Sometimes I don’t get to posting my thoughts because I’m too busy or lazy, but there are some topics that seem to be actually cursed. This has definitely been the case with this second part of Le Labo city exclusives testing. At first I was just not in the mood because anything American reminded me about the political situation there. Once I got over that*, I lost my Vanille 44 sample before I had managed to test it properly. After weeks of sulking, I went to Paris almost entirely to obtain that stupid sample (it’s the Paris exclusive) and then lost Cuir 28, which is the Dubai one and even I am not crazy enough to fly to Dubai only for a perfume sample.

I decided to proceed without Dubai, but lost my – as it turned out, unsaved – notes not just once but twice. The only good thing about all of this frustration is that meanwhile, September came along again and I managed to order my missing sample as well as Osmanthus 19 (Kyoto), which is the new addition in the line. Another potential positive is that because it’s taken so long, I’ve worn all these scents at least three times, most of them more. Then again, I have also become more and more conscious of the fact that these are just my very personal, very non-definitive thoughts on these scents. I have looked up other reviews and I often cannot even tell we are talking about the same perfume; and, of course, the views of different wearers contradict each other as well. Not to mention that my own impressions have also evolved!

All this is to say that you should treat my opinions with caution. I guess these mini-reviews are most useful to you in case your taste is similar to mine. But even if it isn’t, I am trying to at least help you narrow down which ones you might like or want to test. So here I go again, hopefully for the last time…

Amsterdam/Mousse de Chene 30. This was an early favourite of my exclusives-testing journey. I tried it in Le Labo’s Brooklyn store and liked it immediately. It’s a chypre, or a neo-chypre, as the brand itself calls it, and for once, the description is spot-on. It’s heavy on oakmoss and patchouli without actually being heavy, the overall impression is transparent and modern. There are some spices (pink pepper, cinnamon) and a fruity-floral note that I cannot identify but really like. Sometimes I get more of it than others and I like the sent more when it’s more prominent; it provides such a pretty counterpoint to the bitter-ish moss. Mousse de Chene is interesting and really nice, and its woody and modern vibe is also a rather good fit for its titular city.

Miami/Tabac 28. Another woody scent, this one is much deeper and richer. I was initially expecting that Miami would be something summery, possibly fruity and tacky, but of course a Cuban cigar and rum inspired fragrance also makes complete sense. I often don’t like tobacco in perfume – or, to be more precise, I like the idea, but not the execution. Here, however, it’s done really well. The tobacco is unmistakable, but works beautifully with dark woods, booze, and a bit of leather and spice. It is a traditionally masculine scent (while Mousse de Chene I would call unisex), which should of course not prevent any woman from wearing it – the drydown after a night out would smell gorgeous on any gender. I would particularly recommend trying it if you like Tom Ford’s wood and leather perfumes or things like Arquiste’s Nanban and Margiela’s Jazz Club – all admittedly better value for money than the Le Labo.

Paris/Vanille 44. When people said that Vanille 44 smells like Diptyque’s Eau Duelle, I was sceptical. After first trying the Le Labo scent, I thought they had similarities, but Duelle seemed drier, sheerer and more complex than Vanille 44. But when I smelled them side-by-side, I had to admit that they are, indeed, rather similar. Both woody vanillas that are not sickly sweet, but just smell lovely in a refined way. Vanille 44 is, I would say, a bit more of a straight-up vanilla than Duelle and the latter is sheerer, but I don’t think the Le Labo is particularly unctuous either. I am not a vanilla person, but I can definitely see why this one is popular (it is apparently among the top sellers from the line, if not number 1) and I would wear it, but not buy it for that kind of money. If you ARE a vanilla person, however, this is definitely worth checking out, especially if your taste runs more towards natural, non-gourmand versions**. I still maintain, though, that it’s not a good fit for Paris, which requires a cooler perfume.

Berlin/Cedrat 37. This smells to me as a rather generic woody citrus. Not bad by any means, but not doing anything interesting either. There is some ginger, which I think I can smell, but only because it’s mentioned in the notes. It is easy to wear and nice enough, although I find that the lemon-and-clean wood combo ends up a bit detergent-like. So for me, it is one of those I would not specifically seek out if you already have a favourite in this genre. It is also absolutely not a scent I would associate with Berlin.

London/Poivre 23. I am not sure I would necessarily associate Poivre 23 with London either, as this place in my brain is forever occupied by Tom Ford’s sadly discontinued London, but it does not seem wrong the way Berlin does. This smells like sweet pepper – as in black pepper, not paprika. The pepper note is rather prominent, so I think you have to like it to enjoy this perfume. The base is a pretty sweet vanilla-amber-wood mix, but if you don’t mind the sweetness, it’s lovely – and it is balanced by the spiciness of the pepper. If you wanted Vanille 44 to be deeper and richer, you should give this a go, although it’s definitely not a pure vanilla scent (then again, neither is Vanille 44).

Seoul/Citron 28. When I sprayed it for the first time, I got a beautiful, light jasmine note and very little else. This made me a fan from the first sniff and I remain one, but as I continued to wear Citron 28, I got less jasmine and more something else. Don’t get me wrong, this is still very much a jasmine-forward scent, with some citrus and woods mixed in. But to my nose it now smells like jasmine green tea: I have not seen this mentioned in any of the other reviews, so perhaps this is just an olfactory illusion created by some specific facet of the jasmine note. In any case, I find this scent very pretty and easy to wear. You have to be OK with white florals to like it, but this is a very modern, non-overwhelming take on the genre.

Dubai/Cuir 28. Very much on the other end of the spectrum we have Cuir 28. I expected to love this, as I enjoy leather scents and Le Labo can certainly do darker, more masculine perfumes I like, but this was a complete fail. To me, the leather here smells extremely tannic and the entire fragrance unpleasantly sharp. I get some vetiver, another note I usually like, but just like the leather, it is sharp and headache-inducing in this interpretation. The unpleasantness calms down somewhat as the scent develops but isn’t replaced by anything much better. It smells like toxic masculinity to me. If you are looking for something on the deeper end of the spectrum from the city exclusives, Tabac 28, Benjoin 19 and Gaiac 10 are all far superior in my view.

Dallas/Aldehyde 44. This one, on the other hand, I did not expect to like at all. Aldehydes are a difficult for me and while I respect perfumes like Chanel No 5 and Rive Gauche, they are not my thing. I expected Aldehyde 44 to have a similar vibe, to remind me of eighties, shoulder pads and soap operas (I mean, it’s called Dallas!). And initially, I felt that this was pretty much what I got. But as I continued to wear it, I changed my mind. After I adjusted to the initial blast of aldehydes, I realised with wonder that I actually… like it? This perfume gives you exactly what it says on the tin: a cloud of soapy aldehydes, masterfully blended with clean white florals and musk. It is abstract, but friendlier than I expected. If you are someone why is interested in modern aldehydic fragrances, I think you should give it a try. And if you are someone who is curious about the note but cannot handle the classics, this might be a good option for you, too.

Hong Kong/Bigarde 19. Another fragrance, another note that I don’t like, but this time I remained unconverted. The top notes of Bigarde 19 are neroli, bergamot and bigarde (bitter orange). All three are scents that I don’t particularly like (in perfume), although there are some notable exceptions***. So if you are a person who normally loves these notes, there is a good chance you’ll at least like this fragrance – unlike some Le Labos, it will actually deliver what it promises. But I do not think this one would convert a bigarde/neroli/bergamot sceptic, as it really is just these three on a base of clean musk. Expertly done, I am sure, but not for me.

Kyoto/Osmanthus 19. The latest entry into the city exclusives family is perfectly OK and the notes make sense for Kyoto. It is woody, it is amber-y, it is a bit incense-y. There is some osmanthus, but if you are expecting prominent floral or fruity notes (osmanthus smells a bit like apricot), you will be disappointed. What is worse, though, is that it doesn’t stand out in any way. They are obviously not the same, but Osmanthus 19 seems like a watered-down version of Benjoin 19. Even if you disagree with this comparison, for every main component of this scent there is a better city exclusive available and the overall vibe is not distinct enough. I wish they had gone with more osmanthus on a lighter, less amber-heavy base while keeping the woods and incense.

So this is it. It has been an interesting journey for me and I am thinking that I’ll do a similar overview of Chanel exclusives – the advantage here being that I know the line rather well already. The one regret I have, apart from taking so long, is that I didn’t compare the fragrances to the regular Le Labo line-up. But that would have slowed me down further, so it is what it is. I hope this can be helpful for some of you when ordering your samples or considering a reckless blind buy.

And if you already have a favourite city exclusive, let me know in the comments!

*I got over it in the context of writing about Le Labo, not more generally.

**You may also want to try Eau Duelle, if you haven’t, it may turn out that you like it as much or more, which would mean money saved.

***Fleur d’Oranger by Serge Lutens and Bergamote by The Different Company in particular.