Jeux de Peau Serge Lutens

The best breakfast in a bottle. 

pâtisserie, courtesy of flickr.com

Is there anything more wonderful than walking into a boulangerie, the smell of all kinds of baked goods from savoury to sweet cavorting in the air temptingly? I think not. The best crusty bread is still in France (with the humidity here, it's just not possible to replicate that crispy sound of fresh bread) and I lived for winter holidays spent at my then partner's parents' home in the suburbs of Paris. I would wake him up unceremoniously at seven am( myself already up by six) and shivering with cold, we would make our way through the precariously slippery roads to the village boulangerie, which I swear has the best bread and pastries, even better than some of the famous pâtisseries in the city. 

French toast in the making courtesy of food52.com

Once through the door, I would stop to enjoy the sheer pleasure of all the different aromas filling the warm room, noisy with orders being taken and the hustle and bustle of delicious treats being baked and laid out all over the place. A daily occurrence for those living there but for me, it was a veritable treat just experiencing it. The smell of the boulangerie was stored in my mind and nothing in Asia quite matched it until I found Jeux de Peau.   

Heidi, Johanna Spyri, courtesy of flickr.com

It will be too sweet for some and is unmistakably a gourmand, but perfect for those days you crave solace. Warm and smoky, dripping syrupy amber-hued honey all over you, loaves of bread being toasted in the background, or waffles or french toast, if it's yeasty baked goods you crave, it's in this scent. If you enjoy spices with your toast and waffles, there's a wee sprinkle of it here. Just as Heidi had fresh goat's milk for breakfast every morning with the Alm Uncle, so have you milk provided in Jeux de Peau, full cream of course, none of that reduced fat crap. So there you go, a comforting and nourishing breakfast in a bottle. Not complex, but original for sure and very tasty. 

Jeux de Peau is a robust scent at the opening and stays linear,  losing its steam gradually. I'm averaging around 6-8 hours of lifespan, but it's a pleasure to reapply and experience it all over again. It's not a safe blind buy due to it's 1) sweetness 2) uniqueness but for me it's as heart-warming as a hug from a loved one.