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 :)

La Belle Helene reminded me initially of retro fruit striped gum. That opening 10 minutes was a tutti fruitti bomb. Once the opening dissipated, I could smell the wonderful and realistic pear. And it’s a memorable beauty. I can’t remember ever smelling a better pear note. Then dry down brings out more florals combined with aldehyde, my usual nemesis. But here the perfumer has blended everything in perfect proportions, enough to give the unusual florals an extended life. I prefer scents that are more unisex, but this is girlie girl all the way into the sandalwood, patch and myrrh dry down. One of the most complex, feminine scents I have tested in a long time.

I’m all for new experiences when it comes to fragrances - and I adore a well crafted gourmand. So when an extremely learn-ed gentleman recommended this to me I happily spritzed and sniffed. This is beautiful. Not cloying or loud as some reviewers have stated - but truly reminiscent of pears floating in chocolate. Feminine and delicious. Worth the price tag - sillage fabulous and longevity wonderful. The patchouli is barely there, but the smooth pear combined with the iris note makes this so beautiful. I also detect white florals and carnation. Anyway - I love it. I bought a bottle and I am falling in love with La Belle Helene more and more each day.

I’m obsessed! The beautiful juicy pear! The linden blossom 🥰 wow I love this! What a great find!!! So happy it’s sweet and well blended and juicy!

One of the most beautiful chyper! Uplifting and sparkling. Love it so much!❤️

The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships La Belle Helene is an homage to Helen of Troy the most beautiful woman of the Ancient World who started the Trojan War. For me this is a more expensive more full bodied version of Byblos which also recreates the Mediterranean Ancient World. This is a sexy sweet feminine scent, literally like smelling the perfume oil in the home of a Roman noblewoman. She has long luxuriant dark hair and eyes that speak of seduction and yet there are days she doesn't even want to be touched. She walks in her garden under the moonlight waiting for something longing for something. She's enigmatic and inscrutable. This fragrance opens with delicious aromas of fruit like pear and lime. The lime is jumping out at me and it mingles with the very strong Chanel style aldehydes. It's fresh very fresh at the first spritz. Then I get some floral notes like iris rose and ylang-ylang. There is also some green shrub like flowers of hawthorn and osmanthus. The base has the most going on: licorice, patchouli, oak moss, woodsy notes, sandalwood,vetiver myrrh, incense. It smells very aromatic toward the end and decidedly more masculine, stronger. This is an evening cologne very unisex but perhaps more on the feminine side because of the fruit notes. Delicious, seductive and mine. This is sure to make a bold statement. The first time I wore it I was in SoHo and a stranger, a guy, was following me. I don't mind when that happens as long as the guy doesn't follow me all the way home LOL

Oh, La Belle Helene, how I long to love you. So close to being fantastic, what happened? The initial fragrance as it meets your warm beating pulse point is luxuriously sensual and sweet. It’s unbelievably good. It grabs you by the collar and drags you down into an embrace that wraps around your very heart. It’s so damn good. But then, it began to linger a bit, turning from a bright bursting pear shimmering with aldehydes and a hint of citrus into an attempted bouquet of flowers... You ask yourself, what is that smell? It’s not bad, certainly, the rose and the ylang-ylang are lovely notes, but it’s cosmetic smelling. I get lipstick, I get shampoo. What happened? It continues to dry down with some woods, patchouli, and amber holding it together. It’s so damn near close to perfect but it loses itself somewhere and never recovers. 7.5/10 what a great first 30 minutes I’ll certainly be on the lookout for further MDCI samples, there is such a lovely story waiting to be read here.

benchè il nome possa trarre in inganno, non si tratta di un profumo dedicato alla più famosa elena della storia ma piuttosto ad un dessert francese (Belle Hellene) a base di pera. e di pera sa, quanto meno ai primi spruzzi, questa gradevole combinazione fruttata in cui compaiono anche mandarino e agrumi vari, che si sublima in pura astrazione grazie alle fresche aldeidi, arricchendosi di fiori (tiglio e ylang ylang ben distinguibili). il fondo si assesta, in modo assai canonico, su muschio di quercia, patchouli e vetiver, in una una maniera tale da ricordare uno shampoo fruttato. un vero peccato, perchè l'inizio è notevole e diverso dai soliti fruttati, ed anche perchè si tratta di un profumo costoso.

This must be how it smells if a fairy is trying to smother you with her body. It's inescapable, it's horrible, it's like being dumped into a well full of definition of feminine aromas, sans any body odours obviously, because that wouldn't be pure fantasy. I could never wear this perfume. I would even throw the sample away. The only remotely similar experience I had was Hummingbird by Zoologist, so if you're into that overwhelming femininity and like this one give the bird a go as well.

Yumm, smells like Parfum Sacre from Caron spilled on fresh cut pears. Got a sample today in swap with lovely Finanna and being so overwhelmed, that I have to write the review after 3 hours of testing. The review of Cereza is so close to my opinion, as she said - pears and iris with an old lipstick. It is a cold scent for me, smells so fresh and lovely.

"La Belle Helene" begins quite mildly fruitti with white floral, some pears, osmanthus, sandalwood, and hidden jasmines. Now when it goes calm, the jasmines goes quite dominant with some linden, musk, & i believe hawthorn for being sharp. This is enormous, and stays quite long (24+)! i need to test it again.

Al igual que "invasion barbare" LA BELLE HELENE no me ha impresionado en absoluto. Un perfume débil y suave, sin nada especial que lo haga destacar o diferenciar de otros. Fácilmente confundible con otras muchas fragancias femenias existentes en el mercado (y mucho más baratas).

Fruits, citrus, rose, ylang, osmanthus, woods, amber⋯layers and layers. It smells rich, but still youthful and cute. Most of the time, it feels like walking through an English garden; occasionally, it can be a bit of a headache inducer.

I'm wondering if my sample is off because this is really saccarine. Its far too "young" for my liking as it smells like something you'd find at Sephora on the discount rack. I was hoping for a stronger oakmoss note

Juicy pear with linden blossom which to me always has that tea like quality, so herbal, soft and dusty in the best way. Delicate, feminine. I would never categorize it as a chypre, but there you go - it is really modern take on the fragrance family. Bertrand and his aldehydes, I like everything that he creates! association: five o'clock, slice of refreshing pear cake in the summer garden

It starts out smelling 100% like a cough medicine from my childhood. It gets nicer and more balanced with time, but still, nothing great, to me.

A rather disappointing experience I must say. It started promising with a fresh note of pear and a lovely iris with an "old lipstick" sort of touch to it. Unfortunately after half an hour I am left with a sour smelling sweet pear and vetiver combo reminding me much of some sort of shampoo or bubble baths. I do think this might be appealing to many, but unfortunately for me - I am not ready to spend my money on something that will make me smell like a fruity shampoo.

I agree with the other reviews that it is feminine, delicious, not at all boring, has some complexity, but it is still too fruity for me.

I blind bought this after Sharida gave it a rave; and God bless her but I don't like it. It's not simply fruit as some are saying here and it has this other note that I understand is there to try to elevate it but for me it causes a gag reflex. I should probably sell it on Ebay- I dislike Mercari...

I'd been avoiding this one for years. Sweet and with pear as the main note? *shudders* But this month the theme for the Sens Unique box was "Sweet" My heart sank when I opened it, sure I would hate every cloying, synthetic one of them. I approached them like the toxic waste I assumed they were and decided I would spray them all on paper at once and get it over with. Sure enough, the space filled with that sour, synthetic berry smell, whatever chemical it is used for "caramel" notes and the dread laundry musks that seem to underpin all sweet perfumes. I fled. Returning later with a fog like the fruity breath of Hell still hanging in the air, I found the smelling strip for Belle Helene sitting in the midst undaunted and smelling demurely, neatly and devastatingly pretty. This thing is so well put together, it's honestly amazing. It easily held it's own against the loud cloying sweet things without ever being loud, synthetic or unbalanced. I kept thinking I couldn't possibly like something this girly-pretty but I kind of do. I kept thinking "It's just so pretty." The name is perfect too. Maybe it will replace Narciso in filling that hypothetical "date with a younger man" niche in my wardrobe. After living with the smelling strip for a week (it literally lasted that long) I ventured a test on skin and reader, it did not go well. Rather than the beautiful, sparkling aldehyde and pear opening, I got canned pear syrup. There was no trace of the gorgeous sweet osmanthus middle. Or the lovely subtle resins and woods. Instead it went straight to a flat, distorted laundry musk type thing that was unrecognizable from what was on the smelling strip. I tried again on fabric, and it was kind of in between paper and skin but the fabric itself (cotton) seemed to react with the perfume and created it's own smell so short of spraying it on paper and tucking the strip in my clothes, I can't figure out how to wear it. Still, it was nice meeting you, Belle Helene.

Very much like in Traversee du Bosphore, Duchaufour has proven once again that he can be a master of olfactory subtlety. I don’t find the two fragrances similar otherwise, not in the way they smell at any rate. In terms of notes, especially because of the cedar and the plum nuance, I actually found La Belle Helene to be the younger, softer sister of Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois. La Belle Helene opens, as promised, with the fruity note of pear. The pear is not juicy, however; it even feels dry, more like the delicate smell of a winter pear. In fact, everything about this scent seems tastefully understated. The cedar is understated, and the white musk is gentle in the dry-down. I look at the array of notes, and it is difficult to identify them, especially the patchouli (don’t let the patchouli note scare you off if you are not a patchouli lover). I was hoping for more osmanthus, but if it is here, it doesn’t stand out. The base is superbly blended and, given the ambitious list of notes, surprisingly mellow. I can detect a delicious plum note in it. This is a reflective fragrance, which feels very modern. It behaves surprisingly well in the hot, humid summers here, and it lasts for a whole day on me! Initially, I called it ”underwhelming,” but I have learned to appreciate the way it manages to be subtle and bright, fruity and woody at the same time.

I ordered a sample of this as it was getting a lot of love on a few fragrance forums, I did not, in all honesty, expect to like it, i have never searched for a pear perfume and have never felt there was a gap in my collection for a pear fragrance, how wrong was I, this was love at first sniff for me, I have now ordered the coffret set with 2 bottles of La Belle Helene in it and I intend to order a full bottle in September when the company is back from their holiday break. It is not overly 'pear' smelling IMO, the opening is very bright and fruity but settles down to a comforting fragrance, I can pick out the sandalewood, a tiny amount of ylang ylang and a touch of Iris. it lasts a good 8 hours on me and works beautifully in the heat but I can also see it working just as well when the weather is cooler. It may be expensive but I love it enough to justify a full bottle.

Given the price tag I'm relieved to be underwhelmed. I wanted something enormous n all enveloping n it was just.. nice.. then faded away quietly. My feelings about it are the same as when you've been promised dessert and are expecting something fun, indulgent, over-the-top, a layered sundae, maybe cake! Instead you get a small bowl of fruit. Fruity floral lite, a diet of disappointment. Addendum: Same shit but a totally different day! When something different happened. For what it's worth weather slightly warmer. This became kinda fruity earthy, thicker smelling, I really liked it compared to the first time, I think for some reason the vetiver came out more, it definitely smelled richer anyway. Also I don't think this is a homage to Helen of Troy, like someone said? As far as I read it was just pudding based on Belle Helene, some French pear dessert??

Whereas most of the line, despite smelling at least 300 years old, have a high degree of focus, this one’s more panoramic. It’s cotton candy, lipstick, and a mix of fruit notes, all shot through a hazy lens. There’s a green pear that’s fleshy and ripe, but it’s subtle in the mix, and threaded with a slight shampoo quality that’s draped over the whole thing. This, I think, is coming from a phantom apple—which has inevitable associations to hair products for me. Then it deflates into an affable, but tiresome milky fruit. Wearing the scent almost feels like being at a great party (in the 18th century, of course) and then being taken hostage twenty minutes by an absolute bore that can’t get away from. Like pretty much every other scent from this brand, La Belle Helene should come with an accompanying powdered wig.

I've never smelled such a great and obvious combination of pear and iris before. Pear has never been so juicy, realistic and feminine before. Plus the powdery notes gives it a more nostalgic and feminine power. I also smell vanilla or something sweet which I can't name, but it's defnitely there to make it even more feminine. Patchouli appears somehow late and it's not that strong to make it literally a chypre fume. This perfume not modern, but not classic nor outdated.I can easily imagine La belle Helene smelling like this and can feel empathy for all of men who fell for her. I didn't know neither about the story behind this fragrance, nor about it's price tag. I just received a sample from a dear friend and tested it. It's a little too sweet for my taste, but I definitely appreciate it.

This is a nice, well-blended, subtle feminine fragrance. I'm testing for possible gifting to a lady friend. The pear and tangerine are well blended in with the floral melange, so they don't stand out that much. Pear and tangerine notes are typically soft and subtle anyway. I think the "floral" accord should be listed at the top of the stack, instead of "fruity". There is a slightly dirty facet in the florals that I thought were indoles, but in reading about Hawthorne it evidently has a slightly dirty animalic facet. Its slight overall, however. And Le Belle Helene has a nice powderiness. Overall a nice, soft, well-blended feminine scent. Kind of a feminine counterpart to Ambre Topkapi or Invasion Barbare, both of which I have full bottles of in my collection.

I've been in a pear frenzy recently, so when I saw this I ignored all those notes I'm usually scared off by (licorice, aldehydes, oakmoss, myrrh..) The fragrance has enough goodies to warrant a sample - I adore linden, osmanthus and ylang. This opens like a high quality fruity lozenge, a touch medicinal, but very fruity, sweet but not overbearing. Not normally one for iris in this it actually works well, just enough powder and dryness to make it elegant and not too sweet. Having said that, I am a huge fan of rich thick scents that you can almost bite into, so to my nose this is too weak, I can't really get a lot out of it after the initial phase (which is like sucking on a nice lozenge). It's very faint and practically non existent.

The pear accord in perfumes has always seemed to have some intrigue to me; They are watery, watercolored and at the same time they can provide a lot of warmth, like hot water. Also it is sweet but a fructose sweet, a green sweetness, more discreet, not as juicy as oranges or red fruits. First minuts are vitaminic, then, mixed with delicate yellow flowers, it gives the perfume something serious and, in some way, out of the ordinary, this perfume is like observing a normal person in a waiting room, but someone whose micro-gestures are purposeful and sophisticated. It is a perfume that I would like to smell much more on another person than on myself. Discover it and surprise me

The most realistic top note of pear! Starts playful but as the pear fades out in the first minutes, it gets more serious with osmanthus, iris and woody chiming in and certainly steer it away from your usual juvenile fruitchuly. Very complex and spiced up fragrance, it's never too fruity, too leathery or woody, it's a well orchestrated melody of notes, certainly fit for a colder weather. It's giving 1969 HDP vibes without the chocolate, just the mood is about similar.

Overbearingly chypre on me for the first 5 minutes then it does down and reveals a luscious fruity pear with plum and the hint of osmanthus. It is now a full bodied fruity scent but not sweet just rounded and robust. Still not something I'd wear often nor do I really think it really suits me, it comes across as a bit old for me but still a quality scent. The dry down is a warn sandal-vetiver-oak moss. Nice but out comes that chypre feel again that I'm not a fan of.

Smells like gummy peach rings, with a floral background. The base notes are not as strong. I like this but I'm not in love. If you're looking for a sweet floral with a nectar type of thing going on, but not honeyed, this may be for you. On the dry down, the forals disappear and it becomes more of a sweet musk.

I'm not one for fruity, sweet, floral perfumes, but this one kinda surprised me: I don't know why, but to me it smells like paper, brand new books and lipstick! Plus, after a while, it loses part of its sweetness and becomes more bearable. Not something I'd buy, but a nice surprise.

Soooo good. Spent a good couple of hours in my local niche store and this came out on top. Ended up buying a sample. Juicy sweet pear, maybe the most realistic I've come across ever, into well blended florals, into a licorice, that's not too cloying. Stunning.

Selling this on mercari. It’s nice, but just too strong for me and my taste. I wanted it to be more light and fruity, but it’s more Iris with a side of fruit. Edit, I already sold it

this one is pure fruit and florals sweet & juicy plums and pineapple the whole damn bowl of fruit is in this one! 3-4 sprays, medium to strong projection

Nice! After a few minutes there is a more earthy smell. very fruity! But very expensive; that is the reason I won't buy it.