Méchant Loup L'Artisan Parfumeur 1997

Why did it take me so long to figure this one out? L'Artisan Parfumeur MECHANT LOUP is the fraternal twin of FOU D'ABSINTHE! Both are spicy woody orientals, each with its own distinctive twist. In MECHANT LOUP, the dried licorice root is central, in contrast to the absinthe of FOU D'ABSINTHE. But the wood is just as important. MECHANT LOUP is less sweet and a bit less spicy, but the two blends work very similarly on me and are quite complementary. I only just discovered this by wearing FOU D'ABSINTHE on my left side and MECHANT LOUP on the right.

I reviewed MECHANT LOUP a while back and found it to be a masculine scent. I no longer feel that way. Have I broadened my horizons? Will people think that I'm wearing a men's cologne if I don this in public? Do I care? It smells great! I love licorice, and this composition holds the distinction of being the least sweet licorice perfume familiar to me. It's an interesting trick, actually, because licorice root itself is incredibly sweet, as anyone who has imbibed licorice tea is well aware. Zero calories and yet it tastes as though it has been sweetened with a lot of sugar. It's a kind of magical trick by mother nature--or reasonable facsimile.

So how did Bertrand Duchaufour manage to create a licorice-wood perfume which does not smell sweet, given that licorice root is naturally sweet? The answer is clear: he's a magician too! MECHANT LOUP is considerably less sweet than FOU D'ABSINTHE, but I regard both of these compositions as fully unisex. Yes, there is a faint suggestion, a vague of waft, of orthodox masculine notes, but the oriental facets are much more marked to my nose. It's beautiful!