L ́air Barbès

This is distinctly wet aldehydes on me, with some spicy freshness, to start with. As it's drying down, it becomes a skin scent for a minute, before becoming more robust and having base notes. While I totally understand how ink and concrete are controversial notes, I actually think they work amazingly well with what is essentially a uniquely intense, clean musk. It definitely has a unique medicinal, herbal aspect. However, the complexity is real and unlike anything else I own. I'm almost never a fan of orris, but somehow it really works here - providing a lighter, woody base note that complements the overall scent. It is not a skin scent per se, but doesn't throw a lot of sillage. Personally, I'm fine with that, in that there's always an occasion where I don't need everyone within a 10-foot radius to smell me. The more unusual aspects, like strong concrete, aldehydes, bitter herbs, and industrial ink don't overpower clean musk on me after the first 3 to 5 minutes of wearing this. So, I'd highly recommend this to somebody who wants an unusual take on a orris/clean musk fragrance, but also appreciates adehydic and slightly medicinal scents.19-69 has both individual samples and discovery sets, so I'd say it's definitely worth trying. Obviously, unless you like living dangerously and trading bottles, I strongly recommend against blind buying.

First impression: It's very strange. Salty, sweet, sour, astringent, and powdery all at once. It's got concrete and ink listed in the notes and I smell them clearly. This seems like a perfume that would be created by AI or Aliens. Reminds me of something from my past but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe spraying the hose on concrete or having water balloon fights with my friends as a kid. Or maybe having a pen leak all over me. Whatever it is, it's something I haven't smelled in a very long time. Reminds me of a time and place. Really interesting and despite the weirdness, it's wearable and great. The only problem I have with this scent is it sits damn close to skin. Be prepared to spray yourself 15 times (I'm not kidding) if you want the scent to project at all. Performance problems aside, I'm glad I added this to my fresh/hot weather collection 💙 Scent 8/10 Performance 2/10 P. S. Drydown smells like a chewy candy in the United States called "Now and Later". Has the exact same tartness.

Another insane masterpiece!!!! Loving the creations of this brand. Artisanal perfumery made exquisitely poised and enjoyable. Ink and concrete in the best way possible ! Wearable and inoffensive yet complex and delicious. 20/10. One of my fav concrete perfume creation ever.

I LOVE THIS ONE After the opening of citrus, you smell the sunburn, gasoline, and ink. It turns to a violet soap or a new paper book in the base note, and still you can sense all the middle notes which are not that strong now. I can imagine someone who just took a shower or washed his hands sitting somewhere along a road and writting on his diary with a pen and blue ink. I wear it to go to a drag show in Pigalle. My friend told me she scent a strong smell of gasoline and ink for a long time. * NEVER WEAR IT IN A HOT AND SWEATING OCCASION! I bring it to a concert and there is a sour (like fermented) rubber or plastic smell on me for hours. It is so sharp thus you cannot escape it. Like some kind of concentrated armpit odor with an industrial feel (but I applied deodorant so it must be the mix with only sweat). This perfume was a cool kid when I wear it after shower to a bar, but I think if I wear it to the gym it will become a distinguish rotten rubber tire again. ------ 我喜欢。 柠檬开场后会出现阳光晒过织物的味道,汽油和墨水会很显眼,还有一些金属和扬尘。再它变淡和进入尾调的时候会出现皂感和书本纸张的味道。会想象大马路边上一个洗过澡很干净穿着旧衣服的人拿着一只钢笔在看书和写笔记。 穿在身上的时候被朋友说汽油和墨水味很重,像是放旧了的橡胶味。 *千万不要在炎热和大量出汗的时候用这瓶!在演唱会上喷了,然后一种发酸甚至是发酵的橡胶或塑料味一直在身上,很恶心,而且很明显也无法遮盖或忽略。像某种有工业感的浓缩狐臭。 这瓶香水在没那么多汗或没那么热的时候是一个cool kid,但如果再遇到这种情况就会变成一个太阳下暴晒的腐烂橡胶轮胎。

I recently found the sample I got with my order of Kasbah in my bathroom yesterday and I just had to recheck this one out. Like another reviewer stated, I can appreciate what the perfumer was trying to do here. Trying to depict a hot summers day, not with just the citrus', but the whole day. Using the musk, leather, and concrete to form this hot summers day with your friends. This smell reminds me a lot of how I imagine I would smell after about 5 hours in an amusement park in the summer after spraying one of my citrus forward scents on. Now that might sound unappetizing to some, but this is a highly nostalgic scent for me for that very reason. If you are looking for that "concrete" scent, but want it to be a bit more safe for everyday wear: "The Cobra and the Canary" by Imaginary Authors is a good bet. This a much more musky, subdued version of TCC by Imaginary Authors and I really like it. I think there are better summer 19-69 fragrances, but if you want something a little weird, like a hazy summers afternoon in a bottle: go for it.

That dry orris smacks you in the face right from the start and I believe this is what mostly makes up the "concrete note" as well, maybe in combination with leather. The base is quite similar to Tubereuse 1 La Capricieuse, so I was a bit disappointed that this didn't suprise me or bring something new like I hoped it would. Still, I enjoy it! The effect you get when you smell it around you (not up close) is a little different to HdP's orris-leather concoction, but I'll most definitely recommend T1 to anyone who loves this - they could be flankers of the same perfume. T1 is stronger and more brutal, l'air is smoother and easier to wear with an airier texture As it dries down I do get that typical vintage lipstick smell, but 19-69 cleverly removed that association with their marketing. Still, perfectly unisex and very little sweetness, just a hint from floral whispers. The lack of sweetness is exactly what makes L ́air Barbès great and unique in the perfume world. I can't wait to use it properly and to get to know it better.

This is such a fun, weird fragrance. The opener is like lemon juice over ice, all tart no sweet and very very cold. It's the main reason I like wearing this, because I love to put it on when I know my morning is going to be hot (thank you, desert) because it keeps me cool better than an aquatic floral. There is a noticeable concrete note (that's conk crete baby!) and it's my favorite moment because it really does smell like a clean city sidewalk, when the smell rises up as it gets a little warm. I don't get too much of the base notes though, no cumin sweat smell or the ink it promises, which is too bad since I love the concrete. I got this on sale from Sephora and I'm glad I got the biggest bottle because I do have to douse myself to get any kind of longevity.

The opening reminds me somewhat of Samourai by Alain Delon (men's) Surprisingly, I do get the concrete! Along with the ambroxan and leather, upon initial application. The leather is like fine kid glove leather. Not a harder, saddle leather. Citrus notes show up and disappear almost immediately. A bit later I sense the ink (like Bic ink). There is a woody sweetness to this one as it dries down. This one lingers but does not project very far. Comes off as a perfume well suited for a refined gentleman type; more masculine than feminine. This is an intriguing fragrance!

I appreciate this scent conceptually; an urban, warm concrete smell. If you are shopping for a new car in the middle of summer, this is the smell of the fancy showroom. The new car leather scent is mixed with a floral perfume—something the cars sales lady might wear perhaps. Quite bizarre, but nonetheless intriguing, sitting squarely in the niche bucket. Leans more masculine than feminine. I think L ́air Barbès would work better piped through the HVAC system.

This one is very hard to pin down. It's very mysterious, but it's not exactly what a mysterious person would smell like, if that makes sense. Definitely a light and citrus-y top note, but after that it becomes a bit more blurry. I do get the listed ambroxan, but there's something else. Definitely would recommend trying.

Intriguing is right! I am not sure if that is positive or not. I get the aldehydes, citrus and ylang ylang - the latter being a little too too much for me. At the end I smell Ambroxan, orris and leather.

L ́air Barbès by 19-69 harmoniously blends artistic complexity with practical wearability. It opens with lively, spicy notes, gradually revealing a delicate tuberose essence layered over ink, paper, and wood. Imagining a calligrapher at work with white flowers nearby, a subtle powdery note adds dustiness and nostalgia.

A pleasant enough citrus-y fougere style fragrance. Nothing exciting. Lasts a couple of hours and then fades to nothing.

Eh? Strange persistent oily damp smell. It's your first day at work at your local fast food, fried food joint. You step into the tiny, questionable food safety kitchen. Floors and walls are coated in perma-grease. You catch a whiff of the remnants of sweet, off-brand citrus cleaner from the last cleaning, probably about a ~week ago. L'air Barbe-q. (oof).

I love most of the 19-69 collection, but this one.. hmm. I definitely smell the ink and the concrete, that's for sure. Lots of strong, squeaky clean citrus in the opening. Buy a small sample of it and give it a shot. It is a very interesting fragrance and worth the experience, just not wearable at all really

Mostly ambrox. Quite synthetic. I expected to be at least surprised, I just got bored. Hard pass, not even worth a description, in my book.

Nice aldehydes and citrus, that unfortunately disappear into a slightly unpleasant note of burnt rubber and concrete..

If you are a fan of ARTISTIC NICHE fragrances like me, I highly recommend checking out the brand 19-69. The concepts behind the fragrances of this band are very interesting and the scents are very creative. All fragrances come from a social or political movement with some iconic subjects like a picture. I recommend visiting their website to learn more about the story and concept behind each scent. I just tried this fragrance in a store on a strip and this is my first impression. The concept behind this fragrance is based on an iconic black-and-white picture taken by an artist for YSL. The picture features a lady in a tuxedo suit with a cigarette, giving off a masculine vibe. The background of the picture is a hazy, grey alley in Paris with concrete walls. Based on the concept above, now look at the notes, it has fresh and crisp top notes to give you the environmental background of the picture. Tuberose is a very smart choice to show the character of the lady (the tuberose symbolizes dangerous pleasures and young girls were discouraged from smelling it, to prevent awakening erotic urges). And the contrast between the black ink and white musk try to give you the black-white photo vibe. Smelling this fragrance gives me the feeling of that photo. As the concept of the photo suggests, this is a completely unisex fragrance. But if you are a lady who likes masculine-style clothes like suits or tuxedos (like the model in the photo), this fragrance would match your personality and style. I absolutely enjoy smelling this fragrance. 9/10

It reminds me a bit of CDG's Concrete, but more wearable and less chalky and abstractly "clean". You get a subtle ambroxan and citrus backbone that freshens things up and gives it a silky, mineral-like edge. I'd love to know more about what goes into these "concrete" accords, but in both fragrances it comes across as powdery, slightly metallic, dry, and earthy. Orris is probably the perfect component there in both smell and texture and I appreciate the subtle floral notes it adds. Tuberose is also an interesting pairing because it has its own lush, buttery texture. The ink puts a stylish edge to it all though- it feels chic and adds a "wet", bitter sensation that goes well with the citrus and ylang ylang. It's clean and minimal and I am actually more impressed with it now in the summer than when I first got my sample a few months ago. I was wearing Another 13 yesterday and while this is more bitter and cold while that is sweeter and musky-warm, I think they both fall into clean, minimal, slightly powdery scent categories. It's totally preference but this feels more electric and interesting, although performance is not as good.

I am a huge fan of the 19-69 brand....love their fragrance storylines. This one is a great interpretation of a French tableau. A unique combination of wet cement and citrus bursts onto your skin at first spray. For me it was a warm afternoon sitting at a side walk table at a french cafe sipping a fresh squeezed lemonade from a red and white twisty straw. My chapeau protects my face from the warm summer sun and my pretty black and white stripped sundress drapes across my legs softly spilling over the edge the chair. I am taking notes in my leather-bound diary remembering my day with the handsome stranger i met at the museum. Light and watery my only hesitation with this fragrance is it's longevity is not as long as I'd like.