Le Labo

Elite '08

71

223

Lauren L.

New York, NY

conceptionaly, i love this store. but in actuality, it's just ok. the shop itself is lovely, very simple and clean. i am a parfum whore, but i don't really dig on the straight up singular notes of essentail oils. so nothing in here really grabs me.

i do love the parfum called Baby, but i usually just buy it at Barney's since it's closer to me. and since discovering that gorgeous parfum called Child that they sell at Bendel's? Baby, i'm over you.

this place just isn't for me, i suppose.

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Elite '08

2408

2015

stephy s.

San Francisco, CA

Le Lame-o is more like it.

Let it be known that I am all for pretty smelling things, intoxicating scents and all things girlie and when it comes to perfumes, I have spent a pretty penny in my day for that perfect little bottle to express my sensory self. But when you walk into a perfume store and see some chick in a lab coat, you expect something special to happen. Is she going to mix me up a custom scent that will capture me to a T? Is she going create something totally unique that will warrant the near $100 price tag for a bottle of it?

Newp, all Lab Coat Laura is going to do is mix a few things together from the shelf and create the exact same stuff that is sitting in the tester bottles. It's a total gimmick and I really don't see the point of spending a ton of money on that. Also, the scents really weren't all that unique and none of them really jumped out at me. I guess in the end, I am all for fancy packaging on things and marketing gimmicks to an extent, but this one bombed in my opinion.

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54

118

Rich L.

Baltimore, MD

Le labo is the best perfume/colognerie I have been to, period.

The first time I entered, I met the manager, whom I had an excellent conversation with about the nature of scent.  We talked about the alcohol solution used in the perfumes, the different types of scents, macerated ingredients, etc.  He even took out a small piece of ambergris from a fridge and let me smell it - that small piece of ambergris being worth more than my life(well, at least equal to it).  It was an incredible experience.

Bo Jade is my favorite chemist, and I always try to say hello when I am in NYC.

The decor is excellent - think reclaimed vintage tiling, with the look of a brasserie, and lighting that is entirely natural(or barely lit with light that is pleasing to the eye).  The aesthetic of the store is one that appreciates all the senses at once.  It is a soothing experience just to sit and smell, to chat in quiet voices, "sotto voce" as it were, and to imagine what your life would be like without scent, without smell.  Nightmares have drawn from easier wells, I think.

The scents themselves are excellent - Wallpaper voted their Rose 31 best of 2007(and I was smugly wearing it since they opened), and their city specific scent for NYC is excellent.  Tubereuse, based on Tuberoses, is a sublimely subtle aroma, it drifts in and out of the conciousness like a faded memory.  It is my favorite scent, and one that would work for anyone with a touch of class, a modicum of taste.

The other scents are excellent - for women I prefer the Jasmin, and for a more Sports-minded fellow I think the Ambrette or the Bergamot is well chosen.  Bergamot is, of course, the ingredient that gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive scent.

The bottles of scent are all made in front of you, with your name printed on the bottle along with a "use by" date, and who made it, and the location.  There is also available for purchase a briefcase of all the scents in the store.  I don't think I am qualified to think about buying that, but you might be.

The scents are reasonable in price compared to other high end colognes/perfumes, and I think they are much higher in quality.  A small travel size of the Tubereuse is about 80-some, the others are less.  

If one's purpose in life is to experience aesthetic quality as much as possible, then a stop at Le Labo should be clearly marked on your map, circled with jet black pilot ink.

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Elite '08

77

155

Courtney P.

New York, NY

I'm a sucker for a gimmick. Some might say that I'm a sucker in general. Who knows. But this place... I don't get.

The basic idea is that you go in, you pick out your scent, and they make it for you. Right then and there! Wow! Uh wait... they mix scented oil and alcohol. They put it in a bottle. They put your name on the bottle. Uhhh... and that is why that little bottle costs close to $100?

Maybe I'd be less cynical if all the scents there didn't make me smell like I'd just taken a dive in Miracle Gro and a shower in insecticide. That is my body chemistry and not a reflection on the store or its product. But they don't have a ton of variety (what is it? 12 of them?) and they are not custom making you something unique. They are just mixing something fresh. The service is so-so. A little indifferent for a place that is about to take a ton of your money. The people in the Le Labo store at Barney's are nicer IMHO.

And if you just want your name on the bottle? Well I can do that for you for $100 on any bottle you want. Even Miracle Gro.

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26

16

Courtney C.

San Francisco, CA

This. Place. Is. Absolutely. Fabulous.  

Okay, enough with the annoying punctuation already, right?  Let's get right to it: first, this place is run by these two mysterious foreigners - already a bonus.  Second, it's tucked into a cozy street in NoLiTa right by a ton of other amazing shops just begging for you to troll inside and find things you absolutely have to have; there's an amazing jewely shop x the way, various other intriguing spots AND Tori Burch just down the street.  Outstanding already, right?

Back to Le Labo:  I may have been drawn in by the very cool minimalist decor and the gal mixing away in a lab coat behind the counter, but once I sniffed around I knew the real reason this place rocks is its fragrances.  I just can't get over Vetiver 46 and Fleur d'Oranger 27. Vetiver because it's, like, THE scent of a hot man in my opinion (note to future suitors) and d'Oranger because it just spoke to me.  When I say that the scents are like a religious experience you can take that however you like - I'm a sommelier by trade so I think I've got a pretty good sniffer but then again I can be prone to overexcite about smells.

Still.  When I checked out the web site my heart flipped even more than when I smelled the Vetiver because it's absolutely beautiful, too.  The result being that this place is confirmed as my fragrance sanctuary.  It doesn't get better than this, and you can also forget about all the bogus packaging/branding/marketing BS that you get with the big corporate scents.  This is where you go when packaging doesn't matter, but what's inside the bottle couldn't matter more.  (Yet, in a weird reverse psychology play, the minimalist packaging with typewriter-esque font is also - perhaps unsurprisingly - totally appealing.)

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Elite '08

19

103

Diane A.

New York, NY

I really really like this place.  They've created a handful of special perfumes that are like landscapes in bottles.  Each scent is simple and distinct yet robust and vivid.

You can choose what scent and size you want.  They will mix it for you and date it.  This is a great shop for both afficcionados and newbies because everything is quality, but it's not overwhelming.

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150

263

Kristen S.

San Francisco, CA

Interesting concept, different twist, cool vibe.  

Love the Jasmine 17.

The girl behind the counter - the only employee when I walked in - didn't seem to want to be bothered.  She had her nose buried in a laptop or a book (it was over a month ago, so I can't remember).  Everytime I had a question I felt as though I was interrupting.

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Elite '08

12

107

Andrew W.

New York, NY

Well, since the girlfriend really doesn't use Yelp, I suppose I can comment on this. It is 13 days until what the locals refer to as "Christmas" so based on reviews on here and the idea from a little pamphlet in Details magazine, I high-tailed it over here to check out the coolness. Now I had a bit of the sniffles when I walked in because of the cold air, but DAMN, that went out the window when I walked in. It smells in there. Not bad, but like a LOT of perfume/cologne. The nice young lady helped me figure out what is going on and left me to sniff. I liked the jasmine and took it. Since I am a little on the poor side, I got the tiny bottle for $50. They put the little label on the box and on the bottle (I assume) and I paid.

All the fragrances smell real damn good in there. I think a bottle of this stuff makes for a real one-of-a-kind gift that practically NO ONE has. It is "custom perfume." Now they make you REAL custom scent for $40k, but one that is made in small batches and poured into the little bottle, that is priceless. Especially when you tell the story to the gift recipient. I think a lot of people want to give girls perfume but wind up going to Macy's or Bloomingdale's and thinking that is adequate. By going here, you show that you have a brain, some heart, and frankly some panace about you to seek this stuff out. 5 Stars. Bravo.

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668

411

Russ W.

New York, NY

Once upon a time, my boyfriend was a perfumer.  He introduced me to Fabrice and Eddie, that own Le Labo.  He created a couple of fragrances for them, and I am amazed by the success of the store today!  The fragrances are super unique and not commercial at all.  The names of the fragrances are the top note of the fragrance and the number of ingredients in them.  For instance Rose 31.  

The store is a rustic apothecary and the fragrances are blended and dated for you while you wait, so you know that you're getting the freshest bottle, and that it hasn't been sitting on a shelf for hours.

Great for gifts, and great for a special treat for yourself.

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3

14

Aileen C.

New York, NY

Not only do you have perfume/candle/lotion made just for you, the item comes with a customized label!  Each item that you create has a very cool customized label which tells you where the item was made, who it's made for and when it expires.

This is a definite must-have!  This is also a very definite must-give.  This is a great gift idea for birthdays, Christmas or any special occasion, however, there is a pretty burly price for such a swanky gift,   A 15ml bottle of perfume is $50.  This is also the smallest and most inexpensive bottle they have available.

There are a lot of chic looking stores in NoLita.  Don't let the very elegant ambiance discourage you from going in.  The technicians are very friendly & eager to assist you, especially if you haven't been in there before!

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1

11

Jane B.

New York, NY

Stepping into Le Labo is like visiting the most elegant chemistry lab you've ever seen.  The tiny shop was created by two fragrance industry veterans who decided to apply their noses in an unconventional way.

The shop is a combination of sleek (lots of metal) and rough-hewn (wide plank wooden floors), and fits in perfectly with NoLita's funk.  You can even watch the lab-coated technician as they mix up your perfume.  The conceit of the shop is that perfume has a "best before" date -- i.e., they must be fresh -- and the bottles are labelled accordingly.  

The scents are unusual and charming (there are about a dozen offered at the store), and the packaging is appealingly no-nonsense.  Of course, if you want your boudoir to be covered with cute perfume bottles in exotic shapes, you will have to decant your Le Labo perfume into something else.  Le Labo also offers to make up its scents into a silicone-based roll-on "balm" that you can easily keep in your purse.  

Lots of choices, and lots of fun.  Indulge your inner mad-scientist and your glamour girl  (or guy, they do scents for men, too!)

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Elite '08

2594

1528

Nish N.

San Francisco, CA

Perfumes are really an amazing concept to me. It's funny that people buy scents that are supposed to reflect their individuality but of course are available to millions. I suppose that's just good marketing.

Anyhow, the nifty thing about Le Labo is the chance to have a perfume made just for you, mixed right on the premises. The boutique is sleek and for lack of a better term laboratory chic.

While I love my Acqua Di Parma as much as the next gent, the idea of something unique and made to order definitely had me intrigued.

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