Encre Indigo
Lalique (2023)

Sampling Lalique Encre Indigo, a fittingly bluish relative of the dark, ashy, vetiver-rich Encre Noire, and part of the same collection, fittingly a fresher alternative. It immediately reminds me of Yves Saint Laurent M7 Fresh in its pairing of a burst of freshness against a familiar, darker backdrop, and I like that aspect immediately, sort of the best of the both worlds for those looking to avoid anything too dark or boringly fresh. I love the bright opening of juniper berry, pink pepper, and bergamot, giving way to the familiar vetiver-led drydown that also entails black tea and saffron. Overall, it’s versatile, useful, interesting, and a logical option for those that miss M7 Fresh. Plus, it performs quite well.

Encre Indigo is EDP concentration and its full retail pricing the house’s US website is $139/95 for 100/50ml, so it’s considerably pricier than either Encre Noire or the a la Extreme flanker, both available on the secondary market for a fraction of the Encre Indigo pricing, so presumably Encre Indigo should be less expensively eventually.

8 out of 10

Sample from Lalique.

Initial impressions : opening bergamot, followed immediately by the addition of a rubbery saffron accord, then vetiver underneath. The saffron gives it a mildly leathery aspect. And there is a 'cool breeze', possibly meant to be juniper or black tea. No obvious patchouli at the start. ETA : the patchouli arrives, and it has a minty camphoraceous aspect. The vetiver recedes somewhat. The whole thing is not sweet at all. Not as 'transparently dark' as EN (as befits indigo vs black). However, EI wears quite lightly, so it has a similar transparency.

I'm not blown away by this at first sniff, but it's growing on me.
This feels like another riff on Encre Noire, and really not bad at all. Very Nathalie Lorson.
If you wanted a change from EN, this could be what you're looking for.

I only own a FB of EN, as I found ENE too similar to justify owning both. Think the same might apply to Encre Indigo. I'm not a collector, and I try to keep my Wardrobe pared back.

Lalique certainly do nice packaging.
At discounter prices, I might buy this for the bottle, but the contents are OK too.
There is plenty left in my sample to test again, and I'm looking forward to that.