Lolita Lempicka (1997)
by Lolita Lempicka

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 absolutely detest the taste of licorice, especially the "noir" version, but this is my favorite female fragrance BY FAR... If there is anise in this it is so subdued by the amazingly deep violet and earthy ivy that I cannot even detect it. I bought this for my girlfriend recently, and I say proudly that on every single occasion she wears it "business time" comes very early. In fact I have missed many episodes of American Idol, Family Guy, House, and whatever basically any show that comes on the television because when she comes out of the bathroom wearing this, nothing else really . Thumbs up for keeping the fire alive~!!!

Too sharp a fragrance for me, but the bottle is beautiful!

This one really appealed to me because of the licorice note. We Dutch are a bit crazy that way. For the rest this scent is sweeter than what I would normally wear, but it's ok- a bit of variation does you good. I bought this in a set with a body lotion in a stunning box. This is one of the most imaginatively packed products on the market, Very girly, pretty bottle and I love to wear this when a certain feminine mood comes along. Shame I'm almost out of it now...

Wow! I really like this one. The fragrance is sweet, but the ivy & anise add great balance to that sweetness. The bottle is sexy. The name is melodious. My reaction to this is very visceral as opposed to my usually cerebral approach to perfume. The weather is so cold here today, but I am warmed and comforted. I will be adding "Lolita Lempicka" to my ever growing collection. P.S. Not for those who dislike black licorice...

Aaaah, wonderful! I absolutely cannot fathom how this smells in any way like Angel to so many people - I get none of that heaviness, no cloyingness, no objectionable anything at all! This is pure fairy magic on me: sweet violet with some ivy, and then longlived, fabulously earthy vetiver... mmmmm!! It stays pretty close to my skin, although people do notice it - compliments, always! It doesn't seem too complex - I can smell most of the notes, without much else confusing matters to my nose. I absolutely love the final earthy, gritty phase (which I guess is the basement smell mentioned!) - if only it could be stronger by far! I'd LOVE to smell just like these base notes all the time. AND it comes in the prettiest bottle ever, even if it is quite hard to use (I keep fearing I'll break off the little stem).