Le Labo: Rose 31 and Vetiver 46


These days I'm wandering among Le Labo fragrances and especially Rose31, Labdanum18, Vetiver46 and Oud27.

I am writing about them because I found them particularly convincing, modern, creative, yet not too clean and sparkling. They retain a "dirty-ish" quality which I like very much. I invite you to take a look at their website with the artistic manifesto, and at an animation I found really amusing. Le Labo insists on the non-massification of fragrances, non-omologation of taste and style, and in fact their creatures are very different, skillfully put together by artists with different tastes and paths, and they all show the distinctive sign of the mark, whispering measure, simple refinement not at all showy, but where there is room for eccentricity that gives personality to the line as a whole. But I soon dropped the bla bla and focused on fragrances.

I started with Rose31 because I know that this note and I have little to share, but I must say I really liked this one. Perhaps because rose isn't the real protagonist, but half of a couple of well-assorted tango dancers. The tanguero, that is the other half of the couple, is a fresh incense that envelopes and almost hides the rose, making it mysterious and elusive. You know it's there but are unable to distinguish it, because spirals of incense veil the petals. Only in the final this perfect balance is broken and finally the rose, dressed in red, gives herself entirely to the applause of the public. And finally disappears in the arms of her mate. The composition expresses rarefied elegance, seduction, charm but all of these are, somehow, restraint. Perhaps this is the reason why I thought about tango. Moreover it's an intimate fragrance that diffuses little, and cedar wood and amber, togehter with an animal touch make it shady, nocturnal. It's probably meant to be smelt only by the wearer and the happy few who have the good fortune of being allowed to get nearer. As it happens between a pair of tangueros.

Vetiver46 instead, opens with a glittering cascade of unripe citrus fruit, which has the effect of a frozen splash in mid August. After a few minutes pepper and cedarwood make their appearance, and incense, too. But of a different type, very smoky and earthy. While Rose31 features a very refined incense, this one is luciferin, softened only by an evanescent amber note. This step frozen splash/hell brace is accomplished in 5 minutes. I don't know how they could do it: top notes last very little and incense fully developed almost immediately. A sort of pirouette which has left me amazed.
Tomorrow I'll post about the other two: Labdanum 18 and Oud27!
I took picture from here.

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