Hello Fabulous Fumies,
This is a fragrance I have long loved, every now and then I would spritz it in the department stores and never purchased it but often looked at it for a purchase but would be tempted away by something else, something newer or more towards the top of my list. I haven’t even owned a decant, and nowadays it’s extremely affordable at the discounters. Weird. The bottle is great with its fun pumper and I love the lilac so I bought a bottle for my BFF Kath a while back and today I’m stealing it off her to write a review.
Lolita Lempicka EdP by Annick Menardo for Lolita Lempicka 1997
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Anise, violet, green ivy
Heart: Licorice, almond, orris, iris, cherry, amaryllis, heliotrope
Base: Tonka, vanilla, white musk, vetiver, praline
What everyone else says about Lolita Lempicka EdP is not the way I smell it. It opens sweet sugar and almond, with a fizzy drink like Fanta bubbling over it. It’s fun, frivolous and totally fabulous. I don’t get any ivy or violet at all and cool rooty or even carroty iris seems nowhere to be found., not as I know it anyway. I do get the praline, vanilla and some resins through the heart and base though which offers some sweet depths, some heft that plays counterpoint with the lovely PEZ like fizz of the higher notes. I don’t really get a great change through Lolita Lempicka EdP but it gradually slides into the base without losing anything, just changing scent volumes. I think I need to spend some more time with Lolita Lempicka EdP, I’m sure it has some secrets hidden that only repeated wearings will unravel.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
I am no great fan of Angel but I am a fan of Lolita Lempicka EdP, it is a calmer, prettier and less strident good time, there is still the candy floss vibe but without the headache inducing size. Yes they have both become cliches but I think that Lolita Lempicka EdP is still an extremely viable fragrance choice. I get excellent projection and sillage, scent life is really good at over 5 hours before it has faded to a sweet nothing.
Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Now Smell This
Fragrance Shop has $22/50ml
My Perfume Samples starts at $2/ml
Have you spent any time in Lolita Lempicka EdP? Great fragrance, I’ve had such fun wearing it the last few days.
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 
Hannah’s signature fragrance. Discovered at 15. She always has a bottle. xxx
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I can totally see Hannah rocking this like crazy. I will be stealing from her while in Europe. YUMMY! 2 WEEKS!!
Portia x
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Yay! I love this fragrance. Thank you!!!!
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Hi there Katj,
Nice to see some others who love LL, it’s a goody and stood the test of time because of it.
Portia xx
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Hi Portia,
APJ convinced me in an earlier discussion about perfume bottles to try LL. I bought a 50 ml bottle that came in a set with a bird cage necklace! Both are SO cute and I was surprised that I liked the fragrance too! For just the very first moment I smelled the ivy and then straight to a tart cherry, almond (almost gourmand on me). Eventually, as you say, Portia, LL “slides” to the resin/vanilla base. As of three days ago cherries and berries of all kinds are my thing. I guess I need the vitamin C and antioxidants! Are there any APJ recommendations for cherry and/or berry fragrances?
Azar xx
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Hey there Azar,
Sure there are some recomendations. Have you tried Cartier Delices or Monegal’s Cherry Musk? Maybe Scarlet Larkspur Ineke which I haven’t tried but it has cherries galore I think.
Aren’t there berries in HEAPS of stuff? I think Mure & Musc by L’Artisan good and really enjoyed Enchanted Forest by The Vagabond Prince.
Portia xx
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Thank you, Portia, for the recommendations. I’ve been looking at the Cartier Delices just because I think the bottle is another cutie. Haven’t thought of Monegals’ Cherry Musk but will check it out. Yes, berries are everywhere. I enjoyed my sample of Vagabond Prince but haven’t really decided if I want a full bottle. For raspberries I probably will go find my old bottle of Givenchy Hot. That used to work for me. Right now I’m still having fun with LL’s tart heart.
Azar xx
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I’m a big fan of several of Annick Menardo’s fragrances—Bulgari Black, Bois d’Armenie, Patchouli 24… I don’t wear LL often but I have a bottle (love the bottle!) and revisit it sometimes just for comparison because it seems so many other things have been based on it in some way. I get a lot of anise/licorice in it.
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Hey Janice,
I have a few Annick Menardo frags too. I like her diversity, from cheapest to V V expensive. I think Body Kouros an excellent retranslation of Kouros.
My skin eats all the licorice sadly.
Portia xx
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I get the anise and all the sweet gourmand notes in this. No ivy or violet or anything rooty at all. I used to wear it a lot but now I only wear it once in a while. I think that has more to do with the fact that I have more bottles to choose from now. I still like it and the bottle is fabulous.
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Yes as soon as the collection reaches a certain point things get neglected Poodle. That’s why I’m doing a cull. It feels naughty having things that don’t get skin time, to me anyway.
Portia xx
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My feelings are basically the same as Poodle’s… I can’t wear Angel at all (smells of rotting melons on me) so this is my Angel. Speaking of berries, Ungaro Apparition has a nice berry note… so does FM Portrait of a Lady but it is mostly a patchouli thang with just the raspberry as a side show.
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Hey TaraC,
I have the Apparition Wash and Lotion. It is on DEEP discount currently and Parfum1 has the parfum for next to nothing.
Portia xx
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Mmmmm sounds like something I might want to try, especially since Angel works very well on my skin, but it has not withstood the test of time.
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Hey Maya,
Angel smells dated on you? interesting, I wonder what the kids think when they smell it?
Portia xx
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I gave a decant of Angel to a 24/25 year old acquaintance and she absolutely loves it!
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OK That is interesting. Thanks Maya.
Portia xx
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I’ve been thinking a lot about LL recently for some reason. And now seeing your review, Portia, I feel like the universe is telling me I need to revisit it. 🙂 The first time I tried it, I got nothing but violet, of which I was definitely not a fan at the time. I know my tastes have changed/broadened since I last tried LL, so I think it’s time to try it again.
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JenniferC,
The good thing is that you can still spritz it in a department store for free. Don’t be afraid, give yourself a good meaty blast.
Portia xx
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For some reason I seem to have gone around Lolita Lempicka, straight for L and Si Lolita (which I both love very much).
But now, I’ll backtrack a bit and go and smell the original. 🙂
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Hey there Ines,
I like Si very much. So easy to spritz & wear. I can understand that you would wear it if it was the one you came across, I haven’t tried L yet. There’s time.
Portia xx
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