La Belle Helene

I've only smelled one or two MDCI creations before, but as a house, they have a reputation for both creativity and quality. Their bottles are heavy and luxurious, the Grecian bust editions even more so, and I have been impressed with what I've tried so far (Chypre Palatin is a modern masterpiece). I have wanted to try La Belle Hélène for a long time, given its inspiration - the famous chocolate-pear dessert from which it takes its name. I've enjoyed it on several occasions, being an aficionado of sweets. The dessert is typically served as a whole pear, stem upright, poached in syrup with a chocolate finish. Vanilla ice cream is the typical accompaniment. Thus, LBH is, predictably, a sweet pear-led perfume. It is a floral-fruity, but one of the most elegant and refined examples of its genre. LBH opens with perhaps the most realistic pear note I've come across - juicy, softly fleshy and sweet. Gentle aldehydes add brightness up top, and some citrus adds freshness, thanks in part to the linden blossom that bridges the gap to the yellow floral accord that follows. Sweet and slightly honeyed, it is the perfect accompaniment to the pear. Despite syrup being a key component of the dessert, syrupy notes can cheapen a scent, so the honeyed florals are the perfect alternative here. The floral heart is powdery and polleny, fruit-tinged and full-bodied, if lightweight. Hazy, apricot-tinged osmanthus is most evident to my nose, at least initially. As it develops, I get sweet plum, enhancing the fruitiness. A soft lipstick accord becomes evident thanks to the iris and rose that emerge. Subtle and relegated to the background, it just enhances the powdery texture of the yellow floral heart. Creamy ylang ylang rounds it out, sweet and with a slight banana quality. It is an exercise in beautifully-balanced floral and fruity notes. Liquorice adds its unmistakeable sweet-spiciness as it progresses further. The chypre drydown is the perfect counterpoint to the sweet floral-fruity accord that forms the crux of this scent. Mossy and woody, it is high quality and deeply satisfying. I'm unsure about the inclusion of oakmoss in modern scents, but here it smells realistic and reminiscent of vintage chypres. Some patchouli rounds out the earthiness, and dry, smooth woods add body. It becomes increasingly musky as it dries down, with some sweet amber detectable among the moss. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is a feminine daytime scent in my opinion, best worn in warm weather. An unusual take on a floral-fruity, LBH is not your average noughties fruitchouli. A complex scent that takes inspiration from a fairly simple sweet dessert, translating it into an excellent feminine perfume. Made with high-quality materials, LBH is a singular scent. A delectable delight. 4.5/5.

Oh, what a gorgeous take on pear! I love this! It's so soft and feminine, but full of little surprises. The pear in this smells warm and almost spicy, not as watery and candy-like as the pear in many designer fragrances nowadays. I enjoy the latter too, but something positively different is always good. I also love how licorice is done in this, it's clearly detactable, but at the same time very subtle. Usually I think it's often a loud, dominant note, but not in La Belle Helene. The floral notes are chosen just right, ylang ylang and osmanthus support the fruitiness of the scent, hawthorne makes everything a little sweeter and and iris adds some powder to tame the creaminess of the other flowers. I appreciate how they didn't just add in vanilla and white florals like in many other perfumes, not that I dislike those, but this is more exciting without them. The base is warm, but light, and I mostly get sandalwood underneath all the flowers and the pear. This is just so pretty. One of the rare sophisticated fruity florals, but also a little whimsical and cute. In my opinion La Belle Helene fits in best in spring or late summer, but it could be worn year round, everywhere, and would make a exceptionally good signature. I need to save up for a bottle.

I received a lot of compliments on this fragrance. This is a beautifully enveloping fruity floral gourmand of the old world. The pear is sweet and syrupy on a bed of sandal/amber/myrhh/licorice. It has a slight vintage smell but just enough to give it some weight keeping it from being too fresh or too fruity sweet. It smells slightly masculine and very expensive. Because of the lingering enveloping base, I can see this as a signature, being worn either casually or formally . I wore this on a dry and very hot day so those using on a cold or rainy day might have a different experience. I quite enjoy this and will consider a full bottle. It feels quite Italian or Ancient Rome. Very feminine and maternal, for any age young or old. It evokes groups of women and girls lounging on their verandahs surrounded by flowers fruits pastries and bubbly drinks. I reapply fragrance every afternoon when I freshen up but this lasted from 7am-1pm beautifully. Sillage is arms length, not at all cloying for your neighbors. Very unique Signature material. Appropriate for any occasion and weather

Based on the notes, I shouldn't like this, but I ended up with a sample and I just love it. It is not the gourmand scent I had feared, and on me is not food-y at all. The pear is beautiful, but not in-your-face fruity, and there is a sweet softness to it that I love, and seldom find. It's warm and rich without being heavy, cloying, or sugary (I HATE sugary!). So although it was described as a "dessert", on me it is far from it (thank goodness!). This would definitely be full bottle worthy if a bottle didn't cost seven million dollars. It is a really beautiful scent. Edit: I waited a year, then bought a decant of it, and it was so much different. Still sweet, but with a huge dose of dusty old lady perfume that took over the whole thing. Tried it several times, but no way. I was so sad when i pitched it in the trash--it's rare for me to truly fall in love with a scent, and I did with this one. What went wrong????

Well... Here is the story. I wanted this perfume for about 4 years. I'm in a stage of PerfumeLoveEra where I can understand the perfume by notes so finally I blind bought it. And believe me this is not what I imagined and what other folks say. First- it's aldehydes in Chanel style (I love Chanel, it's no 1 for me forever). It's total Chypre and (oh sorry for that) mature lady vibe. Yes, she is elegant and chic, however not sure I you want to add this aspect to your image :) I love and own all versions of the No5, also I have Clive Christian No1 (which is take on No5), and those composition are incredible and awesome, but I enjoy the only when I'm not on public, cause this high-end fine art is not easy to understand and I did not expect to get one more take on No5 and No1 :) So, try before you buy :)