Too intense? [reviewing La Vie est Belle Intensément edp, by Lancome]

 Happiness is a vibration that lives within all of us. It’s fleeting, but intense. Quick, but strong. It’s here and now. Beating inside the new eau de parfum La Vie Est Belle Intensément. Live to the fullest here and now. Feel the happiness urgency in every moment.

The La Vie est Belle Intensément olfactive story is composed of a powerful and sensual heart brightened by a smile of delicious delicacies. The first Intense Red-Iris-Vanilla Accord exclusively created for Lancôme by one of France's leading perfumers, in an iconic perfume bottle.

I've mentioned a couple of times that La Vie est Belle is one of my favourite fragrances and that I've gone through multiple bottles over the years. After finishing my third or fourth bottle, I decided to switch things up a bit and try the flanker that was on offer at the time in Boots [it was a Christmas star gift & had an amazing almost‐£50 saving]. 

I wanted to hurry and get my review up whilst the huge money-off offer is still going to help people who are still looking for that special gift, so here we go...

Merry Christmas everyone xx

 pink-pepper-coated raspberry is the strongest fruit note on me. Like with the original, there is a soft & creamy vanilla present through all of the fragrance, with adds a creamy & fluffy sense of sweetness and warmth. The amber & patchouli blend is also quick to develop, so whilst this is a sweet fragrance, it's a more adult spicy heated kind of edge to the sweetness.

The biggest callback to the original edition is that the floral notes in the heart are powdery and just provide a fairly subtle background for the iris to shine & be boosted up by. The heliotrope, orange blossom & jasmine are all clearly definable, but apart from rose and perhaps magnolia, I can't begin to guess any other florals that might be in the blend.

The fragrance turns ever so slightly nutty, sweeter & creamier as the benzoin and sandalwood develops - the backdrop is vaguely reminiscent of a vanilla latte, with almond milk. Whilst the iris note does eventually quiet down, the combined powderiness of the floral notes remains and softly fades away with the base notes.

Key scent notes: raspberry, pink pepper bergamot, heliotrope, orange blossom, jasmine sambac, vanilla, iris, benzoin, patchouli and sandalwood.

I wouldn't wear La Vie est Belle Intensément in warm/bright weather as the excellent sura & longevity [we're talking 10+ hours & an aura of up to a few feet away], paired with the sensation of spiced heat in the scent notes can be too much for migraine-prone me. I'd say this is definitely a fragrance for autumn/winter.

From the first spritz this reminded me strongly of something... remember Beyonce's perfume line with Coty? They briefly had a limited edition intense version of Heat for sale in America, which I bought in the NYC Macy's a decade or so ago - Heat Ultimate Elixir. I absolutely adored it, but I knocked the bottle off my dresser soon after arriving back home and the bottle neck smashed, so we parted ways far too quickly 😢 

Since getting my bottle of La Vie est Belle Intensément I've not felt the need to replace my empty bottle of La Vie est Belle - its too soon to say if it will be a long‐term replacement, but for the foreseeable future it's a definite hit. I usually prefer less rich fragrances, but this has hit my nostalgic happy spot.

 

Hurry; at the time of writing, Boots still have their Star Gift offer on [£48.50 for a 50ml bottle]

The usual pricing is:

50ml - £97

100ml - £130