A few months ago I picked out a perfume named
Les Petites Folies 00:10 by Lulu Castagnette. I liked it so much I recently got the "buddy" perfume Les Petites Folies 20:15 which is lovely too - gorgeous bottles!
I returned to try another Lulu Castagnette perfume however unfortunately the Sales Assistant could not find the tester. I didn't want to leave the store without testing SOMETHING so I asked to try the only other tester there which happened to be
lol ;-).
I had seen this perfume in lists whilst browsing sites & had a small giggle. Who would buy a perfume with such a name unless it's for a novelty - which I'm not completely alien to. Certainly it's a teen perfume? I try not to judge scents like I have seen others do. However this is definitely one instance when I misjudged .
So the SA sprayed & handed the card to me. I sniffed & looked up at her in surprise. It was really nice! Pick me up off the floor!
How does it smell?
The top notes are a blast of Strawberry & Apple, which turns out to be a little like sherbet. The Florals (Rose & Iris) sneak in & soon after the Vanilla. Just when you think you have lol ;-) figured out, the Sandalwood & Patchouli join the crowd & turn it into a sophisticated gourmand (well I think so anyway).
I always test potential fragrances on my skin, so I asked the SA to spray my arm. After a while the scent turned from a fruity sherbet to a creamy delicious strawberry vanilla with just the right amount of sandalwood & patchouli to blend. It definitely grew on me as the afternoon progressed to evening & then morning. Morning?? Yes, it lasted on my skin, pillow & clothes. I got whiffs of it until I washed! It grew on me & I knew I wanted to lol ;-)
Sillage seems to be decent & it has approval from my SO (a very hard feat!!!).
Perfume Notes;
Top: Strawberry, Apple
Middle: Rose, Iris
Base: Vanilla, Sandalwood, Patchouli
What about the bottle?
The bottle seems to be a little Jean Paul Gaultier inspired with its curves. It's a cute pink & orange with an unusual "topless" pink see through lid. Can't say that it's extremely elegant looking, it reminds me a little of a deodorant, but it's nice to hold & easy to spray/distribute the perfume on your arm.
Would I recommend it?
Yes! .... but you'll need to like gourmand (foody) scents as it's very sweet & definitely smells like a fruity, creamy desert (with some sherbet thrown in). If this does not appeal to you - avoid it. If it does, try it out on your skin!
Would I buy it again?Probably not, I think 100ml is going to be plenty of
lol ;-).
Verdict
Who would have thought a perfume called
lol ;-) would be a really nice fragrance? Not me! But it is! I'm really happy with this scent & it will definitely be on my rotation.
Although it seems to stand the heat,
lol ;-) is probably at its best in the cooler weather. The vanilla may be a little too much in the humidity.
Price
I bought a 100ml for $45 from The Perfume Connection. It's also available in 50ml for $22.95*
PS: A small heads up! If you're looking for this the "full" name is SMS lol ;-) but on the bottle it simply says lol ;-) - Lulu Castagnette seems to like to group fragrances into "headings" (?) such as SMS or Les Petite Folies which can be a little confusing if you're specifically looking for one of her fragrances on a listing or site without good search functions as this may be listed under S or L.
PPS: As of July 2011, you can pick up 100ml of SMS lol ;-) from The Perfume Connection, & The Perfume Shop for $14 a bottle. Apparently they're getting rid of the line & I definitely recommend you take advantage of that! :-) $14 for this perfume is a steal!
My Rating: 7 out of 10
*Edit July, 2011: The Perfume Connection must be discontinuing the line, as I saw
lol ;-) for $13 (50ml) grab a bottle as at this price, it's a steal!
I went into Lush Handmade Cosmetics for the 2nd time in my life today. I'd never wandered into this store before last year as the smell really put me off. The first time I dared venture in was just before Christmas. I tested the Vanillary perfume & loved the scent.