Serge Lutens will launch Louve (shown at right), a "white almond" fragrance in the export range, this September. Sarrasins (no word yet on what it will smell like) will join the exclusive range, sold only at the Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido in Paris. (via cosmeticnews)
Update: a brief description of both scents, via osmoz:
Louve (“She-Wolf”) is a highly concentrated perfume featuring a sweet and balm-like note of bitter almond, as white as a snow castle on a mountaintop. Of Moorish inspiration, Sarrasins (“Saracens”) is a velvety floral, built around ‘a stunningly beautiful jasmine, gloved in jet-black ink’.
Many thanks to Ambroxan for the link, and apologies but I am running terribly late and no time to translate! (The above is taken from the Osmoz English site) Update: The notes for Serge Lutens Louve include almond, rose petals, jasmine petals, musk and vanilla powder. Louve is available in 50 ml Eau de Parfum, Haute Concentration. (via senteursdailleurs) Shown at right is the limited edition bell jar bottle of Serge Lutens Sarrasins. Only 30 will be produced, at 850 euros. The regular price for the plain bottle: 105 euros for 75 ml. (via fashionmag.fr)
Update: see a review of Serge Lutens Louve or a review of Serge Lutens Sarrasins.
Also in September, Giorgio Armani will introduce Emporio Armani Diamonds, fronted by singer Beyoncé Knowles:
Created by perfumer Thierry Wasser of Firmenich, Emporio Armani Diamonds is categorized as a gourmand floral, featuring top notes of lychee and raspberry; middle notes of rose, freesia and lily of the valley, and bottom notes of vetiver, cedar wood, patchouli and vanilla.
A brand spokesperson noted that "We're using the rose but in a very gourmand way, like a flower that can be eaten".
Knowles will sing the Marilyn Monroe song Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend in the television advertising. Emporio Armani Diamonds will be available in 30, 50 and 100 ml. (quotes via Women's Wear Daily, additional information via cosmeticnews)
Why, Serge, why? Why almond? *sigh*
And as for the Diamond Armani, I decided I will play the game that Frasier, Niles and their dad played whilst watching Antiques Roadshow. Every time they heard the word “veneer”, they took a sip of beer. Well, I am going to have a drink every time I see lychee among the notes of a new release 🙂 I'll be tipsy non-stop. 🙂
oooh, I'm excited about the SL Louve. I've been searching for a great bitter almond perfume… something with that green quality of the Korres Bitter Almond body lotion, only with more layers. Maybe Serge has been looking out for me! Bois des Iles has only a whiff of a bitter almond quality to it sometimes (and of course doesn't need to satisfy my almond yearnings to be the masterpiece it is), and all I get from Hypnotic Poison is a muddle of sweet woodiness and vanilla, unfortunately. I haven't tried the Cologne Blanche from Dior yet. If anyone happens to have any suggestions, please let me know!
Ack – that Diamonds sounds disgusting. They can't give Thierry Wasser something more interesting to do?
— The Old Grump
PS Predicting that Louve will be waaaaay too sweet, with that weird candied Lutens thing. Hoping I'm wrong.
Ooh, I'm actually piqued over the Serge Lutens…the gourmands of his that I've tested are so unusual and exciting. I look forward to an almond potion…
I will embrace a sweet almond scent from SL… for me, it's about time! The export line is due something on almond. I just hope it will be better than Rahat!!
Hello Robin,
Actually there's a picture of Louve and a description of both on osmoz (in French)
http://www.osmoz.fr/club/news_details.asp?LANGUE=FR&ID=1037
Sarrasins seems interesting…
You'll fall in love with the exclusive then, won't that figure? SO agree on lychee.
The old Comptoir Sud Pacifique almond scent, Vanille Amande, has a decided bitter-almond note: it isn't sugared and cherried like almond extract is. (It is, of course, pretty sweet, what with all that CSP vanilla, but not sweet enough to mask the bitterness of the almond. I doubt it's as complex as the Serge Lutens is likely to be.) I don't know what the new incarnation smells like: they're probably changed the formulation and ladled on the syrup in keeping with the modern taste for confectionery fragrances. Might be worth a try, I suppose.
Almond isn't my very favorite note — you need to ask Anjali, who writes bath & body reviews but is traveling at the moment so doesn't answer comments quickly.
I wonder (on the Louve) — he has done several really dry and sheer (for Serge) things lately. We'll see!
I love Rahat! So better than Rahat, I'm buying 🙂
Thanks — just included a brief quote above. Running late (trying to leave town for the weekend) so left in French!
M, see the update above — sounds like it could please us both! But it isn't a long description, so just being “glass half full” over here 🙂
Louve means “She-wolf”???!!!!!! Okay, now I'm even MORE excited! For our poor girl Paris I'll say… Thats Hot!
This is what babelfish gave me: “She-wolf is a perfume spray high concentration which puts in scene a soft and baumée bitter almond note, white like a castle of snow in top of a mountain. Of inspiration Moor, Sarrasins is a velvet of flower around ` a jasmine petrifying of beauty and ganté of black ink color bald person souris'.”
The castle of snow and bitter almond sound okay, but I'm not entirely sure about the bald person…
You might perhaps want to try Laurence Dumont's inexpensive Vanille Amande: it's not at all sweet on my skin, though I could imagine its being so with some chemistries. Readily available, I believe, in all Sephoras for around $25 a pop.
You probably know this by now, since I think Osmoz has issued an English translation somewhat better than that of babelfish; but “chauve-souris” is a bat. So the astoundingly beautiful jasmine is clothed in an inky-black, bat-colored glove. Not sure that's much better!
Another “Why almond?” feeling here. It's not my favorite fragrance note at all. It's okay. But nothing I'd go out and seek the ends of the earth to get a bottle of a scent that is based on almonds. Wupteedoo!
MandoChristo, you won't have to search the ends of the earth…it's in the export line!!
Saw that, thanks, and will fix the post when I get back from out of town!
LOL at “our poor girl Paris” — looks like everyone else is sending her gifts, so hope Serge will send her a package as well 🙂
Now in English, sorry for the confusion!
Hopefully it won't be “just almond” — not my favorite note either, but there are a few I like 🙂
Sure looks like Kylie Minogue beat Beyonce to the Armani “Diamonds are a girls best friend” punchline…nothing like recycling old winners in the absence of your own original ideas.
http://tinyurl.com/25lbkn
Presumably Elizabeth Taylor beat both of them 🙂
I cannot WAIT to smell Diamonds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see the ad either! I know Beyonce will be lookin HOTT!!!!!
Haven't seen an ad yet, but will post one when I do 🙂
Goodness, it feels like this fragrance will NEVER come out!!! Sepetember is soo far away! Do you think we will be getting the ad soon, Robin??????
Don't know, and have to admit I haven't gone looking for one yet. But it hasn't shown up in any of the usual places.
I come here everyday hoping to see Diamonds :(. I Wanna see the ad soooo bad!
Sorry, haven't seen one yet!
Someone is now selling a 1.7 ounce on Ebay! I Emailed them! No pic of what the bottle looks like though. They did post a beautiful pic of Beyonce, though 🙂
EVERYONE has an ad but Beyonce :(. I'm goin crazy!
You can buy the scent now though — giorgioarmanibeauty.com has it.
YAY!!! HERES THE COMMERCIAL!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4QvLmrcau0&mode=related&search=
I loooooooooove that bottle! It looks just like a Diamond!
I truly can't stop looking at the bottle! Its gorgeous! I can't WAIT to smell it! I hope I'm not dissapointed 🙁
<3 you to death, Robin!!
JloveLamar, thanks for the link to the commercial — have just posted it on the front page 🙂
You're welcome! I'm at Macy's now buying Diamonds! I love it!
Robin, I KNOW you will love this fragrance! Everyone loves it! You have to smell it!
I will try to smell it soon — haven't been to Macy's lately 🙂
Sarrasin is a pure soliflore jasmine note.
Very easy to wear and quite calm, a bite like “A la nuit” even if Sarrasin is really more musky, a kind of an american “uncomplicated and lush” fragrance.
Certainly the most conventional juice of Lutens range.
But, forgot to say that it smells very good!
Odd that they'd make the most conventional an exclusive instead of an export scent, but if it smells good, I want some!
YAY! I'm excited!!! I saw BODY LOTION on the Giorgio Armani website!!! HAHAH! Hopefully, they'll have shower gel soon 🙂
Robin, have you smelled Diamonds yet??
I gave it a quick spray on a card, but didn't manage to snag a sample 🙁
Robin! You gotta smell some on your skin 🙂
Will try! But you know our tastes are very different 🙂
LMAO!! Yes, they definetly are very different, but I'm very confident in this fragrance!
Diamonds is a very positive, crisp and light fragrance. It reminds me the smell of a sweet fizzy drink.
I think it fits to a white blouse and an interview with HR in some big company.
Or maybe one can wear it to some place, where you don't want people to notice your perfume, but still you just can't leave home without any. And of course you want it to be very well done.
It is maybe too crisp & light for me. I found it pleasant though!
Yes, I understand that you don't like those fresh scents. I actually don't like L'eau Par Kenzo, light Blue and L'eau d'Issey myself, wich are way too popular here in Russia (and I don't know why are they that popular: Russia is not a very hot country)
Armani is my favourite perfume house. I can't live without Sensi and Armani Mania (I'm looking for your opinion on those too here:))))
But still. Those Diamonds do not look like a bad and “not at all challenging” work for Thierry Wasser. It was challenging! And He actually made a scent of a transparent substance. Don't look at me like I'm crazy – No!
In few minutes, when raspberry steps aside – I can smell glass or ice or even diamonds themeselves! I even hear the sounds of breaking glass while spraying – and a little bit later – the tune of glass beads rubbing against each other!
Wasser was able to make an allusion to diamonds (wich was a demand as I understand) in a scent! It's magical!
Afraid to be overly annoying with my bad english remarks about perfume.
But I remembered on the topic of scents-allusions to sounds two perfumes, that actually did remind me some melodies.
OZONE by Sergio Taccini – was acid tune of Till I Come by ATB
Armani Mania – is After All by Delerium.
Do fragrances sound like melodies to you?
Glad to see someone loves the fragrance! I love it soo much, I'm scared to wear it! I don't wanna get tired of it
V, your English is excellent, no worries there! I do agree Diamonds is well-done. Don't think I get music from perfume, but know that others do. Perhaps I don't have enough imagination!
The Emporio Armani Diamonds bottle is very pretty, but the juice smells like sickly sweet Glade toilet deodoriser after a while.
I didn't love it, but didn't hate it either.
Well it was released here in my country late 2008, a lot of friends of mine like it, but personnally no, it’s like apple moassal, a kind of taobacco, mixed with molasses (we use it to smoke Hubble Bubble “Arguilé”), a lot of sweetness and sugar. I used it twice and everytime I wonder why I smell like the smoke of apple shisha (Narguilé or Aguilé). I’ve exchanged with my friend for Pure Poison.
I originally intended to get Armani White but since they didnt have it on stock, got this instead. I actually like it, i usually wear it whenever I have client presentations. I initially thought that it’s being “weak” was a minus but it turned out great as it is not so overpowering and is great in the board room. (It only lasts for 2-3 hours in my experience. I spray it on before going to work, by the time I get to the office and have the presentation, the scent is still there but is not too obvious anymore.)
Yes, I can see it being a perfect office scent.