Fleurs Bohèmes

Lalibela Memo Paris 2007 Eau de Parfum

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7.5 / 10 339 Ratings

A popular perfume by Memo Paris for women and men, released in 2007. The scent is floral-sweet. It is still in production.

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Main accords

Floral

Sweet

Creamy

Oriental

Powdery

Fragrance Notes

Vanilla

Rose absolute Freesia

Freesia

Green notes

Heliotrope

Indonesian patchouli

Jasmine absolute Musk

Musk

Orange blossom

Ylang-ylang

Frankincense

Perfumer

Aliénor Massenet

Ratings

Scent

7.5339 Ratings

Longevity

7.7267 Ratings

Sillage

7.1270 Ratings

Bottle

8.0253 Ratings

Value for money

6.9115 Ratings

Submitted by Seglein, last update on 07/11/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the "Fleurs Bohèmes" collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Lalibela Hair Perfume

Cašmir Eau de Parfum

For Her Eau de Toilette

Ylang in Gold Eau de Parfum

Poudre d'Or

Orchidée Céleste

Reviews

7 in-depth fragrance descriptions

10/25/2012

7.5
Bottle 5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 3
Scent

Dolby
68 Reviews

Dolby

5

Welcome to the world of Poop Spray United … Please take your seat.

As I sprayed, the first whiff did animate me, albeit very briefly, because, after the correctly allocated time for the alcohol to evaporate (never understand people who spray and sniff practically in unison … Are they from a special sector of humankind, born with asbestos nostrils? I wonder)
… anyway, I eagerly approached my olfactory organ to my denuded forearm … and recoiled in horror.

Boy does it stink!
Plastic coconut and red rose toilet spray anyone?
This can’t be for real.

Memo, Memo, Memo, what are you doing?
A house with measlier quality offerings I have yet to find.
Fair enough, I have never sniffed the Paris Hilton of this world, but please spare me.

The very odd aspect of this scent is that it is rather lovely … from afar.
Ok, you may be thinking “what is she on now?”, but truly, it isn’t the first time that I experience this:
Reeks up close, delights at a distance.

Indeed, from afar, it translates as a gourmand powdery rose.
Not bad at all, but then, no can do I’m afraid.
I mean, how are we meant to wear this?
Walk around whilst flapping our arms wildly? Because if you wish to attract stares chillier than Iceland’s freezer section from the fellows around you and risk ending up in the local loony bin as a result, go right ahead.
Personally, I’ll pass.

… An hour has gone by.
It has greatly tamed down, and is now a perfectly pleasant warm and cosy rose fragrance.
Unfortunately, the opening makes me shudder … still.

03/24/2023

6
Sillage 7
Longevity 9
Scent

Hartsy3
99 Reviews

Hartsy3

5

So special and unforgettable

Update: I gave Lalibela another try three months later and she has decidedly grown on me! To the point where I am now on the hunt for a full size bottle. There is something so strange and alien about this smell that makes it difficult to pin down. It sticks in your head and you keep wanting to come back to it again and again because it's like nothing else you will ever smell.

I could describe it as a bit powdery or lotion-like. But it's like a very high-end lotion with only the very best ingredients from some faraway land that you've only heard about in fairytales. It's breezy and playful, while still seeming luxurious and untouchable.

This is signature worthy! It almost makes me want to throw away every other perfume I own and say "this is it! This fragrance is ME now!" I hope this one stays secret for a while.

====

Ugh, I had such high hopes for this perfume. It was a favorite spritz in the store. The shop guy even complimented my taste and said this one was an "exciting and different" fragrance to him, which is saying a lot since he has smelled thousands of perfumes over the years!

My initial thoughts: a breezy, playful exciting smell. I imagined wearing this on a yacht off a beautiful coastal town in Greece, while catching a whiff of someone spinning cotton candy on the ocean breeze.

However, after actually wearing this, that candy sweetness has turned into a sickeningly sweet synthetic vanilla. I can still smell the bit of coconut and spice that drew me to it initially. But instead of a fresh open breeze, it now makes me think of chalky valentine's candies. Too sweet and too artificial.

I gave it one last try today (I really want to like it) but I had to scrub it off almost immediately. I even got a headache afterwards, though I don't know if that's related.

If you love gourmand smells and want to try something a little "off beat," give it a try! Maybe this one will connect with you like I initially had hoped it would for me. If you do try it, go easy, this one is sticky and powerful!

I will give Lalibela this: she is definitely not boring.

01/10/2013

4
Scent

Sherapop
1239 Reviews

Sherapop

3

Inspired by Dolby, I have taken this one up again...

I'm on a mission this year (2013) to review everything in my house. That means EVERYTHING: bottles, decants, and samples. I have large decants of the early Memo perfumes from two years ago, which I have not seen fit to don since my initial testing of them. Why not? Perhaps Dolby was on to something, see below...

This time, LALIBELA hit me initially like a slug in the face, which made me fear that I might have screwed up by leaving these decants out--not in direct sunlight, mind you, but within the reach of indirect light. Had the perfume been harmed by all of this time spent on a book shelf, watching me every day as I walked by and never reached for it? Is this some form of revenge? It's hard to say. All I know is that I now have a headache.

I feel that an effort has been made here, but perhaps hell really is paved with good intentions, as the coconut now smells rather like bananas about to turn. The overall effect seems rather amateurish. I don't know how to explain this vague term, but let's just say: Think of the perfumes of Frédéric Malle. Now think of the opposite of that.

There is a lot going on in LALIBELA, which is a weirdly "sort of" oriental perfume, and I do not think that it is as bad as Dolby does, but I also do not find it very good. Because in my first review I indicated that the opening was pleasing, I think that there is a pretty good chance that this perfume is not all that stable. Perhaps, then, Dolby's sample had suffered under conditions similar to my decant. On ne sait jamais...

Unfortunately, "try before you buy" will not solve the problem of fragility, unless you both try and buy on site in Paris!

11/23/2024

10
Bottle 9
Scent

Telekinec
437 Reviews

Telekinec

2

A sophisticated creamy and sweet floral scent

I don't know what's going on with Memo Paris, but until now they've always been pretty solid perfumes while vibing overall quite well with my nose and skin chemistry.

Lalibela is a very intriguing and interesting fragrance to me. Although I do get a weird overwhelming note of patchouli at the beginning (pungent, earthy and almost dirty), it doesn't take long before falling in line among the other notes. That's when things start to get interesting. I get coconut orchid with an undertone of sunscreen, but the other notes temper it down so it doesn't fall in the "dislike" category or the summer vibe. There's a creaminess to it that's very enticing. I get a lovely sweetness from the vanilla, a sweet and soft floral aspect from the rose and some dark complexity from the patchouli that ends up mingling well with the rest of the notes and plays nice. There's a soft incense-like aspect that's coming from the frankincense that adds warmth over time. Those are the notes that stand out the most on my skin.

It's got a sophisticated and elegant vibe to it. I wouldn't wear it during summer as I think patchouli might come out too strong and heavy, but it's fair game for all the other season. I feel very put-together while wearing it. Pretty versatile, I could wear it for going out and about but also during the evening for winding down. I'm not sure it's something I've never worn or tried before, but in this fragrance, the chips (or the notes) fall into the right place. I might just go for a full bottle of this one too!

04/06/2024

8
Pricing 8
Bottle 8
Sillage 8
Longevity 8
Scent

Animilovic
54 Reviews

Translated Show original

Animilovic

Helpful Review 11

A gift from the angels

"Lalibela" was inspired by the Christian town of the same name in Ethiopia, which is located at an altitude of 2,500 meters and is said to be full of myths and secrets. The slogan "A mystical rose" refers to the twelve rock churches which, according to legend, were built in a single night in the 12th century by angels who descended from heaven. Memo Paris tries to express this mystical moment with a rose that takes on different facets in its individual phases.

The rose takes center stage, but it is joined at the beginning by a sweetness that is very unobtrusive and pleasant. No chewing gum sweetness, no synthetic sweetness, but very harmonious, floral. As the fragrance progresses, it becomes increasingly creamy and even though I was a little skeptical beforehand given the list of ingredients, incense and tobacco have been worked into the rose garden extremely well. The fragrance is extremely well balanced and harmonious across all phases. No ingredient stands out unpleasantly, everything is coordinated. Perfume art at a high level, as I would have expected from Memo Paris.
I personally find the fragrance very feminine, even though it is declared as a unisex fragrance. That doesn't mean that I felt uncomfortable with the fragrance, not at all, but I personally believe that a woman can simply wear the fragrance better than me, an old bald guy. My feelings are confirmed by the Parfumo community. Of the 186 users of the fragrance on Parfumo, a whopping 92 percent are female. But even if the fragrance doesn't suit my taste, I have to admit that this is a beautiful interpretation of a rose fragrance.

The durability has taken an example from the industrious church-building angels. The angels build 12 churches in one night and Lalibela Eau de Parfum lasts (almost) all night. I was able to smell four sprays on my neck for about six hours myself.

The Memo bottle is always a feast for the eyes. Perhaps the rock churches could have been incorporated, but the bottle is nonetheless impressive.

The price is high, no question, but for ~200 euros you get a beautiful fragrance DNA and bottle, with good performance. The fragrance offers little criticism.

For women, I would strongly recommend Lalibela Eau de Parfum, especially if you are a fan of floral rose fragrances anyway. For men, I would recommend African Leather Eau de Parfum.

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