special occasion - wedding, lunch at the Peninsula Hotel light enough for a crowded place like synagogue/church or long haul flight not candy sweet but could be for woman of any age - even a child. Its the perfect scent to wear to make a good impression - meeting your rabbi or boyfriends parents, job interview. Long day in court? I DESERVE TO WIN ON ELEGANCE ALONE

lumière... this is dusty, powdery-dusty light of magical quality. it isn't real but true. this light seems to be made of sweetness, the nectar kind, fairy-food kind. no sugar or artificial sweetener here, nothing at all of substance to feed on. and it is more than enough... marvellous light eating utopia. projects beautifully!-no: shines, shines! -it's light, after all! ..sigh

There's none other like this one! Used it, with great relish all through the mid to late 1980s and am really disappointed it was discontinued, (or re-vamped). I have not smelt the new one and don't feel inclined to test it because how can you possibly improve on the original Lumiere which stood out so clearly from the rest of the scents on the market at that time?

Remembering this perfume makes me sad, very sad that it no longer exists (there is a new version but it is awful). I actually can barely even describe the notes anymore, it has been so long since I have experienced the original ethereal thing that was Lumiere. I vaguely remember it feeling like soft, summer florals and chiffon. I am so sad.

This is my "youth in the bottle". Unforgettable... Unreturnable... For several years it was my signature perfume. I was one and only in my native city in 1984 wearing this perfume. Very classy, reach and the same time - young and beautiful. I still have an original bottle... Very empty though.

The review below concluding with the following is the best perfume review ever, I smile every time I stumble on it: "Its the perfect scent to wear to make a good impression - meeting your rabbi or boyfriends parents, job interview. Long day in court? I DESERVE TO WIN ON ELEGANCE ALONE"

My first ever truly grown-up, expensive fragrance, purchased in May 1988. I remember getting lots of compliments wearing it, and I myself loved it to bits. I wish I could get my hands on another bottle of this masterpiece. Long gone but not forgotten.

This is a gorgeous sweet SWEET powerful floral, not white in the least. Succulent and rich. There is a quick fruity note in the top then a blast of hyacinth and narcissus with some tuberose, ylang and musk.

I get compliments every time I wear this. Perfect sexy summer scent. I adore it when it's too hot for Poison or Byzance. Same vibe but more luminous. See what I did there?

This perfume manages to truly create the scent of spring in a bottle. This is fresh and interesting and realistic. Really nice. I am testing a mini vintage.

Can you believe that Lumière can be good for a man? I had a kind of memory from my youth about one girl who was wearing Lumière and I always remembered a gorgeous violet bottle on her desk, so I was kind of obsessed to find this scent, the original one and to inhale it again - together with the story behind the fragrance... So I found it on ebay and bought - just like a whim. And you know what? Despite of being in the perfect condition and bringing me joy of possession, the bottle of Lumière became something more than just a souvenir from 25 years ago. I fell in love with a scent and started to wear it. Flowery and feminine in the beginning, it transforms on my skin into soft oriental adorned with delicate petals of beautiful flowers and softened with woody and musky notes. It's intriguing and unusual, but not bizarre on me at all. I guess many of modern unisex niche fragrances appealing to both sexes are somewhere between masculine and feminine, so Lumière doesn't sound old-fashioned. The difference is that the approach to creation and the different quality of raw materials in the past makes this fragrance something truly original and emotional comparing to many contemporary hi-profile scents. And it's interesting to notice, how Lumière changes with time - exactly like light itself changes from daylight to twilight. It has a beautiful sillage, reminding of shimmering plume from the perfume advertising, which I always remembered and adored. It gives so much more to fantasy and imagination comparing to modern campaigns... I believe some fragrances stay forever even if they are considered to be discontinued and forgotten. And I am very happy to have this fragrant expression of light next to me, bringing joy and muse into my life.

I just obtained a 30ml bottle of this very recently and was instantly moved by its sublime beauty. It exudes mainly airy jasmine grounded with a misty, mid-sweet iris root to my nose. I can detect this distinguished redolence around the nozzle without even actually spraying it. It starts with some burst of aldehyde which reminds me very much of Guerlain Chant d'Arome. Both of them are exquisitely composed of delicate spring bouquet but Chant d'Arome is more powdery and earthy whereas Lumiere is more silky and ethereal. It also contains some crispy fruity note but it is rather fleeting. I can feel there is some complex in its depth but they are so well rounded that you hardly feel a trace of harsh, grounding note that intrudes the whole femininity, which seems to make Lumiere stay in light and simplicity to chant the infinite beauty of spring again and again. I am so glad that I have finally found a jasmine scent that I can truly love and appreciate because it smells very true-to-life but never becomes musty indolic, just like the natural redolent whiff I get when I just enter a spring garden. The delicate and fragile smell of jasmine always make me feel sentimental. I have always felt attracted by the image and the purple bottle of Rochas Lumiere since I was still a 13 years-old, naive teenager. I think it was because I intuitively knew that's a fragrance I am gonna love without reservation. My intuition was right. It has instantly become one of my favorite and I am moving to stock a big bottle because it was discontinued long time ago. Try it while you can still find it. Highly recommended.:) PS. I would like to add the nose behind Lumiere(original) is Nicolas Mamounas, the same creator for famous Byzance.

Hmmm... curious! I have a vintage that is in the same style of Byzance and Byzantine. I assume the formulation is the same as the original but Rochas was just rebooting several of their fragrances into these beautiful bottles. I am quite surprised that no one has mentioned the slight but still noticeable indole in the opening. Is my nose just misreading the aldehydes others mention? I CAN detect the aldehydes but to me they provide more of a sparkle and lift to a composition that might have been heavy given the florals listed. I also get something I can only describe as the "Rochasade" that seems typical to both Byzance AND Byzantine though they are all completely different. The florals appear to me to be more like a bouquet with the notes just combining harmoniously on my skin, though if I smell my wrist, the few that really stand out are jasmine, which I think is the source of the indole I get throughout the duration, the hyacinth, and the violet. So far I haven't worn this outdoors in the springtime weather, and I can guarantee it is going to be a different experience! It's going to take several wearings to really get to know Lumiere intimately, and I'm looking forward to that. Right now, it's a very strong like, but may become a love! There's something nostalgic about it, but I don't think it's dated.

Rochas Lumiere. I could not have said it better than Silverblue. Spot on! Thumbs up and balloon to you :). I've just bought a slightly used 50 ml bottle and I thought I would experience a 80's powerhouse and kind of a woody and bitter floral aldehyd described far down. But instead this little gem is much smoother than expected and has a delicate touch of fruity notes. The aldehydes are the softer ones like in No5 eau Premiere or L'Interdit, and makes it somewhat airy. It actually reminds me of airy sunny days. Lumiere is well worth buying if you like white florals with an old fashioned touch. Just give me some time to stock up first. An etheral jasmine fragrance!