Labdanum is My Love Language

LIMLL is an atypical labdanum-amber that wears almost like a freshie. To my nose it's a take on the fruitier aspects of labdanum resin. There is nothing else like this on the market. Blended so well that I wouldn’t be able to tell you individual notes if I hadn’t seen them. It’s definitely deep and resinous, but also sort of tart and candied, almost like a purple jolly rancher, or grape bubble gum. Rubbery, leathery, tobacco-esque and dark plum jam qualities pervade the scent. It has a very restrained sweetness and goes very light on the vanilla/tonka - definitely not like any typical amber I’ve smelled. All the depth comes from the eponymous ingredient. I compared the scent with my chunk of labdanum resin and I noticed that each of the supporting notes support an aspect of it - patchouli, the earthiness. Olibanum, the dusty fruitiness, lavender, the floral and herbal touches, vanilla & tonka, the sweetness, guaiac, the faintly smoky woodiness. The drydown goes slightly powdery on my skin, not the traditional amber creamy vanilla. The hand etching on the bottle gives it a personal, artisanal touch. I highly recommend checking this one out. (This impression was not solicited by Mr. Salazar. I bought this blind with my own hard earned cash. I am very pleased.)

Spicy balsamic incensy woody open that flips to licorice, lavender, and patchouli with vanilla bleeding into the heart. The base is heavy amber and resin, tangy, slightly sweet, a bit smoky, and vanillic, with a hue of almonds. I was enjoying it just fine as is, but then I got the idea to layer juuuuuuust a little bit with Polysnifferous Amberish Uber Intense as the houses are close with each other and both expertly blended. The idea was to pull in even more quality amber, labdanum, olibanum, sandalwood, barnyard oud, civet, and a pinch of skunk... It worked! Try this if you have both fragrances. The layering was definitely barnyard and animalic, but also sweet, smoky, tangy, with an incredibly beautiful complex amber-resin that I couldn't possibly dissect without a mass spectrometer. Mid-day late Spring in Phoenix might not be the best time to roll out the test sitting at 90F, but I can't deny that the combination was successful -- it's how I intend to use up the rest of my Aromas de Salazar sample.

I have tried Grand Soir and I like it. Pretty pricey for what you get, regardless of profile. I bought Eternal Oud and would wear that anytime. A little harsh at first but after developing, it is great. For the price, I would rather have that then Grand Soir. But this, with the addition of patchouli, beats them both. It isn't loud but lasts over 7 hours. Way better value over Grand Soir. Another fantastic offering from Mr. Salazar. I may revert only having a 15ml bottles. I also may regret not picking up a sample kit to try many others from the house. Maybe next year.

Beautiful amber perfume, labdanum, vanilla, and patchouli are all in top form in this. Extremely warm and resinous, never dirty. It has a natural sweetness from the resins that almost bring out a fruity quality. A very cozy yet refined perfume.

Absolutely stunning. This is what an amber fragrance should smell like. Tons and tons of naturals and it is evident upon first spray. The frankincense is like a resinous freshness. This is like a niche version of Grand Soir. Well done! 10/10