Baptême du Feu

I am certainly no shrinking violet when it comes to challenging and eccentric fragrances, so naturally I was drawn to Bapteme de Feu because it is just so leftfield, so daring in its execution, but nonetheless is anchored in the more familiar blueprints of perfumery so that it doesn't come off as entirely alien and ineffectual. The opening is just a 'wow.' Not many fragrances can elicit that response from me, but the trophy goes to Bapteme. It starts hot, metallic, but edible, spicy, and aromatic, too. What really grabs my attention second is its dichotomy of the innocent and the profane: candied tangerine and ginger, the smell of burnt cookies, burnt edges, burnt smoke, a Maillard reaction captured in liquid form. This a plate of tiny edible barrels from smoking guns. I am flummoxed by the deconstruction in its heart, beguiled even, because it somehow turns to a more prurient direction. Sweaty, ripe, but not dank. It isn't dirty to the point of smelling rank, but there is a bit of 'no-no' business going on. The castoreum must be responsible, and it actually pairs wonderfully with the more confectionary notes (which would make sense given its notoriety as an additive for sweet flavors). Furthermore, I've smelled far more urinous notes in other, more heavily lauded fragrances. Rest assured, it is the tiniest shading that provides dimension; there is no wet diaper here, no vagrant "unwashedness." Once again, it's the castoreum, it really is a dynamic substance. I am really finding this to be beautiful right to its drydown. As the owner of genuine absolute extraction of osmanthus, I can vouch that there is some in here, and it harmonizes with that castoreum like milk and coffee. I'd take many of the other reviews with a pinch of salt, as this salty number is the cat's meow and has that addictively lavish Serge Lutens DNA. 10/10

Bapteme du Feu doesn't smell like I expected from the Fragrantica note pyramid, it was a blind buy. I don't really get gingerbread or marmalade here. What I smell (overall) is more of a spiced tangerine fougere type of scent with a little hint of something dry/salty (the gunpowder note, yes? - a sort of unlit firework vibe). Whatever...it's quite clever & strange, & is not a talc/cosmetic type of "powdery". It opens up orangey, spicy & herbacious, but as it progresses white florals come through quite prominently, imo. I think neroli & orange blossom or petitgrain? It reminds me strongly of a warmer (winter) version of Kenzo Ca Sent Beau, & I think anyone who likes the Kenzo would enjoy this one. I'm quite puzzled by BdF, it makes me wonder if I perhaps smell things differently to most people ... Anyway, I sure wasn't expecting such prominent white floral notes - & (to my nose at least) they're absolutely there, loud & clear ! I don't think the note pyramid above represents accurately, there's a lot more going on here than the listed notes suggest. It's nicely done & I like it, but this type of white florals are not my favourite notes so (with hindsight) I possibly wouldn't have bought it. BUT, it does smell really really good in freezing cold weather, I have to say - so I'm keeping it. It's a Guy Fawkes perfume ! Edit: I was hoping for a sort of orangey/gingerbread version of Jeux de Peau - & this isn't it. Oh well, (maybe) my perception just might help someone else considering a blind buy of BdF ...or maybe not :-)

This is interesting. Definitely not a standard department store scent, which I really appreciate. The spiciness is immediately apparent when first sprayed. I even got an intense licorice smell about 15 seconds after spraying, which isn't as easily recognizable 2 minutes in but still distinguishable if you try. Honestly I'm not sure how to describe the notes after though! It's super super spicy and I don't detect much sweetness in it, but underneath all the spice there's almost a skin-like sweet note? I honestly find this so sexy because it smells to me like a spicy cinnamon Christmas candle and skin, which gives it that added sexy boost. Again, it's not a standard department store scent. After writing this out, however, I have realized that it isn't nearly as polarizing as I thought it would be (or maybe I just like it). It dries down to a very pleasant spicy sexy scent for men and women and I think I would like this on anyone really. I'm not sure I would think it's all that strange to smell on someone else, and I definitely don't get any pee smell. It's just really really spicy and quite pleasant. A bit of the citrus does come through, but IMO it blends so well with the spices that they kind of merge and aren't very distinguishable from each other. UPDATE: God, the drydown is to die for. It's literally just spicy skin, but somehow on me it doesn't come across as BO at all. Just spicy skin! I have no idea how to explain this properly 🤦. I just might make this a November/December signature because it's DAMN good.

What an outstanding gem, Sheldrake continues to amaze. I always love translating these names and trying to put together the story. This being "Baptism by Fire." This baptism by fire is actually gunfire, which oddly enough makes even more sense. I get the vibe of a desert that was blazed by gunfire. First whiff it smells very fruity and citrusy. This gives off a playful vibe. Osmanthus can often go in a fruity direction. It smelt like a fruity red wine. Once that settled down the gingerbread note warms everything. I wouldn't be too scared of that Castoreum note. I'm not picking up anything too particularly funky/animalic or atleast it's tolerable. All of this sits on woody backbone. In the air it does smell a little powdery with some ginger/cinnamon spice that actually does put this desert gun fight image in my mind. It also simultaneously puts the image of baked goods around Christmas time. Only a Sheldrake fragrance can pull off that level of nuance. This might just become one of new favorite Serges that I've ignored for way too long. You should sample as always, maybe not for everyone. But dam as of right now this is banging. This thing has layers and layers. Serge Lutens is so creative and artistic that it makes your average "niche" brand look like a bargain bin designer.

I got this fragrance last week based on an initial attraction to the ingredients and the concept presented by Serge Lutens. At first spray, it did smell very different than the usual fragrances by other big brands or indeed by SL. Contrary to other reviews, I didn't get gunpowder, animalic scent, or anything resembling pee on me. Skins react differently to different scents. On me, I got a strong opening of citrus fruit mixed with spices such as cloves, cinnamon maybe even nutmeg, all coated in something green (cedar?). As the initial 'blast' of strong flavours cools down, a beautiful sweet, woody, powdery fragrance comes through. It's very comforting and prepares you for the dry down of something akin to beeswax or honey with florals. I've been wearing it everyday since I got it and I love it. Yes, it's unusual, sensual, strong but in no way as powerful as Ambre Sultan. Some may find a Xmas vibe to it, I find it rather masculine, sexy and perfect for when you want to make a statement. Like with most fragrances, a little goes a long way but once you understand this fragrance, you will start loving it more and more. As with most of Serge Lutens' work, it tells a story and layers unfold and appear in waves, that's what makes his fragrances so special.

My beloved dark-hearted weirdo, like a childhood encapsulated. To me it is Stephen King's "Hearts in Atlantis" movie, with Anthony Hopkins and Anton Yelchin (RIP, Anton). It has the happiest boyhood and childhood notes/moments, - smell of fair/carnival sweets/night lights/games/fireworks/excitement and it has sadness and seriousness, realization that it is just a reflection on those long gone days of an adult. This fragrance is raw and powerful "make-you-feel" enabler. Just like another big love of mine Dzing!, Bapteme makes your imagination go far and beyond those highly extravagant notes. "Anything with the power to make you laugh over thirty years later isn’t a waste of time. I think something like that is very close to immortality". Bapteme du Feu is one of a kind and should be called legendary. I lost a count when strangers with no hesitation were approaching and asking me what I was wearing. They didn't have freedom of picking notes on fragrantica and playing with idea of "gunpowder" or "castoreum". For outsiders it smells as "spicy and celebrative", something they never experienced, but want to own straight away, for its unforgettable spirit.

Baptême du Feu is more than just the notes listed above. Yes, it has a slight gourmand edge, a bit like orange rinds and gingerbread, but there is much more at work here. First, it has a long life, and each stage of the perfume is interesting. Initial spray is a perfect balance of sweet/floral and darker wood/incense. In a few minutes, it's slightly more powdery, but a subdued and mellow powder, more akin to an old lipstick smell, and not the high-pitched powder of carnations. Then as it fades it is nuttier, darker, thinning out finally to a soft floral that is then more like carnation but with sweetness. Here at this stage it resembles Vitriol d'Oeillet. The fact that it moves from such a heavy and dense beginning to a rounded, smooth, almost velvety-paper end is really wonderful. Such a rich perfume experience. It really must be experienced - it seems to me almost a perfect "starter" perfume for someone who wants to know what Serge Lutens is all about. It takes the best of his nose for gourmand and his love of sharp floral and pulls them together into a long-life perfume of many rich faces.

Received my sample... I wasn't too sure in what to expect and thought even though although unisex, the notes leaned more towards masculine, and the castoreum I thought ehhh I'm not animalistic note lover. I get tangerine peel and ginger right away, (the ginger cookie) I love both of these notes :). It's woody, very lightly powdery with a sweet drydown- perfect for my liking. It does have a smoke powder smell reminiscent to fire crackers (the gunpowder/metallic note), noticeable because it's been only 4 days after the 4th of July and so very clear in my mind. It also reminds me a tad of a warm holiday drink (spices/cloves?). Through it all is the castoreum/musk (the "dirty" note), so well done. Who knew I'd like the castoreum note? Although it has a slight aftershave/cologne vibe, I find I can definitely rock it in the cold weather mos especially Dec and Jan. I can see myself dressed in jeans and leather jacket and boots rocking this fragrance. Hubs and I will be sharing :) Totally ordering a full bottle :) Update: Have a full bottle! :)

Bapteme du Feu is very mysterious.. It's one of the scents that I'm not sure if I like or really love it. I find this scent to be very tempting on men and mysterious on women. Bapteme du Feu reminds me of sitting in some luxurious leather coach watching woods burning in the fireplace and eating some baked gingerbreads during that time and also smelling the fire of the lighter that I lighted the cigarette with. This scent reminds me of aristocracy - castles, high end clothing and classy personas. It's very serious and mature. This scent is not for your everyday wearing, it's not your typical crowd pleaser. This scent is for people who have expensive and serious taste and style - and this type of people would also enjoy this scent on you. You need to be very confident and self aware to wear this scent. This scent should be worn during winter times, that's the best season for this scent. The projection is very long lasting and the sillage is quite long lasting.

This really is the holidays in a bottle, but seen through a distinctly gothic lens. If the scent stopped at mulled wine and gingerbread, it would be a cozy Christmas fairytale. Instead, gunpowder, a sharp metallic note, and a pronounced animalic streak completely shift the atmosphere. We are still at a Christmas market, holding a cup of warm mulled wine, but somewhere very close by, something violent is happening. The metallic facet is especially striking to my nose, almost unsettlingly so. I can taste metal in the air when I smell it from the point of application. This is niche perfumery through and through, and one of the most interesting creations from the brand. It's a real shame that it has become so difficult to find. I may not have searched thoroughly enough, but I couldn't find it on the brand's website, which suggests that it may have been discontinued.

Ohh, fun. Serge Lutens always makes unique compositions. The opening is... interesting. I had a little bit of regret upon first sniff because it's nothing like how I had imagined. I agree with the other reviewers who mentioned it smells a bit sharp or gunpowder-like. It's almost off-putting because of the strangeness. A few minutes later, the citruses and spice start coming through. It never goes full gourmand, but if I had to explain it to someone who couldn't test it, it does smell a lot like Christmas time in America, not cookies or cakes, but the smell of scented Christmas decor like those ornate pinecones and spicy scented room sprays that appear in higher-end home decor stores. It brings back memories of Christmases in Pennsylvania, and there's nothing wrong with that. Best suited for cold weather.

It's back on rotation. I used to think it was a December/holidays frag, but I might have underestimated it. It can definitely be used throughout late autumn to late winter. And also, it might have something more to do with 'feu' than I previously thought. The beginning evokes a camp fire, or simply sitting by the fireplace. This smoky aspect mellows down eventually, but it sets the scene quite nicely. So, not so much fireworks for me, more about the days getting colder and lighting the fire (side note: burning wood is bad for the planet obviously). It transmutes into fruity, slightly boozy (tangerine liqueur-like), spicy heaven. Not as intense as Ambre Sultan, but still good performance. I would not describe it as sweet though. Just brilliant.

Serge Lutens doesn’t produce mass appealing fragrances, if they do come off as appealing that’s secondary or say a lucky bonus. Lutens uses fragrances to create architecture, places, memories, and dreams. I don’t really like this fragrance but I kinda love it and I can’t stop smelling it. I put it on whenever I can because I want to experience it. It’s like a melancholic song that elicits romantic memories. It takes me back to the late 80s when I was a kid and the feeling of blazing summer sun midday while helping cut the grass, black plastic trash bags filled with clippings baking in the heat. This has that smell, of hot black plastic bags filled with steaming grass clipping starting to compost- warm earthy and green.

A beautiful spicy fresh orange in the opening. I love orange in fragrances. When it settles the spice is heavy. A very spicy gingerbread, with a combination of cinnamon, all spice, cloves...maybe a hint of cumin, but this does not smell body odor at all. Just a beautiful heavy spiced orange. In the dry down the orange fades, and you are left with the wonderful spices and wood. It didn't get very powdery for me, but to be fair, I sprayed more at the spice stage to get the orange back. The scent aura is a beautiful sweet orange spice, with wood from a fireplace. 🍊 Not gourmand sweet. Just like a sweet juicy orange, with wood and spices. Amazing. I wish I could afford to purchase all of the Serge Lutens fragrances.

I already reviewed this ages ago, but I’ve been wearing this a lot lately & have to come back & to say it is an absolutely fantastic scent! There is something about this that makes it special. It has a kind of dry thick quality - without ever being cloying. It’s really hard to describe, but I think that’s often the case for me with great perfumes. They have a certain “something“ that sets them apart from the rest, & where magic happens. This, to me has that kind of undefinable magic. I dunno...there is just so much cleverness & complexity in BdF. Brilliant for freezing cold weather wear. It is a polarising perfume - but (imo) the best ones often are. I’m ordering a backup ...right now 🙄

Whatever is going on when you first spray this, it is exceptional even if I can’t totally understand or describe it: I suppose it is the literal translation, which means baptism by fire. It is also, I think, a play on words: baptism-invoking Xmas-conjuring the taste and smell of tangerines? To me it’s more tangerine liqueur than the actual fruit. It’s probably the combination with something else (osmanthus perhaps?). To say I love this is an understatement. And it proves that you can have a fruit note in a balanced yet multifaceted perfume. There is a point where the spices (I suppose this is what they mean by gingerbread) intermingle with the castoreum, which is just magical.

Don’t think I have smelled anything remotely like this: picturing a dried citrus rind spiced gingerbread house made by a little beaver. Slightly sour floral animalic edge that could put some people off, but it adds interest and isn’t overpowering to my nose. The dried citrus is persistent and vaguely reminds me of chewable vitamins. Smells noticeably different off of clothes with a more carnation element and the sour elements toned down. Definitely not a mass appealing perfume. The scent changes a lot throughout the wear too, far from linear. Blind bought this due to the deal and fortunately don’t regret it, but this is weird enough that it could have gone the other way.

Baptism of Fire for the French impaired, and what an appropriate name. I love this fragrance. It's extremely creative and unique but might take some getting used to for some. My friend smelled cherry slushie when I wore it but it's subjective. To me, on my skin, it's smoky, sweet and enticing. The longevity could be better as I find it fades to almost nothing within about 6 hours and projection is moderate but what it lacks in performance it makes up for in uniqueness and creativity. Overall, I'd give it an 8/10 but if it performed better it would be a perfect 10 for me. I wouldn't recommend a blind buy though. Get a sample and test it out first.

This one for me,is an underrated gem. This is one fragrance that ..I get something different each time I smell it. Must be my chemistry...??? Initially..I get a sweet citrus-ish fruity vibe...then I get the vintage powder vibe with still more notes arising from underneath. I don't "get" gunpowder..??!! There is a smoothness to this..(not creamy,IMO) I was 50/50 on this while wearing it...then I just kept wanting to smell it again and again. On my skin, it is not a projection/sillage bomb...but it does persist softly...but still edures somehow. This has to be "worn" and "experienced" on you skin before final judgement,IMO. Loving it !!!!

Opening decisive and strong tangerine,it is the first Note that you feel very much in evidence! After a while I feel like the other notes accompany so soft, almost in the distance,a whisper of a past memory, made harmonious by the notes listed in the background ... I can detect a certain dust,and a note of great Osmanthus ! Another really nice S.Lutens perfume, I feel that this perfume is a combination of old and new,of melancholy and harmony. That's a different fragrance for autumn/winter... among other Lutens always amazes me, how did with this new eau de parfum....Nice! Sillage: 7.5/10 Longevity: 8.5/10 Scent: 8.5/10 Overall: 8.5/10