La Vie est Belle L'Absolu Lancôme 2014

Bottle Design Catherine Krunas

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8.4 / 10 135 Ratings

La Vie est Belle L'Absolu is a popular perfume by Lancôme for women and was released in 2014. The scent is sweet-gourmand. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is being marketed by L'Oréal. Pronunciation

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Perfumers

Dominique Ropion, Anne Flipo

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Pear, Blackberry
Heart Notes	Orange blossom absolute, Jasmine sambac absolute, Iris pallida
Base Notes	Patchouli

Ratings

Scent

8.4 | 135 Ratings

Longevity

9.1 | 110 Ratings

Sillage

8.7 | 113 Ratings

Bottle

8.8 | 128 Ratings

Submitted by Michael, last update on 10.01.2021.

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Reviews

10/11/2020

9
Scent 10
Longevity 9
Sillage 10
Bottle

Eaumygosh

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Eaumygosh

Top Review 12

Gourmand iris dream for cold days

"La Vie est Belle" - a modern classic scent. Whether you love or hate it, the success is outstanding. This fragrance has been at the top of the "charts" for years and is a real sales hit. I also own a large bottle of the original Flanker, but I don't use it too often. Why ? It is often a little too scratchy for me. Too loud and biting, a little too much sweetness and not enough depth. Too syrupy. I like the fine praline note of the base, which even slightly reminds me of popcorn. However, the overall composition sometimes seems a bit too restless. Nevertheless I like it very much when I spray it in the air and walk through the mist once. Then a sugar wadded cloud surrounds me the whole day long, which I find really beautiful. The concentration of the spray mist is the secret.

- The other fragrances of the "LVEB" series have therefore never really interested me. As I said, I like the original scent, but it is not one of my favoirites. Nevertheless, I tested "L'Absolu" in a perfumery a few years ago. In winter, December. A splash on the jacket sleeve. At that time, my sense of smell was already overwhelmed, so I hardly noticed anything and went home. I quickly forgot the smell, went to bed and fell asleep. The next day I would be greeted in the corridor by a wonderful scent. So sweet, soft and warm. I felt like I was in the middle of a Christmas market. The whole day long, the said scent kept coming up my nose and I kept wondering what was smelling so wonderfully here. At some point it "clicked" and I noticed that my jacket sleeve was the scent messenger. The next days I left the jacket hanging in the hallway, because the smell just wouldn't get weaker. For days I was allowed to listen to my family and guests, that it smells so nice in our dressing room. Only after 3/4 days the smell vanished. Immediately it was clear: I must have it - and so the "L "Absolu" version moved in with me shortly after Christmas.

For me "L'Absolu" is a perfect version of "La Vie est Belle", which has much more warmth and depth. The fragrance is much softer and rounder. I find the top note very interesting: powdery iris and dark ripe berries embedded in a sweet cotton candy cloud, with a slightly earthy patchouli. Perhaps it is precisely this note that triggers a "lipstick association" in me. Besides the really beautiful sweetness, I perceive a light lipstick note. I wouldn't describe it as extremely disturbing, but I am happy that this impression is only really present in the top note.

The heart is then dominated by the powdery iris in combination with the sweet and warm base. The details of the fragrance pyramid for this fragrance vary greatly depending on the website. Often "Praline" and "Tonka" are also given as the base. I also think that the base reminds of Tonka and chocolate. Also of roasted almonds. Christmas market in a flacon. Without any scratches, but with a lot of warmth. The Sillage is very strong. 1-2 sprays are completely sufficient to wrap yourself in a sweetish warm cloud. As with the original scent, I like it best to spray 2 sprays into the air and run through the fog once. This way the scent is shown to its best advantage and the projection is not disturbed. The durability is really outstanding. On the skin it only becomes skin-tight after 9-10 hours and only fades after 13/14 hours, on clothes it lasts for days.

All in all a really beautiful fragrance for cold winter days. I usually wear it at Christmas

2 Replies

08/20/2020

9.5
Scent 7
Longevity 5
Sillage 9
Bottle

First

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First

Top Review 29

Once upon a time...

...a girl who called herself Belle Absolu. Belle Absolu came from the royal family of the great empire of Lancôme. But even though she was of royal descent, Belle Absolu did not have an easy time of it, because her father was missing and her mother, Lavieé Belle, was an extremely imposing princess who was both revered and hated and whose widely shining and magnificent banner attracted the attention of the people everywhere in the streets of the vast empire.
Belle Absolu still had several sisters, who also lived a submissive existence in the shadow of their powerful mother, but Belle Absolu did not only remain in the shadow, but most people of the kingdom did not even know of her existence.

Belle Absolu, who was actually named after her mother Lavieé Belle L'Absolu, had noticed in the course of time that it was rather disadvantageous for her to give strangers her full name. Either people burst into songs of praise for her wonderful princess mother and tried to use little Belle to ingratiate themselves with the court, or they looked on the girl with disdain - she could hardly be less inconsiderate and complacent than her omnipresent, pushy mother and some of her sisters, who were eagerly pushing their way to the front row.
That's how it happened that the girl had only a few girlfriends.

But the character of little Belle was completely different from her mother. Only in the first moment did she seem similar to her, starting with the fact that she too wore the royal robes of her house with the fine, transparent grey neckerchief and her noble figure. Also her eye colour of dark amber was the same and her tendency to fruit and sweetness. But after only a few minutes of getting to know her, it became clear to the few who did not immediately turn their eyes away from her that Belle Absolu was much more distinguished than her mother because of her restraint. She was also milder and gentler by nature. While her mother, with her preference for sugared and sharply burned, tart fruit and jasmine, seemed to many to be rather loud and biting, Belle Absolu loved ripe and juicy fruit together with a large bouquet of powder-blue iris. She liked sweets just like her mother, but, as befits a good dessert, she never forgot a pinch of salt. In fact, it wasn't just a pinch, but so much that it reminded her of salted caramel. Last but not least, if you had the patience to really get to know little Belle, after a while you could still discover her fondness for exquisite, delicate and at the same time powerful leather, in which she used to wrap herself up in the quiet little room in the evening for the long hours of the night.

So not only was little Belle Absolu in the shadow of her mother, not only was she exploited to gain access to the farm, not only was she rejected by haters of the Lavieé Belle family, but she was also overlooked because of her innate restraint. No wonder she felt unloved and lonely.

One day the girl met a blind man. He treated her completely different from what she knew, so unprejudiced and open that she cried about it with emotion for a whole night. The very next day she came up with what she called from then on her "blind test": She dressed in the very simple robes of the common people and spoke of herself henceforth only as Belle Absolu. She was surprised how friendly and appreciative the people met her under these circumstances. People were suddenly interested in her, in her all alone, in her as the most original person! Some sensed that she had enjoyed a royal upbringing and asked her if she came from the house of Guerlain, so well known to Iris, or was related to the Salt Caramels from the kingdom of Shay & Blue. Others thought to recognize in her the genetic line of the princes of Bottega Veneta, known for finest leather.

At some point in the distant future, Princess Lavieé Belle, like so many celebrities before her, will probably have undergone a huge amount of cosmetic surgery. As soon as she is no longer recognised by her admirers, the royal family will probably retire her, as is the fate of once radiant princesses. Perhaps then the hour will strike when Belle Absolu can step into the limelight.
However, this is highly unlikely. It is much more likely that once again a more dominant and space-consuming person will carry their banners through the streets.

In the end, however, it would not matter, because in the meantime Belle Absolu has found a number of real, loyal friends through her "blind tests" and has become happy in her own way.

And if they didn't die, they're still alive today.

23 Replies

11/10/2018

8.5
Scent 10
Longevity 9
Sillage 10
Bottle

Sonnenwende

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Sonnenwende

Today it must be chocolate

It is a cloudy, rainy day and I think already in the morning :
Today it must be chocolate.
Not much, just a little bit.
I go to the bathroom, see the beautiful bottle with the bow and the red-brown
Liquid - why not spray?

Already the prelude is very substantial.
Orange blossoms and jasmine form a sweet, creamy enamel.
A little fat perhaps, but after some time the blackberry finds its way and a fruity, slightly sour note comes into play, which gives the treat more facets.
Patchouli ground this gourmand and lends a lasting depth
A vanilla impression echoes.

In the evening I take a look at the list of ingredients and am very surprised.
Contains no chocolate and no vanilla.
All low carb, but pleasure
L'Absolu

1 Replies

09/08/2018

9.5
Scent 10
Longevity 8
Sillage 9
Bottle

Puderduft18

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Puderduft18

Top Review 24

Not just a winter companion

La vie est Belle has been in my collection for a long time and because there were so many contributions to this'Mainstreamer', I didn't think it necessary to add my opinion and rating. But now, earlier this week, dear Basti wrote to me asking for a comment on La vie est Belle. Two days later I got a sample La vie est Belle L Ábsolu to a souk shop. If that's not enough reason to write a comment...?! ;-))

In contrast to the original, La vie est Belle L Ábsolu starts with a very striking lipstick note, which at first is a bit confusing, but then very pleasing - when the pear slowly rises from the background. I can find no resemblance to the original in the top note. But that was yet to change: Jasmine, lush and radiantly beautiful, comes into action. While you have to wait for the heavy sweetness in the original to be able to clearly name the jasmine, it is much easier in the absolute. Overall, the absolute remains significantly less sweet. This is particularly noticeable at the base. While in the original a sugar-sweet chocolate-tonka mixture spoils the Patchouli's appearance, the Absolu Patchouli becomes a star guest. In addition to the still lush floral notes, of course.
I would not have classified La vie est Belle L Ábsolu as gourmandig-sweet, rather flowery-sweet.

I am a big fan of sweet, heavy fragrances, always get a lot of compliments for it. This is largely due to the necessary economical dosage, so that the fragrance does not turn into a cudgel punch. On the other hand, I have often been told, especially at La vie est Belle or Alien, that it smells completely different to me. Maybe my skin eats up the sugar....which of course would explain other circumstances. ;-))

But which one of them is the best?! The original or the absolute? Even after two test runs in direct comparison, I can't say this clearly, because I like both of them very much in their own way. La vie est Belle is a winter walk favourite of mine, the Absolu I would also choose as a daily companion on the job. It doesn't have such a mega sillage as the original and is altogether more noble and down-to-earth.
The durability of both is exemplary, which is why they have a full score.

A big THANK YOU to FrauLohse for the sample, also thanks to Basti for the always intensive exchange. :-))

7 Replies