Labdanum 18 by Le Labo: Perfume Review / Fragrance Review

Katie Puckrik smells Labdanum 18 by Le Labo. For more info, including where to buy, head on over to my blog: http://www.katiepuckriksmells.com/2009/05/le-labo-labdanum-18.html
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Theme song: "Perfume" by Sparks. Watch the video of the full song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFrFhwMQMXg

Transcript:

Personally, I love deep, animally fragrances, so Labdanum 18 by Le Labo is right up my furry alley. When I first encountered it, I had the image of a giant, Godzilla-sized baby rampaging through the city, destroying all in its path with warfare-grade talcum powder.

This is the labdanum talking. Labdanum is the resin from a shrub called rockrose. The smell is tantalizing: sweet, smoky and leathery. You might know it from Prada eau de parfum and Tom Ford's Amber Absolute.

In Labdanum 18, the animal aspects of the resin are played up with musk, civet and castoreum, known to their friends as deer butt, cat butt and beaver butt, respectively. Once the zoo joins the party, this eau de parfum becomes dangerous and sexy.

This one isn't loud, but it's lethal. Its sensuality hovers just above the skin, and it lasts forever. Intriguingly, the longer it's on, the fresher it becomes. Labdanum 18 goes on dirty, dries down clean. And that's when I spray on more and get dirty all over again. I'm Katie Puckrik, and I smell.

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[trident3b]

Great stuff. Have you reviewed Molecule01 and Chergui too? Would be interesting to see/hear your comments. I notice Helmut Lang mentioned in another post... indeed, I too have a bottle of that. It must be some 10 years old now and still packed away in a box in the UK... (I now live in Germany). Must dig that out again. Do perfumes die with age? Keep up the great reviews.

[KatiePuckrikSmells]

@trident3b Perfumes lose some of their punch with age, some turn, but if stored away from light/heat, it should be good enough.

I've reviewed both Molecule 01 and Chergui on my blog - go to my YouTube front page to find them on my Fragrance Names index.

[Cardsmaster]

Katie Puckrick, I remembered this review while i was snooping around at Barneys today. As soon as I sprayed it i said to myself "I HAVE this."

and I did....it's called Helmut Lang cologne...and they were both made by Maurice Roucel!! Wooooo glad I didn't have to spend the 200 bucks.

[KatiePuckrikSmells]

@Cardsmaster Bingo!! Helmut Lang is discontinued now, so you're lucky to have a bottle. It does appear ol' M. Roucel did a little recycling for L18. Waste not, want not. (In the same vein, Le Labo Vetiver 46 is Marc Buxton's take 2 on Comme des Garcons 2 Man.)

[FM897]

Sounds sexy!

[trident3b]

@KatiePuckrikSmells Thank you for your responses. A privilege & delight to receive them! Regarding Molecule01 and Chergui I shall try to look up your respective blogs. My Helmut Lang is indeed in a box i.e. protected from light, and in a cool if not cold garage, so with some luck it might still be ok then. Thank you!

[Fable215]

"Did you see how she said sexy" She's beautiful!

[KatiePuckrikSmells]

Gosh, that's a question you could apply to just about anything to the history of mankind! How did humans figure out cacti were edible? How did they figure out you could build a house out of cow dung? How did they figure out that coffee beans found in civet cat excrement are a gourmet treat? There are all sorts of "obviously weird ideas" that somehow got woven into the fabric of human existence and culture.

[SubconsciousGatherer]

@KatiePuckrikSmells I'd also like to know how many cigarette smokers know that their cigs also contain beaver anal gland secretions for the purposes of scent and taste. (You may not have that figure, but it's still something I'd like to find out.)

[SubconsciousGatherer]

@KatiePuckrikSmells Your eloquent point is well made and noted, but it still comes down to the difference between using human scents, plant scents, or beaver anal glands.* I'm ignorant to the entire history and process of how this came about (I admit that). I just don't understand how we got from "let's *not* use human odors, let's perhaps use flower odors, and oh wait...beaver anal glands, that's it!" I'm genuinely curious about learning what would've lead someone to try that.