Lea

Lea has such an intimate touch, She'll warm you and hug you but never too much, Amaretto,vanille,mixing and blending, Now I smell musk, admiration unending. Others have tried to be just like her, Some have done well, with that I concur. But Lea just smiles and says follow me, Her trail delightful,I have to agree. Love this stuff! She's almost impossible to find anymore which makes her even more desirable for her fans. She's not cheap.....but she's worth it. There's undeniable almondy goodness in here!! It's a bit sharp at first spray and can be a bit off putting. I find many almonds can be a little nose hair singeing on the first spray. It doesn't take long before she calms down and becomes an absolute dream! The vanille and musk blend and soften her edges creating an amaretto~ish cloud. You can really smell all three ingrediants in perfect proportion. There's nothing like Lea. She's in a class all her own. She is approachable, warm, goodness. A truly beautiful go to scent. People will have to get close and give you a sniff. All of this of course is very dependant on chemistry. Lea's not for everyone. However if she works for you.....you'll never want to be without her.

I bought my bottle of Lea several years back from Lucky Scents. I paid over $100 for it, that's how much I loved it. That was in my higher end range for perfume. Lea served as a great feel-good casual fragrance that took the place of my old version of Sugar by Fresh which was one I bought over and over again years ago. (They don't smell alike, but were both sweet casual everyday fragrances.) When I first smelled Lea I thought "no way", waaaaaayyyyyy too sweet. Toothache sweet. Sweet almonds. I put my little decant away and forgot it. Then later I started sniffing it again and sampling it on my skin. I was hooked. Big compliment getter too! I was so sad when I went to get another bottle and it was extinct. Recently a friend said "live for today!" She meant that why should we hoard and save perfumes we love, we should enjoy them, so today I'm cracking open my lovely beauty and spraying some on. I'd love to find another sweet (affordable) almond fragrance like this. The dry down phase was so pretty! Almond gourmand goodness.

I'm gonna tell you guys a secret. This perfume is still available under the Montaigne Market brand. How no one else has figured this out all these years, well I don't know, but Lea is alive and kicking, just expensive to be shipped. A fellow Fragrantica friend and I split the shipping cost to have 2 bottles sent to the US. Montaigne Market unfortunately closed their online store just months ago, but if you message them on IG they will help you out. This new bottle smells exactly the same as the vintage decant I have. Beautiful almond vanilla with a bit of musk. I can't stop wearing it. I hope they eventually find a bigger distributor because this perfume deserves more attention. Edit: I recently tried a sample of More Than The Stars by Olivine and it bears a strong resemblance to Lea. The almond/vanilla/musk of Lea is here! The gardenia is stronger at first but fades with time. Grab a sample of MTTS for $5, it may help fill your Lea void.

I really wish they'd put the EDP on here, instead of just the EDT, because the scents are a little different. The EDP is stronger and longer lasting, too. It's my signature perfume these days, and if I switch it out for longer than a day at a time, I find myself missing it. I particularly love stepping into the shower the next day and smelling it rising off my skin in the steam. Beautiful smell, just the right amounts of sweet and bitter, and not a smoky, campfire vanilla. I'm one that gets frequent migraines from perfume, but this one has never given me one, and I haven't had a single complaint of it being too strong in the office, like so many other perfumes are. I get compliments on it all the time.

I remember getting a sample vial from Lucky Scent almost a decade ago. I loved it so I ordered a bottle. It was a HUGE bottle! Needless to say, although the scent is lovely -- it's fleeting and is gone within an hour. Sadly...because it really is nice. I still have my what might be considered "vintage" bottle, and take a whiff every now and then. Might be a good nighttime dreamy scent. I may try that. :)

Cheerful vanilla/almond pastry with a cup of cocoa nearby. Not painfully sweet, surprisingly. (I'm usually not a sweet perfume fan.) Dries down similar to Parfumerie Generale's Un Crime Exotique, all rich spicy honey. But much cheaper. Noticeable vanilla up close at 3 hours. Makes me think of a sunshiny morning, wearing a thick sweater, in a cafe, planning the fun things I'll do all day.

I remember walking barefoot in the summertime down to my local drugstore to pad quietly along the cool aisles wishing for the latest polish, mascara and perfume. Musk started it all for me and Lea took me back to those lazy summer days. Musk, musk and more musk. 12 hours later, I smell warm citrus vanilla musk in the crook of my elbow and smile. Pricey? Yes. Worth the smile? Maybe...

The most addictive, comforting, sweet, powdery, musky scent. Perfect for year-round wear. It is sweet but not juvenile (thanks to the fluffy white musk) and dries down to a clean, powdery, slightly sweet skin scent. This is so delicious and I am so mad it is discontinued! I only have one backup left so if anyone is selling theirs, please reach out to me. 🙏

Wonderful scent. Smooth and very subtle yet unforgettable, just amazing! Head notes: Bergamot, Ylang-ylang Heart notes: Jasmine, Almond blossom Base notes: Benzoin, Vanilla, Tonka bean, White musk, Ylang-ylang Though less complex, Lea is a twin sister to Eclix (and, most regrettably, equally hard to get). Love them both.

This first smells like an almond cookie (with yummy vanilla!), but then the musk kicks in and takes the sweet gourmande edge off. The dry down is vanilla-musk that's not too sweet. It's a soft, delicate fragrance - I love it!

I bought this hoping to get the sweet almond/musk combo others are raving about but on me, the scent just disappears. I have a 3.4 oz bottle of this to swap if anyone is interested.

I have a small amount of this left from many, many years ago when it was a cult classic (along with its Extreme version, which is not listed on here, but Extreme had a slight cocoa nuance in addition to these notes). I sprayed some on to reminisce about the "gourmands of the before times." I admittedly think my top notes are slightly wonky due to age because I now get a fizzy Coca-cola note that quickly dissipates into a soft almond/vanilla musk and I never recalled that cola note before. The mid and base notes are the same. This was never too complicated, but IT WORKED and it still does. The almond never veers into the extract or cherry category, nor a toasted note. The vanilla is on the dry side and extremely well balanced with the musk making the scent almost biscotti-like in its essence. This was a perfect gourmand – it never gets too sweet or cloying. I remember trying similar scents back in the day that went too far into the dessert lane (like many of today's gourmands), but would always come back to this one. I think the closest thing to this is probably Indult's Tihota – which is indeed very nice, but leans more vanilla (and more expensive than Lea was). Such a shame Lea's been discontinued. I'll cherish what I have left.

Wow , this is truly somthing different . The almonds starts off a bit bitter , And almost like amaretto (you are right Kchild) then it settles down whit the musk and vanilla ,the m usk is pretty strong to my nose , im not used to that much off it , but somehow i like it , but it becomes eaven better when the vanilla goes in a bit more . not sweet and cloying like i thought it maight be whit the amaretto note , but nice , fresh , crisp inaway. i do think i have smelled this before , it soemhow reminds me of a searten stage in angel .. Or is it somthing else , i cant quite put my finger on it right now. Big thanks to Kchild for letting me get a sample off this one . you are SO generos:)

Here's one scent that no one will earmark as "an old lady's scent". Hah! And I'm an old lady. Hey, I'd guess that anyone can wear this one. It's beyond chocolate and vanilla and cherries, and segues into a simple "Delicious!" It's a friendly, cuddly fragrance and goes best when worn with a smile. I'd say it's more suitable for winter but who cares? I rejoiced when I found a bottle of it, winced at the price but bought it anyway. No regrets whatsever.

Not too vanillay on me...grody to the max! I love vanilla, but too much musk for me. After reading many great reviews I thought this would be good, but as always you must try before you buy. What works on one, does not work on the another. I could see why some would love it. If you like musk, then it will probably work for you. The Bath and Body Vanilla "to me" works better. Try Try Try before you buy!

Lovely bitter almond note graces the opening with a drop of true vanilla, all enveloped in cotton-y musk. The individual notes merge to create a fairly linear scent. This scent is so cozy and sensual...nothing artificial here, just pure innocence. Longevity is decent, this is a gentle skin-scent. I do wish the musk note would stick around longer... 4/5 STARS

Love this perfume. But no staying power whatsoever. I tried the Lea Extreme. It is a vanilla, mexican vanilla and almond mixture. The musk was not cloying, like Creative Scentualization Perfect Vanilla was (which I initally loved but the musk really overpowered in the end).

Hmmm . . . not sure what I think of this. The opening is lovely. Actually a love at first sniff. On my skin it starts musky, balmy, mildly sweet vanilla and nutty. Almost gourmand. But as it dries down it becomes musky but in a bad way. Like tart armpits. Not been to the gym pits but sitting at your desk and realize OMG I forgot my deo this morning pits. LOL The sweetish vanilla hangs around in the background but something that started so harmonious and delicious goes to something a bit sour. I know almonds can do some strange things on my skin. Plus I'm testing from a dabber and I know there can be a difference in dabs vs sprays. But I think I'm dropping this from my wish list.

It went on very strong at first and was very sweet, almost cloying. It reminded me of a vanilla/pink sugar blend which I think I would normally like, but sadly this had a strong artificial note to my nose, like a vanilla scented cleaning product. After about 15 minutes it did calm down and became much softer and more powdery, but then I could barely smell it. I did not get any delicious whiffs like I enjoy from my fragrances. An hour later I can't really smell it at all. This may be a great fragrance to some, but I don't think it really works with my body chemistry.

The notes look so promising, and you can definitely smell them all. It's the execution that lacked for me. The almond reminded me of Jergen's lotion... not very good in my book. After the horrific almond tames down, you're left with cigars and musk. Yep, that one kind of vanilla that I can't stand, the kind that smells like rich, old men smoking fancy cigars. All in all it's not for me, but I can see where many people would find this comforting and fun.