La Vie Est Belle: Three Perfumers, One Praline Heart, a Golden Rose

La vie est belle came out in 2012, and it took three perfumers to make it: Olivier Polge, Dominique Ropion and Anne Flipo. That is a lot of talent for a single bottle, and it shows in the shape of the scent. Black currant and pear open it, iris, jasmine and orange blossom sit in the heart, and the base is praline, vanilla, patchouli and tonka bean. The iris keeps it from being just a sweet scent, which is why it has stayed in the conversation for so long.

The face of the campaign is Julia Roberts, in a film shot by the director Tarsem Singh, and the flacon is a redesign of a classic Lancôme bottle from 1949. The house itself goes back to 1935, when Guillaume d'Ornano and Armand Petitjean started it in France as a fragrance company, and its symbol is a single golden rose. That gives every Lancôme perfume a slightly romantic starting point, and this one plays it well.

There are four bottles in the grid. The original La vie est belle Eau de Parfum is the one I would tell a friend to try first. La vie est belle Vanille Nude leans into vanilla and stays close to the skin. Very Cherry appears twice, once as an Eau de Parfum and once as a plain La Vie Est Belle Very Cherry bottle, and it adds cherry to the praline, a scent that is closer to a dessert than a garden.

Try the original first, then decide how sweet you want to go.

Idôle launched in 2019, and the two Idôle bottles here show how differently a Lancôme perfume can behave when it is not built on praline. Idôle Eau de Parfum with Rose and Jasmine is bright, airy and clean, a floral I would wear to the office or on a spring walk. It has none of the dessert quality of La vie est belle, which is the point.

Idole Peach 'N Roses Eau de Parfum is the playful one. Peach and roses is an easy pairing, fruity and pink, and I would choose it for summer, when I want a scent that feels light on a warm neck.

I like keeping one sweet bottle and one light bottle in rotation, and the Idôle pair makes a good base for that. La vie est belle from the first grid handles evenings, cold days and anything cozy, and Idôle handles everything else. You do not need to choose between them, and they are different enough that you would never confuse one for the other on a friend. Wear Idôle on a Monday and La vie est belle on a Friday, and see which one people comment on.

If you are shopping for a gift, the Idôle bottles are the safer pick, since a floral rarely offends anyone. If you are shopping for yourself, take the one that made you smile on the first spray.

Sugar comes in many forms, and this group is a tour of them. Some are creamy, some are fruity, and some are a little strange, which is what makes them fun.

KAYALI's Yum Boujee Marshmallow is the pillowy one, soft and sugary, and easy to wear. Yves Saint Laurent's Black Opium Eau de Parfum Glitter with Marshmallow and Coffee is louder, a night-out bottle with a coffee edge. Jo Malone London's Beach Blossom Cologne with Coconut Water and Vanilla is the lightest, a summer cologne that smells like a warm afternoon. Kilian Paris's Princess Eau de Parfum with Matcha is the unexpected one. PHLUR's Missing Person is a skin scent, the sort that people lean in to smell. The 7 Virtues' Buttercream Haze is soft and frosted, and Huda Beauty's Easy Bake Intense is the bakery bottle, warm and sweet. L'Occitane's Amande Crème Brûlée Hair and Body Fragrance Mist with Almond and Vanilla Notes is the one for a lighter spritz over clothes and hair.

What I would skip: layering two very sweet bottles on the same day, unless you love being followed by a cloud of sugar. Pair a sweet scent with something green or woody, or wear it alone.

Give a gourmand an hour on your skin, because the sugar often calms down and something more interesting shows up underneath.

A sweet scent works best when the rest of you is quiet. I wear these with plain clothes, unscented body lotion and nothing else fragrant, so the praline or vanilla has room to do its work.

Spray once on the chest and once on the wrist, and keep the bottle out of the sun. If a scent feels too sugary at first, wait an hour, because the rest of the notes usually settle in and balance it out. For hot days, choose one of the lighter mists and spritz it over clothes and hair instead of skin.

I also like to test a gourmand in the evening, when the day has settled and I can pay attention to how it changes. It is hard to judge a sweet scent in a busy shop, with ten other smells competing for your nose, and much easier at home with a cup of tea. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together La Belle Perfume, Gaultier's Pear and Vanilla Torso.