La Vie La Mort

Absolutely love this. Very affordable for a parfum. So utterly fresh and lovely for summer/spring. An utterly refreshing break from all the typical synthetics sold by every fashion house. This smells like what it says it will. It smells like the actual flowers listed in the notes. The opening is such an appealing, addictive zing of cardomom and florals. It truly leaves me wanting more, and this is someone who finds most fragrances never quite right or downright boring. The dry down fades to pure fresh florals which linger for a few hours, and the addictive opening sadly fades quite quickly. This is truly a luxury and a refreshing spritz for a warm day. It will fit in your purse and not break the bank. And it also will never bother you as most fragrances inevitably will just by nature of being synthetic and needing harsh chemicals to make them cling and project. I would add that this is completely different on skin then it is on paper. The above review is on skin, and the pure creamy floral stage lasts for quite a while. But on paper the sweetness in the opening lingers much longer. On skin this really isn't a sweet fragrance at all but more fresh, natural and creamy. Refreshing is the operative word. Love!

Bombastic, delicious and irrefutably loud tuberose defines this juice, making it both ideal for those who appreciate a pronounced tuberose note and also for those who love Amarige by Givenchy. Because this fragrance is extremely close to Amarige, with a slightly less soapy note which prevents it from being a total dupe. But: it’s close. Very close. Spraying Amarige on one arm and then this on the other confirmed that Amarige smells a bit more animalic—a bit more armpit meets soapy florals after not washing for a week, but again, not by much. The real difference between the two juices is in the longevity: Amarige has the staying power, the audacious tenacity, whereas La Vie La Mort starts to soften perceptibly after 4 minutes. Still, if you love Ropion’s Amarige as I do, you will very likely feel the same for this sweetly nuclear juice. On those days when you want to blast everyone and everything with ecstatic olfactory glamour, just layer them together and leave them speechless (or unconscious) in your perfume supernova sillage. God knows, I’ve done it—no regrets there. Longevity: 7/10 Scent: 9/10 Sillage: 9/10

Update: I've been wearing this for a few months now and I have to say this is mainly tuberose and jasmine. I do get a bit of hibiscus, but the tuberose and jasmine really steal the show. I'm still in love with this, btw! Got this for Christmas from my husband, and wow! So unique! It's this delicious blend of florals, a hint of citrus, and hint of spice, and a hint of something creamy-ish (I'm just learning so bear with this review, haha!) I'm usually not a huge fan of spice or citrus, but somehow this fragrance is perfection for me. The one con is that it doesn't last very long, unless you buy the complimentary lotion, in which case it can last around 4-5 hours on my skin. Although, keep in mind, my skin does not hold fragrance well to begin with, so it may last better on others. A very well done fragrance! UPDATE: This fragrance has made me fall in love with Tuberose. I love the smell of it and am looking for a long lasting Tuberose perfume... suggestions?

Something in this reminds me very much of the much-missed Fame by Corday. I think it's the tuberose ... It's an unusual, deep tuberose with an umami-like earthiness. I like LVLM very much, and it lasts forever on my skin. Update: I've been pondering why LVLM reminds me of Corday's Fame. Something in LVLM gives it a slightly amber note - would the cardamom do that? Cardamom is has a sweet, resinous scent with a tinge of bitterness ... "amber" in perfumery is also sweet and resinous no matter how it's formulated. Perhaps it's that amber, jasmine, and tuberose combination that invokes Fame by Corday in my memory. It's also slightly oily, in a fresh, not rancid way - like argan oil is in so many hair products. I'm really going to have to revisit Fame. If I can find a sample or decant of it, perhaps I'll be able to clarify what I'm smelling. Or it will prove that my memory isn't very good!

This is NOT a dark scent. I'm guilty of getting too wrapped up in the sales pitch of this line. I'm even trying to figure out why they named their scents the way they do. Maybe I look at the idea of "dark" wrong? La Vie La Mort is a lovely coconut tuberose fragrance. It opens with what I thought was orangey citrus but is instead the hibiscus. That fades in seconds to be replaced by the very coconutty tuberose. Perhaps too much coconut on me. It smells like suntan lotion, but nicer and more grown up due to the tuberose. Not bad on longevity (around 4 hours) and sits moderately close to the skin. Not a bad choice for school or office. No, I take that back - it will remind you of vacations at the beach and you won't want to be in school or the office! A good pick me up if you get the winter blahs and want to dream of an escape to summertime.