Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin (2000)
by Lolita Lempicka

A very strange congeries of notes in this, but it really works as a fresh, invigorating scent for me. Violet and basil with anise and licorice in the top is a bit odd; rum and orgeat (that almond-flavored syrup they mix with fizzy water to make Italian sodas) with sandalwood and tonka is kind of outrageous in the middle; and praline with cedar, vetiver, and vanilla is not entirely unheard of, but pretty rare in the base note. A lot of surprises in this one. Is it a gourmand or a fougère? I think it's a bit of both — but licorice, praline, rum, and orgeat definitely sounds like something to eat and drink to me... The funny thing is that I'm not usually partial to gourmand-type scents, but for this, I'll make an exception. On a nice mild or slightly cool day, this is simply... What? Delicious!

I almost like this fragrance enough to buy it, but not quite. It's just a little too strong with the licorice, and there's not quite enough sweetness to counterbalance it for my liking. I was hoping this would be a candy-like implementation of licorice, but it's actually more "minty fresh" to my nose. It doesn't smell bad by any means, but I prefer sweeter fragrances than this when it comes to gourmands and pseudo-gourmands.

I haven't tried the Fraicheur version of this fragrance, but I would probably like that one more.

I came across Lanvin Arpège pour Homme and that's actually a decent alternative to Lolita Lempicka if you are looking for a much lighter fragrance. It has hints of anise or licorice (toned wayyyyy down), but it's woodier with a bit of incense, and more candy-like.

A very warm, edible comforting scent, I received a small sample bottle through a trade. One of my daughters applied the whole bottle to my carpet so I can't test it with a full application. The licorice and anise notes are particularly noticeable and complement each other very well.

I'd say Lolita is not as over powering as A*Men.

The first scent that hits you is Liquorice.

So if you're happy to small like Humbert Humbert give it a try.

I'm not normally a big licorice/anise fan so wasn't expecting to like this, but was pleasantly surprised. The vanilla and woods complement the anise nicely and keep it from being to sharp and biting. The anise also isn't obviously present too too long, and this turns into a unique vanilla more than anything else. Very pleased with the lasting power of this, too. Though I wouldn't call this feminine or perfume-y, I did wonder briefly if women could pull it off due to being a little more sweet than usual -- some probably could, but I do think this remains a clean masculine scent if smelled blindly.

The downside is use is likely limited to about the same settings where I'd wear A*Men -- predominantly evenings out and cooler weather. It's probably too sweet and rich (and sensual?) for daily and/or office wear, let alone hotter weather. Also not too sure how appealing it would be to those beyond perhaps their 30's.

I'd say the unique bottle design complements the scent well -- if you find it interesting and appealing, you'll probably like the scent too, but the bottle's lavender color doesn't strike me as matching the scent directly at all.

Thumbs up for being different and somewhat challenging while remaining very wearable. Personally quite happy to have this one around, and is probably my favorite vanilla drydown encountered so far.

I love the smell but it's too weak. Even if you pour a lot, the smell remains very faint. And if you apply a ton of it, you will just start sneezing. It doesn't have great sillage and has decent longevity. It smells of a spicy aniseed.