Flavorite

I forgot how creamy, fluffy, powdery and smooth this sensual elixir gel version of No.5 is. I had an unfortunate accident with my bottle soon after receiving it about 3 years ago, to my horror, half of it spilled out on the bathroom floor. Luckily the gel form pours slower than the liquid or it would have been all gone. So I have been hoarding the remaining portion for special occasions. Well tonight I dusted it off to write this review and wow, so pretty! I must confess I love aldehydes! I can't think of anything better after a long hot bath. This is still so fine. It has just the skeleton of the original fragrance but is much more sheer in the powder and floral department and on my skin the cozy woody base really comes out giving a very calming feeling. This is indeed very sensual, familiar with out being exactly that same old No.5 tune. Perhaps I am a little jaded having worn No.5 original EDP all through high school...and having been very unpopular with the fellas. I wasn't until I switched into Terra Nova's China Rain and Paco Rabanne's Calandre that heads started to turn, so I think of Chanel as more of- meh, although I can now respect it's stunning purity and legendary status. But the Sensual Elixir is really a unique creature in many ways. I highly suggest that if you liked the original but found it a little too stuffy, proper or repressed that you try the elixir. If you don't like the original at all, you may also want to check this one out...it's more modern in its construction. Yet,if I were assigned with the task of giving this a proper unique conceptually based name I think I would call this fragrance "Sheer silk".

The words I long to hear! This is hands down the only fragrance I've ever sampled where 6 unrelated individuals made the same comment to me on the street along with several other devilish smiles and intrigued sideways glances. I tried this on a hot sunny day in L.A. This starts of as the most benign fresh clean white musk. A slight powdery note, a tad of aldehydes, a bit of rose and a touch of wood. I protested initially when the S.R. said it had a little patchouli in the base...but she persisted that I would be pleasantly surprised. I am so glad I didn't listen to my little inner patchouli alarm that day. Musc 25 is so masterfully blended that the patchouli is merely a rounded facet on this gem it morphs from clean musk to warm powdery to a little sexy in about 2 hours and some how gets better and better the more body heat and sunshine is applied to it. What was so mysterious about this fragrance was that as I became less and less aware of its presence others seemed become more and more attracted to it and to me. One of my biggest regrets in perfume world is not springing for a bottle of this LA Boutique Exclusive when I was there. Now I think about it nearly everyday, wishing it was my signature scent. Plotting a secret trip to Cali for the sole purpose of acquiring "My Precious". This is probably the only Le Labo that I would invest in the full bottle without further adieu.

This is a sharp and painful fragrance that gives me an instant migraine headache. The first and most significant thing I detect is a fixative chemical followed by an abundance of synthetic white roses. I find this scent is brutal and totally noxious. From the name and the beautiful bottle I was expecting a clean fresh delicate rose with perhaps some citrus and clean musk in the drydown. No dice, this the type of fragrance I would wear to a bitter divorce trial.

This is my second time wearing my sample and I am having a much better experience than my first impression. This is indeed very low sillage, translucent and watery in its manifestation. Easily appropriate for young children/tweens, but also a fine non-offensive day scent for corporate adults. When I visited the Le Labo Boutique in L.A. the S.R. made it very clear the mission of Le Labo is not to impress the audience in the first 15 minutes but to haunt and enslave us in the drydown and linger for hours peeking from the skin like a Cheshire cat (my words not hers) but she said Le Labo is all about the drydown. I am finding that is true- not only could I not formulate a review on this scent in the first hour, but it wouldn't do it justice if I did. What I perceived in the first 15 minutes was something like one drop of APOM pour Femme plus one drop of KM's Peau de Peche diluted in a liter of distilled water. However after one hour I can really not detect anything when I smell the location on my wrist, and yet when I wave my arm through the air I can detect the most soft feminine swoon-worthy soft orange blossom, ambrette seed and rounded warm golden amber it confers a subtle yet confident "I know I smell good" vibe. Of course, if you are not familiar with the house of Le Labo's fragrance naming system, let's just say, it's a bit tongue-in-cheek, IMO. If you're hunting for that quintessential ambrette experience- I don't believe this fragrance will clearly identify the essence of ambrette for anyone. This is art; a complete complex composition, for that I applaud it. Would I wear this...Yes! It is light, clean (a little soapy at first), fresh, breezy and yet creates a yearning in the soul for more- it's a beautiful signature skin scent for Spring and Summer. I think a man could wear this as well with the layering of a little leather, musk, vetyver, coffee, lavender, tobacco, coriander, woody note or something to give it a bit of a ruggedly handsome feeling. Sadly, there are so many more interesting fragrances with more attention to the bottle and decent sillage for 140usd, I can't imagine owning this unless the magical fragrance pixies dropped it on my doorstep.

In spite of how ruthlessly Luca Turin dismissed this fragrance, it remains a runaway success story with young women in the 18-50 group. It's success lies in the simple appeal of positive energy by incorporating sunny juicy yuzu with white musk and a light tuberose and gardenia floral mix. This is one of those rare fragrances that is both light and joyful in composition and yet persistent as it lingers in hair for hours and on clothes for days. The light trail of tropical musk and flowers with just a spritz of citrus zest leaves a gentle caress behind the wearer and a memory of Summer. On my skin, a single spritz is sufficient for at least 24 hours (including showers). Oddly enough the first thing that comes to mind with I apply this an icy gulp of purple fizzy grape Crush soda. Fortunately this odd memory disappears and suddenly I am transported to Maui taking a relaxed stroll down the beach front, wearing a flower in my hair. The clean "pacific" white musk gives a effortless touch of sensuality. This is not a very "deep" or complex fragrance, but it is effective in its genre and definitely stands next to Kai, Child and Monyette Paris in the carefree-pretty-girly-tropical-floral-skin scents. It's definitely a vacation in a bottle that I don't reach for everyday, but when I do wear this I find sun glasses, sandals, a big hat and a peaceful cheerful mood accompany it.