La Vie est Belle L'Elixir (L'Eau de Parfum) Lancôme 2024

I can't believe this is an La Vie est Belle flanker! Not that I hate the original or anything, but this is very different and so much better.

It's a powdery and fruity scent that smells a bit like an expensive sheer lipstick, but with some extras. The most noticeable note right from the start is a fresh, natural raspberry that doesn't lean overly syrupy. I can also smell violet leaf clearly, and some of its flower, too, even if the latter is not in the notes list. A touch of soft leather perfects it all.
I don't know if I would have identified the cacao butter on my own without the notes list, but as I know it's there, I can pick it up. Especially in the beginning and when sprayed on my skin. It adds a touch of warmth, a very slight cacao-ish scent, just like a cacao butter lotion would. It's a subtle, but interesting addition to this cosmetic-like scent.

L'Elixir has some sweetness to it, but it's not a heavy gourmand like the original LVEB, it's more elegant, more floral, missing the patchouli and the fizziness that LVEB is famous for. I understand why some people voted for this to be similar to Guerlain fragrances like French Kiss, Rose Chérie and Insolence. It definitely goes into this direction! I find all of those more powdery though. They have Guerlain DNA and this is undeniably a Lancôme release. Maybe it's the rose note or something about the texture, I think you have to smell it and see the difference for yourself.

To me, this scent feels special, it gives me a magical, sparkling, optimistic feeling I really didn't expect here. Think of an evening before a party, with the sky fading from pink to dark blue and the stars coming out, listening to a perfect pop song. I can't explain it any better, I just love it.
A perfect balance of warm and cool, powdery and juicy, sweet and fresh.

This is a syrup-y sweet and lipstick-y rose. It's rare to see leather note in designer mainstream fragrances for women, so I was excited to try it. Unfortunately I could never detect any hints of leather in this fragrance. Nevertheless, it is a good fragrance but not really meant for me.

I would give this fragrance credit though for being a bit different from the endless number of designer fragrance releases for women in recent years that smells very similar to each other.

This rose-raspberry combination is very well executed and the perfume feels charming and feminine. I don`t know what the original Vie est Belle smelled like, but I quite enjoy this. The raspberry is fruity-sweet, but lacks its dose of Vitamin C, making it more candy-like and less astringent. There was a touch of citrus in the opening, but it disappears almost immediately. The rose is jammy and green with leaves of the violets popping through clearly. It`s interesting how easily my nose can pick up each of the individual notes in here. The leather is barely perceptible after a few hours, but the fruity rose remains throughout. It`s a playful and charming scent that I imagine a younger woman teens to 20s wearing as her every day scent.

nice sparkly raspberry opening. kind of like a soda. as it dries, it becomes more creamy and smooth, the raspberry still prominent. i am not a raspberry girl, it can quickly become cloying for me, but I can appreciate that it is done nicely. after the raspberry fades it becomes very light and ethereal. i imagine its what a fairy would smell like. I'm getting violet, powdered sugar, and something tart, grounded by the cacao butter. i can see why you would compare it to Celeste, but it is just a tad less nauseating without the lime - and not as vanilla-heavy. very similar to dama bianca too

edit:
I wore 2 sprays of this today and I had gone noseblind to it after a few hours; however, when I got home, one of my family members asked why it smelled like perfume. we weren't even in the same ROOM. one of my other family members said they smelled it on me in response.
so other people will smell you a lot more than you will smell yourself wearing this.

I've been searching for the perfect sophisticated woman scent. I believe I've found it! I spent fall/winter of 2024 wearing this almost exclusively. I'm not certain if anything I say can do it justice.

La vie est belle L'Elixir opens as if you've freshly uncorked raspberry wine. It unfolds into violet. Some days it smells like candy. Other days, it's similar to violet leaf. It finishes off with cocoa butter, rendering you practically edible. Leather and cedarwood provide balance, though to my nose, they stay behind the scenes. I don't personally detect rose or bergamot, which is great (I hate bergamot).

L'Elixir is exquisite. It is nothing like the original La vie est belle or the other flankers. She is the true diva, one that commands attention when she enters the room. (Seriously, a few dabs are enough. A full spray can be too intoxicating.) Her only downfall is her headlining show is limited to the colder months. She would certainly risk overexposure if she appeared in the spring or summer. I do hope she'll stick around for years to come.