Those that have not yet tried the cult fragrance Luctor et Emergo by the Dutch fashion house, The People of The Labyrinths, will probably balk at the cost of the matching Enriched Perfume Body Cream: $95 for 200 ml. In fact, even this confirmed fan of the perfume was a bit taken aback. However, I have found this is a product whose quality matches its high price tag and it is an experience all to itself, just as rich and captivating as the perfume.
The presentation is exquisite — a heavy silver glass jar of satisfying heft adorned with the People of the Labyrinths star logo and ensconced in the same red velvet packaging as the perfume — and, unscrewing the metal lid, one finds that the contents are equal to the exterior trappings. It is a rich, thick and stiff cream, and the addition of meadowfoam oil ensures that it has excellent moisturizing power — it sinks directly into the skin, and a small dab leaves one hydrated, soft and supple all day. The fragrance is extremely strong, almost equal in potency to the Parfum. Layering with the perfume is almost overkill; this has enough power to stand on its own for the first two to three hours, and though it does fade, I can usually smell traces of it on my skin anywhere from six to twelve hours later.
It starts with green grasses and rich, smoky woods and unfurls into a mélange of cherry, mahogany, incense, heliotrope and vanilla. Personally, I had always heard others describe the grass and hay note in Luctor et Emergo but never smelled it myself, but I finally sense it here. The cherry note, which is fickle in the Parfum and even fainter in the Eau de Toilette, is pleasingly stable and prominent.
Highly recommended. For buying information, see the listing for The People of the Labyrinths under Perfume Houses.
21 Comments
Read more about commenting at Now Smell This.
I have never been able to wear POTL, it invariably overwhelms me, very few perfumes have made me this miserable when I had them on…so I am thinking maybe I should give the cream a try…or is it so close to the perfume in scent and in strength that I better abandon all hope of ever wearing this cult marvel?
I am totally lost. Even if I weren't a die hard POTL fan already your description of the cream would have put me completely over the edge. Love the fact that the hay note is strong in the cream and the packaging sounds fantastic. Off to find cc which is cowering somewhere in my bag.
I'm about to purchase another jar of this beautiful cream. It's the best perfumed cream I've ever used. It's exactly as described and it's lovely to wear either on its own – very soft and yummy – or layered with the fragrances.
I am immune to your shameless lemmingmongering, at least for today. I'm sampled POTL multiple times, in both EDT and Parfum, and I get nothing but Play-Doh.
Beautiful review, A! I do not tend to like scented body creams, but this one sounds like something I should consider trying.
A, I really love how POTL smells—on other people.
:) There is something in it, I can't quite put my finger on it, that makes me feel just a wee bit nauseous.
But the cream does sound delightfully fragrant. Perhaps it doesn't have that certain something that causes a gag reflex?? I love good scented creams, and the fact that the cherry comes up better is great. So, I may want to try this one at some point.
Thanks for your lovely review!
You like the notes of POTL M., but it's the sillage/strength is overwhelming? Have you tried it in the EDT and not the parfum form? Anyway, the cream is fairly strong, but not overwhelming, and only near the perfume-strength for the first couple of hours. Who knows on your skin chemistry though. Maybe try to obtain a sample first? (E-mail me if you can't get one.)
::evil cackle:: Glad to drag another person down into bankruptcy with me!
The hay note is only present in the “top notes” of the cream, but it was still pretty exciting for me to finally smell!
MR, you are the evil one who turned me on to the temptations of this cream in the first place! I love using it on its own and to layer too (which is something I never do with actual perfumes!). My favorite layering combo, which I think you would enjoy, is to use LUSH Snowcake in the shower, apply POTL and then spritz on a light almond perfume like L'Artisan Jour de Fete or Etro Heliotrope…very heavenly!
I will get you one of these days my FPET… Maybe when CdG comes out with a body product line
Thank you so much for the compliment V! It means so much coming from one of my favorite writers
I think this one is definitely worth sampling.
Oh no R, how awful to like it and have it make you nauseated on your own skin! I would definitely try to sample the lotion and see how it makes you feel — maybe this will be the format that works on you?
A, I do love the POTL perfume – the EdT is not bad either but a bit flat if you ask me
– but there´s something in there that causes kind of an allergic reaction: makes my nose feel as if I caught a cold…:( From time to time I try my sample, because I like it so much, but up to now, it didn´t get better.
Yes, maybe it will be better, A.
Like you, I love beautiful body products almost as much as I love fragrances. I sometimes use the body cream to a fragrance, because I like the way it feels, and often the lasting power is the same, if not better.
The reports of Play-Doh have scared me off good and proper – if anyone can find the Play-Doh lurking in a scent, it is me
Oh no, how terrible! The first time I tried POTL actually I got a rash, which made me sad. I tried it a couple months later though and it had absolutely no negative effects. Perhaps this will happen for you someday? Or perhaps the cream will be the ticket for you? But if not, you can thank your lucky stars that you are not in love with such an expensive smell!
LOL, you must at least try it, at least in the parfum or EDT form, just for the experience
I do the same thing, lately quite often with L'Instant. That is another heavenly body cream!
I really love the POTL body cream, plus it's so thick! A little goes a long way even for my dry as a bone skin. I found that the scent lingered even longer on my clothes than it did on my body, in fact I can smell it on my sheets days after wearing it. I have no doubt it's going to be a staple in my collection for years to come!
Isn't it just amazing?! I'd buy it over and over again too!
I found the EDP rather linear and soft, and finally sold/swappedd off my bottle. Darn, now you are making this sound so appealing! I'm such a sucker for perfumed creams.
Victoria O