Lumiere Noire Grès for women

I paid under $20 US for this, and it was a blind buy from fragrancenet. I like to wear Cabotine and Cabotine Gold, and I also wear Cabochard herself. I wanted to leave some thoughts on Lumiere Noire once more on a warmer day and after I had a few more wearings.

sprays on oily
the top flavors are: citrus, tangy, sweet, spicy, dirty, fruity
there is a subtle note of camphor, even maybe a tad piney, which brings a freshness
rose is plummy and sticky until the later stages when it comes out for a bit as a clearer, wetter rose that also gives slight freshness
amber is subtle, only slightly powdery in the drydown
3 or 4 feet of projection
right before it becomes a skin scent, about 3 hours into wearing it, it makes a beautiful blended cloud around me which still has citrus and patchouli and the ghost of that plummy rose, ending in dry amber/powder
no wood, no resin, no smoke, but every now and then when it's colder weather I would get almost like a suede note
husband reads it as floral and slight powdery vibes, but to me it is primarily citrusy and fruity and patchouli
husband likes it
I think it's fine, and I can definitely wear this all over the place, but I would not have bought it had I sampled it first. I find Lumiere Noire's basic sense at the end of the day is sweet and powdery.
Longevity is great, with a sweet, fruit/rose, amber/powder dry-down that is detectable the next day. That's with overs-praying and reapplying.

There is not much here to talk about. I get no patchouli at all, which is very disappointing. Mostly it’s a faint sweet and shampoo scent on me. The rose is not really present except for a brief appearance that for a moment is a little like Diamonds and Rubies, but it would be incorrect to say that LN in any way is similar to D&R. Longevity is a few hours, with almost no projection throughout. LN is inocuous and almost non-existent. Cabotine EDP is the best-performing and best Gres scent for my chemistry.

Lumiere Noire is giving me Coco Mad vibes. Smells very similar to it w/ out the headache for me. Something is Chanel DNA gives me a headache for some of their perfumes. Coco Noir gives me a headache and the original Coco Mad and the toilette gives me a headache. I like Coco Mad intense and the Privee. Besides this gives me pretty much the same smell of Coco Mad Intense but for a fraction of the cost. Patchouli, w/ a slight citrus lots of rose and a nice amber. What could be bad about that? Very versatile can be worn in most situations. I paid $18 for this perfume, great value for money. Easy blind buy for patchouli/rose lovers. If you like Coco Mad Intense but can't afford the price tag, seek out this inexpensive beauty instead. I get wanting Chanel, but there are other Chanel's that are unique and can't be found anywhere else. Like No 5 or Coco Chanel, or some of the perfumes in their exclusive line, like Le Lion. The Coco Mad line has been so duped and copied that owning any in that line has become redundant.

Edit: 6/6/22 I wore this all day today and my husband really loved it. The performance on this one was also very good. But then again most anything w/ a heavy patchouli base performs well. This is a lovely rose/patchouli/amber fragrance, linear but smells great all day.

Edit: 6/18/23 I find this is more like Coco Mad Intense than the original. The Original Coco Mad and I don't really get along. What people love about Coco Mad, (the fizzle) is what bugs me about many Chanel perfumes. I like Coco Mad intense much more than the original but why pay for a Chanel when this fits the need? I have 2 Chanel's in my collection and will possibly own a 3rd (the Allure line is my favorite) so I'm not knocking Chanel but let's be honest Coco Mad and it's flankers are basically fruitachouli's w/ some florals. While Coco Mad was groundbreaking when it came out over 25 or more years ago it is the type of thing that has been duped and copied a 1000 times or more now. I find there other Chanel's I would rather spend my money on instead. I got a backup of this since it was discontinued. I paid $18 each for a 3.4, such a steal. If you can't afford or just don't want to pay for Chanel Coco Mad or the Coco Mad Intense buy this instead. It smells pretty much the same.

On opening, I get a muddy impression that includes spearmint, oddly. Still looking for the right time and place for this, tbh. For me, there is a gourmand slant to this somehow. The amber takes this in a different direction than I was expecting based on reviews. I thought it would be more sparkling, similar to a Coco Mademoiselle style. I find it heavier and muddier. (Edit: watery rose upon drydown.) Not sure yet if I'll take to this one. It has potential.
I also tried Lumiere Rose and loved it in some ways, because it smells so gentle and pretty, but was sad it had a stale afternote. Maybe something does not agree with my chemistry in this line.

Lumiere Noire meets the standard I expect from Gres: rarely groundbreaking, good, everyday fragrances that are usually office-friendly. I don’t quite see the “noire” in Lumiere Noire, as it isn’t a dark or sultry scent to my nose, especially when compared to other fragrances in my collection that do exude a “noir/noire” attitude. However, it is a pleasant, everyday scent.

It is somewhat sweeter than the notes suggest—far from a patchouli bomb. I can best describe the notes as sweet pink rose, light musk, with a dash of bright bergamot on top, resting on a hint of soft patchouli (no dirtiness whatsoever) and non-powdery amber base.

Gres Lumiere isn’t a controversial fragrance in my opinion. There isn’t much one can strongly dislike about it. It’s easy to like, especially for those who don’t like very heavy, dark scents. For me, it is a “like” not a “love."

This fragrance is amazing. It's rich, sensual and wearable.
Blind bought it because of the Coco Mademoiselle references and it was a great deal on black friday.
I've never owned a Gres perfume before and I'm so pleased, no doubt it will be a part of my permanent collection.

I blind bought this based on the positive reviews. Sadly this does not work on my skin. I get a messy, plasticky amber smell with bitter patchouli. Must be a skin chemistry thing.
Performance is good, it lasts 5-6 hours with moderate sillage.

I don’t get the comparisons to Coco Mad. I’m not a huge fan of rose or that scent in particular so I was nervous blind buying this one. To me, this is deeper, richer, not as obvious bergamot or rose. The rose is of the type I actually like, dark and rich and plummy. If this one reminds me of anything I would say it does slightly recall Armaf Club de Nuit Intense femme. If you like the dark plummy rose/patch type of scent, check this one out. I have smelled more expensive takes on this type of perfume that I have liked far less. Very good silage/ longevity too

Chyrpre-floral fragrance, a well crafted dupe of Chanel COCO Mademoiselle for a fraction of the price.
To my nose it is exactly the same fragrance, except perhaps Lumière noire is a bit louder, and Coco perhaps a tad more refined.
It is a bold perfume that won't go unnoticed. Much liked by young ladies. Lovely elegant black bottle, not cheap looking by all means.
Very affordable and nice to have if you are into this (fruitchoulies), unfortunately neither Coco nor Lumière Noire work on my skin.

Today I have received my bottle. It was a blind buy. I was surprised how it is so sweet and spicy to me.I liked it tho. Maybe it will be better for Fall or Winter. But I couldn’t get any similiar scent of any Coco perfumes. Nothing woody or green notes in my skin. Long lasting, at least 5 hours/

Hands down my most favorite scent from Gres Paris! Everything about this perfume is just perfect. To me it smells like a sweet tobacco, a touch of smoke and musk. YUM!

What a mess!!! They were hungry for alcoholic patchouli or something. Very synthetic and awful smelling :

I really like this but agree with adrienn99. It is VERY fruity. A dark musky, heavy patchouli plum fruit. The rose does not read on me at all on first wearing. The base is a lovely amber.

This is very nice and very wearable, I can definitely say a young woman (teenage years) and an older, more 'mature' woman can also enjoy this.

I definitely get the Coco Mademoiselle reference, the notes are identical and diffuse much like Coco Mademoiselle. I will say that this is much fresher, airier, and 'crisper', and that's due to the excellently blended lime.

If you can get your hands on it, definitely buy. I would recommend this for the warmer months.

Un joli flacon noir avec sceau doré commun aux parfums Lumière de la maison Grès
Un parfum dans la lignée de Coco mademoiselle, un chypré floral, mais plus doux. Il est agréable mais un peu léger, la tenue est correcte.
Ce n'est pas mon préféré, ni dans cette marque ni dans ce style de parfum, j'aime mieux le So élixir d'Yves Rocher, plus épicé et plus de caractère.
Si vous aimez les parfums discrets.

hm... i get some dark purple plum syrup from this.
there is something that smells slightly synthetic to me. on the other hand, not saying this was a bad scent just not something spectacular;
as others noticed this has similarities to quite a few fragrances out there. I don't know about coco mademoiselle, never liked that one, perchance this is why i ain't fancying this one either. Going by the notes this should have been something right up in my alley but it's not, it is just overripe plums.
bottle looks good tho.

I find it in a similar vein to Tom Ford's NdN and Armaf's CdNI (feminine) - except where they are deeper and darker, this is brighter and sweeter. If they were the evening/night/sexy time version, than this is the fun daytime version. Wears very well, long lasting, and great quality for minimal expense. Not really appropriate for being outside on a hot summer's day.

This is something between Coco Mademoiselle and Coco Mademoiselle Intense. If Intense is too much for you, try this one! It is a safe blind buy!

At the beginning it is very similar to CM, as almost everyone says... But it quickly transforms in a sweeter and darker version of it... Though, it does not last or projects at all... I had to apply 6 sprays to feel it a little bit and it didn't last more than 2 hours.

The smell is gorgeous: Pachouli + rose + sweetness + darkness + deepness + heaven + something evil... Very sexy...

I don't know why people are comparing it to Chanel Mademoiselle. It has a slight similarity but not a dupe by any means. I think it's just the fact that the citrus and the rose are very pronounced at the first spritz and that's all I get from Mademoiselle is citric rose. This one has patchouli but it's not very strong and it's mostly the amber that is responsible for the solid structure of the scent. It's strong but at the same time very soft, feminine, rosy, very much a rose perfume. Rose-Patchouli. It's sweet and sophisticated although the black packaging is misleading. It has nothing to do with incense, dark woods, strong patchouli or Oriental/mysterious scents at all. It's just a very nice rose perfume. I would say that this wears better at night and on cool spring days. This always gets me compliments. It's a perfume I like to wear with formal clothing to fancy dinners and parties. The price is very affordable but it does smell more expensive and like a luxurious perfume. If you're on a budget and you already have Mademoiselle but want something like that get this one. If you're on a budget and Mademoiselle is too expensive this one is a really nice alternative choice. But again not a dupe, just a similar vibe to Mademoiselle.. Really nice.

Nothing noir about this. A light, musky, very sweet fruitchouli with no earthy bass notes to it. The sweetness is a cotton candy kind. I am not keen. Others have commented that the longevity is poor. I find it pretty long lasting. Probably because I don't like it much!

BLACK CANDY FLOSS MADE OF ROSES

Rose entwined with woody patchouli but with not long enough longevity.

It opens so beautifully, like stepping into lovely fragrance floral mainly sugared rose and warm, powdery, woody patchouli cloud. Something about it makes it nearly oriental but is light one. It's like resting after enjoyable time on a warm patchouli bench in the rose garden still eating candy floss during dry evening. In respect, the perfume is quite simple, doesn't develop much but it's well balanced. I enjoy the fragrance a lot, got compliments even from women but the longevity is pitiful, even layering does not help. Despite its shortcoming, I still cherish the moments of happiness every time I spray this perfume on me.

Chypre is a stretch here....this is a nice fragrance. It's very lady like, very pearls and silk. It was not what I was hoping for but that does not mean it's bad. I am coming to you without knowledge of Coco M's smell so I can't help you there. I have owned Sanderling...this one is a little more biting than it. The rose seems either very synthetic or it is the musk and the lime that is throwing me off. Either way, I will wear it. I definitely prefer Noir to the Rose version of this. I thought I might try to buy the three but I think I will stop here. So concluding....to me (but I like serious heavy hitters....look at my profile) this is a delicate, rosey musk with a smidge of what I wanted which was the Rose/amber/patchouli. This leans much more toward a regular floral...a year round fragrance.

"WEAR YOUR GOOD PERFUME EVERY DAY....EVERYDAY IS A SPECIAL OCCASSION"-AGC

Oh~~I love this! I paid less than $20 for this one but smells excellent! Nicely blended rose & amber make me feel being elegant mature lady. Suitable for all season & all time. I definitely buy it again and again.

An unscented body cream applied around the collar bone will help hold the fragrance which is well worth buying. It is sweet, but not cloying once past the first few minutes and it is in the same family as Coco Mademoiselle. I haven't bought an expensive bottle of fume for some time (Iris Nobile at Xmas was my last) and the inexpensive buys have been French houses with little known quality perfumes. Example: Mauboussin (Histoire d'eau
Amethyst, Mauboussin and Pour Elle Rose, the last is my least favourite)
Also Givenchy Very Irresistible and offerings by Molinard and Molyneux (Quartz is beautiful)
Lumiere Noire: This lovely bottle is one I reach for often, a cheap and cheery perfume with a good base and no cringe factor. Recommended

On my skin it is Coco Mademoiselle edp. Exactly! With a hint of rose. Conveniently elegant, not snob. Delicious!!!!

Tested it on Thursday, bought it on Friday, wearing it todalry, a Winter Saturday night. Elegant & discreet, thought I've found MY NOIR

Sweet and pungent, much like Bath and Body Works Black Amethyst, Gres Cabotine Gold, and Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. All three are lovely, with Gold being the coolest of the three. To my nose it is most like Black Amethyst, but BA and Coco Mademoiselle were always very, very similar on my skin (in fact, if you want a little more staying power with Lumiere Noire, try layering it with the Black Amethyst lotion, which should still be available online). Mademoiselle is a bit more refined than Lumiere Noire, but also a little bit lighter and sweeter. When money is not an object I'll go for the Chanel, but for the price Lumiere Noire is the best buy of the four, as it smells just as lovely and won't break your bank account. Recommended.

Very delicate, fruitier than Miss Dior, light and very wearable. It seems to me quite young and sweet, but it also doesn't last worth a damn.

I put it on about a half hour ago and now I'm getting only the lightest whiff of floral amber when I put my nose up to my wrist.

Got this today and wow this is so nice and fine. It is a modern classic. For this price it is absoulutely underrated. I love it, it`s the best I got last times. It`s not the same as Chanel or Dior, but in the same class of quality and way, but I think it stands for itself. Very, very beautiful.

Oh, this is a beauty. This is right up there with Madame Gres as far as my favorite classy Gres scent. The packaging is lovely, and the scent is in the same family as my beloved Coco Mad/MDC/Miss Dior--the chypre floral sweet 'ladylike' scents that make me feel girly even in my Chucks and emo band tees. :)

This opens with a bright burst of bergamot and rose and feels like a smile as soon as I put it on. It starts to drydown into the warm, cozy, sexy amber/patch/rose scent that it remains for about 5 hours or so. The sillage is moderate (not huge) but I have been enjoying smelling myself all day long. I get a little bit of powdery---I really think that's the melding of the amber and rose together. It's not baby powder or face powder, just more of a soft sweater feel to it overall.

Very inexpensive, and very very worth it. Try it--you won't be disappointed.

Lumiere Noire is a gem that opens with a citrus burst that turns sweet and pleasant very quickly. The rose and patchouli dance together so well with patchouli being the leader. The amber note adds a degree of sweetness and warmth that renders the rose with a dark undertone.

Yes I agree Lumiere Noire is reminiscent of something much richer and expensive which makes this the best blind buy yet. It is worth trying, for the price you get a nice bottle with a wonderful juice, definitely worth more than its cost.

Longevity is great, this really last 7-8hrs on my skin, with moderate to soft sillage.

Allbeauty has this, 100ml for 27.97. I'm really wanting to try this one!

It really is similar to Coco Mademoiselle... just way cheaper! Elegant and very expensive smelling! Great blind buy!

What a pleasant surprise. This was a blind buy for me, and I was not disappointed.

This is a safe, light, comfortable daytime scent. Very good value, and a beautiful bottle. Works for office wear as it is not an intrusive scent.Longevity is not much to brag about though...

The "noir" on the bottle might be a bit misleading. I also find that the rose is not as dominating here as in for example Paul Smith - Rose or Givenchy Eaudemoiselle. All in all, I absolutely recommend getting a bottle.

The best, most affordable alternative to Coco Mademoiselle that I have come across so far.

Don't get fooled by the name 'Noir' - it's a nice, soft scent, that on me, in about an hour, becomes a skin scent. Lasts longer on clothes - around 7-8 hours. Not bad :)

This is fabulously similar to Coco Mademoiselle but heavier and deeper, veering towards Coco Noir, or what I remember of a sample last Summer. A definite place for this long term in my perfume drawer. I'm loving it.