Praline gourmand! Angel 2.0 for the ones that cannot tolerate Angel, even though they are nothing alike. The opening is blackcurrant with its slightly pissy undertone, and what feels like bergamot. This manages to cut down the sweetness of the drydown, which isn't all that sweet actually. Where others get sugar I get milk chocolate. Creamy, smooth and actually well made. Even though it's a mainstream cloud pleaser, the noses behind know their stuff, and it never goes into death-by-sugar territory. As for the famed iris, well it's there; powdery and slightly yeast-y, but not so prominent as we are made to believe. I just wish the sour opening would last longer, though that would probably scare potential customers. My guilty pleasure, my trashy indulgence at home under a blanket. Among the gourmand fruitchoulis around, one of the best. Not too sweet, beast sillage, longevity until summer. NOT like Flowerbomb, though it might appear so at first, this is more powdery and milky. Bottom line: powdery milk chocolate, orange blossom sweetness, slightly pissy opening that I wish was more prominent.

I wrote a review already on LVEB, and almost 6 years after it’s release, it still feels respectful to its users. By that I mean that it hasn’t been noticeably reformulated or ‘re-orchestrated’ like they tend to say now. It sounds better than ‘we totally f***ed it up’. My bottle is nearly 5 years old, and it’s probably missing 3-4 ml out of 100. A single spray has 1980’s power so I don’t feel the need to pack it on. Plus, I use it 3/4 times a year tops; it’s still everywhere, on everyone, so it makes it redundant for me to smell like it also. But now, after some years and some appreciation for it, I do think that in the future many will seek it out just like I seek 50’s and 60’s and 70’s perfumes today as if they were liquid gold. Because they are, and 20 years from now, LVEB will be someone else’s liquid gold. And I’m ok with that. LVEB still sells well, it’s flankers have been more or less successful with the same strength, and it might end up being the Angel of the 21st century. As long as Lancôme doesn’t ruin it. While many brands charge gold for Eau de colognes, and most reformulate even after 2 years, (Poison Girl, looking at you) here you have extrait strength for reasonable prices. As long as you enjoy gourmands. I’m simply hoping that the new Lancôme pilar, called Heroine and launching sometime next year steers away from the gourmand while maintaining the same strength, sillage and room filling. And let it not be filled with the crappy aromachemicals that plague department store counters, noticeably ambroxan. Here’s to hoping.