Endless Summer: L'humaniste by Frapin

By Tom Late September can be brutal in Los Angeles. The arrival of the Santa Anas can mean weeks of triple-digit temps, wildfires that make the air chunk-style, and humidity so low you can feel your skin drying like you're leaning too close to the coals of a barbeque. On days like that the idea of dousing myself with something like, say Spiriteuse Double Vanille commends itself to me about as much as a mink-lined trench coat. What to do? What to spritz? L'humaniste would seem to be perfect: listed notes are bergamot, cardamom, bay berry, black pepper, juniper, nutmeg, thyme, peony, gin, oakmoss, and tonka bean. My first hit is of the gin, specifically gin and tonic. I'm not a big fan of them usually; I was served one on one of the same sort of brutally hot day we'd been having and I wanted to bathe in it. As the peony, pepper and finally oakmoss joined the party I wanted to bathe in this. It is, if possible more refreshing and far easier on the liver. L'humaniste is $130 for 100ML, which is even a relative bargain in the world of niche perfumery. At LuckyScent