Lancôme
Lancôme
164 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Raspberry and pink pepper announce themselves with immediate juiciness, a bright fruitiness that catches the light almost visibly, whilst bergamot sketches in citric freshness at the edges. Within five minutes, sweetness dominates—not yet the creamy sweetness to come, but rather the candied intensity of ripe berries caught in syrup.
Jasmine Sambac and orange blossom bloom into view around the 90-minute mark, transforming the composition into something richer, almost edible; heliotrope softens any potential floralcy into powdery warmth. The fragrance develops an almost creamy texture here, as though someone's blended roses into custard, with benzoin beginning its slow emergence as sweetness deepens and becomes less fruity, more amber-toned.
Patchouli, sandalwood and benzoin settle into a soft, warm base that hovers between skin scent and subtle projection—less a dramatic finale than a gradual dissolution into powdered sweetness tinged with subtle earthiness. What remains is less a distinct fragrance and more a warm, vaguely gourmand aura that clings gently to fabric and hair.
La Vie est Belle Intensément arrives as a deliberately lush counterpoint to its softer predecessor—less gossamer whisper, more velvet embrace. The opening flourish of pink pepper and raspberry creates an immediate sweetness that's neither cloying nor naive; there's a peppery snap that prevents it from collapsing into pure confection. Bergamot provides structural clarity, though it sits subordinate to the fruit's honeyed warmth rather than commanding the composition.
What distinguishes this fragrance is how Jasmine Sambac Absolute and Orange Blossom Absolute refuse to compete for dominance in the heart. Instead, they intertwine into something almost creamy—heliotrope acts as a bridge, its almond-tinged floralcy softening the jasmine's typical indolic richness into something more approachable, more dessert-like. There's a powdery quality that emerges midway through, suggesting benzoin's subtle intervention, creating the olfactory equivalent of well-dusted confectionery.
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3.7/5 (112)