Fleur Defendue

For me this is the luscious "lemon curd" LL. It makes me feel lighthearted and carefree, so it's perfect for a spring day. Heavy on the almond and with a sweet aura of fresh lemons. The licorice/anise here is smooth, but the scent is sharper and greener than any of the other flankers I've tried. If it wasn't for the addition of the gooey lemon curd zestiness, and if two eau de toilette variants of LL didn't already exist, this could have easily covered ground by being the only LL EDT available. I'm one of the people who much prefers the original woody and floral Lempicka EDT, which is now hard to come by, with the silver top and diamante crystals adorning the body, over the newer lilac version with the bite taken out of it. But I put Fleur Défendue almost on par with that second, current, version. Fleur Défendue, for me, has the slight upper hand because I love the lemon here! While the current LL EDT contains peachy apricots on a light woody base, Fleur Défendue is thick with syrupy, creamy marzipan, suffused with sugary lemon! Both this and the current EDT are far lighter compositions than the EDP, with far less of the musk and licorice. Both are much more simplified than the EDP, somewhat linear in comparison and less complicated. Dare I say less ethereal? I find that I genuinely don't really get the chance in one springtime to wear all of the EDT variants. (As yet I do not own Blanc or Jolie due to this quandary). Maybe this is a moot point, but if you're not a collector, you may as well pick just one or two of the available EDT variants for spring wear, or else you mightn't find the time to use them. I adore Fleur Défendue, but I find that I literally only apply it during the springtime and early summertime - never during any other time of year. I apply it liberally and stink the whole house out good n proper. This is pure sunshine to my nose and feels vibrant and fresh. It has a gooeyness to it - it's resinous and has a touch of mossy earthiness to balance it out. With lots of sugary, smooth lemon curd, sometimes seeming exactly like freshly sliced lemon to my nose, but with lots of smooth creaminess added by the almond/marzipan/vanilla and the tasty licorice. The iris here seems to be what adds some of that powdery, earthy tone to the composition and the violet simply adds a cool and crisp air to it, without being distinct, just stopping it short of becoming too syrupy sweet. The peony is barely recognizable here beneath the lemony green "cherry" notes, and the same could be said of the mimose, but both help aid the smooth sweetness of the thick, foggy marzipan; working in perfect unison with that luscious signature LL licorice. I've found that this costs a bit less than some of the other LL scents, so if you're looking for sunshine in a bottle - thick, sugary, syrupy marzipan with lots of lemony zest and earthy, powdery undertones (that make this distinctly Lempicka), look no further! Can be bought for a song! It's the ideal counterpart to the Midnight variants and the EDP for day wear in warmer climates. The moment the sun rears its yellow head from behind those baby blue clouds, I don the Fleur Défendue like my life depended on it. It easily fills a room, but soon becomes a rather close skin scent, radiating around me like a bubble of sunshine. Also - if you're a fan of Nina Ricci's "Almond Amour", you're likely to enjoy this. Scrap the kiwi from Almond Amour and replace it with green apples, sweet lemon and a hefty dose of anise. That's Fleur Défendue to a T. It's also less cloying and sweet than Almond Amour. I only wish it lasted longer - three or four hours tops on me! But it's worth reapplying. Side note: I realized that I'm the only person here who thinks of this as a lemony scent, so I figured I really ought to write a review lest somebody be tempted to buy it for (black, liqueur) cherry only to find themselves ending up with lemon. The cherry here is certainly fresh/sour enough to translate to sugary lemon. Whether the note really is cherry or not, in this composition it's certainly zesty and sweet like a fresh homemade lemon curd. Picture some kind of lemon tart or cheesecake with little marzipan pigs (or a cluster of roses if you're so inclined) sitting on top, surrounded by bright red cherries and doused in powdery icing sugar. Possibly sounds a bit gross, but it smells delectable.

This fragrance is purely enchanting...the kind of scent that makes me fall in love with perfume all over again (as if I ever stopped). I've admired Lolita Lempicka since it launched, and I've coveted that gorgeous bottle, but I never bought it, because each time I tested it, the anise went wrong on my skin, and the whole composition got cloying in the drydown. I received compliments, so the anise note, which seemed unpleasant to me, obviously smelled good to others. In fairness, I've only tried Lolita from those little spray tester bottles received from orders at "warehouse" etailers, so there's really no way to tell how fresh the samples were. In any case, The First Fragrance has been "iffy" to me. Fleur Defendue, however, swept me off my feet. I purchased it originally as a birthday present for my 21 year old goddaughter, who is crazy for all the Lolitas. When I smelled the Fleur Defendue, I knew I had to have it. It's distinctive, original, and gorgeous. I can't say for sure that if you love Lolita Lempicka you would love this, but I'm pretty sure if you dislike Lolita Lemicka, you probably wouldn't like Fleur Defendue. It's "base" calls to mind LL enough that you can tell they're "related". While Fleur Defendue does have the unmistakeable Lempicka "Guerlainade", it's very, very different from the others in the line (on my skin, anyways). This scent begins with a cool, green feeling that's almost minty (but it doesn't smell like mint). I'm sure this is a blast of absinth (wormwood) flower. Rather than smelling like schnapps, though, this smells distinctively herb-like. Like a waft of something mossy, growing on a pathway, encountered when hiking in forests. I smell something sweet, too, like cherry blossoms and a hint of Maraschino. This cherry-almond-chlorophyl combo smells positively intoxicating. It gives the atmosphere of swimming in mysterious but soothing warm waters, glowing with bioluminescence. I do not pick up a typical anise note in this. I know anise is a note in the mix, but it behaves differently here than it ever has for me. Rather than add a sour sharpness, I think it enhances the warmth of the almond, which causes the cherry to seem effervescent; especially in contrast with the chilled greenness at the beginning of wear. The violet, peony, musk, etc. don't announce themselves to me. Rather, they blend into a perfect accord that make this a unified perfume, rather than a scent experience similar to eating a 5 course dinner. While Fleur Defendue is "gourmand", it's not foody. This doesn't smell like something I want to eat. It smells like a place where I want to escape. It's dreamy, and exhilarating, and I can't stop inhaling the fragrance from my own wrist.

I got my first Lolita Lempicka scent in 2007, and had both Fleur Defendue (green apple bottle) & the original Lolita Lempicka (purple apple bottle). It was hard to decide on a favorite- and I'm not sure I ever really did. I repurchased both a while back- so I'm wearing this one now for the review. Top Notes are Mimosa, Wormwood, Strawberry Leaf and Stems Greens. Smelling it, what I first sense is a smell from childhood... like wild strawberries and (maybe the reason I instantly loved this scent): classic Jergens cherry & almond lotion. For me- I can smell top and middle notes at the same time- though the 2hr fade does have its own distinct base scent. So see Middle Notes below- because they're also there from first spray. Middle Notes are Violet, Anise, Peony and Iris: This is the sophisticated edge that prevents this from being a lotiony or soapy scent. I get strong, sweet licorice-anise, with a touch of cherries. The anise & berries are heart of the scent for me. Base Notes are Almond, Cherry and Musk: I get a musky, anise-cherry face powder. This is juicy cherry juice, with a touch of strawberry. It's not synthetic cherry candy- or Tom Ford's dark cherry- but more of a garden & ivy, fresh cherries fragrance. It's the smell of my youth in Manhattan. Quirky, modern youth. I love this one- and the original- and they remain scents I will likely always love by association of a beautiful time in my own life. It's amazing in the heat of summer & fall. If you like the licorice scent of a non-cloying anise, and you enjoy the clarity of green-berry scents like Marc Jacobs Daisy- then this one may be for you. I know anise is such a hit-or-miss based on skin chemistry. I'd try to sample this one first, as it's unique, and likely not a safe blind buy.

Me at first spray: I want my money back! This is just the original in a new bottle color! Me at five minutes post spray: hmmmm. Maybe there's a little difference. Some fruit? Me at a half hour post spray: well, it's a bit lighter than the original. It's a bit more airy. Me at one hour post spray: ok, I like it. It is slightly different, it wears well and it may be more suited for warmer weather. But we'll see how long it last on my skin.... Me at five hours post spray: I love it! It lasts and lasts. It does have subtle differences that make it worth having both. I have finally found my gourmand that isn't too heavy for spring and summer. LL, you've done it again! This is clearly a flanker. Anise, almond, iris and licorice are all standing proud is this juice too but maybe it's the strawberry leaves, or the mimosa that brighten it up? That yellow apple stem represents the difference well because I think this is sparkly and a tad less eccentric than the original. I also think my love (and nose) for it will evolve because there are notes listed that I didn't detect on first wear. And finally, I can't wait to experiment with layering this too! I may even get crazy and layer this will Elle L'Aime. The two together might make summer really amazing for me! If youre on the fence on this one, I'd ask two questions: 1- are you a LL lover in general and 2- are you looking for a warm, powdery gourmand for warmer weather?? Is the answer is yes for either, don't hesistate. Go get some!

It's finally happened--I am in love with a "Fruity Floral Gourmand." You can't say I don't give everything a chance, haha. This is way more than a sweet sugary cupcake type thing, though, it is exquisitely done, more French Bakery vs. Dunkin' Donuts (not that there's anything wrong with D&D:) Fleur Defendue is primarily a powdery, musky almond perfume, those notes stay with the perfume for the entire wear. There's a hint of greenery and mimosa on the topnotes, a sweet, fresh cherry note that peeks out for a few hours, some light florals and iris in the heart, and a delectable powdery almond croissant base. What I think of when I wear this is a bright, sunny bakery that sells croissants covered in shaved almonds and confectioner's sugar. The powdery musk is so almondy, but not really bready or sweet, but kind of butter-pastry dough baking in the oven kind of sweet. If you like almond perfumes you can't go wrong with this. The fruit notes smell so good, not like cough syrup or berry bubble gum, but just fresh and sweet like cherries are wont to be. The lasting power and projection are very good, I can smell this on my skin for over 8 hours. Lately I've become annoyed at how expensive so many perfumes are, it seems like most companies are hiking their prices way, way up, to a level I can't or won't pay for. So it's nice to find a well made perfume that smells great and performs well for under $30. I will have to explore this line a bit more.