First experience with Serge Lutens

I'll tell you what started this obsession. I live in a relatively small city where the most upscale department store is Dillard's and there are no perfume boutiques. So occasionally I would get a wild hair and read about something (perfume) that sounded good and just order it online, unsniffed. I know, I know...

I read about La Parfum de Therese by Frederic Malle and it sounded like something I would like. But I'm not completely insane and it costs way too much to order without smelling it first (at the time, I was unaware of the fabulous decant community going on at Ebay). My daughter and I were planning to go to Dallas in late November for a concert. Yeah, we like the same music. Don't know if that's weirder for her or for me. And I remembered that there was a Barneys that had recently opened in Northpark and that they carry Malle. So we planned us a little side-trip. We took my daughter's little chihuahua, Stanley, who pranced along nicely. Man, I love taking dogs into fancy stores...hehehehe.
They had lots of very attentive salespeople and finally one who decided we were hers. I headed off toward the table with all the Malle fragrances and she headed off right after me. She started asking questions about what my favorite notes were and what fragrances I wore the most. Then she took the bottle I was trying to smell away from me and all but pushed me over to another table. That would be the Serge Lutens table. She grabbed my arm, pushed up my sleeve and sprayed Chergui all over it. And I nearly swooned on the spot..........

I didn't even know that I liked leather as a perfume note! Or tobacco. Or honey. And how did this complete stranger (completely bossy stranger) know that I would love this? That kinda scares me. But now I am compelled to investigate all things Lutens. So far, so good. I have tried Clair de Musc, A La Nuit, Fleur d'Oranger, Daim Blond, Rahat Loukhoum, Tubereuse Criminelle, Chypre Rouge and Mandarine Mandarin. I like Clair de Musc and Tubereuse Criminelle and am slowly falling in love with Mandarine Mandarin. Thank God for decants, huh?

On a related note, we went back to Barneys two days later to try the whole Malle thing again, but no luck. That woman just insists they aren't for me. So I ordered a decant from Ebay. Don't have it yet, but I'm ready.