Illusions Noires Le Premier Parfum Eau de Minuit

I recall my overall impression, based around popular opinion here on fragrantica at the time of this one's release, was that the yearly releases were all, pretty much, one and the same - encapsulated in limited edition design boxes and bottles. I mistakenly took that to mean that I could simply stock up on my chosen design and get the best of the bunch, not needing to bother with any of the others. Sadly, this was not the case. The edt version with the little black leaves adorning the base of the sprayer top is my favourite design of the lot, but it does not smell anywhere near as mesmerising, potent and magnetic as this edp. It is wonderful and I love it dearly, but it lacks the strength, complexity and tenacity of this one. If this is night, that would be day. This one is my favourite of all the darker bottle versions I've tried. It is sort of like Minuit Noir (the woodiest, least sweet, most genuine licorice scented version) had a baby with one of the more candied, resinous versions. And it is absolutely amazing. My favorite of all, I might even venture to say. But, then, Fleur Defendue is also a favorite from this brand. The original Lempicka goes without saying as possibly the best of the lot. None (pre more recent changes, which I'm not privy to as yet) are any less wonderful in their own right than this. I just love them all, don't I? But I stocked up on that leafy one when I shoulda got more of this one. This is so dreamy. Lots of licorice, so thick and syrupy, powdery and sweet. So beautifully balanced and smooth. It lasts well in to the night. 🌙 Love, love, love.

Like other LL Midnight perfumes, Illusions Noires has a very clear "LL-ade" and uses a similar arrangement of mostly the same notes. However, they are all distinct scents, despite having similar overall profiles. I think this makes them successful flankers, as they emphasize different parts of the Lolita Lempicka story. Illusions Noirs is the heaviest of the four I have tried (Minuit Sonne, Le Parfum, and L'Eau Minuit), with the most emphasis on basenotes and the second sweetest scent overall (first is Le Parfum). I love the bottle; it conjures the image of the cozy cottage in spooky forest that pops up in fairy tales. Illusions Noires stays true to its name. It is very dense and dark, with lots of brooding benzoin and smokey myrrh. They are the stars of this show. Licorice is here too, as is a heap of anise and a generous sprinkling of vanilla and sugar. These provide a delicious gourmand background. The vanilla is more of a blackened and balmy variety, rather than a fluffy or pastry-like. They never get cloying; they play nicely. Buried underneath is a clearly violet and iris duo. They're pale, soft, and a little sleepy. They are only here and there for brief moments, before being overtaken by the heavier notes; only to reappear at a whim later on. This effect gives Ilusions Noires an interesting development, as it flits between unisex resins and spices and feminine florals. I wear Illusions Noires whenever I wish, but it is without a doubt a fitting Autumn scent.

This 2012 edtion of Eau de Minuit opens with cherry flavoured licorice. The licorice here is evident, but at the same time, not aggressively so. The scent also has a dry and woody feeling. The cherry facet doesn't stay very long, for about 1 hour. Then the myrrh and benzoin come in and smoothen the whole scent. After about 6 hours, I also find the iris more prominent than before and it has a cool vibe adding to the fragrance. The sillage is moderate at the beginning, then soon becomes a skin scent for the rest of the wear. But it still lingers for about 10 hours. Compared to the original Lolita Lempicka, Eau de Minuit is less powdery and drier. Its structure is sleeker and cleaner. Instead of the slightly girly ambiance of the original, Eau de Minuit is darker and more unisex. At the same time, the licorice in Eau de Minuit is not as strong as in Au Masculin version. I'd thus highly recommend it to those who find the original too powdery or too girly, or those who find the licorice in Au Masculin too powerful.

Only six notes are creating a beautiful symphony! Intoxicating, mysterious and unique. It's like the deep wood of the subconscious - it's so scary but still tempting, sometimes even sexually vibrating. White waterlilies on the surface of the deep, black water, the moon is shining, and you enter the world of your most secret desires... The wood and the water are standing still but the leaves are trembling and there's something/ somebody under the water. You want to run but can't move. This has cast a spell on you. To appreciate this you must like the original Lolita Lempicka, this is 10 times deeper, richer. Lolita with dark Smokey eyes and black liner. When the scent dries down, it becomes deliciously, sensually sweet - the forbidden fruit has been tasted. Makes me addict.

Sensual balmy version of Le Premier. More wearable, less cloying, and softer. My boyfriend dislike the original LL edp (reformulation) but he likes this one. It is more subtil and the powder aura is cleaner. I think it is not an intense version, it is a grown up better perfume with a feminine moderate sillage. All the notes are well balanced here, I can smell them all. The only thing I dislike is the first 15 minutes opening which is really too weird (plastic vanillic) and too strong. After that it softens a lot. Very complex and deep. I am addicted for those cold fall and winter days!

I know this sounds cliche but this is my "dark mood" perfume when I'm feeling a little sultry and mischievous. It's all frosty mornings and cold evenings here in Oz and this perfume just fits perfectly. I love the sweet licorice of this one, it really does remind me of Sambuca liqueur. It has a darker feel than the original which I also love and the scent stays with me all day, I don't feel it changes too much but that's what I enjoy about it. This lasts and lasts, I can still smell it on the collar of my work shirts even after I wash then. Love love love this divine creation!

I'm self proclaimed Lolita Lempicka addict, cause I love everything they put out there! And so it's with Illusions Noires eau de Minuit. It has a place in my top 5 of all time best, and it certainly deserves a medal. I mean of course everything is about licorice and it's totaly yummy! The bottle is gorgeous and poison apple looking. I think this kind of frag is something Maleficent would wear - dark, deep, sweet and rich scent! Can't praise this gem enough! If you like original Lempicka, you're gonna love this one too!

I was pleasantly surprised having seen this version of Le Premier Perfume in my store yesterday and smelled it within 5seconds! well, it's sooooo delicious!!! licorice-benzoin heaven in a gorgeous bottle ;) rich, sensual, addictive and dark-jus perfect! IMO it smells like the original midnight version in a purple bottle with ruby floral decorations. Definitely a must have for all the midnight edition lovers tho! x

Le Premier Eau de Minuit is practically 1:1 with Eau de Minuit - Midnight version (red encrusted bottle)! The notes listed differ though (like benzoin - tonka bean and violet - ivy), but since myrrh and licorice dominate them both, you really can't tell the difference. Lasting power and projection are identical. As my Midnight bottle is running low, I'm really happy getting this as a substitute!:)

To me this basically smells like a less complex version of the original. The most noticeable absentee note IMO is the ivy. If you haven't smelled the original, to give you an idea of what this smells like imagine the scent of a more smoothed down sweet licorice candy that leans almost into root beer when mixed with vanilla, and throw that in to a make up case, and that it in a nut shell.

It is midnight in the forest realms of Lolita Lempicka (now made dry from the approach of autumn). The tall trees block out the light of the stars, creating a massive canopy of darkness. It is the hour of the dark fairies. Alluring, mischievous, and enchanting to all who catch a rare glimpse of them, they revel in the night.

I initially felt that this limited edition variant on the dark Lolita Lempicka eau de parfum theme, Illusions Noires Eau de Minuit, launched in 2012, was different from the Couture edition launched in 2011. The basis of my belief was that the 2012 edition seemed to have a very bright cherry syrup note in the opening which I did not recall having perceived in the 2011. After a few wears, however, I have come to the conclusion that the juice is the same, just poured into a new bottle. My explanation of my confusion is two-fold. First, I sprayed the 2012 and dabbed the 2011, and the air infused into the former appears to have lifted and separated the cherry facet so as to make it seem more salient and in fact remind me immediately of Fleur Défendue. Second, I read somewhere that ionones induce serious olfactory fatigue, and these perfumes all pack major punches of ionones, being one and all in the sweet violet/iris camp. After a short while it becomes futile to attempt to distinguish these compositions from one another, because if not identical, they are at least close enough in the ionone-rich components that it becomes physically impossible to tell the difference between them as a result of the olfactory fatigue caused directly by those very same ionones! That's my take, anyway. In conclusion, I liked the 2011, so it's not surprising that I like the 2012 as well! The bottle is perhaps the most chic of the entire collection, as the leaves are painted in an alluring black matte with gold accents. This is a safe blind buy for anyone who likes the original eau de parfum or any of the Minuit flankers, it seems to me. On the other hand, anyone who is not into the aesthetic of the original, and especially anyone who hates black licorice, will not like these limited editions either. You're either in the Lolita Lempicka club, or you're not. I'm in!

This is richer and deeper, less powdery than the usual of this line. At a distance the licorice is very prominent but up close the resins and vanilla come in more, making it sweeter and less powdery. Lovely scent, I personally like it better than the original but if you have the original you probably don't need both. This simply has a richness to it that the original lacks.

Ok, I've got a bit of a cold, but Is it just me or it is very similar to the original Lolita Lempicka? It seems to me that it's just sweeter version of it. My skin picks up licorice the most. Sillage seems slightly weaker than the original one. I like it, it is lovely and I love the fact that I got a huge bottle :)

I think this edition it's better than original LL EDP. It's "cleaner" but darker, mysterious, easier to wear, really interesting... Long lasting, over 12 hours. It's about licorice, benzoin and vanilla on me, warm and sensual, great choice for fall/winter nights.

It seems this is still limited in distribution due to the few reviews. Where is this available?

Evening at the window 1950 by Marc Chagall Purple

This is my very least favorite of all of the apple-shaped Lolitas. After using the last drop of my Midnight Couture Black Eau de Minuit version and in a hurry, I mistakenly mistook this one for it or for one of the many similar versions from before. Maybe I got a bad bottle, but there is a very sour, screeching note that persists through drydown like moss covered cherries, which could be worse but in reality broke my heart that I could not wrap myself in my vanilla cream soda cloud. I gave this one a couple of months try and it just kept me cold and slightly offended. This only goes to prove to me that despite what a lot of people say, these do not All smell the same. Luckily I was able to hunt down several of my beloved previous SE and have ordered them all, has there been a perfume hoarder on that show yet? If you like a little sour in your fragrance, by all means give this one a shot, but if you prefer the typical Lempicka apple-flanker fair, my advice is to stick to the bottle with the gold or silver tops and stay away from any with tops the similar color or material as the flanker. Are the bottle getting cheaper too? I also read a lot of the ingriedients these LL perfumes had can no longer be used, like star anise... Yeah. On my way to hunt down more of the older versions to stock pile if World War Z goes down.

This smells absolutely like baby wipes on me; baby wipes w/ a touch of the anise/licorice of the original. Wow, that's unusual. Not for my chemistry I suppose; be sure to test in case your chem. is like mine.

I thought I was blind buying the Minuit Noir version off ebay for $21 (new 3.4 tester) but what I got instead is this version-- and I'm sooo happy! I only blind bought the Noir because it was so cheap... honestly the reviews of Jaegermeister and pure dark oily patchouli/licorice scared me.... What a relief to get this beautiful, rare version instead! I love it! I sadly never got to try the original LL (1997) since I'm new to the perfume game (even tho I'm 35 years old) but I have the Premier (after 2010) and yes-- this is very similar yet not. Anyways, I'm glad to have it! The bottle is STUNNING! And I ordered another! Shame on me! ;) Looks like it lacks the praline, ivy.... so yeah... this is lacking the depth and changing notes of the original but overall-- it's awesome! I just love this!!!! I'm getting my first body wear out of it, and it's soooo deep and dark and delicious!!! LOVE! This just keeps getting more awesome!!! It's more potent IMO than the Premier 2010 perfume. It lacks that sweet airy fairy dust aspect in the drydown just a little bit. Not noticeable, really, just me being picky. ;) Day 2 of wearing.... my shirt has this smoky myrrh scent, 6 hours after morning application. Smells like a church. Weird... but like all LLs-- these are beautiful magical scents that change all the time, and never really smell the same twice in a row. ;) <3 This def has a myrrh/smoky dry down unlike the original LL.