La Dompteuse Encagée

I have now resumed my relationship with Serge Lutens’ perfume house. In the past , the samples I have tried adorned the fragrances with way too many spices and resins or edgy notes for faint hearted me . I just couldn’t pull them off despite appreciating their complexity and uniqueness. I have now amassed 7 bottles in two months after giving Datura Noir a more thorough appreciation. This lead me to purchase - Nuit Cellophane which I adore . Then I blind bought - La Religieuse, La Dompteuse Encagee , Fleur de Citronnier , La Fille de Berlin, and Fils de Joie. ( Love my white florals ). I agree with a reviewer that La Dompteuse Encagee (LDE) starts out quite similar to La Fils Joie with a cold blast of camphor/ menthol notes. I perceive Jasmine is included even though it’s not listed . SL is known for not disclosing all notes in their perfumes to keep their mystery . The initial blast is a mixture of Jasmine with tart, citrus nuances from the Frangipani and then it is quickly warmed by Ylang Ylang and possibly hyacinth and roses . I found LDE a skin scent after the initial 30 mins . Like a lot of Serge’s fragrances , the opening notes are quite a powerhouse overload then it softens . It quiets down with the frangipani blossom / almond accord which is quite subtle and takes a long time to expand . I actually find the almond is barely there in this fragrance . If I inhale the scent closely, I also get wafts of the fleshy , stalk like portion of the florals which brings a fresh, green element to the scent . I own Datura Noir and this does not remind me at all of the vanilla /Tuberose/ almond scent . I also don’t get bubble gum notes, loud white florals , sunscreen, beachy , or sharp notes . Drydown is not spicy or indolic on my skin. This is a naturally sweet scent and I do get a slight waxiness from the florals . The cool , metallic element is throughout the fragrance’s journey and is evident in a few of Serge’s fragrances that I own. This keeps the scent quite fresh and soapy, not creamy on me . I just find LDE simple , and linear in its development but that’s its beauty . It reminds me a lot of Nuit de Cellophane with its similar DNA - Jasmine, greeness, metallic soapiness with bitter- sweet almond. Many complain that it’s way too simple and boring for Serge Lutens house but I hope to think that there is a market for everyone . I prefer wearable , non spicy , inoffensive ,no quirky notes to surprise me. I just don’t want to appreciate one part of the fragrance’s journey and dislike the rest . I find this blind buy, unbelievably beautiful . So , so in love with this scent . 💓 It’s my favourite of the 7 bottles I purchased from SL. Overall, I think this is a well crafted , elegant , refined floral with no unusual surprises .

On that day, a nice lady at the perfume shop gave me a try a few strips of Serge Lutens. I was looking for a unique and strong oud, amber masculine scent, and she gave me La couche du Diable, Ambre Sultan and even Chergui. They all are a great fragrance. Then later she also gave me La Dompteuse. She said it was a new release. It was July 2021 last year. At that time, the first impression was ok and i was really not that impressed. I was really not looking for a floral fragrance at that time and definitely didnt want to smell of frangipangi! I was very picky about perfume, and i am half middle eastern half Indonesian so im used to the strong potent oud leather tobbaco combo. So I brought back all the samples, and for a whole week i couldnt stop smelling the La Dompteuse sample. I fell in love with it. It took me a while to finally decide to buy it. and now fast forward to year 2022, it has been my 2nd bottle and signature scent. My mother quite surprise because it is a very big transition for me from an oud-based tobacco guy to a floral guy very quickly. And i receive a lot of compliment from both gender. Dont let the initial 15-20 Minutes fool you. The first initial phase is a frangipani bomb. Very floral, more leaning towards feminine. I was born and live in Bali, and Frangipani is everywhere, even at my house. But The thing a like about La Dompteuse is that it has a strong Serge Lutens DNA in it. Lutens put a lactonic and almost metallic twist about it that makes it very unique. Its hard for me to notice almond here. Maybe its there but very light. Its like a summer fragrance but also metallic cold at the same time. It’s hard to explain. It has the same DNA like La Fille De Berlin, but different. I have La Fille De Berlin, it’s rosy but has metallic blood smell on it. Like a dry blood or taste of iron in blood for me. If Dracula has a perfume he must use La Fille De Berlin. la Dompteuse In my opinion has the same touch but it uses Frangipangi instead, so it has an airy, yellow floral summer vibe to it. Im surprised of plenty bad reviews here. I think this is a gem. Im glad it is not becoming viral like Chergui or ambre sultan or other SL fragrances thats being repeated over and over again by plenty of youtubers or influencers. La Dompteuse Encagee leaves a trail of floral, lactonic, metallic, airy scent that very noticeable but understated at the same time. It smells expensive but doesn't loud.

I'm very surprised by the negative reviews for this fragrance. I had blind bought a tester a while ago despite the bad reviews figuring since I was purchasing it at fragnet I'd be able to easily return it if my experience aligned with theirs. I'm glad to see that some of the reviews are now favorable since I am having the same experience they are having. I think this is a beautiful floral scent. As soon as I sprayed it on fragrances like Michele by Balenciaga, Henry Bendel's Jasmin & Tuberose, and Beach by Bobbi Brown sprung to mind. It has that same summer beachy feel to me. I'm also having a hard time believing that there are only 3 notes in this fragrance since there seems to be a lot more going on than what is listed. Luten's site is no help either since there are only the same notes listed there as here, just in flowery language describing the perfume. Despite no jasmine listed in the notes I am still getting that very strong here, so it must be an unlisted or mystery note. I am also getting honey, though that could be the honey sweetness of the frangi blossom or some other trick of the notes. Unlike some, I'm not getting Datura Noir at all. That has a pronounced sweet almond note and clear tuberose, whereas this has a light bitter almond note that soon blends in with the rest of the scent. Datura is also disappointing in the performance department compared to this, whereas I can smell this clearly and it lasts all day on me with just a few sprays. And while it does share the frangi of Beige and Prada La Femme, this doesn't share their effervescence but rather has a lotiony element to it of creamy bath products that I simply adore. I am so glad I took the risk as I am very happy with this blind buy. It is important to remember though that while other's opinions are helpful, there is no substitute for trying a fragrance yourself. Edit - 10/25/23 - Just a heads up that I wore this several times since getting it, and this is one fragrance that really needs warm temps to bloom on the skin. I wore it today in cooler Fall weather and while nice and I could smell it, it wasn't as beautiful as it is in warm weather, the hotter the better. All the floral notes really get pulled out then. That's really something great because there are not that many perfumes that can handle the heat without either disappearing or getting annoyingly oppressive or cloying.

4/6/23 just received this in the mail today and swoooon. where have i been? review coming soon after wearing a few times. Holy smokes this and Fils de Joie are bonkers-level delicious and sexy florals. True florals and not stewed fruits/resins. Feminine and beautiful. 4/20/23: OK! Coming back after having worn this about 2-3 times. This IS a beautiful floral, that's a bit hard to compare or describe. While there is a frangipane type floral element I don't think it's particularly similar to Chanel Beige or Prada La Femme. It is a very classic and safe floral (nothing stewed or edgy which is often the case with Lutens). This is definitely not a suntan beach vibe at all but more like a classic traditional almost formal floral. When wearing it on skin only, I get a slightly sharp, sweet floral. But when I spray on fabric (and do be careful since the juice is purple), an almond element definitely appears in the later dry down (1-2 hrs in). I absolutely LOVE this hint of almond and plan to figure out how to exaggerate this as much as possible. It kind of reminds me of a crème from L'Occitane or something creamy and almondy I've smelled before in a bath product or lotion. It turns out to be something a bit more unusual given this almondy element (which only appears on fabric), and a slightly sharp floral which gains a tiny bit of spice on skin in the way dry down. I am underwhelmed with it's longevity and projection so I've taken to over-spraying it like an absolute fiend. I bought a 100 mL bottle so do plan to spray about 10 times and also on my clothing. LOVE IT. EDIT: I’m very sorry to say I think the almond note I was getting might have been my my shampoo. After subsequent wearings I’m not sure if the almond note is truly present on me. Sorry, maybe I should delete this...I do still love the florals and this scent overall.

What a pleasant surprise...for house reputable for orientals, they do outstanding florals. Sofar, none of them disappointed me. Generally, I avoid investing in orientals because I'm rarely in the mood to wear them. Seems like waste to me. I love Datura Noir, but I will not buy another bottle. The new price in bell bottle seems excessive. I still haven't repurchased Fille en Aiguilles either for the same reason, although I do miss it. So, this Dompteuse is supposed to be a replacement of sorts. But not a consolation because it exided all my expectations. I love how unexpectedly cold it is. Fresh all the way. Narcotic too, but restrained and that makes it, oh, so sophisticated. It has more cosmetic caracter than most of exotic florals or beachy ones. It has poise and I love it dearly for it. It's surprisingly elegant. Intimate, there will be no people following anyone around or giving compliments. Only from close friends or family. Longevity is great, I had about 6 hours with it and considering how hot it is, that's fantastic. I will not be surprised if it behaves beautifully in winter too. Only the best solar ones do, all the others feel out of place, inappropriate. But good ones are consolation and dash of optimism when everything is gray, cold and damp. The notes are, as usual, incomplete. I smell eucalyptus, white peach and gardenia too. At least. Delightfully sensual, yet tasteful. The style in which is constructed reminds me a lot of Carnal Flower. And there is that eucalyptus I smell...

I have a fairly considerable number of Serge Lutens in my collection and tested a few more, but from what I am familiar with, I’d say La Dompteuse Encagee represents SL’s interpretation of a tropical floral perfume. It’s simple according to the note structure but it’s a very rich, thick, intense scent that has both depth and contrast. Adding almonds to the two gorgeous exotic flowers was in my opinion a genius choice, adding a nutty, gourmand nuance to the florals. Thank to the almonds, the juice has a strong milky, lactonic, slightly powdery aspect and works wonderfully in the fall season not just for summer weather. Like most of Serge Luten’s perfumes, this is a scent that’s a notch above the others from the same genre. Yes, it’s a sweet tropical floral scent but it has so much more intensity and vibrancy than the rest. It’s the only one of my SL’s perfumes that I have purchased a backup bottle because it smells glorious. I absolutely adore ylang ylang and really like frangipani (and like most of the tropical flowers) and I think that La Dompteuse Encagee is a great portrayal of these beautiful flowers. Performance is fantastic on this, again like with the most of Serge’s scents, no issues, just compliments! It’s a fragrance that commands attention! On clothing literally lasts until you wash them... For all of you out there looking for something different in the realm of tropical flowers in 2024, give this masterpiece a try. I think you’ll also appreciate the beauty of this juice.

Man, this is so beautiful and fresh. It reminds me of when you first walk into a beach-resort hotel room, open up the patio door or windows, and the smell of that tropical, salty, sunny air breezes through over the fresh linen on the perfectly made beds. The room was just cleaned by the staff and the countertops are sparkling clean. This fragrance smells just like the beginning of a vacation - of core memories being built. It's vaguely tropical, but still has this remarkable tidiness to it. La Dompteuse Encagee really is a masterful showcase in the beauty of frangipani, complimented by lush ylang-ylang. The almond note is certainly there, but more so in the drydown. It's more of a green almond than a warm, creamy almond, in my opinion. This fragrance is expertly blended and the simplicity of the notes allow each one to shine and have its own moment. After a few minutes, the fruitness of the ylang-ylang comes out and it is sooooo divine. Overall, this blend is very well balanced. I didn't find the longevity to be amazing, but the scent does project quite nicely. This was my introduction into the house of Serge Lutens and I'm both impressed and mesmerized. I can't wait to pick up a full bottle. Rating: 9/10

It took me a while with La dompteuse. Which is a bit unusual for me because all the SL fragrances I have made a strong impression upon first smell. It was different with this one: first I was dissapointed because I liked it but it seemed generic and lacking personality. Longevity supposed to be excellent yet it disappeared on my skin in a matter of minutes and all i could smell was this slightly sweet, slightly flowery lotion which was miles away from my definition of tropical, exotic goodness. Sighed and put it away for a month thinking I'll eventually make some use of it. Well, it's full on summer now and I revisited La dompteuse and what do you know, it came out of the cage: still shy but gorgeous, enveloping, the ylang and frangipani blended in sensual, sweet creaminess with beautiful almond edges. It is not the sweet pastry aspect of almond like Datura noir has but a more vegetal aspect, truly complimenting the gentle freshness of yellow flowers. And longevity blew me away this time, I sprayed it last evening and I could very distinctly smell it this morning. So, yeah, give it some time, it's definitely worth it.

So I recently blind bought this fragrance on fragnet because if there’s an affordable serge on there, I’m gonna try it. That being said, it’s pretty, sexy and inoffensive. It not challenging or strange or very artistic in its composition. And that’s ok with me. I need more feminine florals to round out my collection anyways. But something was nagging at me, in the back of my mind this fragrance reminded me of something. Nothing on the reminds me list here tho. And then I realized Casablanca Lily, which I had just purchased a decant of. It was beautiful but fleeting so I couldn’t justify the ridiculous price tag. I know the Byredo is a white floral gardenia with plum but we all know aroma chemical compounds are what make up the perfume not actual notes many of the time and LDE has some gardenia honey facets on its yellow floral style composition that just harkens to that other fragrance. So pleased me. I was able to stumble upon something that wound up being better, longer wearing and for 56 dollars. Not too shabby.

It has taken me many, many moons to finally arrive at the Lutens universe. I was baffled, disillusioned, and even cynical when I read some florid review or even Mr. Lutens’ own press releases. Not so ironically, it was his poetic descriptions that got me interested in exploring his scents again...And, let me not forget the magical morning when the true essence of la fille de Berlin came over me...3/4 of my way through the bottle- yes, I took a long time. But I ordered the big bottle of this immediately. Uncle Serge has finally broken my defenses, my coarseness, my fear. He allows me to be the raging beauty within. Is this the meaning of la dompteuse encagee? We will all have our own ideas about that, of course. I am a Serge devotee, now. I will enjoy wearing this as much as I want, wherever and whenever I want with abandon. It is soft.

This smells exactly how I imagined and I love it. It's like being on holiday by the sea in a tropical climate. You had a long day wandering the town and swimming, now you've had a shower and are ready to go to dinner. It's a warm night and you have a barely ripe banana as a snack while you get ready. There's a frangipani outside your hotel room and the thick tropical air is carrying its scent. When you step outside the smell of frangipani mixes with the banana you just ate, along with the ambient vegetal scent of a warm summer night. La Dompteuse Encagee is a simple and naturalistic scent that is still fun and reminds me of going for a walk on a hot night, taking a holiday, and spending time with friends and family. It's also giving me major banana cravings. I'm really into this and I want to take a bottle to the beach with me.

Ooh la la—finally, a true Frangipani! I've tried nearly every plumeria fragrance out there, but none have captured the scent I remember from my grandma’s garden—the white flower with the yellow center. Even the ones that people claim smell exactly like the Hawaiian variety just didn’t match. Jo Malone’s Frangipani (the pale yellow bottle one, launched 2019) comes close, but it’s really watered down. La Dompteuse Encagée by Serge Lutens on my skin is pure frangipani: linear, simple, and absolutely lovely. The moody bottle doesn’t quite match the bright, joyful scent inside. I’m obsessed!

La Dompteuse Encagee is like the sweet, shy young daughter of Fils de Joie and Fleurs D’Orangeur. She’s not as showy or charismatic as her parents, but she has a charm all of her own, you just have to take the time to get to know her. She’s happiest in the spring and summer, the warm weather makes her blossom and bloom. I’m wearing her today, on the spring equinox, and as I walk in the sunshine enjoying our English garden daffodils, primroses and catkins, I keep getting gentle wafts of honeyed frangipani and sweet almonds - she’s a delicate but utterly enchanting beauty.

It was a blind buy for me and I' m glad for it! It is a very good frangipani soliflore perfume, really the big flower with it's own vegetal powerness.Beautifule but not for the masses, I adore that it's not that usual suntan lotion vibe.Ylang gives a green tropical background and durability. Recommend for warmer weather, sillage is strong in the first 1-2 hour then lingers around you beautifully.Longevity is 5-8 hours depending on your body chemistry and the weather. My first Lutens and based on this I will have more...

I absolutely love this! Clean, soapy, powdery and balmy. Feel good, calming yet earthy feel to it. The French just know their way around fragrance, there's no doubt about it. Very sophisticated and lovely! And the name "The Caged Tameress" LOL! is also lovely. I laugh at the bored, know-it-all, too-cool-for-school haters on here, who are tearing it down as "nothing new" or what not. LOL! They are certainly entitled to their opinion, and that's fine!

It’s perfect. I love it so much!!! The longivity is +12 hours. It’s very gentle, more a skin perfume. You can feel it when you’re moving or a wind is caresing your skin. It’s something between ‘A La Nuit’ and ‘Datura Noir’. Well balanced! Have 100 ml and will buy more for sure (using it already for 1 month).

Fruity, juicy, slightly green and even minty opening that gets creamy, tropical and absolutely magical. Grapey undertones and a whimsical almost carbonated quality on top of lemony loukom. If this isn’t one of the lovliest fragrances I have ever smelled...

sweet, humid yellow florals. this will be gorgeous on very hot and muggy days. it has a clean, shampoo like green almond nuance that i find very comforting.

This is so pretty, lush juicy floral. I don’t think I get any almond note. Very nice.

UPDATE: Wearing this in December in the last days of the year, I notice the main star: the vegetal/green side of this perfume, like others mentioned. More sharp. Plus the ylang-ylang and vanilla. There seem to be some other mystery notes not listed. I agree with some other reviewers that it might start off with some jasmine then continue with hyacinth and possibly a touch of rose. Good low key cold weather fragrance. - - - - - While 'Fils de joie' remains my all-time favourite perfume, I have found myself reaching for a 'La dompteuse encagée' tester quite a bit over the past couple months. It's good for going to the office post-pandemic and a sure-fire good scent choice. This just works, especially when I want to feel put-together and sophisticated without revealing too much of myself or my mood. Now I've just ordered the full bottle with the Serge Lutens 20% off sale online, because I'll get a lot of use out of it and it's for all seasons, any time of day. The name 'La dompteuse encagée' and the marketing imagery around the perfume is absolutely gorgeous, but doesn't go with this fragrance at all. At first I decided not to buy it because it's not as unique or extraordinary as other Lutens creations, and the name disappointing to the profile it's supposed to be (female caged tamer) - a name which for me goes better with the 'Fils de joie' fragrance. Though it is still more of a stand-out compared to other quieter florals of the line ('La Religieuse', 'Nuit de Cellophane', 'Datura Noir', 'La vièrge de fer', etc.). BUT I've since decided to get it because of 1. the sale, 2. because I'm sure I will be using it every week, 3. it's long lasting and 4. because of the plumeria. Also, I did love it since the moment I first tested it on a blotter; that initial bite is always a good sign. It also evokes really good memories. The frangipani (plumeria) note whisks me back to Hawaii with its plumeria carpets and trees full of blossoms that I experienced so viscerally one summer on the island of Kawaii. Daily summer rain showers and the water droplets gathering on the plumeria blossoms everywhere - in the trees and on the grass - I would approach those intoxicating plumeria blossoms again and again. Walking to the pool on ground covered with those fresh and wilting petals... swimming, tanning, suntan lotion, lush forests on a rather indulgent trip as a pre-teen. (However, to me this is not a tropical nor a beach-y scent.) For reference, I'm picky and someone who tends NOT to like vanilla-y, woody, spicy, coconut overload, citrus fruit overload, or sugary scents. I agree with user @cherubi rubi that this perfume has a lovely purple flowers/lilac touch. For me, as a floral and especially jasmine lover, this perfume just does it for me!