Anise, Aniseed, Licorice, Liquorice, Fennel, Ouzo?

[heatherovka]

I just wanted to say that star anise smells nothing like licorice or regular anise to me, so that is probably why you did not recognize it. It is one of the main ingredients in Chinese 5 spice powder, so you can acquaint yourself with the smell. I know that the lab has used it in some things, but with the other notes added, it might not be that noticeable.

 

 

Ahh! Ok, thank you! Now it makes sense to me why I didn't seem to be finding the types of descriptions I was looking for in the reviews. I am pretty sure she did say star anise. Mmmmm, I think a chinese 5-spice scent would be really yummy!

[RhinestoneHousewife]

I don't know if you're only looking for BPAL but Genteel by Arcana is gorgeous licorice/aniseed:

 

Aniseed, 2 vanillas, dry amber, sugar, and cashmere musk with wisps of fine sandalwood and cedarwood.

[heatherovka]

I don't know if you're only looking for BPAL but Genteel by Arcana is gorgeous licorice/aniseed:

 

Aniseed, 2 vanillas, dry amber, sugar, and cashmere musk with wisps of fine sandalwood and cedarwood.

 

 

That sounds fantastic, thanks for mentioning it!

On my list so far is Black Annis, Kyoto, a plain old aniseed/star anise EO, and now Genteel. It is hard to tell what will come closest to my scent memory, but it will also be fun to see if I like the ones that don't.

[Cactus]

Speaking of Absinthe, Mary Shelley is absinthe + greens, and a hint of resin and ozone. To me it smells like fennel/anise with a bunch of fresh green leaves and a litle resin.

[Aviatrix]

Just wanted to add another licorice scent to the evergrowing list: Tarasque. It doesn't have licorice listed in the notes, but many of the reviews mention it.

Personally, I don't get a lot of licorice from it, but apparently many others do.

 

ETA I agree that there is nothing licorice-y about La Befana; it's a sugared violet scent and one of my favorite florals, but no anise or anything in sight

Edited April 16, 2014 by Aviatrix

[Wren12]

On me, Kabuki is predominantly anise to the point that I've been letting it age for months in the hopes that I can smell the red musk, which is normally a note that my skin amplifies. I mean it screams anise on me. The reviews show that a lot of people mostly get red musk or cherries, so your mileage may vary.

 

I came to this thread JUST to mention Kabuki, since I'm wearing it today! My bottle is fairly well aged, and I get probably an equal blend of cherry and super awesome anise, which tempers the cherry so it is not sweet but spicy and lovely.

 

Interestingly enough I get 0 red musk from it, and I amp musks to high heaven usually.

[Inscrutable]

I've been getting into liquorice.

I'd love something both candied but not too sweet, with a deep liquorice note.

Any ideas?

[_surya]

Read the reviews for black swallowtail. I have it and it is very licorice on me but I am not as good as decribing it as the reviewers here.

[Aviatrix]

Le Pere Fouettard! It's licorice, leather, and cake.

[Laura S. Taylor]

Kabuki is AMAZING, the anise and red musk are the most dominant notes on me

Edited January 4, 2016 by UnicornSeeker

[LizziesLuck]

People might think I am crazy, because anise is not listed in the notes, but my favourite anise blend (I assumed we were talking about BLACK licorice? aka anise?) is Loved to Death. On me, Loved to Death is the most beautiful, soft vanilla anise scent. I love it. To death. Ha ha.

[TallGrrl78]

Why not Pere Noel? And it's available now

[tharsei-thanate]

A Peculiar Spirit doesn't actually have licorice in it but it has black tea leaf that smells like a dead ringer. I find it too strong for my tastes, personally. Here are the reviews: http://www.bpal.org/topic/86095-a-peculiar-spirit/

[Hystrixia]

If you are wanting a licorice note close to chewy black licorice candy, I highly recommend finding imps of Le Pere Fouettard.

Think a clean black leather jacket with pockets filled with black licorice candy and freshly baked vanilla waffle cookies!

Here's the review page: http://www.bpal.org/topic/50786-le-pere-fouettard/

Edited January 4, 2016 by Hystrixia

[Sakura Tsukikage]

I'm not sure how sweet you want, because it doesn't sound sweet at all, but there's also Pottaskefill out of the current Yules, with notes of: Salt licorice, birch tar, black pepper, and leather. If you're interested in atmosphere sprays, too, the recent Halloween LE Licorice Whip was black licorice and leather, I believe.

 

In terms of scents in the GC, they're a lot less heavy on the anise/licorice impression than the ones listed above, but the anise is still noticeable in:

 

Kyoto - A gentle, soothing blend of cherry blossom, white sandalwood, and star anise.

 

The Robotic Scarab - Polished metallic notes, glossy leather, frankincense, star anise, and thin lubricating oils.

 

I've tried both of them and like them, but they're definitely more floral and metallic respectively than licorice. But mentioning them anyway in the spirit of completion, and because they're GC!

[vanilla323]

I've been getting into liquorice.

I'd love something both candied but not too sweet, with a deep liquorice note.

Any ideas?

Humbug! It's my favorite licorice scent

[Ishtar]

La Befana (the version from several years ago, I haven't tried this year's) has a lovely violet-flavoured licorice tinge to it. It is a multilayered scent - at least to my nose - so the licorice is not necessarily front and centre, but it's definitely there! It's a quirky but not too bold gourmand-type scent that's very wearable.

[sprout]

Black Annis is a personal favorite, if you like musk too.

 

Licorice whip is great too. I spray that on everything!