Le Labo Santal 33

Ok so a couple weeks ago ok fine, last Friday I was binge reading Byrdie and found a write up by their LA editor on Le Labo Santal 33. Not only did she make a strong argument that this was what everyone along the West Coast was wearing, she also got my shopping addict of a self flying to Barneys.com and Net-a-Porter trying to locate this frangrance! Le Labo was founded in 2006 by Eddie Roschi and Fabrice Penot with Santal 33 being the most well known although their Bergamote 22 is a close second. Made to order, each of their perfumes is an indulgence worth trying, and Santal 33  lies just enough on the border of strong and rich that it’s meant for men and women. As someone who stole her brother’s Ralph Lauren as a 13 year old, I think I’m going to like this.

Fast forward to Wednesday and I now have both a roll on and a solid in my possession so I’m trying it out through the weekend to see if this truly is worth all the hype. I can tell you so far, the packaging is already a sell for me. The solid comes in this gunmetal casing that slides open and the roll on looks like it’s right out of an apothacry. As a collector, I am always on the hunt for whatever is different. Granted, in this case I will be like everyone on the West Coast, but I will still be that random person here on the East Coast! So yay me!

I’m Indian (If my name didn’t give it away) and growing up I would bring home sandalwood soap at least once a month. It’s a heady frangrance, and it definitely makes a statement. Pair that with the hint of leather, spices, and cedar and you have yourself something special, aka, Santal 33. It’s a fragrance you want to catch on the breeze and carry through the air so it’s ideal for spring as well as fall. So here we are in the begining of spring, even if the flurries from this week say otherwise, and all I want to do is run around town to see if that editor’s experience can be mine too.

 

Thursday

So to begin my test run, I needed an excuse to break away from admin day here at The Hare & Style. Lucky for me, my laptop charger kicked it and my phone decided I was not allowed to text so I decided this was divine intervention, got dressed, rubbed some Santal on my pulse points and off I went to the Apple Store. Once there, I found myself lingering a little longer around random people wondering if someone would be jealous enough to ask what I was wearing, but I ended up looking more like a clepto ready to swipe that new iWatch. And as someone who would give the side eye if anyone meandered that close to me I understood and sulked to my spot at the Genius Bar.

After the mall I figured I’d take it for one last spin before heading home for the night so I made my way to Alto for a late dinner, but it was packed and the only table left was in a corner, by the kitchen, away from any chance of people walking by and catching a whiff. This trial wasn’t going my way at all so I decided to start again Friday.

Friday

I woke up excited to try on my Santal again. I kept trying to get used to it last night, it’s such a unique mix that every time I inhaled my wrist I felt like I had a new discriptive for it. Heady, exotic, etc. But my real test is if other people liken it to such favorable adjectives as well. The only person though who bothered to comment on it all day was my mother and she likened it to a jackfruit. Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever had jackfruit, but it’s a little too sweet so that was a disappointment. I told her what it is was and forced my wrist in her face again, demanded she recant, and lucky for me she did. Acknowledging that the woody and spicy notes of the sandalwood kick in after the top notes do their thing.

And then it was night time and I finally had true success! Maxwells is this new and cool spot with fancy judges paneling lining the whole place and my friend Michelle wanted to go see her bud, Brian Pilger perform so I, acting as DD tagged along Santaled up. And in the packed crowd that was Maxwells that night I got every comment I was desperate for; heavenly, awesome, different, “what is that?!?!?!” and of course, “OOOOOooooo!” Success.

Saturday

Meeting up with the girls tonight for our guest writer, Anick’s birthday and I’m opting for the roll on Santal. And this one did not disappoint either. Tucked in a booth, each of us took turns raving about how amazing it smells. Anick even had me forward the website to her so she can indulge! Speaking of, here you go! Le Labo Anyway, so throughout dinner, every time I brought my fork to my mouth the scent hit me and I felt this serenity come over me and it made my dinner experience all the more pleasurable. This is why you spend the money on luxury items, because the quality is unreal. Granted, not everything worth experiencing costs an arm and a leg, but for moments of pure pleasure I’m willing to invest.

So to wrap this weekend up, I am so glad I binge read in the middle of the night and I am forever grateful for my shopaholic tendencies because I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. Now, I’m going to go back to getting high off my own wrist.

Xo,

THS

SHOP LE LABO FRANGRANCES