lol ;-) by Lulu Castagnette

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!