So, one of my all time favorite things to shop for and gifts to give during the holiday season is fragrance. There's something so thoughtful and equally luxurious about giving someone special the perfect scent. It's like the final touch of everyone's beauty/grooming regimen and star atop of every outfit of the day - who doesn't love fragrances!
That being said, there's a new obsession of mine that I have to share with you guys. The last few months, I have been searching the city high and low for the perfect collections of perfumes and colognes and I believe I've found it. Le Labo, a fine perfumery, mixes truly luxurious oils and ingredients to create the most incredible irreverent, bold scents. After testing a few scents at barney and falling in love, I decided to take a tour of the brand's flagship store nestled in the heart of NoLIta on Elizabeth Street.
Right away, two of the scents from their classic collection stuck out for me, Santal 33 and their newest addition Noir 29 - the number in their title noting the number of ingredients in each. Both scents smell woodsy and masculine, but are very different from each other. Smelling Santal I was able to pick up on more smoky, spicy notes. It was very Western/Americana. Noir was more sensual with its dry, leafy hints of tobacco and full body musk.
Each scent is available in Sample sizes ($6), Solid Perfumes, Amulet Diffusers, Liquid Balms, Perfume Oils, Travel Tubes, and Perfume Bottles (0.5, 1.7, or 3.4 Fl. Oz.) - which all range between $70 and $240.
Pour les femmes, my gift recommendation would be one of Le Labo's proud statement fragrances, Rose 31. This incredible perfume is created with Grasse roses - hand-picked in France's perfume capitol. But, the brand mixes and balances the feminine notes of rose with masculine scents of cedar and amber creating a fragrance unlike any other.
One of my favorite aspect of the brand's shopping experience is that the scents are compounded to order. You can watch as they bottle your scent right in front of you. Also, each order is personalized with your name - either on the box or the actual bottle/candle or both! It just truly feels like an experience, and adds icing to the sweet-scented cake that is the perfect holiday gift (whether it be for yourself or someone special).
Be sure to stop by Le Labo's flagship store to test all our their incredible scents - and have your fragrance compounded right before your very eyes - located at 233 Elizabeth Street in NoLIta. Or snag some amazing Le Labo holiday gifts online at lelabofragrances.com.