Perfume Review: L de Lolita Lempicka
As the year draws to a close, I’ve been going over all the 2006 fragrance releases, and came to the sad conclusion that, with very few exceptions, a lot of them are simply uninteresting. Too much mass market appeal and not enough originality is my verdict. Thank goodness for the exceptions, one of them being L de Lolita Lempicka. To my knowledge, it hasn’t officially launched in the U.S. yet (although some online discounters have had it in stock) but it is for sale in Europe. The fragrance is created by one of my favorite perfumers, Maurice Roucel, the nose behind Gucci Envy, Hermes 24, Faubourg, Rochas Tocade, Guerlain Insolence, Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur, amongst others.
Just like its predecessor (the licorice-laden Lolita Lempicka), L de Lolita Lempicka is a gourmand scent. With the notes of bitter orange, bergamot, cinnamon, immortelle, vanilla, musk, tonka beans, and sandalwood, it’s “a fragrance exuding the beauty of the ocean coupled with the myth of the mermaid.” The beauty of the ocean in this case refers to nothing but the bottle, it seems. Its top notes remind me of those white lemon cookies covered in powdered sugar (Spritzers is the name, I believe), with perhaps some added caramel, a touch of cinnamon sprinkled on top, and a slight salty flavor. In spite of such a foody association, L de Lolita Lempicka manages to be a very elegant scent, with an airy, vanillic-musky drydown. Instead of going along with the current trend of syrupy-sweet, cotton-candy-like, toothache-inducing perfumes, it turns to powdered sugar, used in moderation and tastefully. I love its enveloping effect. It’s sultry and cozy at the same time - it can be easily dressed up or down.
L de Lolita Lempicka is available at Imagination Perfumery.
Image source: www.sephora.fr
23 comments December 14th, 2006