Douce Amere

This perfume, another one by Serge Lutens, has absinthe as a main note. There's bit of liquorice then, but an equal amount of earthy wormwood. It's a party scent: sweet with florals, bold and strange.

It's like someone in a dress of magenta silk surrounded by women in little black dresses, or better yet flanked by two girls in red. She is captivating and chic. She's also a little wicked, with a tendency to drink a little too much, of course.

[dress by Christobal Balenciaga, 1959]