Lancôme
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
That pear hits with unexpected force—not crisp and watery, but cooked, glazed, caramelising at the edges. The blackcurrant adds a tart jamminess that briefly suggests this might have some restraint, before the praline surges forward like an incoming tide. Within minutes, you're firmly in gourmand territory, and there's no turning back.
The florals emerge as if viewed through a sugar-dusted lens, with iris powder and orange blossom cream creating a soft-focus, almost blurred effect. Jasmine weaves through delicately, its indolic character smoothed and sweetened beyond recognition. The vanilla and tonka bean are already making their presence known, wrapping everything in a warm, edible embrace that never quite lets the flowers breathe on their own terms.
This is where La Vie Est Belle settles into its true identity: a skin-close veil of vanilla-praline with a whisper of patchouli providing structure. The sweetness remains unrelenting but becomes more intimate, almost musky, as if the sugar has caramelised directly onto skin. It's warm, enveloping, and remarkably tenacious—a praline echo that refuses to fade quietly.
La Vie Est Belle is a fragrance that wears its heart on its sleeve—or rather, its praline on its collar. This is unabashedly sweet, almost confrontationally so, with that gourmand base absolutely dominating proceedings from the first spray. The pear and blackcurrant opening offers a jammy, compote-like fruitiness that immediately surrenders to an avalanche of caramelised sugar, where praline and tonka bean create something that hovers between confectionery counter and powder room. The iris here isn't the rooty, earthy kind; it's been thoroughly sweetened and softened, lending a cosmetic elegance that prevents the whole affair from tipping into pure dessert territory. Orange blossom and jasmine add a token floral presence, though they're so thoroughly enrobed in vanilla that they read more as orange blossom *cream* and jasmine *syrup*. The patchouli provides just enough woody backbone to anchor the sweetness, but don't expect any hippie-ish earthiness—this is patchouli in its most domesticated, polished form. It's a fragrance for someone who wants to smell delicious rather than mysterious, who prefers their femininity served with a generous dusting of icing sugar. This is the woman who orders dessert without guilt, who wears heels to brunch, who believes life genuinely *is* beautiful—and smells like it should taste like praline macarons. Divisive? Absolutely. The sweetness will be cloying to some, intoxicating to others. But there's no denying its technical skill: Flipo has created a crowd-pleaser that manages to feel both contemporary and comfortingly familiar.
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