Le Labo Poivre 23 is one of the City Exclusives, and this one is from London. Created by Nathalie Lorson in 2008, it is a rich, distinctive oriental fragrance. Le labo tends to not have the perfumes about whatever name they gave them, and it's more of a sketch. Poivre 23 keeps the pepper always around you, but it's not a pepper that is too much or too sharp. It's smoothed out with the incense and vanilla, but still never losing that little bit of bite. This is a rich, unusual and stunning perfume.
Notes of pepper, cistus labdanum, incense, sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla, gaiac and styrax.
From Basenotes - "The most stunning perfume I experienced thus far on my fragrance journey. Superlatives could fill the page with this one and then do the same over and over. An absolutely sublime creation that takes the concept of transparent almost ethereal permume artistry and anchors it to a spiritual caress of the soul. Really, no other fragrance has had this profound effect on me. Poivre 23 has it all, and does so in a manner that befits its almost transendental agency.....Again a marvel in the niche world and so well constructed that I bypassed the need for smelling salts when confronted with the hefty price.... Superb !!!!!!!!!!!!!"
From Perfume Posse - "But what you get, in the top notes, is exactly what the label says. Pepper. Not fine white powder that irritates the throat and tickles the nose. Not black heaviness to remind you of the oversized phallic grinders of old fashioned Italian trattorias. Nor the ubiquitous pseudo pink pepper of all-and-sundry scents. But a pepper of wonder; the sort of pepper the first traders must’ve sniffed and felt the wingstrokes of angels in the rhythm of their fast-beating hearts. It shocks, it makes the familiar strange. Fruity, alcoholic, nuanced with rounded spicy accents, I did a little gasp (truly, I did) when I smelled it.
"Of course, the magically fruity aspects don’t last, but if anything it gets better – the patchouli and cistus kick in and come close to a smell I’ve dreamed of wearing – that of Diptyque’s magnificent room scent, Maquis. Dirty, open-aired, woody, spicy, ungendered. Wonderful. It sweetens in the Menardo way as it dries down, but really smells like nothing else I know, and for me, recovering from my out-of-love-with-perfume condition, that is nigh on miraculous."
From Olfactoria's Travels - "Poivre 23 is dark and resinous, unsweet and warm, a bit masculine leaning and rough around the edges. I find myself reminded of sitting in front of a fireplace, feeling the intense heat on my face, and the cold in my back. Watching the dancing flames, bathed in orange light, the darkness watching and waiting just beyond the small radius of light.
A big spice combo of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, and cumin. It all sits on the brand’s familiar base blend of ambery vanilla musk. The dry-down brings out labdnanum and incense. I didn't think this was special enough for a "city exclusive" (or the outrageous price); and Le Labo offers much better perfumes in their main line.
A big spice combo of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, and cumin. It all sits on the brand’s familiar base blend of ambery vanilla musk. The dry-down brings out labdnanum and incense. I didn't think this was special enough for a "city exclusive" (or the outrageous price); and Le Labo offers much better perfumes in their main line.
