Smells Like a Monday #3 - Un Lys

I've written about lilies of the valley and Diorissimo. Now for lilies, and one of my very favorite lily scents. My perfume this morning is a little more obscure, but very lovely. One will not find it at Sephora or perfume counters everywhere, but it's worth the search. Un Lys, made by Serge Lutens, is a lily soliflore (scent focused on a single fragrance note) that has a clear and luminous quality about it.

Serge Lutens is more well-known as master of darker and more unusual scents, but with Un Lys, it is clear that this perfume house can do florals beautifully as well. When condensed down to its notes, the perfume sounds deceptively simple - lilies, green leaves, musk and vanilla. However, the perfumer has blended it so well that one cannot help noticing how polished it seems. It just seems to drift over one gently while being worn and I find the clarity of the lilies quite surprising. There's a certain crispness to it that keeps the floral notes from being too sweet or smothering.

As you can probably guess, Un Lys is a very feminine scent, but I wouldn't describe it as frilly or girly. It has too much polish for that. Serge Lutens scents are notorious for being difficult to find as many from the line are available only in Europe. However, Un Lys has been given limited release in the United States and can be found at Luckyscent. You can also buy samples and smaller decants of this one at The Perfumed Court.



I find Un Lys one of those rare scents that works both for day and for evenings out. I wear it to work a lot, particularly in the spring. It matches well with things like my wedgwood blue skirt suit. And it's also pretty for weddings or evening events with a pretty dress like this one from J. Crew:



Hope everyone has a lovely Monday!