Description
The founders of New York niche perfume house Le Labo, Fabrice Penot and Edouard Rochi, teamed up with Anthropologie and launched a new exceptional collection of five fragrances. Each of these fragrances is inspired by one of the historical era of perfumery, of those times they were hand crafted in small numbers by the use of high quality natural ingredients.
The perfumes resulting from this collaboration are: Chant De Bois (spicy), Belle Du Soir (spicy), Orange Discrete (fruity), Poudre D’Orient (fresh) and Bouquet Blanc (floral).
Belle Du Soir is a musky and rich scent of neroli, water lily and gardenia placed on a background of cedar, sandalwood and patchouli.
All of them are packed in amber colored bottles inspired by vintage pharmacy vials (60 ml), while tin boxes containing solid fragrances are designed like measuring weights from the last century (5 g). In addition to fragrances in liquid and solid form, the matching scented candles are also available.
Belle Du Soir was launched in 2010.
_marck_ – :
Does anyone know where I can purchase a tester/decant? I would also be interested in purchasing a small decant of this from someone who owns it.Send nothing until your money is recieved? It sounds gorgeous-I am not in the position to go for the bottle yet.
Thanks!
Clementina – :
Perhaps this was Le Labo’s attempt to pay tribute to the longlost Deneuve perfume from the ’80’s, but I’m sitting here with a sample of each on my arms, and the Belle du Soir is only a threadbare imitation. It has no depth and structure because it’s lacking oakmoss, one of the chief ingredients of a chypre. Sorry, to me, a fragrance labeled a chypre that has no oakmoss is like a bird with clipped wings.
Belle du Soir sadly becomes an overpowdery mess on the drydown. Deneuve smells womanly and mysterious. Belle du Soir is silly and girlish and makes my eyes runny. Really, I’ve never had such a bad allergic reaction to a perfume. I wish I had not been misled into thinking this was a replica of Deneuve before I purchased it.
pwmaufd – :
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.
ира7483 – :
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.
Vadix – :
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..
VIKING – :
Alors si vous parvenez à commander sur le site de “Labo”, alors là !!!
Moi je vous paye des fraises en janvier !!! LOL !
Le site est totalement incompréhensible et le seul magasin est à….. New York !!!
La ville de Grasse que l’on voit apparaître sur leur site est plus une opération marketing et un faire valoir genre “Je connais la capitale mondiale du parfum…” Mais il n’y a rien en France !!! Un comble !!
Pardonnez moi si je suis remontée mais je me faisais une joie de m’offrir une de ces pépites… Hé bien non !
ZUT ALORS !!!
vfhbyf – :
I am baffled by this scent as well as some others who have reviewed it. The name sounds like the name of a very feminine floral amber possibly.
I unfortunately got no floral and no amber, even after quite a while on my skin. All my poor nose found on my skin was initial notes like an old perfume that had oxidized and turned. Then in the drydown the scent morphed into a very “old school” heavy citrus and wood that smells very like a 1950’s barber shop to me. I can’t get past the barber shop smell. It’s not a bad smell at all. It’s just that I don’t want to smell like a 1950’s man.
I do love many scents beloved by men such as Chanel’s Sycomorre so I was surprised that this did not work for me. I’m disappointed since I love almost all Le Labo’s regular line scents but I’m glad lots of others enjoy it. It is a great bargain.
Legendary – :
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.
saturn – :
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.
tokar00 – :
Belle du Soir by Le Labo is one of those fragrances that you could potentially call obscure. Every wearing seems to differ from the last, so it has been quite a task for me to formulate my opinions in order to give it a fair review. I promise I will try my very best to describe how Belle du Soir smells to my nose.
One thing that can be said of Belle du Soir, is that it is continuously smooth and balanced. It opens a little masculine at first, with rich and forest-like woodsy accords. To me it smelt a little bit like a deodorant that my father had used in the past. That’s not to say it’s a bad scent, but as every daughter would understand, it is a little off-putting to smell like your Dad. For most of my first wearing, it was a really masculine scent on my skin, one that I really couldn’t see myself wearing with ease. The following day however, I gave it another chance.
On the second day of wearing Belle du Soir, I noticed a slight creaminess and a more feminine texture to the composition. The sandalwood really shone through in the heart, reminding me a little of Sensuous by Estee Lauder. Slightly buttery gardenia can also be smelt if you inhale deeply. I was pleased to discover a more feminine side to Belle du Soir.
I don’t entirely agree with this fragrance being marketed as ‘spicy’. It’s more like a blend of creamy woods and musk to my nose. Chant de Bois on the other hand, is what I’d call spicy.
I still think I’d prefer Belle du Soir on a man’s skin, but for what it’s worth, I do enjoy wearing this from time to time. I find its complexity intriguing and somewhat mysterious, even more pleasing is its ability to suit both genders. Sherapop was right, this is a rather androgynous perfume, and I like it for that reason.
It’s a bit different from what Le Labo usually creates. It’s a lot more settled and relaxed, if you know what I mean. Belle du Soir tends to wear you, rather than the other way around.
The longevity is great, and the sillage is what I’d call moderate. There’s no disputing that Le Labo delivers in terms of quality. Belle du Soir is something that won’t appeal to everyone, despite its likable nature. I suggest trying the whole range, before deciding on which one is best for you.
konstan63 – :
I am truly baffled by Le Labo BELLE DU SOIR, which, for starters, is totally androgynous, with an emphasis, as a matter of fact, on the andro side. Then there’s the huge disparity between the alleged notes and what I believe myself to perceive: a floral green with a dark foresty quality! Honestly, I was seriously debating with myself whether this was a floral green or a woody chypre! The last thing I would have guessed would have been an oriental (it is described by the house as “spicy”) or floral woody musk perfume (the Fragrantica category).
To me, BELLE DU SOIR offers a splendid afternoon stroll through a dark green forest. I say afternoon because there is an invigorating aromatic quality to the opening. As strange as this may sound, this composition seems to me like a somewhat masculine olfactory neighbor of CHANEL No. 19–believe it or not.
I like this perfume a lot, but it’s a definite try before you buy! The name suggests Catherine Deneuve in “Belle du jour” or the Fragonard perfume BELLE DE NUIT. But BELLE DU SOIR could not be farther from either of those two. Nor is this a patchouli perfume, oddly enough.