La Myrrhe

One of Lutens’s first releases, and still, even today, a bit of an oddball. Three points to get out of the way: 1) If it weren’t for the aldehydes, it wouldn’t be that weird at all. 2) It has more to do with being a jasmine amber perfume than a myrrh-forward perfume. Even if you don’t care for myrrh, you may still like this perfume. 3) Quite a bit of the character has been lost in reformulations over its 30-year lifespan, which might lend to my last statement in point number two. The oddball nature starts with the opening, when a brace of aldehydes and mandarin orange swirl like pixie dust over the woods of a magical forest. This doesn't really work, but it works well enough to pique your attention. Yes, the mandarin is supposed to be representative of myrrh's fruity aspect but it's a bit too literal for an immediate and natural connection in your nose's mind. Lying in wait, quietly but still quite present even in the opening, is the resinous incense and woody plinth that is the foundation of La Myrrhe. Aldehydes over fruit and/or florals was/is hardly anything new, but aldehydes over resins and woods certainly was and still is pretty unusual to this day. In typical SL style the opening drops off quite quickly but not immediately to the heart. There are time and distance between them while the top fades and a big jasmine heart slowly but assuredly builds. They are well choreographed in their exchange of places on the amber plinth, but, sure enough, the jasmine builds itself up to be large, citrusy, and certainly white floral. There is a bridge between this luminous white floral note and the resinous base in the form of heliotrope, adding a bitter and metallic sheen - the light glinting off of myrrh resin - to make sure the plinth, and the jasmine upon it, are all the more contrasted. The jasmine and heliotrope are dripped with a light, bright, Arabian honey sliding in little drops down the petals. In new formulations this jasmine heart is quite a bit louder than the original formulation. It gets big enough to nearly drown-out the amber base - but that's also due to another matter, which we'll get to in a second. At any rate, here we have La Myrrhe's true nature: a jasmine amber. It's achingly pretty, and though it is fairly loud, and the contrasts pretty stark, there is a calm and meditative character to it that always gives me a feeling of peace. Despite being a bit out of balance these days, enough of La Myrrhe's DNA is intact for it to still be, unequivocally, La Myrrhe. The dry down to the skin scent is when the titular character makes itself more known. Don't reach for this perfume expecting myrrh smoke at any point in the perfume's life, you won't find it. After the jasmine departs the heliotrope bridge remains and leads you to the resinous myrrh, sandalwood and balsams, i.e. general amber notes. The myrrh is there - slightly medicinal and a little funky, resinous and sticky - but it's an accent to the sandalwood amber, which I've always pulled more out of this perfume than myrrh. Another difference to the original formulation is that the base is compressed. The original had a broad-spectrum hum, where the myrrh and woods were bigger, and it gently but powerfully vibrated like your teeth would do when you hit the right frequency of an Eastern prayer. In this new formulation, the vibrating and penitent hum is more of a din. The same can be said for the perfume as a whole, and it is generally the direction most of the original Lutens line-up have gone in the last decade or so. Like Feminite du Bois, La Myrrhe used to have a large range of harmonic and choral frequencies: ringing treble, warm and supple mids, and an aching cello like range at the bottom of both tenor and baritone lows. Today, the classics like FdB and LM are a bit less ringing treble, far less tenor and baritone, and focusing more on the mids - and, noticeably quieter in volume. This change to the Lutens classics seems to coincide with when Lutens shifted the direction of his brand to lighter, quieter perfumes and began the Eauxs line. The classics have gone from a warm, dynamic vinyl recording to a highly-compressed mp3. How much of this was by choice or by force, or a combination thereof, would have to be answered by Lutens and Sheldrake but to some degree it would be due to both factors. So, a fair bit of criticism and disappointment levied here, but is La Myrrhe still any good? Yes, of course it is. It's still stunning. This peevish codger is letting nostalgia get the best of him, even though my disappointment is valid. If you have never smelled an original formulation you would still think this is a masterpiece. Despite the natural heft and the odd juxtapositions of the materials and accords presented, La Myrrhe has always had this ability to put me in a meditative state, like I've been quietly, calmly, and gently pushed into mind-warping territories by a spiritual sensei - passers-by having no idea that this man sitting cross-legged and statuesque on the floor, eyes shut, is having a revelation.

It's time to review this work of art... after one year of having it, I find myself as impressed with the smell as confused about what to say about it... so I guess it won't change in the future. I loved La Myrrhe right from the start even though not in the usual way one says "This is great I'll wear it often!". It was more of a surprise as in "How have they been able to make such magic potion?". I had read people saying it is hard to wear and I wanted that not to be true but indeed there is something about La Myrrhe that makes it a bit too much for casual use. It strikes me as a masterpiece given its ethereal vibe which is a mix of a few elements that are so perceivable on their own (almond, aldehydes, soft tangerines candy and above all myrrhe) but so well blended that create a deep and complex mix. I don't agree this is linear at all. It drives you through many different stages which are not opposite amongst them though so it is however true that once you enter this cloud, you get trapped there and it can suffocate if you don't meditate twice of the occasion to experience it. One example: this is just annoying in summertime because it lasts for AGES, with huge sillage and all those smells here mentioned (bath bubbles, cleaning products, sweet soaps, etc) will convert this transparent cloud in a hail storm. Also: don't be cheated by the apparent softness of the mix, this is one of the most potent Lutens and it must be applied lightly. The myrrh takes over and it can get really oppressive if overdone. Like having applied all of your luxurious soap on your body without rinsing it out. Talcy nightmare. Now, I believe this is a unisex fragrance, I think it is memorable on a man if he uses it correctly and lightly (well dressed and charmingly, with soft fabrics) and on women I tend to see this for the older crowd... maybe because the only people ravishing about this have been my friends' mums and grandmothers. One of them phoned me 2 weeks after applying some on her scarf to confess she wouldn't wash it until the strong smell wear off. She may be still waiting. It smells fabulous and unique in a perfume concept but I highly advice you to go for a sample since otherwise you may have that bottle until 2050. And even if this sounds obvious, let me say you must LOVE myrrh on its own since this is the deepest it can get.

One of the most peculiar perfumes from Serge Lutens is La Myrrhe. There are days when I love it and days when I don't, but I can't deny its uniqueness and beauty. I also feel that, unlike most perfumes from the house, La Myrrhe is among the few who suffered the most over the years, scent-wise. For these reasons, I could not part with it. It fascinates me. It is a perfume of strong contrasts. Warm and inviting, cold and spiritual. Effervescent and diffusive, deep and grounded. And as the name suggests, the main protagonist here is Myrrh. Over the years, I have found that few perfumes managed to capture the array of flavors this resin exudes. Often paired with other stronger resins as an adjuvant and plenty of times, improperly showcased. Here, justice has been done. The full spectrum of the resin is captured and integrated into a composition cleverly put together. The issue with the post-2010 bottles, I find, is that the base feels thin in comparison to the older versions, shifting toward the incomplete spectrum for me, while the other notes seem to compete against the myrrh note, specifically the jasmine. The latter feels significantly stronger with the modern iterations. The version I am acquainted with feels resinous, deep, and grounded, throughout the entire time. Sheldrake decided to play this game of contrasts on top of the thick myrrh base. Cold, diffusive aldehydes lead the opening, shortly supported by a spicy mandarin accord. A dispersive mass of spicy and cold facets, with a sharpness piercing through. Like a silver dagger stabbing through the mist. In the heart, it becomes more balanced, as a lotus flower accord unfolds with its characteristically soft and green, almost watery odor. From diffusive and sharp, to translucent and serene. A pastel-like honey note caresses the florals, and just a tinge of metallic and bitter almond helps to keep the contrast alive. Finally, the myrrh takes over the last stage, with a wide spectrum of flavors that is usually attributed to this material: nutty, bitter-sweet, resinous, smoky, spicy, and root-beerish. It becomes deep and grounded, starkly contrasting the previous stages, their colors and textures. A fascinating take on the note of Myrrh. Even though not everyone's cup of tea, it's hard to deny its beauty. IG:@memory.of.scents

Early on in my perfume journey, a kind fragrantician sent me a decant of La Myrrhe as I was interested in the house of Serge Lutens. My very inexperienced nose was not precisely ready to fully appreciate this scent. Still, I did enjoy it and would very occasionally offer myself a single spray. It was soapy and reminded me a bit of Chanel No 5 which, to that point, I'd not yet been able to reconcile my olfactories! However, this autumn, La Myrrhe has begun to serenade me with her siren song. There are few fragrances I've experienced which equal the warm sophistication found in La Myrrhe. Did I say warm? Yes, and yet there is also something cold and aloof about it at the very same time. At the outset, La Myrrhe is a strong soapy blast, reminding me of aldehydes, but this quickly fades. I don't recommend more than one or two of the briefest sprays of this elixir unless you are hoping to faint. As soon as that initial blast fades, I am rewarded with a sweetening. Yes, there is a medicinal tinge, but it is quickly to be followed by the honeyed orange, softened really. And then, before I know it, this fragrance has seduced me. I'm lost, unable to keep my arm from my nose. It is intoxicating. I'd expect to catch whiffs of this on a classy woman in a tailored red suit, black accents with a stunning hat with a wide brim, her hair neatly at the base of her neck in a chignon kohl lining her eyes and red gracing her lips. She's beautiful, staggeringly so, yet unapproachable. She catches your eye and offers a private smile, then off she goes in the waiting jaguar on the curbside.

On my skin, this smells like slightly soured yogurt and bubblegum - and I love it! It's definitely a strange fragrance, but a beautiful one. In contrast to a lot of Lutens' scents, which are more opulent and heavy, this one is transcendent and shimmering. I agree with others who say the aldehydes are stunning here. I'm not usually a fan of aldehydic fragrances (Chanel No. 5 and I are famously frosty), but here they work to give the whole fragrance a gorgeous lift - taking notes that could have been weighty, medicinal and all-too soapy and giving them an expansive radiance. There *is* a sort of soaped-up cleanness to this fragrance, but no one could mistake it for an out-of-the-shower scent. Rather, it smells/feels a little like the cleanness of snowfall on an early winter morning. I think the 'yogurt' I get on my skin is an effect of the mandarin but honestly, weird as it sounds, I really like this aspect. It makes an otherwise other-worldly fragrance seem more human and fit for skin. I'll never be able to write a review that does this justice, so these ramblings will have to suffice! Edit: I passed up a chance to swap for this fragrance (because I thought the swap was biased in my favor - and it would have been!), and I've been kicking myself ever since. Next time it crosses my path, I won't be so foolish!