Illusions Noires Au Masculin Eau de Minuit

I have to start by saying that the differences between the five flankers I own is minimal at best. It's almost like they keep 95% of the original's DNA and throw in that different 5%. So, if you still don't own one just pick whatever accent you think is the most interesting and go with it - and you definitely should have one of these in your wardrobe because they are amazing! Looking at the notes, one would expect a dark and thick woody concoction that is miles away from the original - this simply isn't true. It's the original with just a hint of some aromatic woods and something vaguely resembling synthetic oud - despite the misdirection, it is still a fantastic fragrance and it plays very well in high temperatures with a little more intrigue than the original. I still sense the airy anise notes backed by a powdery black licorice and a nice candy floss note, but the addition of more woody notes makes this a fraction more masculine and slightly more interesting than the original. It still lasts 12 or more hours and remains beautiful from the moment it touches skin until it fades - definitely a summer staple! Women should definitely give this a go if you find the femme versions too powdery or too fruity - it is still a sweet treat! I'm off to more monotony - I hope your days are more fulfilling than mine! Day 17 - On and on Listening to: Tool - 10,000 Days

Starts off with a very intense blast of Licorice Wood. At first sniff I thought it smells the same as the original Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin but within minutes I get this very intense wet woody note which is dark and resinous. I do not detect any boozy note that was in the original which I am pleased about. It still has a sweetness to it but nothing like the original version. The bottle is very nice indeed. Looks black until you lift it up to the light it is a very dark green glass. It is a very rich fragrance and a little really does go a long way. Do not overspray as you could clear a room. Note, like others have mentioned avoid if you are not keen on Licorice as it completely dominates this fragrance throughout with the resinous oud wood. UPDATE: The dry down on this is superb, the Licorice has gone and you're left with a soft spicy fragrance with a very woody trail. Fantastic!!

Dark, enchanting, addicting, alluring, mysterious and comforting. Great skill was taken to ensure this woodsy scent does not get too sweet or cloying. Just a enough sweetness to lure in those around you , but fortunately does not repel with over sweetness. I have found this LL to have two sides. One on cool humid days where the presence of oud and some anise with the arrorted woods makes for a visit to a lumber yard on a cool day. Just one side ok . Then the other is most wonderful on a warm humid day: a superb and captivating presence of what is best described as lemon or lime sherbet served alongside some cotton candy. The aroma is true heavenly pleasure. All in all this is one of the great values in perfumery. High quality at a low price. An instant put in for my top scents in my collection 8.5/10.....very very good

True to the name, this is a darker version of the original featuring mainly licorice, anise, myrrh, woody notes and oud. It has the same DNA as the original Au Masculin but there are major differences. The original Au Masculin was very sweet with vanilla, praline etc. Midnight is not as sweet though. There is a slight sweetness to it which reminds me of black licorice candy but that's it. I find this is more comparable to Au Masculin Intense however that one is a bit more powdery. Sillage and projection lack after about an hour. The smell lingers on skin and clothes for hours though. A beautiful fragrance! Hopefully they revive this as they have done with the original. Ratings Sillage: 6/10 Longevity: 8/10 Scent: 9/10

Smells like a more masculine version of the original woman's lolita lempicka. The sweet-powderyness of the licorice makes this feel uni-sex, but the vetiver and oud brings it back towards the masculine side. The spiciness the anise notes makes this fragrance more spicy than soft spicy, also adding to the dark masculinity of this scent. Illusions Noires Au Masculin is a scent I imagine on a man who is sensitive, dark and sexy, with a mischievous side. This is one of my favorite men's scent. And I would also love to see a man wearing this. For some reason I think men who wear slightly sweet scents are interesting. P.s. This has the same sweet booziness that Amen pure Malt has (another favorite) in my opinion.

After wearing this for a few days I had to rethink this again to add to what I wrote below... Yes I smell anise/licorice almost all the way through geting softer in the dry down but it is mixed SO well with what I think is the oud/agarwood, it almost comes off as a semi sweet cocoa. Not bitter but very smooth almost slightly smokey. WOW the sillage is far better than I can notice after 5 hours... It settles down on my skin but everyone around me can still pick up on the fragrance. So many compliments. I'm getting about 10-12 hours out of this Au Masculin Midnight. It just gets softer and softer and never seems to go away... How wonderful!

I just got this today! 1 Hour into the drydown... LOVE at first smell... LICORICE LICORICE and more dark LICORICE I have the Au Masculin which I like very much, except for the complex spicy vanilla rum top notes that came off too sweet! My wife tried it on and said she could wear this fragrance. Then there was a longevity issue even on my clothes it died at 4 hours... This "MIDNIGHT" version of the Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin has everything I was looking for minus being as sweet. It just smells like Licorice and Spicy Dark Wood. This linear scent is definitely more MASCULIN and DARKER! LOVE IT SO FAR!

Con este perfume me paso igualmente que con el "Midnight en Paris", la entrada del perfume no me es muy agradable, pero en cuanto va secando realmente se transforman en una obra de arte. Ademas de que es muuuy perdurable, hise una prueba antes de dormir y aplique el perfume dos veces con el rociador sobre mi pecho, al otro dia seguia oliendo moderado suave y despues de bañarme seguia oliendo muy suavemente. El sillage es moderado y se puede percibir estando al lado de la persona que lo usa.

This, in my opinion, is an amazing scent that is very smooth and slightly powdery. I haven't put my nose on the original scent so with that said I get the woody notes, definitely the myrrh, and the anise while only smelling a faint licorice note that is not overpowering or sickly. I think this can be unisex but for some it may lean more towards the masculine side. The longevity is good and sillage is even better. My wife complimented me on wearing it. So overall, I'm very pleased with it.

Midnight fragrance, Lolita made this fragrance absolutely no mistakes, First Impressions I think it's same at all with the original version (Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin) but after 1 Hour I just really really shocked "What a scents???" Beautiful Amazing Wonderful it's a masterpiece for night scent. good projection good longevity nice bottle but worst packaging. I don't mind with the packaging but this fragrance on the list for must buying fragrance for men. PERFECT STARS for this.

I have just bought this and I'm comparing it with LLAM, one on each arm: less powdery, less to almost none sweet notes, more spicy and crisp, anise more prominent and complimented by oud, which fits in nicely. I don't know about the boozy note, I'm not sure I get this in either one. Different enough from the original not to be redundant, both are worth having, both are guaranteed to bring a smile on my face! Life is good! :-)

If you want to smell like a walking Ye Olde English Sweet Shop, this is the fragrance for you. I don't think it's particularly sexy but I do think it is particularly FUN. For those days you're not taking yourself too seriously. Longevity is great (+10 hrs) and it's sillage is better than any herbal tablets could ever be. All the Sweet Shop goodness without the extra pounds. Just lovely! 8/10

I had all the previous versions of LL and loved them, but I wanted something less sweet and that could stay longer on the skin : this is a good avatar of the original, more mature and still unique among today's offer. Hard to find however. I bought one and will keep it preciously.

Just got my bottle, and MMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMM MMMMM!!! Licorice + OUD = AMAZING!!! I cannot get enough of this juice, it's so rich, and dark, and yummy. I just cannot say enough good about it. Probably the best blind buy I have ever made!!!

This one is like the original lempicka minus the sweet vanilla. The Oud in here is almost not detectable because it's so well blended with the licorice. My suggestion ; if youre looking for a more masculin lempicka then look no further

My boyfriend has it and the scent is gorgeous, reminds me on some candies (Bronhi original) that are made out of licorice, caramel, anise and some other herbs. Fresh and spicy.

Tested today : I love it. A kind of linear fragrance, sweet and addictive. Blind buy if you are a liquorice fan... pass if you aren't!

I think this one is discontinued, and the bottles are reused for the intense version released this year lol

If anyone has info about how to obtain this scent (in US), it would be infinitely appreciated!

fantastic sweet woody licorice and anise. deep, dark, mysterious. Try it! great value buy.

The weather is demoralizing, to put it mildly, but I wanted to go grab a coffee chez Starbucks (it's only a block away!), and I smelled so delightful that I could not neglect to share my sillage with John Q. Public. Turns out that my local Starbucks was so full that there was nowhere to sit, so nowhere to drape my coat, so no one else had the pleasure of sniffing my scent of the day. The Lolita Lempicka Midnight flankers are nearly always so redolent of their namesakes that I find it difficult to tell whether the formula has even been changed. (The exception to the rule for me was Si Lolita, which seems to be a completely new, sweet pea perfume--not elemi and pepper!). Lolita Lempicka au Masculin Eau de Minuit boasts oud among its notes, but I have to say that to me it smells a lot more like unsweetened licorice root and wood with an almost ambergris mesh texture--similar to the dominant licorice note also in the original Lolita Lempicka eau de parfum. As I am not an oudy, you won't find me complaining about the apparent lack of oud in this composition. To me, no oud is good! Honestly, is it the power of suggestion which has led so many people to claim that they detect oud in this mix? Or perhaps I've developed a resistance to the stuff similar to people who take antibiotics for minor infections and then end up succumbing when they really get sick? The bottle is marginally more attractive than the original LL au Masculin, which looks like something out of Friday the 13th. In this case, the glass is dark green, so it coheres better with the design of the flask and also the cologne inside. All in all, this is another quite decent creation from the house of Lolita Lempicka, which has yet to let us black licorice lovers down! This composition is unisex, by the way, and may appeal to the ladies out there who find the original too sweet.

Halloween time! This fragrance is perfect for that occasion. Sweet mysterious fragrance with a dark aura, that is what it smell like. Lot of licorice, oud, little bit of anise, Wood and some myrrh that is what i get. This is not a sexy smell, not an usual fragrance for mass selling or a people pleaser, but a nice fragrance that smell, unusual (to not say strange :p). Like a membre say here, smell like an old english sweet shop, something u put for special occasion or when u don t take it too seriously ;) a good sillage with an excellent longevity, something to try! Here is the final score: Smell: 7,5/10, not bad, sweet and woody, very unusual...original? Mayble. Longevity: 4,5/5, around 8 hours, sometime more! Very good here. Projection: 4/5, average projection, difficult to tell, not something that attract compliment... Versatility: 2,5/5, difficult to give a better score, i don t see myself wearing this other than some special event, like listen an horror movie, halloween or if i date a girl that is crazy about sugar :p Overall: 18/25, good longevity, good projection, something u will like if u eat lot of licorice ;)

I think waste of money (limited edition and double price) if you have the original Au Masculin. They're very-very similar, the same smell but Minuit is slightly stronger-more dense, not as aquatic feel as the older, but remains lightish. It's really just illusion of noir, because it's not enough dark or deep. Where's the oud and myrrh?:) I can't feel these notes, just sweet licorice and anise. Not a big plosion and I'm a little bit disappointed, I'm waited much different or darker, more special, sexier smell than the original. The bottle is great, beautiful and better than the older. On my skin the sillage is low to average, lasting is about 4-6 hours, very easy to wear, I use a lot of spray because it's enough light and I get compliments, no one believes me that this is masculine fragrance:DD It's Spring, about 20 celcius here and I use this, smells light sweet anise-liquor

Nice bottle, but I don't think much of the juice. The composition of the fragrance definitely doesn't work for me. However, anyone can try it as I would label it unisex as there isn't anything particularly masculine about it. I bought this blind based off of reviews but this goes to show that people's opinions won't always work for you. Hey, maybe you'll like this stuff but definitely try before you buy. Update: I tried this again and this time around it's more pleasing to me. It's not an every day kind of smell so you have to be in the right mood to enjoy it. I just don't see myself reaching for the bottle often and debating on whether I should keep it. Also, you have to go easy on the sprayer because I think I oversprayed last time and that's what bothered me most.

For me it's light and a close to the skin scent. Smels very good with a lot of licorice and Oud. Lasts aboute 5-6 hours on me and projection is weak. Scent: 6/10 Lasting: 7/10 Projection: 4/10

Yes it's available in the US It's on fragrancex.com for 41.00

It's on fragrancex.com for 41.00

I haven't come to terms with this... it is indeed strong and longlasting but although I can definitely see the link to the original... this is too much. It lacks the complexity of the original and it is just too linear and obnoxious. It's plain licorice as if you opened your box of drops (the dutch sweets, which by the way I'm addicted to) and put your nose inside. It is quite interesting the first minutes since it makes a statement... but I just find this unbearable after that. Hours and hours of that sweetness that borders on sweeteners and their artificial flavour. I love the original but this tires me to the point of making me wash my hands, something I seldom do. On a more positive side, I wouldn't mind smelling this on someone who passes by... as long as he doesn't come back to stay too close.

Having been after for a licorice scent for a while I was recommended the original Au Masculine, which I enjoyed for it's longevity and projection. It smelt unusual in a good way (someone said I smelt of Bailey's Irish Creme!) Then this came along, like most people I expected Au Masculine but with dark, almost evil undertones (kinda like Fahrenheit Absolute vibe). But it is actually quite soft. It's a great scent, the licorice and aniseed (anise) is there but it's not obvious in a candy way. It has a great boozy kinda of note through the duration of the scent that reminds me a lot of Burberry London. So far I have had 3 compliments in a week of wearing, I've never had that off any other scent. My skin is dry and usually eats fragrance like mad, but a couple of good shots to my chest under ym shirt and one to my clothes and back of the neck and I'm still smelling it at the end of the day. Longevity is I would say very good on this. The projection isn't great, it hangs close to you, but this is a strength I feel, it lasts but isn't noisy and (I hope) won't irritate people who are sat the other side of the room like other long lasting scents can (Amen, 1Million, Joop!, etc). It is also pretty cheap. You cannot go far wrong.

A long lasting fragrance with great sillage, with dominant dark soapy liquorice... I applied 6 heavy sprays 0 - 30 secs. The very 1st time you use this gives of a very dull 90's dated musk, however this goes once you use this regularly 30 secs - 4 hours 1 foot projection. This frag is all about the liquorice which is quite green and dark . There is added syrupy like myrh. 4 hours - 6 hours - 7 inch projection. Soapiness comes in which is a real shame 6 hours - 9 hours - 4 inch projection 9 - 11 hours - 3 inch projection with silage 12 hours - Scrubbed it down for bed. Linear 20 Hours - projecting approx 3 inches, OMG, same smell as above 22 Hours - Washed again 24 hours+ Still going, crikey o'reilly, washed again, who knows how long this would have lasted I had Lolita Au Masculin and now I had this. They are very similar but the key differences are that Illusions Masculin: * has less in your face projection but longer lastings sillage * Has less shampoo/soapy notes * Has a more interesting flacon, very elvish * Is more expensive Which one would I choose if I was back at the start and had to choose one? Lolita Au Masculin for the more intense projection Swapped it with Lyndsey12, hope your hubby enjoys! Good

I think the name “Illusions Noires Au Masculin Eau de Minuit” beautiful! But definitely, if they had called it Au Masculin Intense (or Extreme), it would worked as well. This scent carries the same dna as the traditional one very well. While the traditional (which I think is unique and flawlessly constructed) has a bigger alcoholic and sweet nuance, due to its notes of rum, praline and licorice, this version is more simple and linear, working around the licorice and oud notes. Bear in mind that, when I said “simple”, it doesn ́t mean that it is a common aroma. I am just talking about the construction: only 2 notes that result in a strong and vivid aroma! An interesting thing about this, is that the oud note is not too resinous, medicinal. It seems they used more the wood parts of the tree, becoming denser, woodier. It is a beautiful cologne, especially for those who want to have the whole “Au Mausculin” line, which I think is fantastic! It has a good projection with great lasting power. To finish, I can’t forget to say that the bottle is very nice, with a dark green color, which I think it was made of extremely good taste.

I love how the licorice has been done here, it is dark, raw, bitter, sultry, musky and mysterious... In the opening it reminds me of a more refined variant of A*Men and eventually it dries down to the familiar 'Body Kouros' type aroma, but still a more refined, mature and classy scent, very addictive and different. I don't sense any Oud wood but the vetiver/eucalyptus/balsamic/licorice creates a kind of woody/medicinal effect that you get with some Oud fragrances, such as the original M7, so this might trick your nose into thinking it is smelling Oud, but I think they just put that note in their breakdown in order to be commercial and 'trendy', jumping on the Oud bandwagon. I couldn't care less, it's a gorgeous, sexy, masculine scent, perfect to wear with a suit for a romantic evening dinner and as the bottle suggests it is best suited to darker shades, e.g. with a black designer shirt and tie this would be very sexy and chic. A very satisfying purchase, can't wait to get some good solid wearing out of this fragrance, it's a stunner...

Since my signature scent was discontinued, I considered changing to this. It is certainly affordable enough and I do love it, but it's too distinctive for everyday wear. It's dominant licorice stabbing you in the face, mingled with a little anise and oud. Ivy hangs out in the shadows. After the drydown the soft spices fade, and over time, I get almost straight-up myrrh with oud still desperate for attention. Go lightly with this, not because it has a lot of projection, but because it's so unlike anything else (as you would expect from Lolita Lempicka) that if you over do it, you may be referred to only as "that guy who smells like licorice and incense." Especially as it will last you all night and into morning. It smells very similar to the first Au Masculin, so if you are familiar with that and you liked it, then you'll love this "midnight" version: It's a bit darker and less sweet. So, to sum up, it's a just bit too left field to become my new sig, but I'll definitely be buying another bottle.

I love this scent, but for all practical purposes, I find it unwearable due to its unrelenting liquorice and anise linear nature. As a more recent reviewer so accurately described it, "stabbing you in the face"! I get no oud, or anything else for that matter. Plus marks are that it has good longevity, and is very original and daring. I do have the occasional squirt around the house, but find myself having to dumb it down with LIDGE after a short while for reasons already mentioned. Top marks also for the box and bottle. Worth a purchase for a collector if only for reference and usually available on eBay UK for less than £30, but then, a collector always has alternatives to acquire and they might just be "The One! Update: I wrote the above 2 years ago. I really love it now, but it has sadly disappeared from eBay, Amazon etc. I will have to now buy the original :-( 2018 update, I wish I’d bought more bottles at £20. Even the original is now going for silly money!

Illusions Noires is more focused on the liquorice than the original, with a shot of oud and a woody, faintly salty base. There is a hint of incense, although the ivy’s greenness is smothered by the sweet liquorice and oud. I actually find Illusions Noires more gourmand than the the original Au Masculin because where the original Au Masculin had a plethora of gourmand notes - rum, praline, liquorice, vanilla, almond, violet - creating a candy-like sweetness, Illusions Noires smells very similar to the anise liqueur Black Sambucca. This isn’t the whimsical daytime fairies you see in Lolita Lempicka’s advertising campaigns. This is a dark fairy that appears once night has fallen and has left the dangerous parts of his forest behind to visit an inner city bar, seduce a beautiful woman by otherworldly means and take her back to the fairy world, possibly never to return.

Where the original Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin is a fresh licorice, this fragrance features the dark, sweet and edible licorice which immediately reminds me of the black licorice I ate as a child. The floral middle notes are darker and thicker, and there are some nice woody notes though I don't really perceive the OUD. I do, however, clearly pick up on the myrrh or incense, which provides a nice divergence from the original. Ultimately, this is a great fragrance that will feel familiar for those who've worn and loved LLaM, while also proving to be new and original on its own. The projection and longevity are both equal or better than the original - in other words, this is potent stuff! I got mine at PerfumeEmporium.com. Masculin Eau de Minuit = LLaM + Fahrenheit Absolute (w/ less OUD)

Found a bottle of this gem for 14 € today and glad I found it and have it in my collection. The opening is quite unique and to really reminds me of those licorice wooden sticks I use to suckle on when I was a kid , makes me wanne go and buy one again too. It's a soft smell also, probably because it's well mixed in with the other notes. I don't know the smell of Ivy so can't tell it apart but all by all the opening is really smooth. When worn for a while the myrrh starts to come through and it's divine. So I'm going to let this evolve a bit more on my skin to give some more feedback on it later, but first impressions are good and a big thumbs up.

I have the female version,and I can hardly detect much difference between these two.they are both sweet,sensual and warm.darker than the original,still licorice rocks in these perfumes.long lasting power is great and sillage is much better than the original. but,do I like a man smell like this?honestly,sometimes I find the female version too sweet for my taste,so apparently I don't like a man smell too sweet like this.let's say I'm too conservative,but I've never been a fan of sweet fragrances for men and all in all Lolita,smelling divinely sweet was a girl,ain't she?!

Excellent quality in terms of both the presentation and the juice itself. I was surprised by how long it lasts- More than 12 hours and I can still smell it on myself. However I find that the scent itself is too feminine for me personally, and too specialist for everyday use. I don't find the scent very appealing and it could be cloying in most situations. If there was a fresh version which had the licorice note and possibly mint then I would likely buy that.

I still wear this when I take myself out to the movies. Opens with a bag of black licorice Twizzlers and a Coke with the good ice--casual and sweet, like Minuit Noir but in jeans and t-shirt--and stays politely at the edge of personal space for a long matinee. Lingers with unassuming wood through the evening, and ends with a jubilant spin-out of tires à la Bvlgari Black. Hard to find, but worth every penny, even if one is usually a cheap date.

Bottle is a vast improvement over the first one, (love the frosted leaves!) which always seemed a bit chintzy to me, especially considering it's such a wondferful fragrances and the sweet apple shaped women's bottle. I do hope there's a bit more going on here than just licorice and oud and that more notes will be released, but even if it's only a two trick pony, I'm willing to bet it will be spectacular.

I agree with everyone, a truly beautiful scent! To my nose, Menardo can do no wrong. I have a couple of bottles but the performance for me is only 2-3 hours top-- I am wearing it now in anticipation of a Halloween party, applies at 10AM , gone a bit after lunch, disappointing. Remember, its an EDT only. I just don't think the current $250+ prices are justifiable (although that's about what I paid)!

Not a full review yet but first spray from top to buttom mesmerizing, amazing, addictive it can be unisex in my opinion i really love this one and the price a no brainer a perfect 10 in my book This is by far the best price vs quality in my whole collection a definite buy in my book.

I am dying to try this! I have been looking for a licorice fragrance for a long time. Does anyone know where I can smell this at? It seems very hard to find. Is it sold under a different name or the english translation?

The ingredients contains more notes than just these 2! I have a tester bottle which says: The voluptous Essence of Liquorice Wood: Oriental-Woody- Warm Ivy, Anise, Myrrh, Liquorice Wood, Oud Wood, Vetiver, Olive Wood

If anyone wants to sell or swap this for something please let me know! I'd really like to try it since I can't wear but like, one of the chick versions.

Can someone tell me if this is available in the US and if so, where it might be found? Been looking for this for awhile and not sure where to find this

You have to explain me how some people could vote for ''the Main Notes According to Your Votes'' before the fragrance is released...

Amazing scent, ladies love it...strong fragrance, amazing longevity and sillage, thumbs up👍

Its avaiable now at cheapsmells.com mens and womens at a good price