Sidi Bel-Abbès

Sidi bel-Abbès, the city, housed the headquarters of the French Foreign Legion prior to Algerian independence in 1962. Sidi bel-Abbès, the perfume, is like a yellowed photograph or a postcard from that time addressed to an unknown woman by a man whose struggle for her love matched his fervor for his military cause - a local freedom fighter maybe or, perhaps, a foreign soldier. Sidi bel-Abbès, essentially, is a romantic scent that has been stripped to a ghost of a memory about what once was or what could have been. A promise of young love, impossible or forbidden, symbolised by unsweetened and spiced red berries and dark patchouli, is almost suffocated by brutally charred woods and smoke, brown tobacco and birch tar leather. In spite of the relentless intensity of the vertical layers here there is a palpable sense of austerity and loss, perhaps regret, and the overall feeling is that of muted vastness of a landscape viewed from a birds eye perspective through a sepia lense of vanilla and coumarin. Sidi bel-Abbès feels best when it’s almost forgotten and allowed to release resinous-ambery wafts in its own time. In fact it would appear that the more attention is paid to the scent the less it works. This illustrates well an intriguing paradox about this mysterious creation; whatever once deserved a chance didn’t succeed; yet what we’re told isn’t worth pursuing wouldn’t let us go.

One of the best tobacco fragrances I've ever smelled. Notes are Tobacco, Beeswax and Cumin (according to Serge Lutens product knowledge document). The story is meant to be a mysterious love between a French soldier (Sidi Bel-Abbès was a city in North Africa where the French foreign Legion was stationed) and a local woman. Can't wait to have this in my collection, so upset it's been discontinued but I'm glad that I have access to the fragrance still. Amazing longevity as well. 10/10 I have a few bottles left if anyone in Canada wants one they can message me!

A really beautiful and exotic Oriental that is one of my favorites In the amazing Serge Lutens line. The perfume opens with notes of cherry, raspberry and plums. The heart is tobacco, cumin and leather. The perfume settles into a bed of vanilla, incense and cypriol. The perfume is beautifully blended and immediately takes you to exotic Northern Algeria where it takes its name from. Unisex slight feminine leaning with moderate projection and good longevity. Absolutely not worth its asking price. Enjoy!

$600?!?!?!?!?!??? And it's worth it, unfortunately. By Christopher Sheldrake. 2015. What a dense, rich, earthy, tobacco fragrance with dried fruit and resinous notes; smokey, maybe a little too smokey at first, but then mellowing out into a boozy, old leather. So perfect for Fall and Winter. Would this be the most I've ever spent on fragrance? Oh yeah. Am I saving up for it? Big time.

Opens with pimento, plums and raspberries I think. I get cade, leather, frankincense and cypriol. The backbone of vanilla and cumin is there lingering as with most Serge Lutens fragrances. This will make your memories bubble up for sure, there is something spiritual and hauntingly beautiful in this potion.