Limette 37 San Francisco

This scent. When I read on Le Labo’s site that their SF scent wasn’t going to be a “chilly summer fog” essence I was a little bummed. I love SF and I love the fog. Everything about the city is magical and perfect to me. So fog or no fog I forged ahead and ordered a couple samples of this from Le Labo. Then I forced myself to wait until the city exclusives online event ended to smell it just in case I loved it. I love it ;___; I usually dislike citrus fragrances but this is....immaculate. The citrus is there and the flowers temper it. After a while the jasmine really shines through and while I know it’s *not* this - it reminds me of one of my favorite experiences in the city. Walking around the block and down the steep streets and seeing Devil’s Trumpet in almost every yard, some of their blooms on the sidewalk. They smell amazing and this jasmine kind of works as a stand in for them in the memories this scent conjures up. Balanced, creamy, musky, it’s simply a great smell. You do smell the spicy musk that does seem signature to le labo (i also have rose 31 and smell it there), but I like it. It almost lends itself to smelling like a classic men’s cologne (think Eau Sauvage) but without pushing it to be overtly masculine. The same way Rose 31 can be unisex if you’re willing to try it. Limette 37 is SO lovely that I would venture to say it’s probably one of the only safe blind buys from Le Labo. (I never encourage blind buys from ELDO or Le Labo - this is the exception) Anyway. I love it. It reminds me of San Francisco. Maybe one day I’ll be lucky enough to go back and purchase a bottle straight from the lab.

It has been TEN YEARS exactly since I last tried and reviewed Limette 37. When I tried it I hated it and didn't think it related to SF at all, and I still don't. But since I moved away from my hometown of San Francisco 6 years ago, I decided to buy a travel bottle while I'm home this summer. I popped into the store on Fillmore and ordered it without bothering to test it again. I sprayed it on immediately, hoping to create a scent association and draw comfort from it when I'm homesick. The result? I have fallen completely in love! I subsequently purchased a FB. It's a very salty fragrance of lime and vetiver, but something in it smells ultra classy. Reminds me of Chanel somehow. I stand by my original review that there was a chance here to create something more San Franciscan, but the Chanel-esque quality reminds me of SF old money. Despite the fact that many people probably think of hippies, there are old political families and socialites, same as New York or Boston. The Chanel quality somehow makes me think of all of that. Because Limette is also light and fresh, it makes me think of the lighthearted, energetic vibe of the City, especially when it actually IS sunny outside. I now love Limette and can’t be without it! I enjoy and respect it much more than I did 10 years ago.

I've come to appreciate Limette 37 and understand Frank Voelkl's interpretation of San Francisco. One reviewer mentioned "light peeking through clouds", this is a near accurate description not only of Limette 37 but also of San Francisco. I live in San Francisco and it's a beautiful, lovely and lively city. It's also terribly moody. It can change from foggy and cold to sunny and warm in the blink of an eye. Limette 37 is kind of like that, a blast of sunny citrus but as it settles on skin, a somberness begins to emerge, as if San Francisco's famous fog is starting to creep in. I enjoy this play between happy and somber. To me it is representative of San Francisco. I understand the disappointment from many reviewers only because San Francisco is many different things, I'm sure a different interpretation will still let some people down. Will I refill my bottle once I finish it? I don't think so. Not because I don't like Limette 37, I've come to kind of love it, but because the city exclusives' prices are just so darn ridiculous. I get the concept but not the absurd prices. Sure make it more expensive, but not THAT much more expensive. There's a spot for Limette 37 on Le Labo's regular lineup and I think that not only will it do well there, it will also be appreciated more.

Most boring perfume from Le Labo. I love the house and waited about 2 years for them to release the scent for my own hometown of San Francisco, a city that is far from boring. San Francisco is dynamic, innovative, multi-cultural, full of natural beauty, next to the ocean, and has a European vibe (as I've been told by countless French inhabitants throughout my life). So why is Limette so uninspired and flat? Here was an opportunity to use a salty note, spice, mysterious woods, or a French-style perfume with an American twist. Instead we get a Light Blue wannabe--citrus on a woody base. Couldn't be more plain and disappointing, leaving me with the impression that the perfumer has never even been to San Francisco.

I had the opportunity to sample this in the SF store last week and was pleased to walk around the city for the rest of the day with this fragrance wafting over me. It was unusually warm, and I think that helped enhance the projection, not to mention this scent best fits a warm, sunny day floating around in a sundress, possibly ending your evening with a picnic on the beach. It is bright LIME dancing with bergamot, with the flowers gradually peeped by out underneath. I thought it was unique and would love to own it someday, especially since San Francisco has a special place in my heart.