L'Eau d'Armoise

I love artemisia, especially so in the hot weather, but usually this scent is unlucky: instead of artemisia in perfumes there appears to be absinthe. Which, actually, isn’t bad at all, but I wanted artemisia! In the “Artemisia Water” Serge managed to catch the right note. The scent is light, surprising and unconventional. Official pyramid is following: herbs - spices - bitterness. But it reveals like a movie! In the top notes - a distinct gin and tonic, not a cold drink in a misted glass, but a warm smell floating in a bar. Also a faint echo of bergamot appears to be there, or maybe some kind of strong liquor, like aftertaste on the tongue, when you just took a sip of burning alcohol. Then the utter bitterness of something green comes, not necessarily the artemisia - when I trim a tamarind tree, the cut branches smell very similarly, a lot of green notes and some kind of woody scent appears. The bitterness of a freshly cut wood - that’s what it is. But my favorite is in the base: close to the body there remains a smell of bitter fall, smell of fallen leaves, softened with a hint of sweet wood smoke, as if lemon jam was being cooked on apple wood fire somewhere far, far away... Such a philosophical fragrance! In the end it seems to tell us: “So be it...”.

I am hesitant to assume a condescending role, positioning myself as someone superior in understanding or taste. However, upon perusing reviews that delve into descriptions of sweaty armpits or scents inducing nausea and even grievances about the perfume’s longevity, I cannot help but wonder about the varied approaches individuals adopt towards perfumery. It appears as if some may lack the requisite perspective on the brand or the fragrance they are evaluating. In the case of L’Eau d’armoise, I see it as an unparalleled embodiment of mugwort, a herb renowned for its pronounced bitterness among the notes employed in perfumery. Mastering its incorporation demands a level of artistry generally associated with perfumers of such high caliber as Serge Lutens (or Christopher Sheldrake, which is the same... but that's another story). Notably, L’Eau d’armoise has been created by Serge Lutens himself, an unusual fact nowadays for his eponymous line, and that alone warrants appreciation. As for longevity, I am relinquishing the burdensome narrative embraced by those with limited imaginative capacity. Instead, I choose to embrace the fleeting nature of a perfume that endures for just a moment: a sensory ephemera reminiscent of a memory worth cherishing.

Fantastic! I don't know what immortelle smells like, but I certainly know bergamot, and I absolutely know the smell of artemisia: I grew up on the central coast of California, spending my free time as a youth in the coastal sage scrub habitat along the ocean bluffs. This is almost exactly the smell of Artemisia californica, or California sagebrush, the dominant species in this coastal scrub plant community. To this lovely artemisia note the bergamot lends a fresh, bracing, bitter citrus which we all know and love. There's a bit of clean white musk underneath all of this, holding it together. This perfume is simple, to the point, and stunningly gorgeous. It is what Jo Malone's Wood Sage & Sea Salt really should have been. Like walking the coastal bluffs of Montaña de Oro in thick summer fog, wearing a wool overcoat and sipping earl grey tea. This is the smell of my spiritual homeworld. I'll be buying a full bottle as soon as possible. 90%

As someone who has no prior familiarity with mugwort, the first thing I thought of when trying L'eau d'Armoise was pine. Over its wear time on the skin, it gradually shifts from cool and slightly camphorous to a gentle and herbal warmth tinged by the grassy sweetness of immortelle. There is dew, tree bark, and perhaps some distant flowers. The overall impression is that of a landscape painting, attempting to capture a meadow as it transitions from dark into dawn. There is a naturalistic quality that almost seems more in line with the scents of Diptyque, rather than the expressionistic complexity of Serge Lutens' more popular offerings. L'eau d'Armoise has decent longevity but modest projection, and so is a fragrance one would wear much more for themselves than for the perception of others. The scent profile is inoffensive, generally speaking, but someone would have to be very close to you to detect it anyway.

This is so herbal and gorgeous. It's zesty, green, beautiful and overall very well-balanced and easy to wear. It's unisex and will look good on anybody. It smells delicious, like a green summer field, with notes of spice, florals, greens and zesty citruses in the background. I do not perceive it as feminine at all. I do agree that it slightly slightly remind me of absinth for some reason (maybe because it's green booziness with light spice notes?). It's a surprising and unique scent that's good and universal for any occasion. Overall, I am very impressed. It reminds me slightly of Sisley's perfumes as they are always green and mossy to me, and also are perceived as light ones. It also reminds me slightly of Jo Malone's newest green collection (thistle, achillea) as it has a very similar "light" green but zesty theme.