Katie Puckrik succinctly describes Le Labo Poivre 23 as "peppermill overkill" while Lee from Perfume Posse shifts into imagery voice hyperdrive and writes that Poivre 23 is "a pepper of wonder; the sort of pepper the first traders must've sniffed and felt the wingstrokes of angels in the rhythm of their fast-beating hearts."
Okay, well, admittedly, Poivre 23 is very nice, and yes, it's certainly dry and nose-ticklingly peppery -- which, unlike the vid-friendly Ms. Puckrik, I happen to like quite a bit -- but "pepper of wonder" and "wingstrokes of angels" might just be pushing the ol' metaphor cart down the hyperbole highway at speeds that will frighten the children.
Under a full moon, and maybe surrounded by a thousand flickering candles, I can see where someone might lose his/her head and fall truly, madly, deeply for Poivre 23. It's got all the right notes, tones and gestures: a bold come-on, a spicy-smooth follow-through, a warm embrace before it departs, but this is a Le Labo, after all, and as with any Le Labo, the artistry is as much a focus as the cash register.
Part of the City Exclusive series (you know, the series of fragrances that the Le Labo guys thought would be sooooo coooool if they near thoroughly restricted consumer access to -- yeah, THAT series), Poivre 23 was originally created to sell at Liberty of London and Liberty of London only, but a funny thing happened on the way to the recession and The Little French Perfumery That Could suddenly found themselves with a sh**load of "exclusive" product and scarcely a soul left to buy it.
What happened next was entirely predictable: Voila! A full month of access to the entire City Exclusive fragrance series, online and in every Le Labo location -- hence, my hot and happy little paws on a bottle of peppery Poivre 23.
Now, it's entirely possible that my flipping of the 'tude here could leave one with the impression that the whole Le Labo arts-n-farts thing is not my bag, but au contraire, mon frère! I'm a fan of their deliberately left of center fragrance choices, their oh so industrial leave the bells and ribbons to the children packaging style, the manufactured (i.e. smoke and mirrors) exclusivity of their product -- it sends a tickled thrill right up my leg.
Out of their permanently available lineup, I very much approve of Labdanum 18 (a boozey, incense delight), Rose 31 (one of the best masculine roses around) and Patchouli 24 (the charred heart of everyone's favorite tar baby), and when Poivre 23 was first released, I was initially irritated that it had been whisked away to the VIP City Exclusive area, safe from clutches as common as mine, but I also knew that these things have a way of working themselves out and that I would either find my way to Poivre 23, or Poivre 23 would find its way to me.
Thanks to wiser, financially-savvy heads in the Le Labo boardroom, plus the great deal-makers at Lucky Scent, Poivre 23 found its way to me (and I couldn't be happier).
I wrote this about Poivre 23 after first testing it in April of 2009: "Poivre 23 begins life with a unique exhale like dried habanero pepper dust, then matures into a smokey, spicy take on vanilla, as if the perfumers in the lab blended a number of resinish, woodsy ingredients that exhibit vanillic tendencies (i.e. labdanum, benzoin, tonka, etc.) and said, "Voila! C'est vanille!" And since imitation vanilla is manufactured from clove oil (eugenol) or as a breakdown product of lignin from conifer trees, I have to wonder if that faint, spruce-goose and spice choir singing in the background is a vague nod to the origins of contemporary vanillin production."
And while Poivre 23 is sprucy, spicy and slightly gourmand, there's also a quirky burnt note buried in the middle, as if someone doused a pan of sugar in kerosene, lit a match and then bottled the smoke. Strange and yet strangely attractive -- the qualities I like best about Le Labo.
Officially listed scent notes: cistus, patchouli, bourbon pepper, sandalwood, gaiac wood, incense, vanilla and styrax -- talk about building the perfect beast. The perfumer behind the curtain is Nathalie Lorson.
Re: burnt notes -- I emailed a friend of mine a few days ago and remarked that Poivre 23 appears to be straightforward at first glance, but after repeated wearings reveals its surprise inside:
"Just yesterday, after wearing Le Labo's Poivre 23 for several weeks, I caught the most fascinating burnt aroma coming off of my skin. I had been smelling freshly ground black pepper and benzoin previously, but yesterday it was all about this burnt wood, burnt sugar combo. I loved it -- it made the fragrance definitely more artsy and complex. I'm not certain that I would call it "easily wearable" as it's not the type of scent that says "hold me love me", but it's definitely singular and unusual."
So when I'm feeling particularly singular and unusual (like, every other day?), Poivre 23 is the juice for moi. It has amazing longevity, as well -- lasting a good 8-10 hours, if not more. But, as I've mentioned numerous times before on this site, I apply with a (very) generous hand. If you're timid about application, you'll likely experience a shorter hang time on the skin.
The packaging for the Le Labo brand is resolutely industrial -- laboratory bottles of thick glass; heavy, gray metal caps; a brown cardboard box and brown packing paper that seems more suited to encasing machinery parts than perfume; a font that mimics the look of an old typewriter.
The image is deliberate and carefully constructed, from top to bottom and front to back, and it goes along with their "each bottle is freshly blended to order" concept -- underscored by their urban-chic schtick of printing the name of the recipient (or whatever name you choose to have printed) on the bottle's label.
Amusing aside: there's even a sort of "expiration date" on the label: Fresh Until 11/12/2010 -- I have one year to use this bottle up, y'all!
Gentlemen, start your atomizers.
***Note: the limited-time deal availability of the City Exclusive fragrances appears to have run its course. Neither Poivre 23, nor any of the other City Exclusive scents, are listed any longer on the Lucky Scent website, though they're still carrying the rest of the Le Labo lineup. The card that was included with my order states that the bottle is refillable at their New York and Los Angeles stores, so I guess this means I now have access to a continued supply of Poivre 23 as long as I still have my bottle . . . ?
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