Lolita Lempicka (1997)
by Lolita Lempicka

Lolita Lempicka

Notes: Ivy Leaves, Aniseed, Amarena Heart, Violets, Iris Roots, Vetiver, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Musk (from sephora.com)

Lolita Lempicka is absolutely delicious upon first application--it is difficult to resist an accord of chocolate, caramelized sugar and licorice which is actually dry and a bit crisp, miles away from the typical heavy, sweet and edible vanilla gourmand. The foody notes are supported by green fruit and herbal notes which amazingly seem to evoke the sense of garden freshness and bitter roots with what are obviously synthetic ingredients. The base buzzes along on a big cloud of Iso E Super, but this is one composition where the Iso E works as a team member rather than a cheap one-dimensional filler. In the drydown, LL bears some similarities to Bulgari Black...makes sense given LL is composed by the same perfumer. LL has the same edgy vanilla-musk accord which makes BB stand out from the vanilla oriental crowd. Despite being marketed to women, I find Lolita Lempicka to be solidly unisex. LL is one of those stand-out fragrances that everybody should experience, even if you never consider adding it to your wardrobe.

Lolita Limpicka will always have a place on my fragrance tray.I bought this when it first came out and have been hooked ever since. It has a very original scent, deep, musky, sweet. It's more of a nightime, "going out" scent for me. I get many compliments on it. The guys love it! The bottle is beautiful too!

The ackaging and ads are so dreamy and fantasy-y. I dunno if I'd necessarily relate that to what I smell in this perfume, but.. who cares! It just smells good. It's this weird, sweet-licorice-green perfume out of a purple, apple-shaped bottle. Trippy, but again, who cares, if it smells and looks great! And some people say it's a bit old ladyish? Ehh.. maybe. Maybe it's cuz it has this slight clean-green-ness.

The soft anise accord that opens Lolita Lempicka is at once less cloyingly sweet and better balanced than that of its masculine counterpart, as good an argument as any for the motto “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The scent moves on in a spicy-sweet, woody oriental direction that I find just too dry to qualify as truly “gourmand.” (This is a good thing, mind you.) Part of the appeal in this central accord is an almost peppery kick that emerges from the juxtaposed anise and woods.

While much is made of Lolita Lempicka’s being a gloss on the original Angel, I don’t feel it has the same gaudy, overbearing, and borderline-crass character. Not that Lolita Lempicka is subtle, but it doesn’t hit me like a freight train, as Angel often does. What accounts for the difference, I suspect, is the absence in Lolita Lempicka of Angel’s stupendously lewd, rank patchouli note. The comparatively civilized blend of woods that Lolita Lempicka offers in its place makes for a much more comfortable, if perhaps less startlingly original, scent. By comparison, Lolita Lempicka is also more spicy and less sweet than Angel, which goes a long way toward making it convincing as a unisex scent. I would certainly much sooner wear this than the crude, bombastic boys’ version. The peculiarly nutty vetiver, vanilla, and soft wood drydown is likewise superior to the slobbering, gap toothed woody amber mess that closes out Lolita Lempicka au Masculin.

I really love how warm and comforting this fragrance is. But definitely unusual - with this fragrance you will stand out from the crowd. For me its sweet spicy creaminess makes it perfect for colder weather. Its not too heavy or cloying or too sweet - just delicious!

I am still discovering this scent, so will write more when I've figured it out. :)
To me, it is sweet and spicey, very comforting. Strangely Im not getting the licorice note, but instead a deep fruity powdery musk, which is gorgeous! Dry down reminds me a lot of the original Anna Sui. Powdery and purple, not sexy but something to feel deliciously comforted by. As someone said, you may want to eat your wrists, that is of course after nuzzling into them like a cat with catnip. :)