La Vie est Belle L'Eau de Parfum Légère Lancôme 2013

La Vie est belle was launched when my daughter was 11. We saw ads for it everywhere, the face on them beautiful Julia Roberts (need I say Pretty Woman?)
Both my daughter and I were curious about the smell so we went to a shop and tried it. I suppose we both wanted to like it.
Done spraying we sniffed the whole afternoon and evening. I could not get my head around it; to me a strong note of something kept annoying me. I asked my daughter and she said, that she thought it smelled good. I decided that it was probably just me. Not all scents are for everyone.
I bought a bottle for my daughter the same Christmas. Just a 30ml but she was very happy. She used it up quite quickly and I planned to give her one for her birthday in October. When she unwrapped the present she look a bit tired and said thank you - but my mother’s ear is tuned to some frequencies not hearable to other humans so I noticed the disappointment. Later that week I asked her if she would have been happier with another present.
“You know, mum, there is this strange smell in the perfume that keeps annoying me - and I liked the smell of the perfume in the beginning!” I could not help smiling - perhaps preferences are inherited.
I bought the bottle of her and kept it in my closet - for a long time. A few years ago I tested it again with the same result so I got rid of it. But then I got my hands on L’Eau de Parfum Légère and this was a totally different experience. The base makes the change. Less sweet and loud. I can wear this without getting a headache and that is an improvement.
Sometimes flankers are the better version of a not so likable juice. It just takes some time to find it.
Year 2, 19/365

I was given a Bottle (1/3 full) of this fragrance, so decided to give it a full days wearing. Well,, here goes..another boring berry clone. I was surprised at how very similar to Midnight Rose this fragrance is. Black currant is listed in the opening..a very synthetic berry it is. Has an overpowering fruity feel, throughout the whole wearing experience. The cloying sweetness is most likely due to the supposed addition of praline and chocolate. Even the jasmine and iris are hardly detectable ...they too seem false somehow. Considering the bottle design...heavy and expensive looking), the actual juice is a real letdown. It may appeal to the younger collectors, who seem to enjoy the very fruity fragrances that seem to be all the rage. I don't find this a soft scent either. It has an almost jarring quality to it...it doesn't seem to have any stages what so ever...it basically has the same bland berry scent from start to finish. It does have lasting power...it stayed with me for several hours, which is quite a feat on my skin! I won' be testing any pinkie colored fragrances for awhile now...I'll just stifle my yawn, and move on!

I was particularly excited about "La vie est belle L'Eau de Parfum Légère," because I still have the original in my mind... and I think I remember not liking something about it. However, I must also admit that my taste in fragrances has changed significantly during and especially after pregnancy. La vie est belle smells wonderfully delicious and currently performs better for me than the original, because the blackcurrant, although categorized as a top note like in the original, is at most just a hint, as I have never been fond of overly fruity scents.

La vie est belle starts off quite sweet, very vanilla-like, and the scent of praline immediately tickles my nose with the warm chocolate note (which I usually don't like, but here it is simply perfectly balanced) with a floral touch that beautifully refines the gourmand and makes it something truly special, really very delicious and elegant at the same time... yes, I would almost call it ripe. I would say it is a fragrance that, while it has some notes that would fit well into teenage scents, as vanilla and chocolate are often treated rather poorly in fragrances... but here they come together to create a unique scent for the lady... that I must truly admit to being a big fan of. After a while, I find the scent a bit mystical, which I would attribute to the jasmine... because in combination with the praline, it comes out particularly grand. I don't see this fragrance on very young girls... but from around the mid-20s, I think it is an absolute treasure.

"La vie est belle L'Eau de Parfum Légère" smells wonderfully delicious and performs better than the original, as the blackcurrant is barely noticeable.
It starts off sweet and vanilla-like with a hint of chocolate, really very tasty. There’s also a slight smoky scent, almost reminiscent of incense.