Belle Du Soir

Belle du Soir, a rather confusing scent! Intrigued by polar reviews, I had to find out for myself & recieved a lovely fb. Upon first impression, this is all woods & herbal notes! Like a woody chypre, indeed, as other reviewers have noted, it smells in the beginning very much like an old style men's after shave scent. But in the best way. The man with crisp cuffs that just had a fresh shave & a massage. That man. You want to know him. Sadly, my husband diddnt care for this upon first test. Shame, I liked it on him. That being said, he almost never likes a fragrance the first time around. My wearing of Belle du Soir, was on a lovely sunny spring day. The kind when you notice the birds, and know that the things under the soil are awakening. Belle opened brisk on me as well! But soon composed herself into a very lovely and slightly assertive unisex woody floral. Patchouli reigns itself in, beautiful sun warmed cedar shows up, and finally the musk, a bit of gardenia, and sweet orange blossom. Sweet, is not particularly applicable to this perfume at all. It is indeed dry as a chypre, dry like a cedar chest, opened after the sun was shining on it. But the bit of blossoms cut the dryness and make it wearable for some women. This semi-dry balance makes it feel kind of classy, and ill agree with another reviewer here again, perhaps a "posh hippie scent". One that belongs to a trust fund girl, in her perfectly refurbished Volkswagen, and designer vintage duds. Lovely on men, and on assertive woodsy loving wild women, the quality here is beautiful. No harsh plastic notes, everything sings of its simplicity & purity. I am what I am. Love it or not. A definite try before you buy, this belle is brazen! And I love her for it. A quick edit, the drydown gets lovelier, and lasts longer than I first thought. Loses the floral sweetness in the end. I keep reapplying to experience the journey and that glorious cedar ending over & over..

Oh, Le Labo, I hope you are reading this. I know your head is getting really big from all the praise I give you, but let me say it again: You never fail to impress me! This line they do for Anthropologie is *muah!* Magnifique!!! xoxo I believe Bell Du Soir is my favorite of the Anthropologie series. This whole line is completely different from their own boutique stuff, as it should be, yet the quality and craftsmanship I have come to expect of Le Labo is not lacking in the least. Most of their boutique perfumes are more like natural yet complex "scents"--incense, woods, citrus. Now they have proven to me that they can make "perfumy" French perfumes that are equally exquisite. Belle Du Soir is so complex. It's hard to find such intrigue in most perfumes. I got 4 distinct impressions: 1. It smelled like my grandma's old, leaky bottle of perfume that had been sitting in her drawer for too many years (no offense here--my grandma really did have such a bottle). It smells somehow dark and aged. There is just a touch of gardenia at this point. 2. It smelled like a men's cologne with a light spiciness like nutmeg, which I happen to love. No trace of florals at this stage. 3. It smelled sweet and balmy, like incense and powdered amber. 4. Well into the drydown (12 hours later!), I detect soft, clean florals in addition to the amber. I think it's neroli because it smells so clean. Belle Du Soir captivates me. There is something hippy-ish about it, but at the very same time it's too fine and distinct to be a hippy's perfume. There is an overall darkness to it that reminds me of Opium (not the actual fragrance, just the darkness). While it quickly becomes a skin-scent, I can still smell it on my skin more than 12 hours after I first sprayed it. I cherish this perfume! Keeping this one forever.

I happened upon Belle du Soir on clearance; with no familiarity with it, but recognizing the Le Labo connection, I decided to give it a try...the price was irresistible. I've been wearing it for days now, happily re-spraying it a couple of times a day, and again before bed. It's lovely! And intelligently composed, because it holds my interest. As others mentioned (missk, I think), it does alter over wearing, and every stage of it pleases me. Like sherapop, I would be inclined to classify it as a green or woody chypre, rather than its given categories. I also agree that it is completely androgynous---anyone any gender, any age could wear this scent. I can smell all the notes listed, and maybe a few other things? It starts green, moves through a light floralcy, and settles into a slightly creamy, mossy-woody drydown that lingers deliciously. Sillage is moderate, but it lasts surprisingly well. A very useful and intriguing perfume.

This is the standout of the bunch. I got mine on clearance for $29.99. This is so 30s in its construction - a beautiful floral chypre in the tradition of Miss Dior, Sous le Vent, and Ma Griffe. It is a bit raw, but with excellent quality materials. This is truly a step back in time - it was incredibly ballsy of Anthropologie to commission this perfume for sale in their stores. The typical Anthropologie customer would enjoy something minimalist and sweet, like a home spray. This is a bitter, traditional chypre with very French lineage. Amazing, and I really mean that.

Imagine my surprise to find that this is reminiscent of the original Stetson (for men) by Coty, albeit a much more refined version with greater depth and softer overall feel. I agree that the florals definitely are merely accents here while the more woody, almost chypre notes form the heart of the fragrance. Definitely unisex, definitely a success, and definitely a great buy at a sale at Anthropologie.