Rahat Loukoum

Oh my gosh - wow - delicious! It's a sugar trip fantasy with a touch of the Arabian Nights. Since treating myself to a bell jar (delivered to Cambridge from Paris), I've been drenching myself in the nectar that is Rahat Loukoum. Yes, it's a gourmand fragnance, but it's 'the' gourmand fragrance. I actually detest the overtly artificial candied trend that seem to typify celebrity fragrances at the moment (and even some more reputable lines have fallen victim). But Serge Lutens has delivered such a beautiful gourmand using such high quality ingredients - that last all day - how many perfumes achieve that nowadays? On application, it's like one has been minaturised like Alice in Wonderland and dropped into an empty candy jar that used to house candied cherries, Turkish Delight, marzipan, warm Madiera sponge and very fluffy marshmallows. It is immensely comforting, soothing and it actually does seem to satisfy my sugar cravings (so might even help me avoid sugary snacks!). Like many of Serge Lutens perfumes, Rahat Loukoum seems to reach the parts of you that other perfumes don't. I'm still a loyal Guerlain fan, but as my husband recently said - he's starting to fall for Serge Lutens' perfume in a big way. They are so rich, so thoughtful, so full of stories ... and they last and last...which for me says quality! If you love candied perfume, Rahat Loukoum will blow your mind. Thanks Serge - another brilliant gem in your crown! Note: I see that some folk feel this perfume is similar to Louve (otherwise known as the cherry bomb!) - I've owned both and personally I didn't feel they were similar at all. In the end, I sold my bottle of Louve - I actually enjoyed the experience of being doused in ripe cherries, however, I wasn't so keen on the dry down which felt like being doused in baby powder.

Just used up the last drops of my 10 year old sample while comparing it with Keiko Mecheri's Loukhoum. It's been so long since I experienced this beauty. I am truly sad that my sample is now gone. This perfume is still available, but frankly, I am scared to drop $300 on something that might have been tweaked and has lost what made it not just "gorgeous" (newer versions are still amazing perfumes), but without exaggeration breathtaking. Unfortunately, many many old bell jar classics lost the "it". I still love newer Sarrasins or De Profundis, but old ones nearly made me cry when I tested them years ago. I don't want to have the same reaction to Rahat Loukoum. For now I will treasure the memory of this spectacular fragrance. As to what I love about it... everything. The cherry, the almonds, the raw honey. It is a lot more nuanced that Keiko's creation, less powdery, sharper. As to comparing it with Montale's Sweet Oriental Dream... just no. Sure, they are similar like a cheap gas station coffee is similar to top quality coffee made in French Press. I like Oriental Dream too, but Rahat is just levels and levels above it. It's just... Serge Lutens is The GOAT. No question about it in my mind. Every time I get distracted from my endless testing and sampling and go back to experiencing my old favorites from him, I get this overwhelming desire to sell off my entire collection including samples and just stick with Serge.

It took me a long time to come around to Rahat Loukoum. The name literally means Turkish Delight and this is pretty much what the scent smells like. I love eating Turkish Delight but smelling strongly of it will always be a slightly questionable decision! The main challenge to the scent of RL is the extreme sweetness paired to a powdery, gelatinous texture. It's strikingly accurate to real turkish delight, from the powdered sugar exterior to its jelly core, hyper-realistic. This really is tooth-meltingly sweet and almost brutal in just how sugar-loaded it smells. The overwhelming scent is one of super sweet almond with powdery notes, with rose and vanilla support which become apparent as it goes on. Even as the scent fades away on the skin (at around 6 hours) it remains sweet, only turning into more of an almond musk. This is softer (in texture, not strength) than its cousin Louve, RL is more obviously gourmand, less industrial and with a less intense benzaldehyde. The big win in Rahat Loukoum is the simultaneous powdery and gelatinous texture, and it is a very lovely scent if wafting out from under clothes (jumpers or white shirts) on a cold (or at least cool) day. It will be too sweet for many people, however - spending time with it does help one to get accustomed to the unrelenting sweetness. Makes me want to brush my teeth a little bit... and then go to bed.

I don't know who was the first to "invent" and launch a Turkish Delight perfume in 1998, but to my nose SL's creation (I'm talking about a wax sample) and Keiko Mecheri's LOUKHOUM smell almost the same. Mecheri's rendition is a bit heavier on the honey note, and the Lutens is very heliotrope-y. That's the only difference between them to me. I have to note that neither of those smell like Turkish delights to my nose, unfortunately, although both are exceptionally yummy. It is rather some kind of powdered sugar with almonds and heliotrope, and a hint of rose water. Strangely enough, leathery TRAVERSEE DU BOSPHORE from L'Artisan (another take on the same theme) smells much more "loukhoum-y" to me. It also certainly reminds me of LOUVE, which is more about almonds, but still smells in a very similar way. I think if you need a powdery sweet Turkish delight perfume, you better choose just one of them, because they are all very similar. My choice would be LOUVE (as I love almonds), but since it is now only sold in Paris and packed in bottles withoit sprayers (it probably states for "luxe" but is a complete nonsense to me), I would then choose Mecheri's LOUKHOUM. And TRAVERSEE DU BOSPHORE as loukhoum with a twist (and with pistachios instead of almonds).

What to say... amaretto, amaretto, amaretto. I've always wanted a perfume that smells like amaretto, and after countless bottles of perfumes that had "almond" notes in them, I have finally found THE ONE. It has a certain thickness, a warmth which would probably not work well with our swamp of a summer (the humidity is killer here) but when fall comes, this will be me 24-7 until early spring. It is really that good. I will layer it with another rose (maybe guerlain) for a more turkish-delight feel, and on its own for a pure amaretto scent. When worn by itself, it is so present and poised...elegant, sexy, delicately sweet. it is most definitely there, but it teases, flirts a little, pushes away a little... 4-5 hours later, just when you think you've perhaps lost it, it comes back, and you can't really help but smile. I have had so many compliments when wearing this, from both men and women. Friends want to hug me just to smell me! The greatest thing about this (besides its utter drool-worthy scent) is that not a lot of people have it/know it, so you won't ever be in a situation where everyone smells the same as you. Gorgeous AND rare. What more can you ask for?

A little gem. First comes the vivacious, delicious smell of black cherries in syrup, fruity, sweet, and very natural. Then the composition evolves, the cherries leave a bit of space to sugared almonds. After a while what I get is a base of cherries and vanilla with this fantastic fortified almond concoction. The liquor part reminds me of Amaretto Disaronno which is a famous liqueur here in Italy, with a faint touch of rose. In the drydown, after 6-7 hours, what's left on my skin is tonka bean and a bit of soft, delicate musk. It's amazing how this fragrance gives you a soft encouragement to look through your memories and try to find something in the back of the mind that maybe hasn't been brought up in years. Many Serge Lutens creations give me this comforting feeling. Many of them are true masterpieces. Rahat Loukoum in particular makes me think about my childhood and my family, even though I never had these Turkish sweets nor I've never been in Turkey. Leans a bit more on the feminine side, but I think anyone can wear it for the sole purpose of enjoying it.

Extremely sweet almond extract smell at first, turning into a more gourmand flavor like almond macaroons strongly flavored with the extract and a little citrus. Many reviewers say that it smells like cherry, but all I really get is the extraordinarily strong benzaldehyde (almond) note along with tonka/coumarin and heliotrope. Then the fluffy white musks appear, and the scent starts to develop into something lovely and wearable, a marzipan-flavored clean musk. About an hour into the drydown, the sweet vanilla-tonka becomes very prominent, then subsides again leaving a vanilla-marzipan-musk mixture that’s a wonderful comfort scent. Early on, the sillage is considerable, but after several hours it settles into a moderate level. The marzipan musk lasts for more than 12 hours on skin, days on clothing. I love Rahat Loukhoum for its fluffy, musky sweetness, its lack of any obvious floral notes, and the fact that it makes a confident statement without being overpowering. If you’re fond of gourmand scents, it’s definitely worth a try.

If you want to get laid, try something else. If you want to be eaten by someone who likes cakes, look no further. The scent: 8 / 10. Projection on me: 2 / 10. (Wax sample). I like the composition. The quality is top as it is often with Serge Lutens. I’d never get it for myself. And I’d like to smell it on a woman. Not because it’s feminine - it is not -, just because I think it would suit a sun kissed, slim, young woman with some sophisticated craziness. Someone who visits museums once a while, fights for animal rights, is dizzy or a daydreamer, and is slightly kinky. Or maybe not. The point is that this fragrance inspires my imagination. I try to figure out who should wear it, which does not happen often to me as I usually buy fragrances for myself. This scent teasing me. And I like that. Rahat Loukoum is complex. It has something to tell you. It might play with your mind. Give it a try. Even if you won’t buy it, it will add a unique and pleasant experience to your life.

This is one of my all time favorite scent and one of the ultra morphing scents on me. I know I have strange body chemistry but Rahat Loukoum starts as a gourmand, all Turkish candy with almond, vanilla, cherry and that lovely marzipan smell that heliotrope in the right form or concentration can impart. After about 4 hours I start thinking it has faded away but if I sniff my arm I can smell the most wonderful leather and tobacco combination. I've never been in a rich men's club but this is what I imagine one to smell like. Expensive leather furniture, well oiled and VERY expensive cigars, the smell of which just linger in the background. Or maybe it's the smell of an expensive tack room with well oiled saddles and bridles and the tobacco and sweat of the grooms and riders. I have smelled that and love it, and I love both incarnations of Rahat Loukoum. I will say I have only used the Paris version and don't know if there is a difference between that and the export.

When I first sprayed this I thought it was pretty but too sweet, however I recommend a little perseverance because you will be really well rewarded with the most glorious of gourmands. It is as smooth as silk, with perfectly balanced almond/cherry and cherry-stones notes, all wrapped in vanilla/honey and just the merest hit of spice - I am wearing this today with a light overlay of FM carnal flower and I have to say, they are stonkingly gorgeous together. I also love wearing this blonde confection on it's own. This is like wearing something from a fine French patisserie, delicately and artfully made and breathtakingly beautiful. This has notes that are so edible and sensual that it's impossible not to take in great breaths of the deliciously warm aroma, it's evokes (in me) a need to possess every single note. Alluring, sexy, glorious, beautiful and intoxicating. Heavenly.

This is a true gourmand, a DELICIOUS one at that. I just wish the price tag wasn't so forbidding. Oh well, it *will* be mine one day. I've never tried an actual Turkish Delight, but this is definitely how I'd imagine them to smell, especially if they were drenched in honey. I actually used to hate this, because I kept trying it in warm weather for some stupid reason. This needs to be worn in the cold, it's so cozy on a dreary winter day. And so. Damn. Delicious. I mean, gourmands are supposed to smell delicious, that's the whole point after all, but this just takes it to another level. When you're craving a really yummy gourmet dessert but for whatever reason, can't have it, this is what you want instead. But beware, you/others may feel the compulsion to lick wherever you applied it, and I doubt it tastes as good as it smells :p

Wonderful stuff, if you have a sweet tooth or love gourmand scent. I could be reductionist, and say, it's the jammy rose of Rose en Noir allied to the Marzipan almond of Amandes Persane, but there's so much more going on here. It's somehow jammy doughnut, nougat, and vanilla pastry dusted with icing sugar. It's strong, too, only two small sprays will do your office all day and everyone will be sending out for cakes.. This sweetness isn't for everyone, but very few scents do gourmand like this: it's still lovely hour after hour, no vanishing, no falling apart, and it's nothing like air freshener or a scented candle. It's very clever and I'm pleased to wear it occasionally as a delicious treat. Genius from Mr Sheldrake, 10/10 (but I have a sweet tooth!)

It starts off with a blast of syrupy honey and sweet cherries, much like the taste of chewing some Turkish delight after the powdered sugar has dissolved. As it dries down, it gets nuttier and more powdery then finally settles to a very accurate scent of a freshly opened box of powdered, sweet loukoum with pistachios. This reminds me of Eid festivities. It's absolutely beautiful. I don't smell any rose in here at all. I think if this scent were to ever have a flanker, it should definitely be a more rose-flavoured loukoum. It would give it a touch of maturity while still being playful. PS. For those complaining about the cavity-inducing and cloying sweetness of this scent - blame the dessert! 7.5/10

A tribute to the legendary sweet confection from Turkey, Rahat Loukoum (Turkish Delight), is a delicious confection created over two decades ago. The perfume begins with a whiff of aldehydes showcasing the central notes of almond and cherry. As it begins settling, floral notes of rose, heliotrope emerge. Finally it settles into a powdery base of honey, vanilla, tonka bean, tolu balsam and musk. Moderate in sillage and projection and with good lasting power, this is a unisex perfume that softly caresses your skin with its confectionary warmth instead of overloading it with cloying sweetness. A gourmand criterion. Enjoy!

Very delicious but SL Rahat Loukoum does not smell like the Turkish candy rahat loukoum which smells of pistachio, rose, saffron and honey. Rather, this fragrance gives me happy flashbacks of my childhood when my mother would make her homemade, almond flavored jello from almond extract that she called "almond delight". This was my favorite dessert and this perfume smells exactly like it. Almond and honey dominate but half an hour into the drydown a light scent of cherry, heliotrope, tonka bean and resins come into the background. Super yummy!

Oh, if only this fragrance was stronger! It's a truly beautiful scent - less bright than Louve but with similar marzipan notes, lighter on the cherry, heavier on the rose and almond. It does remind me of opening a box of icing-sugar-dusted Turkish Delight. But after a couple of minutes, like Safran Troublant, it becomes no more than a skin scent. If it had the projection and staying power of Louve, I'd buy it like a shot, but for the moment, I'll content myself with my 5ml decant.

I am a hater of vanilla unless it is very well done. And it is exceptional here. I love a good cherry note, and here it's wonderful, not too sweet, not medicinal, it's just right. The opening has a strong realistic almond which disappears as the fragrance settles. Amazing scent, a must-have for a lover of gourmand scents (which I am not, by the way, but I am glad I have a decant of this).

Rahät Loukoum is THE gourmand fragrance 'par excellence'. It is rich, sweet, creamy, almondy, vanillic - just luscious yet not overpowering. If you don't like oriental-gourmand scents - stay away, then this one is not for you. To all Casmir, Angel and Lolita Lempicka Lovers: give this one a try, you'll love it!

A very nice unisex perfume, that is like a combination between Fumerie Turque and Louve. It starts as the loveliest almond scent that follows with cherry and rose, ending up in a vanillic context that is very lively- almost no powder. Deliciously sensual, sweet but balanced oriental delight.

Such a beautiful gourmnd perfume. Délicate in that and bringing so much childhood memories. Long listing, not sticky. The almond is what is proéminent on me and Imlime it. Wearable all day long and all year long. A classic.