Lancôme La Vie Est Belle

A fragrance that symbolizes freedom and the simple joys in life. That's what Lancôme aimed for when they released La Vie Est Belle late 2012. This sophisticated scent is very feminine, with iris as its key ingredient and a heart of jasmine, and I can already tell you it is so long-lasting.

La Vie Est Belle is a deep, sweet scent. It opens with notes of pear and blackcurrant. The sweetness can be slightly overwhelming at first, so you might not want to exaggerate it - hey, I learned the hard way too! The heart consists of iris, jasmine and orange blossom, eventually followed by patchouli, praline, vanilla and tonka bean as the base notes of the perfume.

Describing scents is not my best talent, but I'll try to give you an idea of what this one's like. When I spray La Vie Est Belle onto my neck, my first reaction is always 'wow, that's sweet... but in a good way'. It's perhaps a bit too heavy to be wearing early in the morning but luckily the heaviness tones down after a couple minutes, leaving a deep scent that lasts all day. I believe the vanilla and tonka bean are the most striking ingredients for me, I recognize the similarity between this and the Diesel Loverdose Tattoo. Many people compare it to Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb. Like I said, this perfume's lasting power is amazing. I applied it at 8am this morning, it's now midnight as I'm writing this and I can still smell it in my hair.

La Vie Est Belle might be a perfume for you if you like deep, warm scents that linger on the body for hours. The gourmand notes are strong at first, but the iris is a great detail to soften those down. It is perfect on cold days or a night out. I've been wearing La Vie Est Belle on rainy days, where on days when it's sunny I tend to go for something fresh, like florals.

Do you think La Vie Est Belle might be for you?

Click here to see Lancôme's campaign video for La Vie Est Belle, starring Julia Roberts as the face of the campaign.

Lys

A Belgian linguistics and communications student who is passionate about travel, cosmetics and journalism. Modest Mix presents my latest interests and travel experiences.