Serge Lutens Baptême du Feu

Serge Lutens Baptême du Feu is a unisex oriental fragrance with notes of gingerbread, powdery notes, tangerine, castoreum, osmanthus and woody notes.  Bapteme de Feu is in the Oriental fragrance group.  

This fragrance was inspired by the fun fairs of Serge Lutens' youth. It features notes of sweet delights, animalic musk and acerbic gunpowder of the carnival shooting range. An exhilarating sense of chaos with just the right amount of danger.  

Reviews of Serge Lutens Bapteme de Feu from other noses that may or may not sniff it as your nose will. 

from nstperfume - "In brief, Baptême du feu is a sheer gourmand fragrance loaded with baking spice and bright with tingling citrus and stemmy floral top notes. Cinnamon and sweetened ginger hit me first, but it’s more complex than any gingerbread I’ve ever eaten. For one, a green thread runs through it, diluting the fragrance’s bent toward the pastry case. For another, an almost caramelized wood grounds it.

Finally, a hit of “manly cologne” — I’m not sure what else to call it — rises as Baptême du Feu settles. It's not lavender and not fougère, but it's traditionally "manly" all the same. This has the advantage of pulling Baptême du feu out of scented candle territory, but it also moves the fragrance from my own preference zone. Someone who has longed for a scent that bridges a classic Eau de Cologne and a warm gourmand fragrance, though, might find the answer to his or her prayers in this one."

from thescentedhound -  "WHAT I SMELL:  Wow…Baptême du feu has a wonderful opening that’s cool to the touch, incredibly juicy and vibrant with a blast of bright citrus and bergamot.  The perfume begins to warm quickly and the juiciness subsides to reveal a ripened osmanthus along with an orange rind like sourness.  After 10 minutes or so, a ginger note begins to surface along with a wafting incense.  What was joyous and bright has moved to a mysterious tonality.  The perfume then takes another turn and the incense disappears and the perfume become fully ginger…and it grows exponentially in projection.  But of course, Uncle Serge needs to contradict my words and once again, a wafting incense reveals itself.  The ginger makes the perfume a little sweet, but not too much as there’s a light herbal base that resides under the candied root.  After an hour, the perfume begins to dust and powder with a metallic edge as the candied aspects are lessened.  In the end you’re left with a woody powdered ginger dustiness."

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