Luctor Et Emergo

As I’ve been obsessed with this fragrance for over a month, I thought it was high time for a review. I preface this by saying I’m infatuated. No other fragrance has hit me this strongly. The initial whiff of the small sample I’d ordered gave me pause. Cherry Cloraseptic was all I could smell. But I didn’t hate it, so waited to see what happened. Within 30 minutes, the almond accord was mingling with the cherry and softening the sharper medicinal bits. Then the incense came forth. Quiet, but just enough the pull the whole thing together. And that was it. I was in love. It’s a cherry, almond, marzipan, incense wonder. It’s sweet, and I could see this being cloying for some. Not a blind buy IMO. However, I have found my love very short lived. I do not smell it even two hours after applying. I kept dousing myself in that sample until it was gone. Not willing the spend $185 quite yet, I ordered a decant, and I feel the longevity is even worse. I imagine I’m that poor soul that has found their true love, but he’s just a ghost. He pops in momentarily and then disappears. I’ve been bathing in this stuff, even layering over neutral oils to sustain it. No such luck. Sure there must be some sort of dupe for this cult favorite, and hoping an oil would play nicer with my skin, I scoured the Internet for days. Yes, days! The only current one in production I’ve found is an oil called Embargo, found on Amazon. While this is very close, it lacks the incense note. Instead, a cheap musk takes its place. If only that musk was incense, I could say it’s a 90% dupe. And it lasts much longer on my skin. As my husband is sick of hearing me wax poetic about my new love, thanks for letting me share here LOL. He’s like “just buy it already”. And I’m sure I will. I only wish it was more than a fleeting whisper on me.

I emailed Luckyscent about 6 weeks ago, asking when LEE would be back in stock as I'm desperate for a backup bottle. Someone emailed back and told me this version (the parfum) had been discontinued by People of the Labyrinths, but that the EDT was still being produced and they were waiting for their shipment to arrive. She didn't have an estimate either. That info doesn't jive with the info ceeceelee got direct from POTL. I was ready to take whatever version I could get, but I'm hopeful now that the parfum hasn't been DC'd. I check Luckyscent EVERY damn day. Looks like I have to start calling and begging LOL. If Covid ever ends, I'm gonna have to fly to Amsterdam and bring back as many bottles as I can fit in my suitcase 😂 I've yet to find another perfume that scratches the itch of LEE. It's my absolute HG and I'm hoarding what's left in my bottle. DSH perfumes has La Fete Nouvelle, which to my nose has the base down, it's sweet, almondy, grassy hay, but its a bit sharp at times and it's missing the cherry note that puts LEE over the top for me. There is also a dupe oil by Zaja Natural (aka The Beer Soap Company) called Embargo. It's not exactly a dupe to my nose, smells more like cherry incense and Playdoh, but it gives the vibe of LEE fairly well. The oil smells heavier, too thick and syrupy, maybe too much amber or incense, whereas the OG feels much airier and wafts over me in varying waves. But if you're as desperate as me, you might want to try a bottle for $16 and see if it can tide you over.

A sweet and creamy mélange of almond, cherry and vanilla, this reminds me of the heady bliss of walking into a tobaconnist's for the almost narcotic-sweetness of the fruit essences blended with tobacco - not for every taste (I've never been a smoker), but it's definitely a kind of perfume with the power to comfort and enthrall. Cherry pits contain cyanide, which is redolent of almonds, by the way, so the cherry/amaretto type accord is a hand-in-glove style combo that Nature herself first assembled. Vanilla is very easy to over-do for me, but the balance of the vanilla here is perfect and not overpowering. The woodsy undertones grant some structure that makes a nice framework for what could easily have tipped into a cloying, too-sweet accord. This is glorious. Another thought-- I'm a fulltime older university student, and my young classmates almost monolithically adore sweet fruity fragrances, whereas I favor woody/spicy/orientals. This fragrance seems to bridge the gap, and yet manages to smell like nothing else I've experienced. There is a mere suggestion of the cherry/almond of my beloved Hypnotic Poison, but this one is not hammering a diner over in the next county while I'm wearing it. On polarity, this says it's for women, but this is OMNI for me: whether male or female, the person who wears this may be in danger of being devoured, but what a way to go! This one is a definite stand-out for me, and is on my "want" list now.

Smells of lipstick and Barbie furniture. In the best way. Not much of a statement, but the bottle, the name, and that plastic/cherry accord...make me feel...modern? Sweetly abstract? Like sipping boba-milk tea while reclining on white plastic chairs in the cafe next to MOCA in downtown L.A. There's something so future-from-the-past about this scent...like Space Odyssey. In the same way that L'Artisan fragrances are very Jules Verne to me. Does this make any sense at all? o.O The modelling clay (or, 'play-doh') accord here is most likely due to the use of heliotropin, a chemical derivative of the heliotrope flower. Poison has it in spades, as does Kenzo Amour...hate the former (80s frags! UGH!), like the latter, and it's a scent that you either love or hate, not much in between. I get the sweet hay side of the heliotropin here--well done POTL noses. It is a joy; emotive, evocative. Reminiscent of Le Feu D'Issey...that milky almond, plus sweet tobacco...orgeat, amaretto, old books resting on time-worn and lovingly waxed mahogany. LOVE, and, as is the case with most complex fragrances (Tauer, L'Artisan etc etc), this is definitely one better sprayed liberally than merely sampled. I never knew how much I loved it until I choked and purchased the full-bottle parfum (very different from the EDT! Consider yourself warned!) directly from POTL. One can't indulge in a feast with a single bite. One to douse and savour.

Ugh, I caved and just bought from Lucky Scent. I've been waffling bc, well, I think I'm addicted to perfume, lol. Hello ~ my name is CC and I'm a perfume addict. But all kidding aside, I wasn't sure about this one. I kept dabbing the scent on bc that's how the sample comes but I wasn't getting what my fellow devotees were. I had 3 samples so I decanted into a sprayer and WOW! What a difference this makes with the EdT. I finally got out of the medicinal cherry phase, which I'm ok with, but it never went any further just dabbing on. Spraying on, it just becomes this ethereal fragrance of lightly cherry, sweet almond, a little (lleettllee) powdery that just floats around you, enveloping you in a cloud of good feelings. For me, if I make sure I'm moisturized up the yeng yang, it lasts about 4-6 hours with 4-5 sprays and bc it's an EdT, sillage is surprisingly decent. I'm not a huge fan of others smelling my perfumes, but I was complimented twice by people (ladies, lol) walking in the cosmetic department of Target, where I was looking for the new Solinote perfume, Amande. (By the way, you can buy Amande online at Target😁) Hello ~ my name is CC and I'm a perfume addict. Ugh.

8:30 - Doll heads and cherries. I like it. Woods and (maybe) some sweet almonds. 10:00 - An hour later and I can't smell it, even with my nose to my wrist. BRB, grabbing coworker. Ok. She says she can smell it and it smells like "perfume". Doesn't seem all that enthused. Put on lotion because I read an article about things everyone is doing wrong when we wear perfume and everything else I did correctly. Now I can smell the plastic again, but I'm not sure if the lotion just also happens to have that scent. I guess it's cool either way? 10:10 - Ef it, put on more. Nobody needs to be coming into my office anywho. Defeats the purpose of having a door if they keep barging in. It smells like when you first take an inflatable floatie out of the box. Still into it. 10:40 - I think I may have too much on. Need to go outside. Update 2 months later - this is going to be my next purchase. While I'm still not impressed with the longevity, it is one of my favorites in how the scent evolves during wear. I relish the whole plastiky beginning. Don't know why it's so satisfying, but it is. Eventually it turns into a warm but light woody amber.

This is from my wife's collection, but it's perfectly suited for a man and I often steal a few sprays when the mood hits. I'm a big fan of amaretto and this is one of the best in the category. The opening is heavy on the booze and cherry, with monster projection. My biggest complaint about LEE is that I do get a restroom vibe from it, reminding me of hand soap, or urinal cakes, or both. Not sure. It's a pleasant aroma, but maybe something you'd rather not be likened to. All of this smell is largely in the opening; as it dries down it becomes more like a sweet and comforting blanket of cherry pipe tobacco. Performance is ace - you will still smell this on your clothes the next day. Maintains its strength for hours, like few fragrances I've owned can. Luctor Et Emergo is a real gem, packaged in a jank little bottle capped with a horrendous atomizer. It comes out in spatters, but what does come out smells wonderful.

A winner from my "Absolutely certain I will hate this" pile. I inexplicably love this and totally get why it would garner such polarizing reactions. On me it's a delicious dry incense of sweet almonds and cherry with a counterpoint of plastic doll heads. Weird, but compelling. I loathe plastic notes, sweet gourmands and anything obviously synthetic, and yet. I think the dryness is what makes this work for me and keeps it from going all sweet and juvenile. Happily, I get no play doh, though I can easily see this going that way on a different skin type. I think this fragrance walks a very fine line between compelling and completely unwearable, just the slightest shift in balance and I would loathe this as much as I expected to. Definitely try this on skin before committing to a purchase.

This is intoxicating and sweet. It's beautiful. I agree with the reviewers that it is in fact quite similar to the heliotrope. I can quite compare it to the Initio's Side Effect due to this kind of floral-fruity sweetness with ambery accents (due to almonds). Side Effect is just slightly stronger and is more boozy, if that makes sense, due to presence of rum note there. But they are quite similar, and definitely share a theme for me. It is cozy. The cherry here is different from Cherry in Khaltat Night. Khaltat Night is even sweeter to me. Khaltat Night has cinnamons and roses, so it leans in a similar direction, but is also more floral, intense and spicy. I love this perfume and definitely would consider a larger decant to try it better!

I adore heliotrope in all its forms (definitely try growing it if you're into plants, we're zone 6 so it's container only but a champion bloomer, I kept deadheading & it bloomed straight through winter in my bedroom window) but I know not everyone does. The most common critiques I see about heliotrope-heavy scents are "it smells like Playdoh" or "eww, marzipan." I love both, so not a deterrent. All the almond/cherry scents for me. But if any of that does not appeal maybe don't bother with Luctor et Emergo's cult masterpiece. People of the Labyrinths is heliotrope to the Nth power. & slow-creep addicting. I started off liking it, now I crave it. Beware. Cozy with a flash of danger. Yes, please. UPDATE: Uggghhhhh discontinued

Luctor et emergo smells like my favorite florist's shop, the one where i always suspect that, to raise sales, they have a scent generator hidden in a corner. That shop makes me want to linger there forever, maybe even train to become a florist myself. This perfume smells like a vanilla orchid in a lush rainforest. It is so delicious... Spicy, warm, earth-like, edible. I think it could even be worn by a man. It's extraordinary, yet light enough to wear in the day/to work. I think there's a fair amount of tonkabean in the base notes, although the ingredients above do not mention it. Applied in the morning, I can still smell it the evening of the next day.

I just got an email back from the People of the Labyrinths, said that they still make it, not discontinued but that bc of the shipping restrictions due to flammable liquids and something about terrorism, they can't ship world wide anymore. That even shipping within EU countries was restricted as well, but that they have a distributor here in the US. Luckyscent. But Luckyscent has not reordered this EdT bc of demand being low. They still carry their rose scent. She asked if I wanted to CALL Luckysent and request it, lol, that would help the most. So I guess I'm calling🙃 I'm dying to try, its almost become a perfume cult favorite as Gloria has.

Thanks to a generous fragrantica member, I tried a sample of the EDP yesterday, and it has completely blown my mind. It's absolutely AMAZING. At first it smells like cherry cone incense--smokey and woody, with cherry and a little vanilla. As the scent warms up, it becomes sweeter, but it stays very woody on me. (UPDATE: I must add that after a good three hours wearing it, the fragrance is going strong and the cherry is re-emerging as a dominant note. Oh, how I love this fragrance!) I find this scent experience grounding and invigorating at the same time. This is EXACTLY how I want to smell, and it makes me feel more like "me".

I had not worn nor even really thought about this in years until recently I got a craving for a cherry scent. I’ve got like 15ml or so left in the bottle I’ve had since the mid 2000s, and it’s still wonderful. Extremely tart, waxy cherry, almond, incense, green grass. It’s ethereal and weird, like the you’d imagine some enchanted glade full of mischievous pixies to smell. Fantastic. Of course it’s discontinued 😭 I’m sad that I just forgot and slept on it for so long, (to say I have too much perfume would be a staggering understatement) but am happy to have unearthed the small amount I have left and I shall treasure it.

It is composed of aromas of green grass, white flowers, vanilla, almond, sour cherry and precious wood, as a memory of the 19th ct.fragrances. I pull mainly cherry/almond/vanilla, with occasional wafts of fresh green grass and smoky wood. The white flowers might blend with the green grass, for I don't catch a single whiff of any florals. This is unique and appealing. However I have to wait until another day, as this juice is rather pricy and other things must currently take precedence. Someday... Someday... If you like this, get it...this seems pretty unique.

I have a tester sample from 2005 that I hang on to for dear life, as this fantastic fragrance has been discontinued. I have messaged the POTL brand several times to ask if they would ever bring it back but they keep saying no. This fragrance is very 80's retro London neo-punk for me. In a good way. Clean, smelling of hay and sunshine, nonsexual, not boozy/smoky or intentionally bedroomy/naughty like many other cherry frags. POTL is very good and comforting, and not any cherry fragrance that I've tried comes even close to it.

Said to be a cult classic and I can see why. When I first smelled it, I thought it was dominated by cinnamon but it turns out there isn’t any according to Fragrantica! I think this warm and spicy feel is coming from cherry and perhaps amber (also not listed.) I don’t get a PlayDoh vibe from it thankfully. Reminds me of warm, freshly baked cookies (like the scent of baked goods from Great American Cookies that fill up my local mall!) Simply scrumptious! A unique almond scent, a must-try for gourmand lovers.

I am completely smitten. I thought there'd be little chance of me liking this from all the reviews. I was expecting something way more girly. This is so incredibly delicious. Cherries and almonds with a subtle vanilla smokiness in the drydown. It's not overly sweet, though there is definitely SOME sweetness there, of the creamy variety. It is quite light on me, more of a skin scent and slightly powdery towards the end. You could really wear this anywhere.

I am one of the lucky few that this blooms on :) I get luscious creamy almond cherry on a subtle wood base. I don't get the grass and floral unless that's what makes the "sour" cherry softer and sweet without being syrupy. I can't get over how this scent affects me. I am generally hesitant about saying I love anything (I'm a fickle perfumista most times) but I really really love this!!

I think Luctor et Emergo is one of the most stunning, unusual, delightful perfumes I've ever smelled. Something about this stuff is magical on my skin. It begins with a boozy cherry liqueur, and warms to almond-tobacco-cognac. Occasionally I get whiffs of violin rosin, and old wood, which are personally evocative, but overall this is a fragrance entity in itself.

I've loved this ever since it emerged (sorry) as a cult favourite. It's a strange, addictive thing. Cherry tobacco, gradually turning more vanilla-amber and powdery. It makes me feel happy.

mandorla, amarena, erba, note legnose e vaniglia. molto buono

I was reminded immediately of Lolita Lempicka FLEUR DEFENDUE upon donning The People of the Labyrinths LUCTOR ET EMERGO this morning. It was obviously the almond and cherry notes, which are rare enough and all the more in that particular couplet. Later in the day, I decided to see how close the two compositions really are and found that in fact FLEUR DEFENDUE is a lot sweeter and somewhat one-dimensional--more of a straight-up cherry and almond dessert perfume than this one is. Relative to A*MAZE, LUCTOR ET EMERGO seems like a dessert perfume, but relative to FLEUR DEFENDUE, LUCTOR ET EMERGO seems like a much more sophisticated oriental perfume featuring something along the lines of ambergris in the base. No, it's not labdanum amber but the metal mesh texture I sense in the presence of ambergris. I do not smell Playdoh or plumber's putty as others have reported. The Playdoh perfume to end all Playdoh perfumes remains to my nose Dior HYPNOTIC POISON. LUCTOR ET EMERGO, in contrast, really seems to me to be ambergris, and I'd love to hear from anyone who can confirm or deny the presence of that substance in this otherwise dessert-sounding line-up of notes. The longevity and sillage are excellent, and I find this creation to be every bit as well-made as A*MAZE. Basically, The People of the Labyrinths have created two perfumes to cover the two big categories which appeal to women most: candy and flowers. Here we have the box of candy, but it is considerably more complex than the usual suspects. I really like this perfume and over the course of the day and especially after reapplying it, I have come to appreciate why it has a cult following. It takes a bit of time to wrap one's nose around, but in the end LUCTOR ET EMERGO commands respect.

Before cherries and nuts were fashionable in perfume, there was Luctor Et Emergo, a scent light years ahead of its time. I bought a delicate glass flask of the parfum concentration back in 2006 or 2007 because I'd seen it on a list of "cult fragrances" and was intrigued by the notes and one description of the dry down as "like play-doh, in a good way". It is definitely unique, but maybe less so in today's niche market. Still, I wear it happily. It knew what it was doing way back in the 90s, when everyone was wearing CK One. The opening is a boozy cherry liqueur with almond and vanilla notes, grounded with incense and woods (the notes above are not wholly accurate - there is a lot more going on here). The booze note fades quickly as the cherry becomes more transparent and the hay emerges (these are dry and not green grasses) and maybe a tiny bit of tobacco? The almond is still there, and so are the incense and woods, but they have taken a back seat to cherry syrup-almond-hay. The effect is a little like play-doh or doll heads, as people have said, sweet and vanillic with a peaty vibe. It makes me want to try some other cherry-grass/wheat perfumes to see if the effect can be duplicated. All of this, however, fades within an hour to a skin scent that's mostly gone in an hour and hangs on in the lightest of forms for 4-5 hours max, if I press my nose up against my wrist. It's lovely, and was revolutionary for its time, but if I'd bought it now as a parfum I'd lament the longevity and I'd want a bit more incense and woods to carry the cherry forward. But I still like it very much. I hope it takes its rightful place in perfume history.

Revisiting the remains of the bottle I'm hoarding since this was sadly discontinued. This was one of the first niche, "cult fragrances" I ever tried almost 20 years ago. It's an odd delight. Yes, I would say it is the basis of many of the cherry almond inspired fragrances popular today. However, this has never registered as a "gourmand" to my nose. On me, it starts with that cherry/ tobacco pipe accord (not so much almond, I get more of a floral heliotrope nuance) before at transitions into a glorious woody, incense-y vanilla with a touch of grassy hay and sweet white florals. The EDT had more of the "play-doh" note, where the EDP's "play-doh" goes deeper and into woody vanilla. While there is still a sweetness from the cherry, it's more pensive and "old-world" than the gourmand cherries of today. It makes me think of rare book rooms in libraries, older men smoking pipes, and burning incense. The summertime is when it really opens up. Something about the heat brings out those grassy hay and florals and I love it the most at this time of year. Once upon a time, they had the body cream that really emphasized those hay notes and it was glorious. I really wish they'd bring this back. I'll be cherishing the rest of my bottle.

I really really like this. Not quite a swoon worthy love but a firm like. It's Coca-cola's Dark Cherry Vanilla coke on me without the calories piling on. I got the incense vibe as well as the citrus note that some other reviewers have mentioned and I'm glad they were noticed by others...I thought my nose had gone wonky on me! Cherry like strawberry can get really artificial in perfume and that's not the case here. I thankfully don't smell the plastic/playdough/doll note that some reviewers have mentioned. I smell the cherry and although not exactly natural, it's close enough a mimic of the stone fruit to keep me satisfied. I adore how the bitterness of the almond here meshes well with the sweetness of the cherry vanilla. The sillage starts off quite good and by maybe the 8 hour mark it's closer to the skin but still detectable. It's really quite delicious and worth a try if you like gourmands with a bit of a twist. I find this interesting like how I find Comme des Garcons' Daphne interesting (although they are not the same type of scent at all). Full bottle worthy.

Ok I never thought I would stumble upon... A wearable and toned down version of Or du Sérail (by Naomi Goodsir)! Apparently it has the same sweetened woods that make me really think of it. I loved Or, but it was so hard to wear, it's a real syrup... Luctor et Emergo sits down to your skin, making it able to smell only when you stick your nose to it. But then on the other hand - does that make it worth a buy? That 100ml bottle would be finished in no-time with all the respritzing... The cherry-liquor is pronounced for a few minutes in the beginning, so if you would buy this only because you like cherries don't even bother. Nevertheless like I said, a nice sweet woody smell lingers softly for some time afterwards.

i love both cherries and almonds. i was flirting with this one for ages and thought i would be head over heels for this one.. Unfortunately i did not find much unique about it. Thing is only other fragrances popped my mind...like Ava Luxe's Kretek, Kenzo Jungle's Elephant and Les Nez's Bouche a Baie. These are not so similar at first - but somehow similar genre , maybe the clove-like upbeat they share with POTL. Maybe if I had the chance to sniff it earlier then I would have more enthusiasm... dont get me wrong it is still a nice scent - well composed and harmonious and better than most out there nowadays.

People of the Labyrinths has a cherry cough syrup and play-doh opening that I don't really care for. Then it pretty quickly evolves into a fun and comforting herbaceous blend of cherry, marzipan and woods. The notes are distinct but work in harmony and seem to subtly shift between sniffs. The effect is compelling and I can understand why POTL has such a loyal following. Although it goes on strong, POTL dries down into a pretty quiet scent that stays close.

This starts off as a spicy almond on my skin. When we first met, I didn't care much for its overly sweet demeanour. But I'm coming to terms with gourmand done right. As the minutes pass, it has now morphed into a cherry candy. I can't wait to see where it will take me next. Oh, here comes fluffy, cherry-scented powder. Mmm... I guess I smell delicious today. I'm wearing the last drops of my sample. I do wonder how it is like if sprayed on.

This fragrance is one that dances a happy little tune and one I find adorable. It makes me think of elves and faeries dancing on a needle point - weird, huh? It is distinctive in its own way, and I find it tongue-in-cheek and mischievous. The cherries and almonds settle in just fine on my skin but disappears quickly. I'd buy more but I find the price outrageous.

Heads up! Luckyscent has the EdT back in stock!🥳

I dont know what I was thinking when I spent almost 200.00 dollars to smell like Real Kill Spray mixed with Playdoh. Far from being an exquisite fragrance, it smells like insecticide with plasticine. By the way, the few times i wore it, people told me I smelled like a "Botanica Store", in other words, like those stores you go to buy spiritual baths, hoodoo products, santeria and witchcraft tools. Not recommended!!

Smells like play-doh and pine sol over talcum powder. Looking at the notes list I can see how the cherry, vanilla, almond and wood notes could give that impression. Interesting, but not a scent I would want to wear. I don't smell any smoke though. Might have liked it if it were more cigar scented. Not sure.

First thought that came to my mind when I sampled this was "Port-O-Potty". It smells just like the inside one of those portable restrooms. It also reminds me of a urinal cake. Quite disturbing :o/

I can really smell the almond and cherry. But not much else for my somewhat non-trained sniffer. It's quite stong and unusual.

For me, the woody note overwhelmed the gourmand aspect in a negative way.

I have clearly spent several years unaware of how much I adore cherry fragrances. My early interactions with cherry notes in fragrances were tainted by cheap perfumery and synthetic representations, whereas indie perfumery has opened my eyes and breathed new life into this fascinating fruity accord. Luctor et Emergo is a stunning, delectable gourmand with boozy cherry, nutty almond and sweet, powdery vanilla. This fragrance is sexy and enticing; perfect for a date or an evening out on the town. It's not every day that a fragrance grabs you the second you apply it. Luctor et Emergo is possibly my favourite discovery of this year and one of the best cherry-almond combinations I have had the pleasure of sampling. Luctor et Emergo can be found at LuckyScent and is quite reasonably priced for a niche product. It's an obscure fragrance that not many people are aware of which is part of its charm. One part of me laments that it's not readily available, whereas the other part of me wants to keep this fragrance a secret from the world. Luctor et Emergo has moderate projection and reasonable longevity, lasting approximately five hours on the skin. I believe this fragrance comes in two concentrations; an EDP and an EDT. My sample decant is of the EDT and is dated approximately 2014. I cannot comment as to whether or not this fragrance has undergone any reformulations. If more readily available cherry scents like Escada's Cherry in the Air and Victoria's Secret Bombshell Intense are making you re-think your love of cherry, please consider trying indie or niche offerings such as The People of the Labyrinths or Hilde Soliani.

I got this as part of a "vanilla" sampler pack but am having trouble understanding why, as I'm not getting much, if any vanilla here. What I am getting is the bright, dominant cherry, faintly reminiscent of cherry cough syrup. It's not off-putting but the resemblance is there. While I'm enjoying it from an experiential standpoint, I don't know if this is something I want to wear. More testing is needed to make up my mind about this unusual scent. Addendum: The more I wear this the more I'm enjoying it. The 'cough syrup' effect has given way to more of a 'boozy cherry' (or maybe 'cherry liqueur' is a better descriptor) as I think another commenter described it, and as it wears it all softens and the almond becomes more prominent. It's very much a ride through these foody notes. An interesting, cheerful and 'not taking myself too seriously' scent. I would say it's better suited for daytime but maybe not for the office - more like brunch with the girls. : D

WHOA!!! This took me back on a trip to somewhere in my childhood - and I don't know where - not a nasty memory, but it felt extremely odd all the same. I also got images of wandering through antique shops, not an old musty smell, but maybe of when you open an antique wardrobe in which someone kept their perfume in, so, hmmmm yes, antiqueish I guess, but not in a bad way. If it's a seasonal fragrance, it's definitely autumn or winter for me. Occasionally, heat seems to bring something out in it which I am not partial to. At different times, I get the dried cherries and marzipan, but then other times, I don't get them at all. Maybe a touch of vanilla with spice and incense of some kind. More than anything, it's a very emotive fragrance for me, and if I can get past where this perfume takes me in my childhood, we just might get along...very well. I find it strangely captivating.

Looking at all the reviews, I know I'm in the wrong lane but i just wanna kick it with the women real quick...Let me see..This fragrance is 3rd floor, pink soap, Nordstrom's bathroom. Let me also note that this is a better version of Mazzolari's Alessandro. This cherry floral swooner should be worn in conjunction with your "let him have it" outfit for maximum impact. The drydown here is one to behold. Not listed in the notes is a feint cinnamon/sweet cigar accord to razzle your nose. A patchoulied play dough nuance hovers during this period(yep, the people were right about that one). One factor that's not getting a lot of praise is Luctor's amazing longevity. 8hrs ago, I was wondering will it last and 8hrs later I'm debating if I should interrupt the endurance by way of a shower. The hype is justified, a satisfying offering.

Interesting perfume! I kept wondering what the heck the name meant, and one quick Google search later, the phrase Luctor et Emergo means "I struggle and emerge." Interesting how they chose to name this perfume in Latin instead of the standard French most every other house uses. This smelled woody and sweet in the vial, and my skin, it is lightly smokey wood of an indeterminate kind. I can understand how some people perceive the smell as Play-Doh like. There is a kind of salty dryness to it that reminds me of Play-Doh, but the drydown is soft, sweet nuts with just a little bit of wood. I am happy to report that although this smells almondlike, it is not powdery smelling like some almondy perfumes can be. I like this perfume, and will try a few times more before deciding whether to buy a big bottle or not.

A fellow fragrantica member send me a small sample of this perfume. It is so nice, tender, sensual and delicious. It is creamy, powdery and longlasting. The cherries smells very good and I like everything about it. But... there is always a but, isn ́t it? It remind a lot of Kenzo Amour (at least on me) actually this fragrance makes me realise how much I like Kenzo Amour. Luctor et Emergo is a bit sharper, fruitier and have some kind of edge that Kenzo Amour lack. Do you really like cherries I recommend you go for this one, otherwise I think actually Kenzo Amour could be a good choise, since it is easier to get your hands on and much cheaper also. But I do love my little sample, and will miss it very much when it isn ́t any left. Try it, I think you most likely will like it.

I was assaulted by a sharp/spicy yet intriguing cinnamon (?) tone for the first several minutes after application. I can pick out the almond, vanilla, and cherry from the start, giving this fragrance the feeling of smelling two radically different fragrances at once. One fragrance is squeeky red vinyl and the other of a sensual, mellow evening. After a while of this confusion, the jasmine winds around both scent trails and winds them into one fragrance. As the drydown begins, the cinnamon (?) takes over the spicy dissonance to a a powdery, comforting jasmine/almond/vanilla chord. Soon it begins its conversion from spicy/mellow to cherry and this mystery note fades to the background where it provides a delicious warmth. LEE is a 90s-esque odyssey in harmony and dissonance.

Before I smelled this, and after reading the reviews, I didn't have a clue what to expect. Cherry, almond, fruity nutty vanilla - sounds like a recipe! Cookies? Play-doh? Liquor? Pipe Tobacco? Cult classic? What a mercurial perfume! It is really hard to put your finger on this one - I get all of them and none, depending on my mood and energy level. Everything about Luctor Et Emergo is warm and cozy. I picture curling up on the couch wearing a favorite hand knitted cardigan. Refreshing my cherry lipbalm, after eating almonds and sipping wine all afternoon. Enjoying the feeling of comfort and relaxation. Its' accord is soft, sillage like a Pashmina shawl. It lasts a long time, and it's soothing when I am tired.

I love Luctor et Emergo. It is a rare beast, a perfume both playful and beautiful, appealing to the kid in me as well as to the woman. It opens with the smell of cherry cola and Play Doh. I love Play Doh. I keep a small can of it in my desk drawer to sniff when I need a pick-me-up, and it always works. Then the cherry matures into a pipe tobacco cherry and the smell of sweet almond comes out, reminding me of almond croissants and other delectable baked goodies. The dry down is a gorgeous vanilla incense, slightly plastic-y. Fun and spirited and pretty and comforting. A perfume that will grow as you grow.

I couldn't wait to try this one as I love almonds (not being a great fan of gourmands in general, I'd make a huge exception for almonds). But upon trying I really couldn't define the nuttiness, what I did get was the cherry, but whatever it is, it really is divine. I would classify this as a unisex fragrance, the sweetness of the cherry is tempered by the woody notes, something in this takes me to a comforting 'cherry pipe tobacco' memory, but this might just be me! I must smell this on another sometime, it just has a special combination of notes that I find unique and quite magical.

Luctor Et Emergo is a waxy incense fragrance.Opens with a blast of ethilic cedarwood, vanilla, tonka bean and patchouli and settles down in a waxi,sweet,roasted almond and warm incense fragrance,just amazing how poetical smells.The wax evolves the whole compositions.Some of the comments are just wrong: are we talking about the same fragrance? Together with Montale's Full Incense Luctor Et Emergo is one of the best incense fragrances ever made. The only negative comment is for the bottle,very thin glass and fragile, weak and easy to break. A must have. Masterpiece.

I cannot put into words how perfectly delicious this perfume is and how absolutely miserable it makes me because it's no longer available! All I have is a tiny sample that gives me so much joy and so much anguish. I realize that sounds dramatic, but it is the most beautiful fluffy marzipan that is built without all the atrocious headache causing aroma chemical bombs of modern perfumery. Please People of the Labyrinth, bring it back!

This is quite a unique fragrance! Opening notes were very alcoholic - I was almost reminded of brandy or rum. After half an hour or so, I could really smell the sour cherry and almond notes. Dry-down was mostly vanilla almond on my skin. My partner said it smelled like baby powder for the first few minutes, but I disagreed! :) Very sweet and gourmand, but not headache-inducing. I can see this being great in the fall and winter.