Neroli 36

as much as this reminds me of morning walks by manila bay with my mom in the early 00s, i can't help but reach back to it everyday. i would say this is almost similar to fleur d'oranger by le labo but fleur d'oranger is more reminiscent of a 90s highschool girl "angel's breath" colognes (my mom's words). this smell like a sweet, citrusy, FLORAL, clean and powdery thin layer of sunscreen on me and i love it. living in the tropics and having skin built against insane sunlight, i only ever needed a thin layer of sunscreen and im all good. this perfume smells exactly like that thin layer plus the heat of the sun and mild sweat. i intended to exclusively use this as an "after workout" perfume and it works perfectly on my skin. its fresh and compliments the natural scent of my sweat. this perfume is definitely intended to be worn in the heat or on very warm skin. i only have the sample rn but i will definitely get a 50ml bottle of this!! lastly, i don't see anyone in the comments saying how salty this perfume smells. it exactly what tropical fruits and flowers + the seaside breeze smell like. the sale associate who helped me understand this perfume also has a similar memory attachment to it (we were both from tropical countries) ps. a VERY similar and cheaper replica of this scent is beach walk by replica MM. however that one is more intense on the sunscreen part compared to the floral citrusy sweetness this one has. beach walk chokes me but this is more pleasant and oversprayable.

My first ever luxury fragrance purchase, and it continues to be my favorite Le Labo. It’s salty and aquatic from the calone, toasty and warm from the tonka, velvety and pristine from the white florals, and all these together wrap into a harmonious sunscreen accord; to me, one that does not say beach walk, but instead, salty hair after a day well-spent, kissing a lover in a hotel bedroom, the sheets dry and cool on sunbaked sand-coated skin tacky with SPF. Though tuberose is not listed, I feel it has a narcotic and sensual quality similar to tuberose perfumes that achieves a comparably lusty mood. When I had my old sample, I couldn’t get enough of it, so much so that it started my journey down luxury fragrance lane. I maintain that this was worth every penny and love wearing it with Glossier’s Neroli Perfecting Lotion when I want to exude put-together-but-playful clean girl energy. It undoubtedly is a summer scent and I think it’s often misread or misunderstood by people looking for a beach (or strictly neroli) fragrance. If you want to know what this smells like for real, vibes-wise, go look at 2000s Ralph Lauren ads.

What Margiela’s “Flying” wishes it was. This is what a 00’s Ralph Lauren Magazine ad smells like. Well, it’s been 4 days since I first posted this review now, and I finally just went for it!!! It’s on the way. I’m so excited. This fragrance has been on my mind heavily, and after trying to find a dupe that was both equally luxurious and true to form to no avail, I could no longer contain my wallet. It might feel a little silly to get this right before Fall and Winter begin, but I just imagine the sadness of the dark months melting away under the orangey sunshine of this squeaky-clean freshie and I KNOW I will be glad I have it as a pick-me-up. Don’t underestimate the role of the Calone and Tonka in this fragrance — they give it a character unlike any other white floral neroli perfume on the market. It’s simultaneous sweet warmth and salty wateriness is rivaled by none! The lack of herbal elements also sets it apart. I feel that its saccharine-soapy feel gives it the quality of bubbles blown straight from the wand — whimsical, airy, and wondrous!

I hadn’t worn Neroli 36 in awhile so I gave it a try yesterday morning. Others are correct in saying it’s not a typical neroli such as Neroli Portofino and the hundreds of others that smell just like it. Instead, this is like a day at the beach neroli to me. I pick up a distinct salt note that might be what others are describing as metal. This scent is fresh, fun, and ahead of its time considering the ocean salt note craze these days. It even garnered me a non-solicited compliment from one of my coworkers as she described how good and fresh I smelled. If there is a fragrance it reminds me of it would be Mancera’s Wave Musk, which I also love. I’d have to do a side by side comparison but they are in the same vain. Just like Wave Musk, Neroli 36 lasts all day. In fact, I woke up and did a quick workout this morning and the scent came right back with my body heat. Pretty impressive.

I finally picked up a bottle of this. This actually was my first Le Labo that I smelt couple of years ago... However got lost in between all the really loud personalities of Oud27, Santal 33, and Rose 31. To me this smells like a day at the beach. I actually don't find this to be 'refreshing' it's actually quite warm. It reminds me of warm skin under the sun that's been just scrubbed with soap. The scent that it reminds me of is "JLo Glow", that just fresh out of the shower scent... However by far more luxurious. The concentration on this is top notch like all Le Labos. So the longevity on this is quite intense and it has presence... I'd use it sparingly as it can get a bit cloying. It'd go well with a linen white shirt.