Lolita Lempicka by Lolita Lempicka (Annick Menardo) perfume review was first published in Cafleurebon
“Start wearing purple wearing purple
Start wearing purple, for me now
All your sanity and wits, they will all vanish
I promise, it’s just a matter of time”
Whimsical, playful, intricate, different, endearing, a bit dark, a bit goth, and sprinkled with a hefty dose of nostalgia, Lolita Lempicka is a cult classic with a devout following in which I am a proud and loud pion. (“But we are all individuals!” pouts the part of me that is always quoting some random Monty Phyton sketch).
The bittersweet sense of childhood wonder, the mixture of fairy tales and mythical elements, and most of all, the fragrant “color scheme” lights in my mind the same (purple) pleasure centers as watching a Tim Burton movie.
Have you noticed that the color palette can set the mood of a movie long before the actors have the chance to say the first line? Some quick examples: think pink, beiges, soft pastels: romantic comedies (translated as flirty florals); greys and cold greens: science fictions and documentaries (steely fougeres) orange, yellows, neons for action-adventures (solar, zesty fruity fragrances that pack a punch)… and on and on, down the endless rabbit hole of associations.
I can’t help but think of Alice in wonderland and the “Drink me” potion. Lolita does not shrink your size, but once you take the first whiff of the intoxicating licorice, the laws of reality seem to be re-written using a sparkly, magic ink. I slide down on the indigo side of the rainbow, chewing on violet candies and wondering how can a gourmand feel both so playful and introspective at the same time.
Lolita has this special gift of keeping you alert – when you think the path you walk on is predictable, all paved with reassuring vanilla and angelic cherries, you come to a crossroad, where anise and vetiver – grinning like a bunch of purple Cheshire cats – darken and deepen the plot just enough to make you want to relive it over and over again.
Lolita was launched in 1997 by the house of Lolita Lempicka and the nose was Annick Menardo.
Top Notes: Ivy, Anise Seed
Heart Notes: Violet, Amarise, Licorice, Amarena
Base notes: Vetiver, Tonka, Vanilla, Musk
If you like Lolita Lempicka, also try: Chopard Casmir
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