La Vie Est Belle Eau de Parfum

This perfume smells amazing. It has staying power like no other. It is a rather strong perfume so if you're not into that or have a sensitive nose you might want to stay away. It smells sweet and decadent but it does mellow out to a nice patchouli note. If you aren't into gourmand fragrances then this isn't for you. Its a very youthful smelling fragrance but I think any age can wear this as its also a very feminine scent. All in all I would give it a try if you're in the market for something new.

This perfume has lasting power and strength, second to none. Lasting power like no other perfume I’ve ever sampled. I love vanilla-like scents and I’m always a fan of that extra touch of patchouli in my perfumes! Very good lasting power too, excellent job once again lancome

Not a showstopping or especially unique fragrance. To me, it smells like V&R flowerbomb but more fruity. A fruity flowerbomb, if you will. I like that it’s feminine, pretty, and fairly strong. It’s certainly not a weak scent, or displeasing by any means. It’s simply not my favorite, as I don’t find anything special or memorable about it. It doesn’t evoke an image; it’s difficult to see exactly the woman this fragrance is made for, because the scent to me is a little scattered. Most times, a great fragrance really paints a picture and you can see the exact type of woman that it’s made for. You either identify with it, it speaks to you, it lures you in, or it... simply does nothing. Falls flat. In one word, this fragrance is: boring. Absolutely boring. It’s pretty, it’s fresh, it’s like a million others out there. There is nothing memorable, provocative, unique, special, or enticing about LVEB, in my opinion. As I am certainly all of those things, and I know you ladies out there are as well... this perfume gets a hard pass. It’s a touch too sweet, a touch too boring, and way overpriced to be smelling so unremarkable. Don’t settle for LVEB.

I cannot say enough good things about this perfume. I have literally had people CHASE me down to tell me how good I smell and ask what I'm wearing. I've been chased down in Walmart, chased down while crossing the street etc... and I'm not exaggerating. I've even had clients ask me what I'm wearing so they can buy it for their wives/girlfriends. Of course, every scent smells different on every person but on me, this is what I have been re purchasing for many many many years and will continue to do so.

Several months ago I wrote a scathing review of LVEB, accusing it of being the ultimate in generic, formulaic "mall" scents. I mean, how many candied fruitchouli scents do we need, especially for >$100 a bottle? I'm back with a different take on this perfume, because I've kept using my little bottle of LVEB... and it's really grown on me! Ever since I smelled Angel on my beautiful neighbor, I tried and tried to make that fragrance work for me, but on my skin it has always smelled like sweaty armpits + stewed prunes. Coco Mademoiselle has many of the same notes as Angel, and it smells good on me, but I just find it trite and overly squeaky-clean. As it turns out, LVEB is "my" perfect Angel! It's clearly an Angel derivative, with the whole vanilla-caramel-praline-patchouli drydown and fruity topnotes, but it actually smells heavenly on me and gives me that sugar/patchouli contrast I so love about Angel. Angel was a groundbreaker and is daring to this day-- and I'll always love it from afar. Some may argue LVEB, by contrast, is sanitized and annoyingly synthetic. I get that, but I cannot deny that it smells GREAT on me and makes me feel good all day. If I have to smell a bit generic and recognizable, so be it. Some things are popular for good reason. BTW, the InStyle/Perfect Scents dupe of LVEB sold at Walgreens and CVS is really quite close to the original. It wears more lightly, which some may even prefer. I wear the "imposter" version to work and the real thing at bedtime and on dates :)

My sister purchased it several years ago simply because she loves every single perfume with sweet notes which is not my favorite at all. I sprayed a little bit on my wrist and once I sniffed I had a headache and stomachache. To sum it up this perfume is way too much sweet and more likely to be idolized by a teenage girl. I gave it two lippies only because I liked the packaging, the bottle design, the color it and the small ribbon which is tied around the bottleneck. Notes: my favorite perfumes are Chance-Chanel Coco- Chanel No5-Chanel N22-Chanel Coromandel-Chanel Cinnabar- Estée Lauder Youth Dew- Estée Lauder Aromatics-Clinique magie noire-Lancome

I cannot stand this perfume, it is really cloying and sickening. Very strong and sweet - in a bad way. It make me nauseous.

Ewww.... I can't tolerate this one. I get cotton candy. That's it - starts there and ends there.

In my opinion, La Vie Est Belle is Flowerbomb but better. Instead of Flowerbomb’s opening tea note, there’s a slight powdery note in LVEB (the iris??). And it’s sweet… Very sweet. I actually love the powdery sweetness in the first hour of LVEB. However, that dissipates and a very popular candied patchouli emerges. I’m not a fan of the candied patchouli. I’m not sure why that is, as I love the earthy, dirty, body odor patchouli in Thierry Mugler Angel as well as the clean, mossy, screechy patchouli in Coco Mademoiselle. But something about candied patchouli just doesn’t sit right with my nose. Everyone else clearly loves candied patchouli, however, as it is present in both LVEB and Flowerbomb and both fragrances are insanely popular. LVEB rarely goes unnoticed and is sure to garner compliments. It’s unmistakably feminine. It is longlasting and projects like a beast (one or two sprays max, ladies and gents). It lasts forever on both skin and clothes. I love the bottle and the pink juice. LVEB will be an enduring classic as it is pretty ageless. I can imagine both young and mature wearing it. This one is here to stay and is definitely worth a sniff. If you love praline/vanilla sweetness with a dose of sweet patch, then check out La Vie Est Belle.

The pear is the strongest fruit note on me - well, I say strongest, but it is still pretty soft and doesn't leave me with a lasting impression. There is soft vanilla present through all of the fragrance too, with adds a creamy sweetness and warmth to the fragrance. The patchouli is also quick to develop, so whilst everything is sweet, it's not cloyingly so. The floral notes used are powdery and just provide a background for the iris. It's quite startling how, after around two hours, the fragrance suddenly changes from a soft gourmand to present the wearer with a rich iris note. I don't have much experience with iris in perfumes, so LA VIE EST BELLE is unique enough to me to justify the splurge. After another few hours the fragrance turns slightly nutty and even creamier as the rest of the base notes develop. Whilst the iris note dies down, the combined powderiness of the floral notes remain and softly fade away with the base notes after around nine hours on my skin. Official scent notes: Iris, orange blossoms, jasmine, black currant, pear, tonka bean, praline, patchouli and vanilla. I wouldn't wear LA VIE EST BELLE in warm/bright weather as the excellent longevity [9+ hours], and the sensation of warmth that is created by the creamy sweetness in the scent notes can be too much for migraine-prone me; I've made the mistake of wearing it on sunny days, and have been left with banging migraines as a result. I'd say this is definitely a fragrance for autumn/winter - in fact I like to wear this perfume to bed then.