Serge Lutens Datura Noir

Like a diabolical trail of smoke left by Satan in Paradise. Some say this fragrance will enthrall you; others that it will make you crazy. Others still that excessive exposure will kill you dead. To be precise, one night I took brugmansia, also known as Angel's Trumpet, and distilled the notes of its lingering memory.

Seductive and mesmerizing, this takes the familiar theme of white flowers, coconut and vanilla and puts a dark and mysterious spin on it. It is still an enchanted tropical isle, but it is midnight and we're not sure exactly what is waiting for us in the deep blue shadows. A wickedly insistent blend of datura, osmanthus, heliotrope and tuberose beckons us to go ever deeper into the dark heart of the jungle. Voluptuous tonka and vanilla lull us into a dreamy haze, while unexpected touches of bitter almond and myrrh keep us wary and on the lookout for danger. Datura Noir does not reveal itself as a straightforward journey, but as a series of flickering impressions: one moment purely floral, the next apricot sweet, and the next richly gourmand. Somehow they all fit together beautifully, like the elements of like a particularly wild and vivid dream. We know that the treacherous datura is a hallucinogenic, but this reminds us of a different altered state ‰ÛÏ that of being madly, wildly, obsessively in love. Like the song you can't get out of your head, or the face you cannot stop picturing ‰ÛÏ this is a fragrance you cannot forget.

NOTES: Myrrh, bitter almond, tonka bean, musk, osmanthus, heliotrope, mandarin, lemon blossom, tuberose, vanilla, coconut oil, apricot