Spotlight On: Serge Lutens

Serge Lutens has long been famed as a perfume master and makeup artist extraordinaire, and women worldwide obsess over his exclusive cosmetics line, which he has perfected through years of work and expertise. His fragrances are adored for their complex scents—almost no flower or note is left behind. Each fragrance is unique, and seems to release a different layer the longer you smell it. His elegantly packaged makeup line is one of the most desirable to place on your dressing table, and is curated down to the essentials every woman needs. He was also a photographer and art director, working with legendary photographers like Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. We spoke with Serge about his inspiration, makeup collection, and what he finds beautiful about a woman.

Q & A: SERGE LUTENS

Q: You began your career in hair, makeup, and jewelry at Vogue, then collaborated with photographers such as Irving Penn, and launched a makeup collection before you came out with your eponymous fragrance line. What made you decide to tackle the world of scent too?            An opportunity in the perfume industry opened up and seemed to call to me. Over time I became very attuned to the precious substances used in perfume making. They need to be understood, and you need to form a relationship with them.

Q: What is the starting point for creating a new perfume?
Anything can inspire a scent— objects, sounds, or words. I never take the direct path to creating a scent. I prefer to take all of the different ingredients and think of them in an abstract way. It’s like looking at a bicycle and then taking all the pieces apart to look at them in a different way.

Q: Which is your favorite scent and what do you like to smell most on women?
That is so hard to say, as smells appeal to everyone so differently. Even a dish that smells delicious before a meal can seem to be unappetizing when you are full. It changes every day, all the time.

Q: Do you think you can ever retire from creating fragrances?
That is unthinkable! I don't think anyone can ever truly leave something that they are passionate about.

Q: We love your makeup line. Can you explain why you chose to make only a few, select products?
They are beauty essentials, and are intentionally small in size. I didn't want them to be mass produced, so they're more special this way. A woman needs only a few perfect products to look her best. I’ll no doubt make more, but in a clever, subtle way.

Q: What do you think makes a woman beautiful?
A woman needs to have her own sense of self to be beautiful, and she can be beautiful in her actions or words instead of just physical looks.