A Lab on Fire Freckled and Beautiful Review

A Lab On Fire Freckled and Beautiful ReviewA Lab On Fire Freckled and Beautiful was just released in 2020, created by David Apel. This is a brand that has never really gotten my attention. Not sure why, I’m not even really remembering smelling them beyond going, oh, that’s nice!

Then in stumbles A Lab On Fire Freckled and Beautiful. The brief on it, name and inspiration made me sorta cringe.  Young in LA, don’t really care, don’t need to smell like that.

March and I found this perfume years ago that was cheap as dirt and had chestnut and vetiver in it. Wickle.  We both were madly in love with it – here’s the link, it was in our evil genius post.  

Then a Lab on Fire Freckled and Beautiful was uncapped, sprayed on, and I was about to go do something else, and I just stopped cold.  Lord.  Notes orange flower, neroli, honeysuckle, warm milk, pastry, salicylates, sandalwood, vanilla bean and heliotrope.  I know, no chestnuts, but is smells like roasted chestnuts and buttery croissants.  The pastry and milknotes? It is unbelievably cozy, warm and just as toasty beautiful as it could be.  I had no idea Freckled and Young would smell like this. I used to be freckled and young, and I did not smell like this. Though it does capture a warm baby skin scent, I’m thinking, or some approximation of what that should be.

I am embarrassed about how much of this I have sprayed on myself in the last two days.  Byredo Gypsy Water and Hermessence Vetiver Tonka are addictive for me in the same way.

I love the smell or Freckled and Beautiful, it makes me happy and relaxed and at peace with everything. That’s a hard thing to come by sometimes and especially more so in 2020.

Now, I could talk about A Lab on Fire A Blvd Called Sunset, which Roucel did, and I really love it too, but naw, another day. I just want to let Freckled and Beautiful have their own Post Day in the Sun.

So yes!  Two samples drawn at random for commenters, and I’ll toss in the other A Lab on Fire new release, A Blvd. Called Sunset – it is super gorgeous, it just has to wait.

Do you have an addictive perfume?  One that just hits all the right cozy brain synapses and makes you warm and happy?

  • Brigitte says:

    As a freckle faced child, teenage and young adult the name intrigued me ( now I just have age spots lol). The notes sound so good.

  • NancyC says:

    PG Indochine for me. I fell in love after testing a tiny vial of it, and obsessed over it all summer. Just got a FB and am so glad it’s finally mine!

  • SpringPansy says:

    Hmmm. I think mine are By Kilian Amber Oud, Byredo Gypsy Water and Fendi Theorema. But, really, all my scents are comforting for me in some fashion.

    Thanks for the review, Patty – it sounds intriguing. I like pastry. ;D

  • Calrayo says:

    That sounds so nice! I’m wearing Tea for Two today, to buttress me through a third day of jury duty via zoom. At least since we’re remote I can spritz with abandon.

    • Patty says:

      Wait, you can do jury duty through zoom?

      • Calrayo says:

        That’s what they’re having us do (I’m in California). We reported in person for part of a day to fill out a questionnaire, but everything else is remote. It’s rocky but I’m glad to not be in a large room with a bunch of people!

  • Musette says:

    I am sitting here trying to figure out what perfume hits the ‘warm’ synapse – I know it’s NOT No5 (though armor is ‘warm’, isn’t it?)… I would have to say it’s a tossup between contemporary Rochas Femme and Amouage Jubilation 25 body creme with a hit of Mitousko perfume atop it.
    Just writing that makes me sound crazy 😉

    xoxoxo

  • Koyel says:

    That sounds lovely. I’d love to eat some pastries now, if I’m honest. For me, Arielle Shoshana Sunday gives me that cozy warmth, and so does Hermès Ambre Narguilé 🙂

    • Patty says:

      Sunday is one of those too. Think it’s the milk? AN I’ve finally learned to appreciate, but I can’t wear it at all, it is just too much something. But I get why people love it.

  • VerbenaLuvvr says:

    Hilde Soliani’s Sweet Home and Solstice Scents’ Sun Warmed Honey have this effect on me, where I just keep sniffing my arm and catch myself with a goofy smile. I very much like ALOF’s What We Do in Paris, it has a pastry note, too.

    • Patty says:

      Now I need to go back and try the ALOF Paris one. I love pastry in a perfume, probably more than anything. I don’t think I’ve tried those Solianis, that’s a line that I probably should spend more time with, I sorta missed them!

  • March says:

    I loooove the scents that are addictive like that, and you can put them on over and over just to get that thrill. This sounds wonderful.

  • Cinnamon says:

    Hot damn that sounds incredible. Not sure this is findable yet here. Argggg. Fragrance that did this for me is gone. Sad face. Lostmarch Lann-Ael. Cereal, warm milk and vanilla. Sounds like mush; smelled divine.

    • Patty says:

      Yes! When that went away, i cried, literally. This isn’t exactly that, but that’s the lane it is in. Nothing is Lann-Ael, that was so special, and I wish I would have laid in like 20 bottles to get me through the end of my life.

  • Zazie says:

    Sounds so lovely!
    When I wear the late Havana Vanille I cannot stop myself from smelling my wrist and craving for a crème brûlée.
    Sane goes (without the dessert craving part) with cuir beluga and Bois d’armenie…

    • Patty says:

      I loved that one so much and was just sad when they ditched it. Almost all of the vanilla/dark Guerlain Matieres are the same for me, as well as the late, much lamented Iris Ganache.

  • Pixiedust2 says:

    I’m truly jealous of your experience with Freckled. You smelled what I had hoped I’d smell. Instead, I got a honeysuckle bomb…and that’s pretty much it. I almost blind bought a FB until I came to my senses and grabbed a sample instead. It’s a summery, dainty honeysuckle that turned into a skin scent within minutes. No milky pastries do me. As much as I LOVE What We Do In Paris, I thought I would adore this scent. Alas, another one bites the dust due to my finicky skin chemistry 🙁

    • Patty says:

      Really? I can’t even find honeysuckle on me. I put some on about an hour ago and just resniffed, and nope, not a bit, not even much orange flower. I get all the pastry and milk Sorry that went that way for you. 🙁

  • Maggiecat says:

    My addictions are temporary, but the last one was Under the Lemon Trees by Maison Margiela.
    I used to have freckles. Now, alas, I think we call them age spots!

    • Patty says:

      God, age spots. I look at my hands and arms and wonder… Not to mention the knees with weird wrinkles and things. They are my aunts’ knees I used to laugh at. Oh, I love that Lemon Trees thing. I like a lot of those MMRs

  • Maya says:

    I can’t think of any perfume that is addictive, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one came to mind right after I hit the send button. I love some of Maurice Roucel’s perfumes and like many more so I am very curious about A Lab on Fire A Blvd Called Sunset.

    • Patty says:

      Blvd was surprising to me, and I need to spend more time with it to get a better sense of it, it’s more on the masculine side, I think.

  • Bridget B says:

    This sounds lovely. Anything vanilla really softens my nerves. Thanks for the draw.

    • Patty says:

      It’s more nutty pastry than vanilla, but the vanilla is there with the florals, they just aren’t that prominent. My only complaint? doesn’t last long enough, but it gives me an excuse to respritz because the first 30 minutes of it are just amazing.

  • Portia says:

    OOOH Patty, This sounds lovely.
    I have a couple of addictive, respritz all day frags. Liberté by Cacharel and Granville by DIOR (both long DCd). Also CHANEL Boy, it’s just so good from top to bottom without being important or overwhelming.
    Portia xx

    • Patty says:

      I briefly tried boy, and i need to go find my sample again because that sounds right, it has that re-spray and sniff over and over quality to it.

  • Janet in California says:

    I have My Own Private Teahupo’o by A Lab on Fire and love it. Freckled and Beautiful sounds lovely in a very different way. Please enter me in the draw!

    • Patty says:

      I’m off to discover more of the ALOF stuff. I’m guessing that one is a tea scent? I feel odd that I may have missed some great stuff by ignoring them.

  • Rosemary says:

    I’m intrigued, count me in! I am fairly addicted to ELDO Putains de Palaces, always makes me feel good, lasts long on me too!

  • Carolyn says:

    I adore A Lab on Fire’s What We Do in Paris is Secret. Clearly I need to try Freckled and Beautiful!!

    • Patty says:

      I think I need to go back and smell Paris from them. I don’t even think I smelled it ever or I don’t remember. I like their sexy just rolled out of bed thing, it’s really pretty and casually girl next door sexy, kind of like NR for Her a bit.

  • Tara C says:

    Profumum Vanitas puts an instant smile on my face. Would love to try these two new ALOF scents!

    • Patty says:

      Hey, your comment came through or don’t tell me I have two Tara’s and I’ve got the wrong one. I do love Vanitas, haven’t smelled it in a long time, it is just lovely.

    • Ariel Marsh says:

      You had me at croissant.

      I’m in a transitional period regarding comfort perfumes: Chanel No. 5 used to be a mainstay, but I seem to be moving in an earthier direction.

      Sonoma Scent Studio’s Wood Violet and Possets’ Death (A Pardoner’s Tale) might be my new comforts.

      Ensar Oud’s No. 1 definitely made the world okay, but I only managed to snag two samples and they have both been treasured to the faintest wafts.