Paris*LA
A Lab on Fire (2014)

This airy gourmand
E'er twixt edible and not
Riddle its magic

Filmed in Hollywood
Imported from old Paris
Near Champs-Élysées

Wood wind macaron
Sugar, spice, diamond ice
Served with a Lime Coke

Or a quay lime pie
With gingerwood crust and some
Sky methyl ether

I smelled it backwards
In concoction magnifique
Across from Guerlain

Too pretty to eat
Too fragile before the heat
To not rescue it

Waferwood strawdust
Piercing the vanillosphere
Midst gears of desire

We shared the delight
Of fragrant inspiration
Anytown*Paris

The mystery fair
Flying over the small towns
Where we made ice cream

What new creation
Does Lavoisier bring us?
This air macaron?

Bubbling out of thin
Nest memories of moon pies
And RC Cola

Aged in workwood casks
To the appreciation
Of tinier bytes

So perfectly chilled
The air we smelled in the store
That precious dozen

Ah, let me tell you
A molecular story
Romancing The Cone!

The fragrance opens with a sweet lime note, although I didn't personally detect a cola vibe. As it progresses into the drydown, it evolves into a fruity sweetness with a touch of citrus, which prevents it from becoming overly cloying. I would rate it a 3 out of 5, considering its youthful and casual character. However, the price may be a bit high for a fragrance that falls within the sweet category.

Looking at the notes for this, I was a tad surprised. I've not come across a coca cola note in perfume before, and I was curious to try it. Straight up I get the lime and the ginger, bright and zingy and fresh. After a few minutes, that settles and I get soft wafts of thyme and, yes, the macarons, which is where I'm guessing is where the almondy note is coming from. After an hour or so, I get the cola and musk. This is such an unusual combination, but it really works – I like it, a lot. I've sampled a few scents from A Lab on Fire, and I've got to say, I'm becoming a fan. I could easily go a full bottle of this.

Paris*L.A. opens with an over-sugared, slightly creamy key lime pie accord before transitioning to its early heart. As the composition moves to its early heart the key lime pie stays extremely sweet as an even sweeter cotton candy accord joins in as co-star. As the composition moves through the heart section the key lime pie slowly fades and eventually disappears, leaving the super-sweet cotton candy as sole star, adding in supporting almond. During the late dry-down the almond-laced sugary sweet cotton candy remains, now infused by relatively clean musk through the finish. Projection is excellent, as is longevity at nearly 12 hours on skin.

There is not much to say about this stuff except that it smells absolutely awful. It is no secret that I dislike most gourmands, but I think I can still appreciate compositions that are skillfully done, and this one just isn't. The best part of the composition is the opening five seconds, as the key lime pie accord is tolerably sweet when not reinforced by the other sweeteners to come (but only just). Once the cotton candy joins in it is a very quick "game over" for this sickeningly sweet confection based concoction. The marketing material released to help sell the composition says that one of the goals was to recreate a Coca Cola accord (I guess this is supposed to be L.A.?), but the Coke is nowhere to be found, leaving only the sugary almond-laced cotton candy confection that must be what the perfumer considers a recreation of a macaron (the other goal of recreating the smell of Paris?). If this is indeed the second goal of the perfumer, the outcome is so synthetic smelling it is completely unbelievable. I am afraid with Paris*L.A. we have a strong contender to make many "Worst Perfumes Released in 2014" lists and I know it will make an appearance on mine. The bottom line is the wholly unsuccessful $110 per 60ml Paris*L.A. represents a new low for the relatively disappointing A Lab On Fire house, earning it an "outrageously bad" 1 to 1.5 stars out of 5 rating and an "avoid at all costs" recommendation unless you love your compositions even sweeter than you can imagine in your wildest dreams (or worst nightmares, in my case). Terrible!

This is a great new gourmand offering from A Lab on Fire. It opens with a spicy top that smells like a combination of Red Hots and Coke. At first it seems layered over a light vanilla note, but then a deliciously rich, buttery almond accord appears and takes the vanilla along with it. I had a hard time believing the perfumer was going to pull this off successfully, but the "macaroon" in Paris*L.A. is fantastic. I actually get a little hungry smelling this. It takes you right to the heart of the dessert, and you can easily imagine all the ingredients as they're being prepared together in a bowl. Almonds, butter, sugar, and egg whites presented in a small, chewy little cakes--they're all there in just the right proportions and seem composed by a skilled, graceful hand. What I really enjoy about Paris*L.A. besides the fun, unique notes that are presented, is the fact that it's smooth and wearable. There's nothing clumsy or "blob-like" about this. It doesn't become overbearing, as gourmands often do. Uncompromisingly sweet in what it presents--Coca-Cola and Macaroons--Paris*L.A. manages to avoid becoming cloying because it is never too heavy. In fact there's almost a fresh, fizzy quality to the entire fragrance that keeps it afloat and buoyant. I suppose this is the Coca Cola in play, and it does a wonderful job of balancing the macaroon.

As far as masculine vs. feminine, this seems very much unisex to my nose and I'd have a hard time labeling it one or the other. I consider this a casual, day or nighttime fragrance. It's fun and has a playful, carefree nature. Projection is solid--it gets out there, but it's not crazy. Longevity is around 6 hours. Overall, Paris*L.A. feels like a very modern take on an unabashed gourmand, and it should find plenty of happy fans as word about it starts to spread.

Hats off to the perfumer, Laurent Le Guernec, who did an excellent job with this, and to A Lab On Fire, a company that's created quite a diverse lineup by releasing unique fragrances with a stylistically modern appeal. Paris*L.A. sits right at the top of that lis