Interesting. I guess what mainly turns me off about La Collection is they aren't at discounters and the Rabanne sales site lists them at $325. Based on your description, it doesn't seem that good.
I think that the way this line has been marketed is one of the reasons why they received very little exposure. In the UK, you can only get them from Rabanne or Selfridge's - never at a discount. I managed to get a tester, somehow...
Objectively, these are worth perhaps 40% of the RRP. On the other hand, the price of the La Collection discovery kit is reasonable.
Yeah, hard to tell as we all tolerate different levels of sweetness... anyway, a gourmand degree of sweetness is there, but it's not exorbitant, and it is balanced by the labdanum smokiness. The maple is quite dry per se, and it reminds me of what you smell in New Haarlem.
Objectively, these are worth perhaps 40% of the RRP. On the other hand, the price of the La Collection discovery kit is reasonable.