Le Lion de Chanel Chanel 2020

Le Lion out-niches the niche houses, and it does it with no nasty amberwoods. It’s loud, strong, and smoky, but it’s also warm, vanillic, and cozy. I can sort of see the Shalimar comparisons, but this has a prominent labdanum note and what smells like a hefty dose of Guaiac wood and it’s far smokier than any modern Shalimar. It’s also literally 10 times as strong and doesn’t go acrid baby powder the way Shalimar can. As a perfumer, this level of naturalism, balance, wearability, and potency is what I aspire to. A masterpiece.