Reviews of Méchant Loup (1997)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Anise! it screams! then Nuts! some spices and we have mechant Loup....i'd back SirSlarty's feedback on this one. it is light indeed. if you feel smelling like Hazelnut shells with anise, then look no further. i'd pass. boring to the core. I cant believe this is a scent by the great Bertrand Duchaufour...

Bowl of honey nut cheerios. With extra honey. I like them like that.

I don't get a naughty character out of this. To me the wolf just woke up and is starting his day with a bowl of honey nut cheerios.

I like it a lot. I've always thought a scent like this would be excellent and it is. The hazelnut is surprisingly tolerable for me. Woody and creamy and a little nutty. Doesn't make a bold statement, it's just soft and lush. Not particularly bottle worthy to me but it's good.

I had a beautiful surprise after to have received from boutique L´Artisan my first Méchant Loup. Its calm and very pleasant wolf.
If you like "Cedar" notes buy it and appreciates a good fragance on you.
Very "masculine" and powered.

The first impression I get from this is the licorice/anise smell. It's fresh and exciting to my nose. The softness that comes later in the woody and creamy notes is lovely too, but the spicy elements are what make this one for me. The unexpected (and barely noticeable) myrrh note in the base is astringent and bitter enough to keep this from turning too sweet on my skin. There is a bit of resinous aroma there as well. And the cedar and sandalwood make this a characteristically "masculine" spicy woody-oriental. Very nicely done, and very versatile too.

Why everybody that disliked this perfume expected to find just the sweet aroma of hazelnuts and honey is beyond my understanding. This is not just about an ordinary wolf, walking around the forest, to be photographed and added in the endangered species list. No, sir. This is a mischevieous one, he bites and scares little Red Riding Hoods. He is a rough one, run with the storms - this is why his fur is wet - and has a dark side. In other words, he is the attractive bad boy!

A slightly bizarre scent with clear changes from top to base. The initial accord is surprisingly gourmand and spicy, like eating a curry in the middle of a wet, muddy forest. A couple of hours in, I get less of the spicy, turmeric-like notes and more of the cedar smokiness. This phase, between hours 2-3, is my favorite as the scent has a wonderful, warm, outdoors-y character with hints of wet fur and Autumn leaves. Then, all too quickly it's gone. By the 5th hour or so, this has faded to a dry-down akin to several L'Artisan scents, on me at least. Timbuktu, Dzongkha, Passage D'Enfer, Mechant Loup - all smell alike on me after 5 hours. There must be some regular L'Artisan basenote(s) that does this, but I haven't quite identified it yet. It sounds crazy and unlikely I know, but I did a test with the very dissimilar Passage D'Enfer on one wrist and Mechant Loup on the other. After 5 hours, I couldn't tell which was which. This makes me sad! So... a great forest-like scent but as with several other L'Artisans needs frequent reapplication to retain its true character.

From reading all the reviews here, I thought i would be greeted with a beautiful blend of hazelnuts and honey behind a woody backdrop, which sounds great to me. I DO get these notes, but it's hard to distinguish them most of the time because a black licorice accord keeps beating me over the head without mercy. This might be good for some; personally, I can only take anise in very small, controlled doses (and it helps when it's being overpowered by a series of other notes). It's a shame, because in the brief moments where the licorice gives me some olfactory fatigue, the true beauty of this scent shines though. If the licorice was gone, or even controlled, this would be worth of picking up a bottle. As it stands, I'll give it a neutral because as far as I can tell, I'm the only one to ever experience this excessive licorice phenomena. Plus, even with its faults, it doesn't smell *bad*. Just not my cup of tea.

Wait, is this Spark from Liz Claiborne? Anyways, lots of sweet honey. A little nutty. However, it sounds heavy but it's not. Way too light on the skin and I barely register any of the wood notes. Feels like I took a wet paper towel used to wipe up a spilled jar of honey and rubbed it on my chest.

Lovely sweet nuttiness -- perfect for colder weather -- very distinctive. Lasts all day on me. It doesn't get much better than this for wood lovers.

Kaern

I am immediately struck by the hazelnut and honey — an out-of-the-ordinary combination that pleasantly surprises me every time I apply it: More than a bit enigmatic, a little sweet, and yet, for some reason, so comfortably, naturally warm. It develops by adding an equal part of cedar and a bit of anise, creating an accord veiled in a subtle smokiness. This smokiness also contributes to its exotic but warm eccentricity. Yes, I smell the wet fur, and it fits with the rest of the fragrance — it’s another page in the Méchant Loup story. For me the dry down goes very sweet — the honey dominates with the cedar and hazelnut coming in a distant second and third. Yet the sweetness is not overbearing and it nicely completes the fragrance’s development. Méchant Loup has excellent longevity, and it’s such an easy wear. As unique as it is, it performs with incredible consistency and predictability. It is sensual and elegant and endearing — mythic, even. A great fragrance.

After two full wearings I have decided Mechant Loup is one of the L'Artisan scents that are too, too ethereal and light on my skin for me to enjoy.

Most L'Artisan scents are pretty light and minimal on my skin, however ML's honey/nut/wood accord is dreamy and poetic for about 5 minutes on my skin and then it very quickly disappears. I don't just mean that I have to smell my skin up close to smell it (which I am OK with) but even when I smell my skin up close I can't smell anything.

In addition, it's use of honey in the top notes is just shy of treacly sweet. Honey is a tricky note for me - handled skillfully (Bois de Armenie by Guerlain comes to mind instantly) it's magical, but in ML it has a raw, back-of-the-throat palette tickle that makes me feel a little uncomfortable.

My favorite scent for woody down-to-earth masculine.

My girlfriend wore some, and remarked that she smelled like a burly mountain man who just made it with other burly mountain men in a log cabin (to paraphrase for obscenity).

Lasts four to six hours somewhat noticeably, sweet and faint hazelnut base the finale after that. It does smell like wet nature, flora and fauna, still to me more like wet cedars than wet dogs, YMMV.

Seductive? Not for me. Inviting? Hardly. Warm? Yes, but only in the most unusual of ways.

I love this fragrance; it's currently my third favorite L'Artisan (just after Tea for Two and Dzongkha). But still, I just can't wear it. I can't. For some inexplicable reason, it's quite literally enough to make me want to open a vein. That's right -- melancholia in a bottle. Weird -- very weird. Warm, rich nutty notes sprinkled with honey, and a very intimate drydown as the fragrance hugs my skin.

I bought a bottle earlier this year and had to sell it -- I just couldn't wear it without wanting to break into tears. Méchant Loup is, for me, a warm sweater in a cold cemetery. Comforting, yes, but altogether too much of a reminder of where I am.

Surely one of L'Artisan's finest creations! Excellent composition. Unique & wearable. Manly. Perfect sillage. Steadfast in longevity. Cool name too! I'm in agreement with all the positive comments in this forum. What else can we ask for?

L’Artisan Parfumer has some kind of genius when it comes to compelling woody scents (also see Fou d’Absinthe). Méchant Loup is one of the best cedar scents that I have smelled. It leaves Rocabar and Tuscany in the dust! I think it even exceeds the very worthy Opus 1870 of Penhaligion (no small feat). Here we have spicy wood that is only a bit sweet and thus is not cloying. There is a hint – and only a hint – of the gourmand style in the opening. I found the hazelnut to be a very minor element, and the licorice and honey are also restrained. I can’t believe that I’m endorsing something with licorice and honey, normally such things send me to the washbasin to scrub the scent off! But here, these elements add interesting supporting notes, they do not dominate or compete with the excellent cedar wood. The initial sweet blast very quickly settles into a superb, warm wood tone. This is an attractive and sensual evening scent. Bravo!

first its burning cooking hazelnuts to creamy hazelnuts mixed with honey.very nice

This is one of the most beautiful scents I've smelled - it's mesmerizing in its' simplicity. Yes, it's hazelnut and honey, but there's also musk, cedar, and a radiant tobacco note at the heart of the scent. The honey binds everything together, so that this ends up layering out into cedar and tobacco spicyness at first, hazelnut and musk second, then tobacco last... all with this background of warm honey. At the same time, this has an animal side to it - it's very male for being such a 'sweet' fragrance, the way Sauternes can be very powerful and firm even though they're noticeably sweet. Longevity is solidly good on me, but sillage is fairly modest - not that I mind... Mechant Loup isn't something to make others happy - it's a warm aura of confidence in yourself.

Without a doubt an oddball, but a personal favorite as well. Perhaps it's the hazelnut that makes it so eccentric, but this scent's unique profile suits me to a "T".

Not threatening, it's true, but after all, this is a fairy tale wolf. Remember though that Red Riding Hood's wolf was seductive and erotic, an obvious metaphor for a pubescent girl's blossoming sexual awareness. ("My, how big your...is!")

I find Mechant Loup extremely well-balanced, despite it fundamental weirdness. The development, from somewhat sweet, woody, and spicy to nutty and ever so faintly animalic, is leisurely and smooth, and the drydown is both sumptuous and subtle. The sillage is only moderate, but I can't agree with claims of poor longevity. I can put this one on in the afternoon and have it last until the next morning.

Oh, yes, and my wife loves it.

I like this scent very much. I have to say that as time went by I liked it more and more. I didn't get the fur that some people have been talking about, unfourtunately. I think this is a very sexy fragrance. I would love to smell it on a date.

"Bathed in forest scents...
With Hazelnut at its core."

Notes: cedar, liquorice, hazelnut, honey

Mechant Loup. The "Big Bad Wolf". I played with a decent sized decant of this one for over a month, and let me tell you, this is no "big bad wolf".

Mechant Loup opens with a slight burnt almost gourmand foody smell. You can faintly smell the much talked about hazelnut note, and a bit of sweetness emerges in the form of a honey note. A few minutes later, the cedar note makes an abrupt appearance. It disappears as quickly, probably eaten up by a wolf. 30 minutes later, the hazelnut note takes over - and Mechant Loup transforms into a heavy hazelnut fragrance, with a sizeable amount of honey sweetness as well.

Make no mistake, its all about the 'nut here. I detect no spice. I would like to know what forest smells of honey and nuts. Perhaps the forest where Hansel and Gretel reside? Some of the reviewers observed that the scent reminded them of animal fur - I somewhat agree with that. The heavy blend of a raw hazelnut and honey does smell a bit like animal fur.

Like many of the L'Artisans, this one is extremely watery, with poor sillage and even poorer longevity. It is a mildly intriguing smell, but wont qualify as a good fragrance for me. After I had my way with the "big bad wolf", it whimpered away with its tail between its legs.

I really like it at first, it's sort of boozy and woody and full-bodied enough to be slightly "foody" without being sweet. A masculine foody perhsp? But it fades fast and turns into a more traditional clean/alcoholic masculine scent.

it dries down reminding me of obsession and that's a no no I don' twant to smell like john travolta 1984 or whatever

Starts off like burning hazelnuts then quickly calms down to a creamy hazelnut with a little honey smell. But it doesn't last long at all

This is a very intriguing scent. Right from the start it is somehow both entirely new and interesting, and completely familiar and boring. I've gone back and forth over whether it keeps my interest or not, and every time I have decided that it bores me, I get a whiff of something that pulls me back in. It's woodsy, earthy, sweet. It definitely has a strong note of hazelnut, in fact, on me the hazelnut is almost a dominant note. It does remind me of a forest, as many have pointed out. It's got an earthy sweetness to it, a little bit musky, but mostly earthy woods. I don't get the animal fur scent at all. Smelling this does bring to mind a fairy tale place where the big bad wolf would live...very cool effect. It's rich without being heavy or swampy. It's warm without being overly dark. I would even try this in the summer, though it seems better suited to the winter. The only downsides: it wears very close to my skin and does not last long at all.

This is a very strange, original fragrance. I am no expert. This smells at first of animal urine mixed with nutmeg. But I have noticed it quickly dries into something unique, soulfoul, and warm. It smells "toasty" after a bit, with a hint of nutmeg, smoke, and sweetness. It's definitely unique and not objectionable at all. It does not even smell like a cologne. It smells like someone's past.. or a castle (review is dead-on about the castle).. it smells of an era vs a scent. I cannot describe this scent any more than to say L'Artisan must be a unique company to have dared something like this. Even the bottle is nice and upscale. I have received compliments from women on this, and even they said it smelled not like cologne, but "natural..like spring, or a season.." That's saying something, considering all the fragrances out there.. Like the 4th scent I've been asked about by others.. in a positive manner!

I've been wearing this more lately and my perception of it has totally changed. For some odd reason, I don't get the fur note anymore. It now smells nutty with a generous amount of honey. In fact, it might be too sweet for some people. The drydown has a similar note that I also find in Timbuktu, but I can't put my finger on it. The only downside is longevity. Unfortunately it doesn't last as long as my other L'artisans such as Dzing and Bois Farine. It also stays very close to the skin.

Myrrh, honey and hazelnut. Absolutely unique, totally intriguing, and constantly eliciting compliments.

I liked this. It didn't wow me. However it was well put together and gave me some spice, some sweet a little smoke and some woods. None stood out among them because they were so well blended.

I see that a few other reviewers have mentioned the fur/animal note in this. I smell it too and I've been trying to place my finger on what it is; the best I can figure is that it's a result of the overpowering first notes of hazelnut. This is a very evocative fragrance; the blast of hazelnut "fur" and spice on the first application is like a stormy night in the forest, but as it evolves the sun rises and the scent becomes light and sweet. A curious scent that could probably either go as a niche or as a fall staple.

The aniseed is the first thing I notice here, grounded in an animalic buzz that lingers through the life of the scent. I can see why this fragrance garners varying opinions - it is pretty individual in the way it uses these 'flavours' alonside the nuttiness. I love it, but some of my friends detest it and can't understand how it got to be bottled. Maybe they'll learn.

hazlenuts... I really dont get it. I bought this one blindly off the rave reviews and never wore it even once. I'd rather wear it than cool water by davidoff thats for sure, but it totally didnt make it into rotation for me

What can I say, another brilliant offering from the house that is my absolute favourite. Warm, woody and with that strong initial hazelnut blast that can be found only in Mechant Loup. The drydown actually has a lot in common with Passage D'Enfers. That same organic, slightly sweetly smoky and floral vibe. These fragrances all put me in such a nice, relaxed mood. But as the ever eccentric Baron de Charlus pointed out, this is hardly a big bad wolf, rather a feel-good squirrel with a huge hazelnut-stash.

Mechant Loup is truly a fragrance that, I feel, embodies my personality. At first sniff it’s sweet and charismatic. As it evolves, you get a dark and brooding fragrance with a beautiful hazelnut note. But there is something sinister that can be smelled throughout the life of the fragrance; it’s a slightly animalic, almost fur like note. This fragrance is a metaphor. The life of this fragrance is an allegory. It’s a work of art.

This one is quite alright. Although not as good as Voleur de Roses. Best suited for cold weather. Thinking of using it as my signature scent during the autumn./benb

The Baron de Charlus once told me: 'I quite like this, but why do they call this oh so reserved bunny a wicked wolf?'

If you could imagine, just in from the snowy cold, darkness of night, dining by the crackling fire...the cold stones of Castle Dracula, wind seeping in from the Borga Pass...strangely familiar spices and rich wine, WOLVES howling voices swirl in from the emptiness...Mechant Loup would be perfect. Cannot describe the notes but it sure does perfect the mood for me.

Warm, spicy, sweet...a masterful blend of rich, woody notes that make one think of the forest, where the big, bad wolf makes his home. It brings to mind memories of autumn here in America: the smells of burning leaves, smoke from the chimney, and Dear Ol' Dad's pipe tobacco all mingled together while sipping warm cider. A very comforting scent, and I think a very masculine one as well. Masterfully made, and a pleasure to wear. I might add that my wife is VERY picky about the scents she likes on me, and this one earned unsolicited positive reviews and affection ;-)

Smokey, sweet and spicey. I didn't care for this at first but since then I have learned to appreciate the appeal of its exotic and rich mix of hazelnut, coffee and wood. Like any other L'Artisan you must try before you buy.

L'Artisan has a gem in this one. It's sexy, mysterious and dark. It's sweet and has a lot of different levels going on, true to the whole L'Artisan line. The hazelnut is strong throughout but it's by no means cloying or over the top. Amazing Scent.

Although the quality of this is impeccable I can't sniff it w/o getting a headache. Perhaps its the concentration of certain elements as this does last quite long and is a mellow, relaxingly sexy scent. Certainly worth a try.

A very innovative scent that explores the warm, luxurious qualities of hazel nut and spices. Perfect for a romantic evening.

Again L'Artisan Parfumeur scores with the first scent to have a stong note of hazelnut. It is warm and spicy and delicious. Unlike some of the other "gourmand" fragrances, this one is not in poor taste and is so well composed that none of the ingredients overwhelm the fragrance.