Dior Addict Extravaganza : Perfume Reviews (Part One)

After recently being pleasantly surprised by Dior Addict Shine, I decided to explore the whole Dior Addict line, which I must confess, I never paid much attention to. So, today and Wednesday Fragrance Bouquet takes a look at the whole Addict fragrance lineup. Let's start with part 1, exploring Dior Addict and Dior Addict Eau Fraîche.

Dior Addict:

The original Dior Addict is, in my opinion, a well-put together, if linear scent. I don’t know why, but what my nose perceives is completely different from the listed notes, although admittedly, I have never smelled some of the official notes, such as Silk Tree Flower and Queen of the Night. I can however tell you what it smells like to me: a beautiful blend of lavender and deep, warm gardenia. If you like your gardenia creamy and spiced, you’re going to like this. Mellow and sweet, but also demanding, this is a fragrance with excellent longevity and sillage. It is not very involved, and as indicated earlier, it doesn’t really develop much on the skin – rather, it remains quite stable and unchanging. I feel neutral about it as a female scent: it doesn’t bother me, nor does it drive me wild. It’s okay. What I’d really be interested in, would be to smell it on a man at the end of a working day. Mmhmm...

Dior Addict Eau Fraîche:

As sometimes happens, the EdP concentrations can be very different from the EdT, and this is indeed the case with Addict (EdP) and Addict Eau Fraîche (EdT): The two are similar, but they are certainly not just the same scent in different strenght. The opening of Eau Fraîche is very mellow, smelling slightly of lavender and wild flowers but in a matter of seconds, as it warms up on the skin, the scent deepens and becomes sweeter and heavier. Too sweet and certainly too heavy for my tastes, I have to say. Still, I can see why this bears the Addict name: the deep scent beckons you closer to the skin. Even though every part of me resists it, there is a certain fascination there: I keep wanting to sniff this, so I find myself constantly bringing my wrist to my nose for yet another little fix, like a crazed bee that returns to the same, already harvested flower in hopes of finding a little bit more of that sweet smelling dust. No, I don’t like it, I decide, yet the process begins again a few minutes later with my nose stuck against my skin in order to explore the cinnamon-vanilla theme a little further. Flower petals swirl around this heavy, gourmand heart, while citrusy sparks fly off now and again, tingling the nose. Behind it all, there is a dissonant accord of BO, the distinctive smell of a body that hasn’t been washed for a couple of days - a smidge of armpit here, a mane of slightly oily hair there. And yet, through it all, Dior Addict Eau Fraîche remains strangely attractive. I wouldn’t wear it myself, but I would like to smell it on others. And even though there is nothing remotely “Fraîche” about it, I can see how this could be a successful scent for spring and cooler summer evenings. With every part of my conscious in protest, I’ll go ahead and grudgingly admit that Dior Addict Eau Fraîche is Sexy with a capital S. And may the perfume gods forgive me.

Come back on Wednesday to read part 2 of the Dior Addict Extravaganza, with reviews of the remaining two Dior Addict scents, Dior Addict Shine and Dior Addict 2!