I bought The Noir perfume around the end of last winter but have only just started wearing it again.
The Noir 29 is Le Labo’s interpretation of a black tea fragrance. And indeed, “The Noir” translates to “black tea.” It’s my favourite that I’ve tried from Le Labo, and it’s so much more than a simple tea fragrance. I believe a lot of hotels use this in their lobbies as it has quite a sophisticated and inviting scent profile. It retails for £172 for 50ml so it is pricy.
This has fig, bergamot and bay leaf in the top notes. Cedar, vetiver and musk in the middle, and tobacco and hay in the base notes.
It opens quite aromatic with the bergamot and bay leaf being at the forefront. It then dries down to a more earthy fragrance thanks to the cedar and vetiver.
Throughout the majority of wear, I get a sweet fig on top of a earthy, woody base. While there is some smokiness from the tobacco, it avoids overwhelming the other notes and so The Noir stays relatively “clean” despite its composition.
Some people say that wearing this scent is like walking through a forest and I do get that due to the earthiness and woodiness. But the sweetness from the fig and the tobacco note really give it some depth and transform it into something more than a simple “forest nymph” type scent. It has more body and power. It’s definitely a scent unlike any other and makes a statement when you wear it.
While I think some people could get away with wearing this on a day-to-day basis, to me this is more of an evening scent as I get some booziness to it even though alcohol isn’t listed in the notes. And, while it isn’t “beast mode”, it is definitely quite strong and distinctive, and lasts a good 8+ hours on the skin. I think anyone can wear this and I don’t think it strays either too “masculine” or too “feminine.” It smells completely androgynous to me.
As I mentioned before, I tend to only wear The Noir 29 in cooler weather as it’s quite a rich fragrance. To my nose, the combination of notes could become overwhelming in the warmer seasons.
Have you ever tried The Noir 29 by Le Labo?
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