Lustre is a spicy, woody, Amber scent created for Men and Women in 2024 by perfumers Julien Rasquinet and Paul Guerlain.
Review
This scent is spicy and earthy. You immediately get an infusion of spice, resins and woods. It has a subtle smoky essence, and is very rich and earthy. It’s not quite barnyard-like, but it’s definitely dank and dirty. This scent is so complex, and there’s so much going on here, that it feels like it just blends together into an amalgamation of everything, with nothing in particular seeming to stand out against anything else. The Orris in the opening and the Vanilla and Amber in the base, kind of help to break up any sharpness you might expect, and help to add a kind of smooth quality to the composition but it is an enveloping woody, earthy, resinous, Ambery intensity. It does eventually begin to smooth out and mellow into a warm and velvety Ambery Woody scent after a while. The resinous intensity lessens and fades into the background. The complexity of this scent makes it dry down slowly. At first it feels like it’s going to be incredibly intense the entire time, but it’s one of those scents that changes and smooths out and surprises you. If you have the patience, you will feel the Orris peaking out later in the dry down. The double-infusion of sandalwood in Oakwood barrels during the maceration process gives this scent incredible performance. The rich essence of this scent makes it perfect for the Fall and Winter seasons. It can work for the office if given the time to dry down first, and lies somewhere between casual elegance and the scent you wear when you’re dressed up and feeling amazing. A lot of comparisons said it had something similar to BDK Parfums Gris Charnel, but it has a certain similarity to the discontinued Amouage Opus VI.
Inspiration
Lustre is an olfactory expression of time; the Present. A poetic representation of the desire to make the Present last forever.
Notes
This scent is just a big blast of everything combining together seamlessly. A hint of sweet and spicy Cardamom can be felt just before things kick into gear. Sandalwood and Cedarwood lie in the heart of this scent, blending with Patchouli to bring an earthy intensity earlier than you might expect. A resinous blend of Benzoin, Labdanum, Styrax and Myrrh add a rich depth that feels like you’re taking a dive into the center of the earth. Cypriol, a grassy note, adds to the earthy essence of the scent, while Tonka Bean, Vanilla, and a note of Orris from the opening of the scent, help to create a sort of smooth quality that keeps things from becoming too sharp. Ambrarome comes in at the end, finishing this scent off with a subtly sweet, warm, Amber tone.
Top Notes: Cardamom, Orris
Heart Notes: Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedarwood
Base Notes: Benzoin, Labdanum, Vanilla, Ambrarome, Cypriol, Styrax, Tonka Bean, Myrrh
