08 May 15

French Fragrance and French Food in Nolita 
Le Labo and Café Gitane Nolita 

This Sunday, May 10th, is Mother’s day. I don’t believe in celebrating holidays like Mother’s day, Father’s day, Valentine’s Day, etc. I love everyday life and I think showing your loved ones appreciation in everyday life is far more important than flowers or gifts once a year. Maybe it sounds too romantic — and I can assure you that my family can be a pain in the neck — but I think the each day is a treat when you’re among the ones you love and that’s what we need to appreciate.

For a long time, a fragrance from Le Labo has been on my wish list. The mission of Le Labo is to make soulful fragrances with good craftsmanship using the best ingredients. Each of the perfumes is built around a main ingredient like Bergamot, Rose, Vetiver, Neroli, Orange blossom, Patchouli, Iris, Ambrette, Jasmine, Labdanum, Agarwood, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang, Lily. Each of those essences is the base of a composition, the name of the perfume providing a valuable clue on how they are formulated. For example: Fleur d’Oranger 27 indicates that the perfume is made up of a total of 27 ingredients, with the natural orange blossom from Grasse as its principal essence. Le Labo also have shops in LA, London, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Each place has their local fragrance reflecting that specific location and which you can only buy at that specific store. 

If you’re in the market for a Mother’s Day gift, this is a perfect idea — give a personal fragrance and it even comes with a personalized label. And should it happen that there’s one for me on Sunday, I promise it won’t be rejected!

Today I was having a coffee at Café Gitane with two moms from my daughters school. I’ve been a frequent guest here since we moved to New York, especially because of their avocado toast. As the café is French, the food has it’s roots from that cuisine, but you can also just stop for a coffee or a citron presse in the bar, as the French do.

Le Labo, 233 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY 10012
lelabofragrances.com

Café Gitane Nolita, 242 Mott Street, New York, NY 10012
cafegitanenyc.com