Lavande 31 Le Labo 2023

First of all, the people claiming this is like straight-up laundry detergent, please point me to the detergent you're using because I have never smelled one that smells as good as this. That out of the way, this is certainly soapy. I'd even say it's laundry-ish. But it's elevated, it's more than that. It's clear when people smell you that this scent isn't your laundry. There's certainly lavender here but it shares the spotlight with orange blossom, citrus and powdery musk. This is not a light perfume - I wouldn't wear it in the summer but it's perfect when you want something cozy and clean in cooler weather. The people calling this masculine - what? This is unisex leaning femme. My husband would never wear something as feminine as this.

I bought it at a perfume shop, despite the fact that it didn’t impress me at first. Honestly, the main reason I decided to purchase it was the fact that my girl liked it very much. I almost regretted the purchase at the very beginning.

Though, after a couple of uses, something clicked – and this is when the love actually began! It’s a truly lovely and elegant scent. After the initial citrus notes open up, a lovely lavender comes through with a whisper of musk. If you use it the way the salesperson told you to – on your skin and on your clothing – you are wrapped to a series of lovely waves of this incredible scent – always subtle and always delightful!

It certainly makes an appearance and lasts well, far from what I thought. Of course, it’s no powerhouse fraguerie, but what it does, it does very well. A couple of times, people noticed a light touch of incense — subtle and very pleasant — although this is something that escapes me.

“Perfect for warm weather, although perfectly wearable during cooler days too, I find it to be ideal for daytime wear.” “I've heard people say that it smells exceedingly feminine, but I don’t agree with that assessment whatsoever. In addition to the belief that scented products are essentially gender-neutral, this fragrance itself seems more male-oriented to me.”

I’m glad that I ended up giving it more opportunities, because it actually surprised me.

Genuinely realistic lavender — this smells like standing outside next to a lavender plant in full bloom, which is a real compliment to the quality of the material. Some coumarin warmth develops underneath as it progresses but the composition stays largely floral and linear throughout. The problem for me is exactly that — it stays where it starts. Pleasant, natural, well-executed for what it is. Just not complex or structured enough for my rotation and too firmly in the floral register to find a place in my collection.

Well first things first, this is a quite straightforward feminine leaning neroli fragrance. Think Essential's Neroli Botanica, it's close to that. The namesake lavender only whispers, and it's dangerously around a fabric conditioner territory.

Overall it's nice but crazy to pay retail price for this smell.

Neroli, musk, and a touch of lavender. The effect is basically like having a scent similar to that of some liquid soaps or household cleaners. It's hyper-synthetic due to the musk used, but it's still quite pleasant.
If you're looking for lavender, there's some really high-quality stuff out there, at a fraction of the price.