Shiu 25

Wasn't a love at first sniff for me but I've been wearing it in the past four days and it really grew on me. It reminds me of the Kyoto exclusive Osmanthus 19 but less sweet and more spicy — kind of like O19 layered with Eidesis from Aesop but without the cumin. In terms of notes, very frankincense forward, with pink pepper and camphorwood (which btw is the namesake ingredient: /shiu/ is an ancient pronunciation of the Chinese word 树 'tree' as in 樟树 'camphor tree') as secondary players, as well as some very light floral undertones. I did not notice the iris and the freesia in it at first, but after seeing the notes breakdown and intentionally looking for them, they are definitely there. As for sillage, I usually do 4-5 sprays, and as the wearer I personally feel that it is quite weak and intimate, but others around me have commented that my perfume is pretty intense even at a polite social distance — probably not to the extent of room filling, but definitely not weak like I perceive it to be. Overall, I think it is quite nice and for sure one of the better city exclusives. If you are looking for something completely revolutionary and astounding, this is not it. But it is interesting enough for a niche-ish house like Le Labo yet still suitable for everyday wear, a signature scent–worthy offering in my opinion.

This really reminds me of The Matcha, with the camphor subbing in for the matcha, and the amber bringing a bit more depth and warmth. I think the cooling camphor and the warm amber play off of one another in a way that feels very energizing to me. I feel like the projection was pretty good, I sprayed my wrists and I caught solid whiffs every time I moved my arms. It's a delicious scent that doesn't get old even after smelling it for hours. I think it lasted at least 4 hours with decent projection and then for several hours as a more intimate scent. My shirt still smelled of it 14 hours later.

I am very surprised by how much I enjoy this one! It might be my first & only city exclusive! I recently purchased my first Le Labo frag (Jasmine 17)!

This is an iris fragrance to my nose. It def reminds me of Eidesis in the opening but this settles down fast into an iris with some synthetic-smelling frankincense and woods. In the drydown theres moments I get this sharp peppery note that reminds me of a literal pepper mill. If you've ever smelled Opsis this reminds me of that but more peppery. Performance-wise this is one of those molecular synthetic scents that you go nose blind to quickly, but that others will still pick up on. If youve ever worn another 13 you know exactly what im talking about. Not that they smell similar but the way they perform on my skin seems to be the same. Unisex to my nose. If you think DHI leans feminine then this will prob lean feminine for you too

Got the chance to smell this today during a Le Labo city exclusive training session. It definitely stays true to Le Labo's DNA, in its attempt to capture a sense of stillness. Initially I was surprised by how dry this registered. While it leans heavily into the iris/orris realm, there isn't a juicier element to it which I think might make it more rounded. Where this fragrance shines is in its olibanum. Unlike Le Labo's other city's, this feels very true to frankincense. This is a holy wood done right, which I do think is very fitting for Beijing, evoking almost a varnish and 'under-construction' quality. If you like resinous and balmy scents, this one is for you!