Paris*L.A

2/9/16

Cola accord. Key lime. Neroli petals. Ginger. Macaron. Coriander seeds. Thyme. Amber. Musk.

Paris*L.A, a curious creature from the niche house A Lab on Fire, is a strange and marvelous golden offering. Initially drawn in by the name and the addition of unusual ingredients to tell the ol’ factory Tale of Two Cities, or a Romeo-Juliette-esque modern romance in a bottle: “Presenting the enchanting macaron-Juliette from Paris and her American beau, the dashing Coca-Cola-Romeo from Los Angeles!” I was curious to see how a perfume could be balanced in the realm of the unusual and yet still be a wearable fragrance.  And honestly, it took me a couple of times. I don’t know whether intimidation or skepticism won out, but I was sure I wouldn’t like it. But now I know better, and I know that I was sitting on the cusp of something incredible; less like a child trying a new food for the first time and wrinkling up her nose at smell or texture, but more like I was on the cusp of a totally new concept, because this, ladies and gentleman, is the way of the future.

Now of course, having worn it several times, I reach for Paris* LA easily and without hesitation, and behold my own mirth at finding the door to this very secret and most precocious of clubs (sticks out tongue in your general direction).  Spray it on and the refreshment of key lime washes over the senses; refreshing, invigorating. Having the cola immediately present creates a complementary skin-union of these two as they fizz over the flesh, never sticky (which was my initial fear. “Cola? That sounds…messy,”) but somehow chic and versatile as the ginger note provides little woodpecker tap tap taps of spice. I feel like this is the ultimate pre-hipster scent, for as we all know, once the word hipster gets used, it is already the death of the thing that once identified it as hipster . It’s impossibly cool, and one of those few that when people ask, “woah, what are you wearing?,” I purse my lips in a petulant gesture, because nah, I don’t really want to tell you. It’s MY secret club. Are you sure you think you can join? Do you even own an analog camera? Joking aside, I will tell them, because I think of this as a revolution.

Delicious aromas of confectionery goodies start wafting up from the macaron base but still in an almost meticulously crafted orchestration, not some helter skelter of sugared nastiness. This perfume is written like a great play, with impeccable timings and a plausible story-line and it just all fits in piece by piece like a slowly-revealed puzzle.  There is always the danger with gourmands that the sweet or decadent nature of the perfume will overwhelm the nuances of the notes, but here, a seamless blend of sweet and savory blasts it to the top of the sugared stockpile. It is the king of the castle. And coriander? I can’t even, it’s so brilliant. No damn fool in the world is going to order a coriander-infused macaron, yet somehow, within this bottle, it works its magic to stunning effect, while musk and amber in the base temper the macaron in a, “Oy you, no more sugar after 8:00 p.m.!” kind of way. It’s a giddy little secret… which I just obviously revealed to anyone reading this post.

Rating: 5 of LA on Fire’s distinctive black/white bottles that you can try only if you chase me down and pry from my cold, dead fingers.