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I could’ve sworn I had already posted a review of La Vie Est Belle, years ago, on the site. Turns out, that I was wrong. So today, I will correct that mistake, and revisit this best selling EDP from Lancôme. What does it smell like? When should it be worn? Is it even worth the hype?
What does La Vie Est Belle Smell Like?
Notes include: patchouli, vanilla, blackberry, iris, pear, tonka bean, praline, and more
Click here to try: Lancome La Vie Est Belle Eau de Parfum Spray, 1.7 Ounce
My Full Review
Before we get into my personal review, let’s see what Lancôme has to say about the perfume: “La vie est belle”, a French expression meaning “Life is beautiful”; the manifesto of a new era. Universal yet personal, Lancôme’s femininity is a choice embraced by women, not an imposed standard. The choice to live one’s life and fill it with beauty. Your own way. It introduces a new olfactory story, the first ever iris gourmand. The juice is made with the most precious natural ingredients, a modern interpretation of an oriental fragrance with a twist of gourmand.
La Vie Est Belle opens up with its fruity notes, taking center stage. Mainly, I pick up on the tart and somewhat sour blackberry note, which is joined by pear. When paired together (along with the other notes), it puts on a sweet, somewhat grape-like smell at first. Like, a candied grape scent, just more tart in the opening.
A few minutes after the initial spray, the patchouli begins to draw away some of the energy of the fruity ingredients. With the iris note (plus a touch of jasmine), you do get a more classic floral aroma in there.
Yet, it still remains a fruity gourmand, at this stage. This perfume gets compared to Flowerbomb a lot, and I can smell the similarities, but there’s less patchouli in La Vie.
This is really when the shift begins to occur, in this fragrance. The praline/vanilla/patchouli triumvirate, gains a strong foothold, and the blackberry note is just floating along the periphery of the aroma.
Initially, the patchouli is the strongest, then it is the praline/vanilla mix. They become slightly stronger than the patchouli, the rest of the wear.
La Vie Est Belle isn’t a super complicated fragrance, but it does have a nice little lifecycle of development.
Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility
The sillage isn’t huge, but it can fill a room, if over sprayed. You don’t need to go heavy on the trigger, for the scent to project itself. In fact, it’ll probably make for an unpleasant wear.
The performance is great, in terms of how long it’ll go for, on the skin. You will definitely get a full workday, at least, possibly into the double digit hours depending on the climate. 7.5 or 8 hours mostly, with some extra time, sometimes.
Is this a versatile fragrance? Yes. There’s a reason it is a best seller, La Vie Est Belle is a daily wear for a ton of women, out there. It is pretty and pleasant. Appropriate for the office, school, casual functions, formal wear, etc.
This is more of a cold to moderate temperature wear. Mostly, autumn through mid-spring. When it gets hot, go with another option.
Is this a sexy perfume? Ehh, I don’t know that I’d call it ‘sexy’, it’s appealing. It’s attractive, but it doesn’t drive me wild. Though, I do enjoy smelling this fragrance on a woman.
Overall Impression of La Vie Est Belle
Do I like La Vie Est Belle? I do. I still think that this is a very good option for women looking for an all around daily wear. Yes, it is pretty commonplace. But, so what? It works.
The blackberry opening, while tart, is quite awesome. Some people don’t care for it, but it is a highlight for me. The dry down gets warmer and sweeter, with enough patchouli, to keep it all in balance.
Add to that, the performance is worth the price of admission. It is strong and lasts for a long time, so, it’s actually not a bad value proposition for what you actually get.
La Vie Est Belle has been a massive hit and will continue to be so. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but seems to attract a lot of women to wear it. I would recommend giving it a shot.
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Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.