New Niche Fragrance Review: A Lab on Fire LiquidNight + Yesterday and Today Draw

 Narrow street  by Bror Johansson

The singular perfume of my late teens early 20’s had to be Ralph Lauren Polo. Polo was a tipping point in fragrance, especially for men, as it exposed the reality of that market to others. What is often lost is the perfumer who created that classic fragrance, Carlos Benaim. Polo represented a men’s fragrance which was unusual at the time, 1978, for its green quality and in a marketplace which hardly had any other competition, its sophistication. Mr. Benaim would go on to have much commercial success especially within the designer fragrance category. When I wear Polo these days it is a reminder of a young man and nowadays I like wearing fragrance that represents the man I am now. I have perhaps out grown Polo. With the latest release by Mr. Benaim for A Lab on Fire called LiquidNight I wonder if he wasn’t making a perfume for the young man who wore Polo but wants something more as he grows up.

One of my favorite revelations of 2012 has been the A Lab on Fire line. This perfume house has been using some of the biggest perfumers to create their fragrances. This has led to a line full of fragrances which allow for the perfumers to compose for a smaller niche audience and especially in the case of LiquidNight allow for Mr. Benaim to create a strong fragrant statement piece. LiquidNight, according to the press release, is supposed to evoke “the hidden depth of the night in New York City”. I am not sure this lives up to that description although the picture (shown above) which accompanied the press release does sort of feel right to me. A dark alley with points of light from streetlights and windows as LiquidNight is a fragrance of deep dark notes with a little light from a couple of well-chosen bright notes. LiquidNight is a complex evolving fragrance which is definitely more dark than light.

Perfumer Carlos Benaim of IFF

Mr. Benaim uses a pair of those points of light as his top notes with lime and bergamot kicking things off. They are joined in short order by saffron and sage. Mr. Benaim’s use of saffron here is to add a bit of exotic spice, it reminds me of Asian food but when the sage arrives that picture flies away. Sage in all of its rough herbal glory rides up like a cowboy skidding to a stop on his horse in a cloud of dust. The sage takes over and pushes everything to the background. Then the sage dust cloud settles and what you are left with is a mix of lavender, hinoki, and a lesser amount of the sage.

Cover art for Badlands (2011 album by Dirty Beaches)

This is where LiquidNight spends much of its development so much so that you might think this is where this perfume ends, but ever so slowly like a time-lapse photo LiquidNight flows into something else. If you aren’t paying attention the woody lavender will all of a sudden surprise you as it has turned into a vanillic incense. That’s what happened the first time I wore LiquidNight the next few time I was ready and noticed as the vanilla began to sweeten the heart notes and then the incense came along. This all finishes with a wonderfully sensual musk as the foundation.

LiquidNight has overnight longevity and above average sillage.

As I’ve grown older I’ve tried to keep a lot of the enthusiasm of my youth in place with a bit of the wisdom of time to temper that enthusiasm. LiquidNight feels like the perfume that would be the result of Polo doing the same thing. Mr. Benaim has created a fragrance which once again captures my being as it is today.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by MiN New York and a bottle I purchased.

I will make a 2.5 mL sample from my bottle for one lucky commenter. To be eligible leave a comment on your favorite fragrance of your youth or an example of growing up but not old in your life. Draw ends October 31, 2012.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

Art Director:Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

Also for those in the NYC area Carlos Benaim will be giving a presentation on the development of Viktor and Rolf Spicebomb at the Museum of Art and Design on Thursday December 13, 2012, more information can be found at this link.

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42 comments

  • Judith DM says:

    LOVE What We Do in Paris and looking foward to exploring this house much, much more! I think Heaven Scent was the fragrance of my young, young days! Who knew I would grow up to to having fragrance as one of my most favorite (and costly) hobbies! I have come a long way since the Drug Store days.

  • Lorraine L says:

    I believe I wore Anais Anais for a number of years, moved on to Clinique Aromatics Elixir and coveted but somehow never bought Calyx. Proud to say I never wore Giorgio!

  • Lean S says:

    One fragrance I remember from my youth is my mom’s Fendi Asja. I have a bottle she had from the time and the scent brings back so many memories.

  • Darlyn says:

    I still wear leather skirts they are just not as short
    One fragrance I wore when I was younger but don’t wear now is CK 1

  • Len says:

    Growing up but not old is knowing I can’t eat high fat and sugar food
    Not old is keeping fit and working out
    Drakkar noir was my first foray into fragrance

  • Laura says:

    Loved Poison, Angel – BIG perfumes….. but when I was very young I remember loving my Mom’s Joy, Chanel No. 5 for “special” and Emeraude and even Jean Nate for everyday!

  • Karen says:

    Growing up but not old: keeping the spirit, but not necessarily the substance, of what you savored when you were young. My earliest scent memories were of Shalimar and Bellodgia, both worn by an aunt whom I considered very sophisticated. Chantilly was the first scent I wore myself. Although it’s not a scent I’d wear out now, I wear it to bed. I still love Oriental frags.

  • TaffyJ says:

    I’m not sre I’ve ever grown up. 🙂

    Emeraude is a favorite from my younger days. I remember wearing Charlie Girl and also some kind of patchouli oil in high school.

  • GregS says:

    When I was in college I seem to remember wearing a lot of Drakkar. Perhaps Snoop Dogg switched me to Coolwater…Thanks for the draw. Greg

  • Gabry says:

    When I was 18, over 35 years ago, my first fragrance was Fidji by Guy Laroche…. Beautiful memories|

  • Kathryn says:

    I was never given pocket-money as a child, so whatever I was gifted, was my perfume of choice. I wore Tommy Girl by Tommy Hilfiger for many years. I think I may have liked it back the day, but after graduating from high school, I detested Tommy Girl and couldn’t stand the smell of it. It smelt like white bread and thick roses on my skin.

    Thanks for the draw!

  • Rebecca says:

    My first full-bottle scent was a JeanPaulGaultier Classiqoe summer edition from probably… 1998. I got it as a gift from my boyfriend at the time, and it was a fruity girly floral scent. The bottle is stunning, the classic torso shape, swept in red leaves. Looks like a Japanese painting. Tried googling it but can’t find that particular version. Still have the bottle and some left in it! Brings me right down Memory Lane!

  • Mujo says:

    My favorite fragrance when I was a 15 year old girl was Guerlain’s Jardin de Bagatelle. I just loved it. Very flowery, sweet and innocent. Nowadays my taste is somewhat darker, more incensy and ambery.

  • Jan says:

    Thanks for the article, I have been waiting for some kind of information on this one for so long! Now I know I can order it as a (not so blind anymore) buy. So don’t include me in the draw 🙂

  • David Ecker says:

    My favorite fragrance was Drakkar in the late 80s/early 90s. It was the fragrance that could be experienced at the clubs.

  • CCC says:

    My fav was Dolce Vita. I was very young and the fragrance was probably too sofiaticated for my age but I didn’t really care. It made me feel special and different. I still have it in my collection. It is hard to forget the first love.

  • Irina says:

    the fragrance my french teacher wore- Femme- it was so wonderfully different from all the others
    great memory from my teens
    thanks for the draw

  • MariaA says:

    Loulou and Fidji were the first 2 perfumes I bought in highschool and still are among my favorites!!
    Thank you for the draw!

  • Dionne says:

    Anne Klein II was my favorite for myself, and Polo also brings back the memories as well. I still remember vividly the first time I smelled it: I was at a dance in the States, and so many guys were wearing it the entire room just wafted. “What is that amazing smell?” (It hadn’t become big in Canada yet.) Bought it soon after for my boyfriend.

  • Isayah says:

    In my teens and 20s, I used to wear essential oils, pure mysore santal, lavender, rose otto. I «upgraded» to perfumes in my 30-40s, and fell for very discreet natural scents: Dyptique Tam Dao, L,artisan Verte Violette etc.. I am now exploring more abstract scents, and delight it. This discovery process is also part of growing old, don’t you think?
    Thanks for the draw!

  • TimeaZsofia says:

    When I was really young, my favorite parfume was Givenchy Extravagance.
    Thank you for the draw.

  • FearsMice says:

    The fragrances of my youth were Love’s Fresh Lemon, Bonne Bell Skin Musk, Coty Sweet Earth scents, etc. The first “real” perfume I bought was Givenchy III, back in 1980.

  • brie says:

    The favorite fragrances of my youth (I can’t pick just one!)were all the glorious scents my mum gifted and/or shared with me-all vintage,mind you 🙂 : Chanel 5,19 and 22, Cristalle, Rive Gauche,Aromatics Elixir, Aliage, Private Collection, Calandre….(goodness I could go on and on and on with this list!)

  • ringthing says:

    The favorite fragrance of my youth was Chanel #19. I asked for a bottle for Christmas not long after it was released and got it, but I wasn’t monogamous; I also wore Heaven Scent and Charlie and others that I definitely outgrew, but I still wear #19. Thanks for the draw.

  • Monica H. says:

    The ultimate scent of my youth has to be Bath & Body Works Country Apple.. I know I know… but you know the first bottle of perfume I ever bought for myself was Liz Claiborne Curve so take your pick =P

  • rosieA says:

    I loved KL by Lagerfeld when I was 12. I think I went through several bottles, and then couldn’t find it anymore. I remember it as an orangey, spicy scent.

  • harper says:

    oh, the scent(s) of my youth (as in perfume) were my grandmother’s 4711, my mother’s caleche and my father’s aramis (and then later, when the fragrance of *his* youth was available again, knize 10.)

    i really like a lab on fire, but i have to admit that the fact that the prices shot up as they did since their products are being sold by luckyscent is really irritating to me.

  • sherapop says:

    Oscar de la Renta was my signature scent in college. Before that I did not really wear perfume (my parents were not a part of perfume culture, to put it mildly), so I guess that was my perfume of youth! I was completely addicted to it.

  • Brooke says:

    I had many in my youth – Anais Anais and Beautiful for day. Obsession was my going out fragrance. I still love rich Oriental fragrances for evening.

  • Amy M. says:

    My first “proper” bottle of perfume was Opium. When I wanted more flowers, I stole sprays of my mother’s Paris. Thanks for the draw- have been hearing so much about LiquidNight!

  • missp says:

    In my teens, I wore Love’s Baby Soft, and Body Shop’s Dewberry and Vanilla. I can’t stand any of those fragrances now. However, I also wore Jovan’s Musk when I was young, and have recently started wearing it again — it was really lovely in the warmer summertime weather!

  • Olga (Warum) says:

    The perfume of my youth was none other but Poison! I wore it extremely rarely, saving it for dates, and incredibly sparingly each time I wore it. I still have the bottle of Espirit de Parfum. I can hardly wear it any more because it became associated with those dates I’ve been saving it for, that particular person, his view of me and my view of myself. He could not deal with emotional life and all and tried to label all tender shoots of emotional life as immaturity. I had to traverse through a long time, vast spaces and multiple people to find out that one can be overwhelmingly emotional yet mature at the same time. And that’s growing up, not old.

    Thanks for the story, the draw, and the question — I loved answering and reading other people’s comments!

  • Cara says:

    I’m probably still in “my youth” so I guess one of my favorites perfumes right now is Ormonde Jayne’s Champaca. Thanks for the draw