What We Do In Paris Is Secret

I've been searching for a specific sort of woody-tonka-vanilla oriental for a while now. I want the notes to be airy and separate, sweet but also dry (not syrupy) and unisex but leaning feminine. I don't know why this is hard to find but it has been for me. Recently I purchased Biehl eo01 and this is nice but it's a bit too bland and mostly a sandalwood fragrance that becomes a skin scent within an hour. I figured I'd try my old fave Dominique Ropion to see how he did with this Lab on Fire brand. Turns out What We Do in Paris is Secret is really close to what I've been looking for, and I do love it, but it's literally a dupe of Joop! Le Bain. I mean, not just similar, but it smells like an actual duplicate of the Joop which can be had for so cheap. I looked up Joop Le Bain to see if Ropion is the perfumer and it doesn't list a perfumer on that page. I mean this is EXACTLY like Joop Le Bain. I happen to love Joop but I already have it and I bought it for $20! What We Do In Paris is Secret is a nice, easy going, effortlessly gentle tonka-almond-vanilla-heliotrope fragrance. It's Classic Doll Head or Play Doh in the best way. I really like it and I will happily wear it. I guess the other house it reminds me of is Guerlain. I can smell a Guerlainade type vibe from this - you know that sweet-vanilla-woody-slightly fruity base blend that Guerlain uses in almost all their fragrances. The longevity is better than the Joop so I guess there's that going for it, although it is still moderate, not super long lasting and the sillage is minimal. This is definitely an everyday, every situation, can be worn in the office but could also be sexy too, kind of fragrance. I do love the smell, I just can't get over how it is an exact duplicate of Joop Le Bain! Someone below wrote "just get Joop," and I wish I had really taken her comment to heart. Except this is truly quite beautiful and I will definitely wear it so all is not lost. UPDATING to say I do love this but wish it had much better longevity and more sillage (it’s abysmal and mostly just pisses me off at this point). Also this is a relative of Dior Addict scentwise. UPDATING AGAIN: to say that when I marinate in this (6-8 sprays) there is definitely better longevity and a little bit of moderate sillage for about 2-3 hrs. UPDATING YET AGAIN: to say that this really isn’t anything like what I was looking for back when I initially wrote this review BUT it’s a bloody amazing scent that is just so delicious and sexy in a not even trying kind of way. It’s not gourmand but it’s still a delicious heliotrope-vanilla kind of special sauce. In the end, Ropion always makes magic ✨💥💫

This is probably going to sound bizarre; WWDIPS has a story to tell me. But I don’t think it needs to be a secret. When I wear this it takes me on a journey to an early spring afternoon; asphalt is drying from a morning storm. There is a breeze as I walk unhurriedly along the sidewalk window-shopping in an old town square. The breeze carries traces of the damp asphalt and ozone. The air is crisp, and the sun offers warmth when it peaks out of the clearing clouds. Bees are humming around flowering planters and the trees lining the street are starting to bloom with puffy white and pink flowers. Shops are opening their doors now that the rain has passed. And as I walk the air currents mingle all these smells together. The square starts to bustle with people a bit more but it doesn’t interrupt my tranquility. WWDIP opens in unassuming and effortless layers. There is definitely nothing pretentious about it. I know this is odd but I really do get an ozone-ish and drying asphalt vibe that lasts less than a minute. This has to be the Tolu Balsam and it seems to give this fragrance a solid base or platform on which to perform. Then a rich vanilla honey moves right in with hints of creamy almond from the Tonka and Heliotrope, but not in a gourmand way. It’s a floral fragrance, which is thankfully not overdone. Heliotrope dominates and the rose I find is light. This all seems to meld into the sweet billowy powderiness of Amber. An earthiness vibe sneaks in and out which keeps things centered and balanced to me. Now with that all being said, WWDIP might sound like a warm and cozy fragrance. And it is warm and cozy, but I do not find it heavy. It also manages to be very cool, crisp, airy, light, balmy. I find that I can wear this from fall through spring. The poweriness might blossom a little too much in the southern heat of summer for my taste. I personally favor this as more daytime wear. It lasts about 6 hours on me and silage stays about arms length until hour 4 before becoming a solid skin sent. I really am enjoying wearing this and find it uplifting. Personally, I do not get a va va voom factor, but that’s just me. I can see it leaning that way on other people. Also, I wanted to say that I really enjoyed reading evesoho’s review.

Turns out I now have a signature fragrance. I wasn't looking for one. Don't believe in them anymore for myself. And yet here we go.....I made a blind buy and the absolute perfect perfume for my chemistry and sensabilities showed up at my door! What are the odds? Since 2009 when I started on this site there has been no signature fragrance on the shelf in my Frgrantica wardrobe......and now there is. How is that even possible??? Enter What We Do In Paris Is Secret~she is absolutely irresistable! She is honeyed perfection through and through. This note weaves and wraps itself around every nuance of her development. She starts off with a bit of a cherry tobacco meets heliotrope wrapped in powder drenched in honey vibe. The next thing you know you realize you're drooling all over yorself with your nose stuck to your wrist! Extremely unattractive~but this gorgeous little perfume makes up for it! I have received the most poetic compliments from men and women alike since I've started wearing this. Seriously......dream compliments! She has amazing longevity as she partners with the wind to create the perfect amount of sillage and projection. I for real had a man ask me, "Did you just walk behind me?" I said "yes" and he said, " I wasn't sure. I just felt this light breeze and the most amazing smell all at the same time." Yep, that's WWDIPIS! She is both light and complex. She develops into this unintimidating draw me closer, please God show me where that smell is coming from aura, that makes you not only feel confident as you wear it, but it makes you look forward to smelling it yourself! If you are afraid of commitment....tread lightly. WWDIPIS will steal your loyalty before you even know what happened!!

What we do in Paris is a study in fragrance marketing. This has an alluring name, suggestive of a passionate rendezvous or perhaps secret espionage in the French capital. Already, you may be speculating that this is the smell of lust, or perhaps fear? Combine that with a bottle thats 'too cool for school', and you have a yourself a cult following. So really, does it matter what the perfume is like? Well, yes. In fact it does matter! The opening is fairly generic and almost immediately had me wondering where I had smelt this before. The opening was dominated by the honey and fruit and heliotrope which was pleasant in a feminine way and created a sweet/ powder effect. Fortunately, the heliotrope here was well contained, as it can be a problem for me. After about an hour, the middle and base notes came through. Heliotrope was still evident, but now it was combined with a strong vanilla. I'm happy to report that this phase has good longevity. About three hours after application it occurred to me that I was reminded of YSL cinema. I don't know if other reviewers have noticed this? Overall, this is a very pretty perfume for those wanting a vanilla powder bomb. It is clearly well made, but I do think the cool marketing is necessary for this to stand out from the crowd. EDIT: After this review I realized I was a little harsh on this perfume. The contents of the remaining test vial won me over to the point I began a 6 mth journey to own this beauty. You see, it is currently very hard to find except for a handful of stores. Anyone wanting a bottle can get it through MIns New York.

Baby powder mixed with powdered sugar. Leather, rubber, lots powder and animalic musk here for me. I could see how someone would like this, but it is not sweet or creamy to my nose (as described on luckyscent). Glad I sampled, this is unique, but not my cup of tea. The drydown is more pleasant, but not FB worthy for me. It is flat out weird but intriguing. I will finish my samples because if nothing else, this is interesting. UPDATE: I tried this again and went through my entire sample and decided to buy it. It is very different to me now than my first impression. I get some creaminess and lots of sweetness in the form of a honeyed sweet powder aura. The musk is detectable along with what I believe is the tulu, and although it is powdery and sweet it is nothing like Loukhoum Pouderee. The powder in this is more like sweet baby powder. I got a bottle because it is limited and I think I would be bummed if I did not have it in my collection. Update 2: I got my bottle from LS yesterday and I like this better sprayed on (as usual) than the sample. I wasn't sure if the bottle had a spray, but I know it does now. It is the most INTERESTING fragrance I have ever smelled. It lasts all night. I really cant describe it, I am happy I got a FB but I would not stock up and hoard this. The verdict is that it is very different, like a true niche perfume should be and I totally adore it.

Perfect! This is utterly perfect! I don`t know what attracted me to this scent in the first place...maybe the name (if we talk about Paris and secrets you can count me in!), or the nose - Dominique Ropion - the genius who gaved us Alien, Carnal Flower, Lalique le Parfum, Flowerbomb and many more... and of course the notes: honey, heliotrope, vanilla, amber, oooh I feel I`m in my element here! Personaly I find the presentaion great, maybe there are people who judge the package because it is so plain and comes in an aluminum bag that you must cut first to take off the bottle, but I love that! It is cool! I love new simple and daring ideas. The smell is new but also a bit familiar, it remindes me just a little of Lalique le Parfum, Etro Heliotrope and Cristobal from Balenciaga (that sweet vanilla), but What we do....is all and more! It starts as unisex, it has a sweet sour facet (lichy is that you?) and a bit metallic (only a couple of minutes), but soon the heliotrope note is becoming prominent and warmes everything. In time, the whole composition becomes gradually smoother and very sweet, so after a half an hour I can declare it totally feminine. It has the sweetness of a bubble gum, lots of vanilla and heliotrope and a beautiful and warm amber in the base. What will I do in Paris remains a secret, but I will not make a secret about my feelings for this scent: I love it!

I love this so much. It's the perfect combination of clean, cozy, and sexy to me. It's been described beautifully in the reviews below mine, but nothing prepared me for the actual scent of WWDIPIS. I can't recommend finding a sample of this enough! Scentwise, I don't even really know what I'm smelling. The whole perfume seems to be built around this powdery almond note that I find both delicious and non-edible smelling. Like marzipan where the sugar has been substituted by talcum powder, maybe. In the first stage of this scent the bergamot is softly noticeable, and during this stage WWDIPIS is a bit fresher than later on. When the bergamot dies down, the musk and the deeper resinous notes crowd forward. I find both stages very enjoyable! If there is one thing I would change about this perfume it's the longevity. I just wish it lasted all day (or night)! As it is, longevity is average, about 3-6 hours on my skin, depending on my skin and the weather. I am strongly of the persuasion that perfume is something to wear for my own enjoyment, but for the sake of full-disclosure: I received two compliments on this perfume in a span of two days, which is unheard of for me. Although not everyone might be willing to cough up €110 for a 60ml bottle, I think there are very few people out there who could actively dislike this fragrance.

I bought a dabber sample of this warm weather like peak summertime heat, and hated it. There was something off about. I tried it a few times and threw it in my sample drawer. Fast-forward to this month when it's freezing cold and I was gathering up a bunch of samples to send to a girlfriend and I came across this again. I gave it try and LOVED it. It could be my sense of smell, it could be the weather, my skin, I don't really know. What I do know is when I saw that WWDIS was out of stock until 2024, I snagged the literal last bottle Scent Bar DTLA had in stock and haven't regretted it. It is def different when atomized, but in a good way. At the top I get the same sour and fruity note that is in Delina but that fades after a few minutes. It settles into this warm, cozy, slightly powdery slightly floral fragrance. The tolu gives it a little something. I own nothing like this at all. I will say I am not a fan of powdery scents. There are a few that like and this is the first I've truly loved. Anything that smells like lipstick, Johnsons, or cosmetics powders I steer clear of. I also own Freckled and Beautiful, tried Made in Heaven and want MSJGOB and you can tell all are from the same house but this one has the whole "nostalgic youth" vibe dialed waaay back compared to the rest. The sweetness in this one is less sugary too.

I went around and round about buying this fragrance. I have so many like it Tardes, Datura Noir, Kenzo Amour but to me it ended up being different enough to buy. It is so soft and fluffy like most almond and vanilla, but adding the lychee won me over. I also love the addition of ambergris which adds a certain splash of freshness. It’s really beautiful, soft, romantic, sweet. There is something hazy, dreamy, just like those romantic photographs by Rebecca Plotnick of random spots in Paris. There is a lot of talk comparing this and almost any almond powdery fragrance with Joop Le Bain. Yes the two smell somewhat similar except in quality and price of course. Joop smells much cheaper (alcohol cheap), more linear, and lasts maybe 20 minutes. You get what you pay for. I’m loving A Lab on Fire. I’m planning on getting Messy Sexy, and And the World is Yours next. This is my most complimented fragrance. The more I wear this the more I love it. On me it’s just perfect. Does anyone know what’s going on with this House? Are they going out of business? Or taking a break? Working on new fragrances? Why are all their fragrances gone?

Well I have received my sample from luckyscent, took my shower and perfumed myself!! First thing I noticed was loads of poweder and vanilla. Onto a lovely understated rose and a hint of honey. Honeyed rose isn't a bad thing in fact quite nice.The amber is peeking through...I looooove amber!!!! The Siliage is very good on me. My mom and niece said they could smell me from across the room! I didn't even put much on. Pretty unusual for me. Normally have to douse myself to get that reaction. But since they both said I smell good...not to shabby!! I have more samples to try and also want to try this one out in public to see if I get any other reaction. So far So good though. Andbsince im in the market for a signature scent, I'm not going to worry about the price. Which really isn't all that steep. But I do want to love it. So maybe this is the one!!! Mmmm after four hours of wear its amazing!!!! I am really loving this perfume!!! Update: WOW!!! This one is a definite love!!! Longevity fantastic about 10 hours. Siliage awesome!! Beautiful from beginning to end!! Must have a full bottle of this one

Well, as a Dominique Ropion fangirl, I had a feeling that I would like this. It has all the characteristics that I associate with his work, those being dynamic, nearly theatrical topnotes accompanied by ample sillage and wearlength. WWDIPIS smells nearly edible, full of simmered fruits and dripping honey. Golden and supple, it is nectar-like on the skin, but cool, powdery heliotrope keeps the fragrance feeling snuggly without tipping over into unctuousness. Quite delightful. The drydown is full of radiance and warmth, lingering for hours on my skin. On a sidenote, one of the reviews I read elsewhere mentioned that the drydown was a dead ringer for Amarige's. Indeed it is, and I'm secretly tickled that this critic's darling shares the same underpinnings as one of the more divisive fragrances in recent memory. Personally, I liked Amarige, but I will enjoy experiencing that luscious drydown again, this time without Amarige's brazen white bouquet as a gatekeeper.

Initially, I was really confused by this fragrance. My earliest review was a harsh first impression that simply did not last long. I find myself reaching for this more often than anything else these days. It is unique, sweet and rich while still having a powdery quality. Honey, musk, tulu balsam and amber are the most present to my nose, although the creamy vanilla and sweet powder make themselves known as well. I have gotten backup bottles because it is in my top 10 out of 200+ fragrances now. My fiance really likes it and asks me to wear it often. Really well blended, not a simple perfume by any means, but perfectly executed. I think the 100ish dollar price range for a 2 ounce niche perfume of this quality is a good deal. This is not something just anyone could replicate, it is not simple and the notes are tricky. Try it a few times, it might grow on you like it did for me! Wish it weren't limited, but it is worth hoarding for me.

OH. MY. GOD. This is the most wonderfully intoxicating thing I have ever smelled in my life and I'm not even kidding. Go ahead, read all my reviews, I'm very fair and never vague and do my best to descibe the facets and feelings of each fragrance. Which is why its so wierd that I'm so inarticulate when describing this masterpeice. It has literally taken my breath away, but I will do my best here: Warmth, leather, dollops of honey, sweet tobacco, vanilla, a soft breeze, memories and a pink and golden sunset all resting on top of warm, sunsoaked skin, in the middle of an enchanted forest. Aka, pure magic. This, to me, is the very definition of "if sexy had a smell." I have never been more enamored by a fragrance and I'm still sort of in disbelief that this is really happening. Will be buying this in bulk, since now that it's in my life, I never want to be with out. Ever.

I have no idea why I blind bought this one. Honey, powedery notes, rose...they all seem to go sideways on me 99% of the time. Not sure if it is the role, lychee and heliotrope or just Ropion’s deft nose & hand in the blending, but this is one of my signature scents depending upon my mood. This is such a beautiful and slightly sexy fragrance. For reference, white florals like gardenia or tuberose and most rose notes go very screechy on me, and animatic notes can go off if I get anywhere close to overspraying. If your chemistry is similar, you may also love WWDiPIS. Other than the rose and any sticky honey scent, I can detect every note listed. The powder isn’t cosmetic with my chemistry. Rather it is soft. I don’t get cola notes described by other reviewers, but do have the balsamic cherrry come through as someone else mentioned.

I tested What We Do in Paris is Secret along with Messy Sexy Just Rolled out of Bed, and WWDIPIS swept the other one off the table. They start similar, Messy Sexy even slightly better and warmer, but then WWDIPIS transforms into something special and different from anything I've smelled before. I sense no similarity with Joop! Le Bain - this perfume rolls on its own terms. On me vanilla is not a dominant note; instead I smell lots heliotrope, a bit of honey and litchi, and a drop of amber. Aside from originality, there's another plus: longevity. It's also a very universal perfume, wearable at any time of the year, and absolutely unisex. I would say this is a scent for the future (or even from the future). It's completely worth of its price and buying it feels more like an investment than spending :)

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert or highly experienced when it comes to fragrance so I won't pretend to be. I done my own comparison with this and Joop Le Bain as I now own both (generally love these scents). I would give it an 85-90% match with Joop being the sweeter fragrance of the two but I do prefer WWDIPIS as it smells more 'put together' and refined. WWDIPIS has great longevitiy, 8 hours+ (I wore this to work one day and got complimented on it at around the 9 hour mark of wearing), whereas Joop only lasts around 3-4 hours before it completely vanishes. WWDIPIS also has better sillage from my skin, I found Joop turned into a skin scent a lot sooner and I had to bury my nose to get a whiff. They are both still very similar in smell. Joop has a great pricetag but my overall winner is WWDIPIS.

Lovely, soft, powdery sweet, enveloping, sexy. This gives white honey-powdery heliotrope-amber vanilla sweet without being cloying at all. It isn't quite as impressive as the other scents in this line, and I expected a bit more of a statement after falling in love with both Messy Sexy Just Rolled Out of Bed and And The World Is Yours, but A Lab on Fire/WWDIS is really doing great things and these scents are all worth trying. UPDATE: This is gorgeous. Took me a handful of wears for it to "click" (almost decluttered it) but I can now smell all the notes and absolutely adore it. Like Messy Sexy, it's such an easy reach, and I have found myself reaching for it everyday this week. Another reminder to give yourself time with a scent before drawing your final conclusion! Thank you, Dominique Ropion.

I've reviewed this before, but I have since bought a bottle and wear it all the time, and wanted to add some thoughts. First, this smells very niche in that it doesn't have that "perfumey" smell I have come to expect of scents. A friend smelled it on me and said, "It kind of smells more like a shampoo, but, like, really really good." And I know what he was saying. It's like a bath & body works scent grew up and became a beautiful, sophisticated lady. It's purely pleasurable. Also, for the first half hour, if I sniff close to my wrist, I get a very strong spicy cinnamon. Not like the kind of cinnamon you smell in baked goods, but like fireball (either the candy or the liquor, take your pick). From further away, it smells more like the dry down.

Don't let the utilitarian packaging fool you, this is a perfume for a siren. This one is all push-up bra, garter belts, and leather over-the-knee boots. The vanilla and florals are not boring as one would think. The sweetness is not cloying. It's just a mixed liquid of perfection. C'est un vin chaud en hiver. I'm having a little love affair with Dominique (or rather, his creations). For some reason, I'm just drawn to his perfumes and his signature stamp he puts in them... update: 3 hours later: oh my word. i can't ever be without this perfume. it melts perfectly onto my skin unlike any other perfume i've ever worn. i keep making my coworkers smell me. yes, it's weird. they think so too. it's all a part of my charm.

Breathtakingly good. Wow. Wow and wow. You know..now days I don't go pull the trigger on a buy unless it's some thing super spectacular. I mean, I started getting this way when I was at about 60 niche bottles. This is just amazing. It doesn't get to femm and stays unisex the whole composition. It doesn't get gourmand but it wants too. It's so elegant and refined and I love it, love the perfumer too. Amazing. Full bottle is being ordered after I type this! 10/10 I got 10 hrs longevity and a complement right before I left work at 9 hrs yesterday. Very good for the price!! #teamNiche Similar vibe of OrlovParis-flame of gold but a slight less musk and $220 less expensive , highly recommend you smell both!