Laila

Like many people, I first encountered Laila at Epcot. It was around the year 2000, and I was on a high school trip, having wandered off to Epcot by myself while everyone else chose to go to Magic Kingdom. I remembered being wowed by this beautiful perfume of wildflowers, but didn’t have it in my high school budget to purchase this perfume. However, the memory of Laila stayed with me from that one sniff over 20 years ago, and from time to time I would check eBay but never went ahead with the blind buy. Would Laila smell up to the expectations of my memories? Would it instead give me a migraine? Recently I got into perfume, and I decided to find out. Having been warned by dozens of reviews here and on the Nordstrom website, I decided to stay away from the current formulation and look for a vintage bottle similar to what I remembered. I picked up a round bottle off eBay, crossing my fingers that I hadn’t paid for a fake or one that had soured. She arrived in the mail today, in pristine unsprayed condition. One light spritz and Laila was here as I remembered. The opening is herbal and floral, almost bitter. I remember this perfume being quite strong, so I applied the most sparing spritz. I can easily see this getting into clean laundry or dryer sheet territory if applied with a heavy hand as is the modern style, but I believe Laila was always meant to be worn lightly. The watermelon note is here as I remember, in a light and realistic way, not in an overbearing Jolly Rancher or BBW Cucumber Melon way. Overall the impression as worn on me is running through a meadow of alpine flowers, the watermelon giving just enough sweetness to the flowers to give it an ethereal perfume quality rather than photorealistic flowers, and a touch of lavender and other sweet, grassy herbs. Once again with a light touch, this stays away from any aquatic or ozonic quality, which I am truly thankful for, as both notes can give me a migraine easily. In fact, I was experiencing a mild migraine when I put this on, but this perfume helped me feel more relaxed and did not aggravate the migraine at all! I’m so pleased to find this vintage formulation that is floral-forward without the heavy base notes I detest. There’s a soft musky-woody quality that serves only to ground the scent without being noticeable. Vintage Laila is the perfume of dreams, and is one of the scents I put on that feels like an immediate signature. While I haven’t had an opportunity to try the new Laila, I remember the original was advertised as being “a blend of natural oils with no synthetic additives,” making it a great choice for migraine sufferers if you can seek out an original. I suggest always applying with a very light hand! Laila appears light and ethereal, but less is more with this delicate flower.

I don't know where you all are getting watermelon; perhaps my nose is broken. I'm sitting here with my bottle and I am NOT getting melon. I did see above that there is the bottle in the pale blue box, the one I buy at Nordstrom (the only available retailer in the US last time I checked) and then I saw a pink tinted bottle and box. Is there more than one version? Perhaps this pink box version differs slightly? My only complaint has to do with the bottles - they have a serious evaporation problem even if they sit upright on a table. If you travel with it, plan to double or triple ziploc bag the bottle or even the most ardent fan will be overwhelmed by the amount of product that ends up on your clothes! I'd also like to see more availability of the shower gel (can NEVER get it at Nordstrom) and other things like Excess Baggage, an eye product I got in a holiday gift set I have never seen again. And it really worked well!

Laila is a child of the 90's. She is in the same family as Issey Miyake L'Eau d'Issey and Yves Rocher Ming Shu. An intensely clean, fresh, pure and ozonic fragrance. The scent reminds me of crystal clear mountain brooks, crisp air and wild, dainty forest flowers. Laila is the scent of clean, untouched nature in its purest form. Nature in the shape of an Angel. The longevity is insane. Fresh fragrances usually vanish on my skin after 3-4 hours. Laila is vaguely detectable 24 hours after application.

This is my partner’s signature scent and I find it absolutely intoxicating. It's the scent that drew me in, with its irresistibly fresh and clean aura, reminiscent of being enveloped in a warm, sun-drenched meadow of wildflowers, emerging from the chill of winter's grasp. It’s not the most complex scent as it only has about three notes, but the chemistry between those notes may have rewired my brain chemistry. I think this could be a great year round fragrance suitable for any occasion.

Very light for a floral fruity, which I appreciate - there are just too many foody ones available. I get the watermelon, but it's not an overripe smell like f.f.'s often have. Goes on light and green, a gentle sweet, fresh melon. As the melon fades, you get very waxy white flowers, just a hint of sour and a light, powdery muskiness at the base. To me, it's more of a straight floral. I really like it, a beautiful perfume, fairly subtle and good for day.