Point Du Jour

I smelled this at the Palais Royal store. It has incense first and foremost, then thyme. It's pretty lovely, I want to try it on my skin. Update: I have a bottle and it's becoming a favourite.. The opening is a massive, photorealistic, bone-dry whack of thyme. Imagine the lavender of Pour Un Homme de Caron before that gives way to the softer vanilla etc, it's like that but thyme. Not really like a perfume, more of a spa aromatherapy treatment. But then, oh my god, the incense dry-down.... If you love incense perfumes as I do, check this one out. The dry down introduces just the slightest touch of something sweet, with a lovely, non-burning, churchey incense, and the delicate remnants of the thyme, and it stays like this (quite close to the skin) for much longer than I expected. So while the opening didn't make my heart skip, the dry-down does. I mean to be honest, the Lutens-Sheldrake dream duo can't really do any wrong for me, so I'm glad this didn't disappoint either. If you know the others in the line, it is instantly part of that DNA, but it's probably the most different, in terms of not being fresh aldehydes, soapy etc. Update: Today I sprayed CDG Avignon on one arm and was immediately reminded of Point du Jour, and wanted to see if the similarity was real. So I sprayed PdJ on the other arm. While the opening of the latter is herby, it quickly dries down into the incense that indeed is extremely similar to Avignon (disclaimer: I only have a sample of Avignon so haven't spent proper time with it). This isn't a bad thing in my book, and I prefer PdJ, as it performs better on my skin. ....and I just went to the "reminds me" section to put in Avignon, and voilà, it's already there, told you so lol.

Imagine crushing dry thyme, clary sage leaves, and olibanum tears with a mortar and pestle, then inhale. Thyme, with its piney facets, slightly savory, smoky, and peppery, marries beautifully with frankincense in Point du Jour, underlined with a tea-like clary sage. At one stage it feels like a cool, dusty space made of stone, meant for an ascetic to meditate. I wear it tonight as I ingested a dropper-full of kava tincture with water and as my heart decelerates and breathing is slower and intentional, Point du Jour really begins to take effect. I respond to it as if it is aromatherapy, and that concept may elude some looking for the more conventional sort of perfume, but this is no essential oil blend from a farmer's market in Vermont, this is Serge Lutens, and there is much more here. A sweet cassia cinnamon and something reminiscent of fresh eucalyptus leaves joins the incense dry down, and there is a slow and meditative outro; it feels as if the skin has been anointed.

This Lutens release is a must-have for those who love aromatic fragrances. The scent is both effervescent and meditative at the same time. The eucalyptus note is unique. The thyme is very naturalistic. However, there's nothing edible about Point du Jour (unlike the herbal, kitchen-like effect I perceive in fragrances like Pout Pourri by Santa Maria Novella). The clary sage dominates the base, softening it without ever veering into the herbal toothpaste effect. The longevity is more than decent. Considering it can be found for under 60 euros, this fragrance offers exceptional value for money and, in my opinion, is a strong contender for one of the best releases of 2024.

I find it questionable that people voted hate on this perfume. There is nothing to hate here. It is a really enjoyable, pleasurable fragrance. It is like a fresh, herby, airy version of Avingon with an emphasis on thyme. If I didn't have Avignon already I would have bought this, as I in fact prefer it over Avignon. It is an excellent offering and a true morning fragrance. 9/10

Simple, clean, zen-like aromatics at play here. If you're goal was to attract everyone with your loud aventus type DNA this is certainly not the fragrance for you. This fragrance makes you think, reflect, enjoy life for what it is. Super meditative fragrance that doesnt interrupt but let's you know it's there. Spicebombs more sophisticated older brother. 8/10