Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois - a dark, animalic wood rubbed down with candied fruit and slowly burned with spices then flashed with violets, was released in 2012 after being originally released under the Shiseido brand. Serge Lutens has noted that the formula has been altered to comply with the new IFRA regulations - softer top notes and a muskier base. This fragrance is in the Oriental Woody fragrance group.
from kafkaesque - "As a whole, the most dominant elements in Feminite du Bois’ opening moments are the spices and fruits. The ginger is simultaneously pungent, slightly biting and fresh, crystallized and sweet. It is backed by a definite trace of cumin, adding to the Moroccan inspiration. It is a very subtle and muffled touch on my skin, though much more noticeable than the cinnamon that barely appears in any concrete way. As for the cloves, I’ve worn Feminite du Bois a number of times, and I’ve never noticed it. Generally, the ginger dominates them all, while the rest melt into the plum molasses merely as an abstract, very generalized “spice” accord."
from olfactoriastravels - "Feminité du Bois starts off spicy. Ginger, clove, cinnamon are vying for attention and getting it too, the first minute Feminité du Bois is pure spice, nothing else. But then all of a sudden the perfume opens and deepens, widens and stretches and an olfactory vista of plum and orange blossom sweetness, of woody violets and vanilla tinged cedarwood lies before your nose. Breathtaking in its beauty and softness, Feminité du Bois is the softest and most quiet Lutens perfume I know. The volume is on low, the sillage is below average, but longevity is excellent. Apparently, Iso E super is to thank for the smoothness of the woody notes."
More information and Serge Lutens reviews can be found at:
| Perfume Name | Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois |
| Year Introduced | 2012 |
| Perfumer | Christopher Sheldrake and Pierre Bourdon |
| Gender | Unisex |
| Collection | Collection Noire - Woody Chypre |
| Notes | Ginger, cinnamon, clove, plum, peach, orange blossom, violet, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla and benzoin |
| Country of Origin | France |
I own a few of the off spring of Feminite du Bois series. What makes this variation exceptional is the exquisite layer of cedarwood with clove and cardamom. It forms a sweet, spicy layer that I enjoyed for hours. I found it to be an all-weather, all-season fragrance that is probably worth the investment in its full size.
I've never tried the original Shiseido, and glad I haven't (and probably won't bother) so I have nothing to compare this to and nothing to lament. I really like this scent from the sweet, spicy atomic fireball opening, to the violet cedar mid/drydown which smells almost identical to Bois de Violette, which I also like. What I prefer about this scent is that it is not as linear and I find the wood to be more prominent than I do in BdV. And I loves me some pencil shavings. It's a bit sweet initially but I dont find it to be sickly sweet and is more sugary than syrupy and the cedar definitely helps to balance that out. This scent seems to last a little longer than BdV which had pretty poor longevity on me(like 2 hours).
I own a few of the off spring of Feminite du Bois series. What makes this variation exceptional is the exquisite layer of cedarwood with clove and cardamom. It forms a sweet, spicy layer that I enjoyed for hours. I found it to be an all-weather, all-season fragrance that is probably worth the investment in its full size.
I've never tried the original Shiseido, and glad I haven't (and probably won't bother) so I have nothing to compare this to and nothing to lament. I really like this scent from the sweet, spicy atomic fireball opening, to the violet cedar mid/drydown which smells almost identical to Bois de Violette, which I also like. What I prefer about this scent is that it is not as linear and I find the wood to be more prominent than I do in BdV. And I loves me some pencil shavings. It's a bit sweet initially but I dont find it to be sickly sweet and is more sugary than syrupy and the cedar definitely helps to balance that out. This scent seems to last a little longer than BdV which had pretty poor longevity on me(like 2 hours).
The version for Shiseido was a masterpiece, this is a bad copy, but sweet and insipid.
