La Mome Pierre Balmain for women

At first when I read the reviews I was a bit scared. I thought it was a weird and 'a-sexual' perfume (non flattering for a woman), for a somewhat 'lost' and decayed'diva' that traveled through time.
Thanks to a kind member here I had the chance to smell it and I like it very much.
It's intense in a way that might become annoying for the nose if applied generously. It is also sweet enough and 'dark', yes, and is smells like a liquer.
I was afraid that the resins will be 'stinking' on my skin (it happens to me with resins sometimes).
I find no similarity with Yvress, which is a rather oldfashioned and smelling more like a marmelade rather than a liquer.
It's a very nice, non common perfume, but one should try it before purchasing.

I purchased La Mome and tried to wear it for over two weeks straight. Nope. To my nose, all I smell is Tressor. I despise Tressor, it was the first perfume my ex husband bought for me. Somehow, this perfume has a sickening syrupy tone to it. Just syrup and fruits. Yuck.

Wow its very strong indeed! I get mainly - Rose, Violet, Raspberry & Freesia combo, a little synthetic, making it slightly sour, sharp but its also sweet. What I really don't pick up on is the pepper & musk, thank goodness. I think the resins make this slightly warm - so its sweet,very juicy and warm, but its a HUGE floral! Along the lines of Chloe Narsciss, can be headache inducing, spray with a gentle hand to begin, otherwise she is very loud, but if you like it that way than go ahead!
I would recommend to those who like "Big Florals" with a little edge.

I was first introduced to Balmain's La Môme during a blind sniffing competition earlier this year. When I initially applied it to my wrists and inhaled, I was quite struck by its sweetness, with the juicy raspberry accord radiating strongly on my skin. I had assumed it was either a celebrity fragrance or a release from a well-known brand, marketed towards younger women.

You can imagine my surprise when it was revealed that the mystery scent was actually Balmain's La Môme. Needless to say, I would never have guessed it. I had imagined this fragrance to smell like an intense oriental, laden with spices and resins.

To my nose, La Môme is sweet, mysterious and in some ways, flirtatious. It's a scent that grows on you over time, but may greet you as a shock initially. Although the opening is quite sweet with candied raspberry, pink pepper and oily rose, what follows tends to show more depth and complexity in terms of composition.

The heart introduces some of my favourite oriental accords; opoponax, myrrh and amber. These combine to create a warm and enticing scent, that actually blends perfectly with the sweet raspberry and rose. It was during this phase that I found myself growing fond of La Môme.

Pardon my naïvety, but seeming that Edith Piaf was before my time, I don't know much about her, nor have I watched the movie which is said to have inspired this fragrance. I am however familiar with her famous and incredibly moving song, 'La Vie en Rose', so I agree that the rose note was a perfect addition to La Môme's scent pyramid.

La Môme is incredibly lasting on my skin, so I applaud the longevity. The sillage is not bad either, but I can't say that it's particularly strong. I would consider this fragrance a sure crowd-pleaser, however it may disappoint some, especially if they're expecting to smell a heavy oriental. I would advise against blind buying La Môme due to its fruity yet ambery nature.

Tested La Môme yesterday, it's rather a subtle fragrance, like a watered down version of Yvresse YSL, especially the top notes. Doesn't last long and has average sillage.

wowzerz !#@*% This is the ultimate violet/amber scent, if you love these two notes and you love very sweet perfumes..... this is for you! I see there is rose in here, but honestly if I didn't see/read this info, I'd never guess. it's a soft rose, probably adding to the sweetness even more .. along with the raspberry

At first I thought this far far too sweet. But after wearing it a few times I grew too love it. Would I want to smell this sweet all the time? NO ..... however this is a total man magnet, my bf knows if I'm wearing La Mome, it's sexytime :P. He goes absolutely insane for this stuff. However (sharing my views) he also said he would not want me to wear this all the time. He said he loved the sweetness with the amber and violet, but all the time and it might become annoying.

Also I think because It's more of a skin scent with only a little projection the sweetness works

The raspberry doesn't stick out for me, I think it just creates that potent level of sweetness

Another perfume that doesn't smell like leather, but melts in your skin and gives the effect of leather, (must be the heavy dose of amber,myrrh and opoponax). Last a full 8 hours on me, if not more.. .and stays the same from begining to end

So basically .. you have a very sweet, very violet, super dose of amber perfume... and this mixture is without a doubt a pure love potion... uber sexy.. worth every penny. Very hard to find, a few bottles on ebay... grab one!!

I just want to add, that atleast for the most part of the life of the perfume... it's extreemly smooth/well blended. Also that I don't find this to be fruity or really smelling of berries at all. Neither does my bg, maybe it's just us

Also if anyone is worried about the pepper, really doesn't stand out

I have to say, the peach coloring on the bottle turned me off, thought it might smell like a big peach candy like Tresur' from lancome, which I dont care for, find it highly over rated

This along with Balmain 'Jolie' are my favorite Balmains. I was shocked with ambre gris.. such high reviews.. and I didn't find it impressive at all. It's hardly oriental smelling, and just week, watered down, almost. another one I think is very over - rated, so many better ambre's to choose from. Don't get me wrong, it's very nice. Just a tad on the boring side.

Also - to the comment below, I don't find this musky at all

and I find this nothingn like the original 'Van Cleef'

In answer to relle:

La mome was the nickname of Edith Piaf who was a French singer back in the days... from wiki:

In 1935 Piaf was discovered in the Pigalle area of Paris by nightclub owner Louis Leplée, whose club Le Gerny off the Champs-Élysées was frequented by the upper and lower classes alike. He persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness, which, combined with her height of only 142 centimetres (4 ft 8 in), inspired him to give her the nickname that would stay with her for the rest of her life and serve as her stage name, La Môme Piaf (Parigot translatable as "The Waif Sparrow", "The Little Sparrow", or "Kid Sparrow").

So it is not really about a kid!! :)
I suggest you watch the movie with Marion Cotillard and you will see where the spirit of the perfume comes from. It's also an excellent movie.

Imagine a mountain lodge, or wooded castle filled with roses, from the floor to the rafters. As for the longevity, on my dry, arid, alpine skin the edp lasts more than 12 hrs. It's a strong start that morphs into a rounder, oakier version. Think "Lion In The Winter", romantacism. The name means "the kid", which to me is a total oxymoron. This perfume speaks of heavy velvets, tapestries, vintage wines, multi-strands of pearls and roaring fires. It's anything but a teen scent. La Mome seduces your nostrils and takes over your body.

Muy suave y discreto,me ha encantado!!!!

This could have been perfect - classy rose, vintage vibe and a drydown to die for - if it wouldn't have been for the raspberry. I find the pairing rose and raspberry unbearable, sweet and immature. There is not much on earth which could destroy the perfect smell of rose, but raspberry for sure spoils it for me.

Such a shame, as it has great potential. Especially the myrrh and opoponax are beautiful and in this perfume totally feminine, whereas I often find both tending to be masculine.

At first, it's a strong violet and raspberry scent. Then it smells of berry and vanilla/amber with some myrrh mixed in. The staying power is medium and I got a hint of mint in the fragrance.

"'Tis the last rose of summer left blooming alone
All her lovely companions are faded and gone
No flower of her kindred, no rosebud is nigh
To reflect back her blushes and give sigh for sigh"

The song "Last Rose of Summer" always comes to my mind when I'm wearing this fragrance. Roses here are definitely the red ones. The roses that are thickened by the intense, bright summer sun light. Then they are sweetened by myrrh & opoponax. So the roses here are very opulent, sweet and powdery ones. In the summer heat & sweats, it can become overwhelmingly sweet but in the winter it might become very warm and cozy. The longevity of this fragrance on my skin is rather poor, about 3-4 hours. However, it's in the hottest days of summer. I hope that it will last longer in winter.

This is absolutely stunning!Violets and roses with ambery base are just gorgeous. I am also getting some spiciness. To my nose it's slightly reminiscent of Immense by Scherrer, but La Mome is deeper and more complex. La Mome and Ambre Gris are my favourite Balmain fragrances.
2-3 hours I can barely detect it without sniffing my wrists.
If it's a limited edition, i am definitely getting a back up!

Oh, how I love deep red roses and violets! Add the smoothness of suede, the thick syrupy tang of honey and the old-church smoke of incense (myrrh) and you have that "soft, old purse and lipstick" fragrance that captures the sweetest memories of a long hug from a much-loved & stylish auntie.

La Mome smells "french" in the classic sense - not trendy and neither flowery nor overly sweet but languid and complex. Even the color of the juice, a deep amber, suggests the mellow smoothness of fine whisky aged in oak barrels.

As scarce as this limited edition has become I've hesitated to review until I'd acquired my lifetime supply. Now I'll shout from the rooftops: "Get this while you still can!" My collection is large and I say without hesitation that La Mome is unique. 12 hours on skin and days on clothing - that's amazing longevity and the sillage is equally impressive.

Warm comfort in a bottle. Try La Mome on a cool, damp & rainy day or on a gray, snowy day in winter and I promise it will warm your heart.

I just noticed that Guillaume Flavigny nosed this! He also created another favorite of mine: Balmain's Ambre Gris. They share the same mood of luxury and comfort.

this was a stunning surprise!
sweet honey rose, lipstick & myrrh....
i detect apricot skin in this even though not listed
a lingerie perfume, wears close to the skin
an old fashioned 1920's jazz singer perfume---
i can see why this was dedicated to the greatest voice, ms piaf
if you love anna sui (original 1998 perfume in purple bottle),
la mome is the Elixir version

Wow! I must admit, I picked this up unsniffed. I bought six bottles of it, on chance, at less than 20 dollars a bottle.

How interesting! Much different than I expected, but very nice. At first sniff, it reminded my of Lancome Tressor, which I despise. Even the color of the packaging seemed similar, with that coral/peach box.

But, within five minutes, La Mome moves out of the fruity stage, and the warm and rich amber tones take over. It is long lasting, but inoffensive, and great to wear. I am glad I scooped up my six bottles now, so I am set for a long time. Seems this was a limited release scent, and is not even offered on the Balmain website.

Pierre Balmain LA MOME is a different sort of oriental: the musk and the myrrh somehow combine to produce a leather facsimile note. I do not have a lot of experience with myrrh, so perhaps this is how it always smells, but I must say that based on several wearings, I find this much closer to a leather fragrance than to most oriental florals.

Dark, slightly animalic and, for lack of a better word, dirty, LA MOME is a heavy perfume appropriate for the winter months. I find that the florals are much less dominant in this composition than the opoponax-myrrh-musk complex, which confers outstanding longevity and depth.

Although this is my least favorite of the Balmain line, LA MOME does indeed, as do all Balmain creations, carve out its own distinctive niche. Those who like dark muskiness may take an immediate liking to this perfume; others will want to try before they buy.

As for me, I'll probably be mixing this with rose perfumes come wintertime--to lighten it up a bit.

Mmm! It's a fruity-oriental on me! And it stays close to the skin. The myrrh and raspberry notes balance each other. Honestly, I can't detect raspberry as much as I detect "fruitiness". The violet and amber are both quite tame, and I am getting a subdued resinous note from the opoponax, which I find very sexy.

Overall, it's a sweet and feminine skin scent on me. And yes, a bit retro too.

The rose, myrrh and amber notes dominate on my skin. I bought La Mome blind as I have had good luck with the Balmain frags- I did not find out about the Edith Piaf connection until later. This one is very different from the green and clean scents in the Balmain line, but is equally well crafted for a reasonable price.
La Mome is an oriental that doesn't shout, is womanly without dowdiness and has a retro feel without drying down to powder. It's grand scent in the cold- I don't think it will do so well in the heat of summer but right now, I find myself reaching for it frequently.

I would consider La Mome to be a warm oriental, with a strong musky (never my fave) note that drowns out the flowers for quite a long time.
This intense muskiness takes a few hours into the drydown to dissipate, and then the flowers and myrrh tiptoe in.
At that point, it wears extremely close to the skin and is very feminine and soft, with but an utra discreet whisper of musk.
I don't know that Edith Piaf would not have worn a scent like this, it is after all, intense, sensual and different.
And I do think La Mome is a special scent, especially if you are very fond of musk, which I, alas, am not.

I like it!

Not sure whether Piaf would have chosen a perfume for a message, but I can see her wearing something full of Myrrh and roses.

The fragrance is warm and musky and I plan on wearing it a lot this fall and winter. It's mt SoTD!