Dior Addict

 

One of the stranger realities of certain perfume obsessives is: we are intimately familiar with the scent of long-lost treasures like Iris Gris, or Djedi, or Chaos – but ask us what Tommy Girl smells like and we have no idea. So periodically we venture forth into the surreal world of popular fragrances that we somehow never quite got around to smelling. Euphoria got the sniff not too long ago. We did the J Lo´s. Today – Dior Addict. It seems to be everywhere, the name is totally familiar, but … what does it smell like? We had no idea.

From Women´s Wear Daily: “Addict is a floral oriental sensual from 2002, created by Firmenich’s Thierry Wasser. Its notes include mandarin leaf, silk tree flower; Queen of the Night flower (night-blooming cereus), rose, jasmine, orange blossom, bourbon vanilla absolute, Mysore sandalwood and tonka bean.”

Luca Turin gave Addict two crummy stars in The Guide and is described it as “cheap chocolate and dissonant heavy floral” that “smells nasty from all angles.” If you picked it up on a trip to Sephora and sniffed it to satisfy your curiosity, you might reasonably expect it to be a fruity floral, like so much of the popular scents today, enlivened solely by a (misleading) racy name. But it´s interesting enough to review, and here are our thoughts.

Patty says: I have to jump over to Luca’s side of the fence on this one. While I adore Hypnotic Poison’s perfect balance, even though you do have to go with a delicate hand on it, Addict is just… chewed up s’mores and leftover Prom corsage. And I don’t mean that in a good way. The interesting gourmandy notes just smell cheap and plasticky and are quickly covered up by florals that do nothing to relieve the pain. Now, time does make it better, but only because it goes away. Do I hate it? No, not really. I just don’t want it on my skin. And now for a completely different take on it…

March says: LT and I will have to disagree on this one. First off, how the man can rave for an entire page in The Guide over the choco-fruital Missoni, to which he gave five (!) stars, and which someone on the blog recently described as “barfalicious,” which I totally agree with, and then call Addict cheap chocolate … well, you tell me. Maybe Missoni uses the most costly barfalicious ingredients, but the only thing I liked about Missoni was the bottle.

Anyway, Dior Addict is an in-your-face old-school sweet oriental, along the lines of Dior Hypnotic Poison (on the classy end) or Versace Dark Crystal (on the Donatella end.) As such, Addict is best as a fall and winter scent in the warmer climes, and I think my comparison to Hypnotic isn’t that far off, with one major distinction. Hypnotic is a scent I love in theory but — like Fracas — I don’t wear much because I simply cannot put it on lightly enough. Even spraying it in the air and walking through it is too much; I need a dabber. In contrast, I find Addict totally wearable, from the start, although one spray is enough and two is probably too much. Addict is like a stripped-down, amped-down Hypnotic on me, without the marzipan; instead it is all about the creamy jasmine, vanilla and woods. It’s less sophisticated than Hypnotic (which, love it or hate it, is a fascinating scent) but none the worse for it — it sits somewhere between the richness of a Turkish coffee and the chewy nougat inside a Three Musketeers bar, and I mean that in the best possible way. I didn’t rush out to buy a bottle, but I’d wear it if you gave it to me, and I’ll probably snag one from a discounter in the fall.

There have been several flankers, and one or two of those have some fans on the perfume forums. Please feel free to share any raves or gripes you have about any of the Addicts.

  • Sasame says:

    I LOVE Addict as well. Addict II during the day (probably just because I love grapefruit in a scent) and Addict at night. I have never gotten so many compliments on a perfume. I have never worn it and not received a compliment from an attractive man. Total main bait. Or maybe I just feel great when I wear it because it is so sensual and warm.

  • sarah patton says:

    I am slinking out of the shadows, keeping my back to the wall. I like Addict. I get tons of compliments on it. It smells great on me in the winter… the perfect spicy vanilla. That review in The Guide – “nasty from all angles” throws me for a loop.

  • Victoria says:

    I am much more positively inclined towards Addict than either Robin or Marina, but I admit that I cannot wear it. It is one of those few perfumes that give me a raging headache. For instance, my beloved Coco is another one. However, in the name of art, I suffered through it this weekend.

  • Debbie says:

    Missoni is beautiful on me, but since I may be allergic, I’ll ring up this post if I have to comfort myself that I can’t wear it. It will help.

    A long, long time ago–in the age when there were no perfume blogs in this household and barely an internet connection–I bought some Addict through ebay. Just a little sample; I thought it was fantastic. I don’t have it any longer. I wonder if I would still love it. I thought it was great at the time.

    As for Hypnotic Poison, I’ve never tried it. Marzipan, someone said? Bring it on! Although I definitely plan to seek out a sample of Datura Noir now too. Almonds are luscious. I have never tried the Versace Dark Crystal. More things to add to the list!!

  • aelily says:

    I have never tried Addict on my skin. However, a former co-worker used to wear it and on her it was just right. I recall repeatedly asking her what she was wearing, until I recognized it myself. Interestingly enough, we are very casual in my office and she wore it well with jeans, not as a “dress up, go out” scent.

  • minette says:

    honey, all i can tell you is the guys hover like flies when i wear addict. i even had one ask me the next day what i was wearing the day before he liked it so much. i enjoy it, too, but i forget to wear it. need to dig out the bottle (love the cobalt blue). i wear hypnotic poison to bed and sleep very well… it’s a sleeping potion for me. the missoni i found boring.

  • Jennifer says:

    This one is pretty on paper, but get it on my skin and it becomes a plastic mess

  • Sara says:

    Wow! Triple non-love in the blogs for poor Addict today. Well, if I can be bold enough to be a Tarheels fan here, I guess I can also be a proud Addict fan as well. I’ve gone through a bottle per year since its launch in 2002. There! I said it. I get tons of compliments and it is warm and sensual on me. That said, the ad campaign is completely cringeworthy!

  • Flor says:

    I have a friend who wears it really well. She has like 3 bottles of it, which is excessive since I believe one bottle will be enough to last a lifetime. Anyway, she wears it for her big nights out on the town. I think it works well that way. I’m not a big party person, and I’m not a gourmand scent person, I also detest overly sweet scents – so quite obviously this is so not me. This is very her, however, and oddly enough I don’t detest it on her. That being said, I tried some on my skin and I could not scrub it off fast enough.

    • Patty says:

      I think it works perfectly as a party scent, though i still think HP or any Opium iteration is soooo much better.

  • Gail S says:

    WHAT THE HECK are you ladies doing???!!!??? I mean, seriously, Perfume Posse, Perfume Smellin’ Things, Now Smell This and Bois de Jasmine. I’ve probably missed someone. Now I like it when all of you do a Top Ten or Five of whatever season, but this much attention for Dior Addict? …..sigh….not my day for blog reading obviously :((

  • Robin says:

    “Chewed up s’mores and leftover Prom corsage” — LOL! Great line.

    • Patty says:

      Haha!! It took me a while to come up with that, and I think it was an after-prom party over a bonfire that finally brought it to mind.

      • pavlova says:

        The mystery is solved!! I could never identify what it ia that makes me dislike this so. Now I know….leftover PROM CORSAGE!!!!

  • Wendy says:

    Full disclosure: Addict was one of my signature scents for years. I saved it for cooler weather – it’s a bit much in the heat. The other signature scent – Hypnotic Poison. I happily alternated between these two scents for 6 years. Why? Because I got more compliments on these two scents from good looking men than on anything else I wore. :d

    Still do……

  • Dusan says:

    Oh I don’t know… A few years back you could easily get high on the clouds of Addict wafting in the streets, it was that much popular in these parts. Back then I thought I should carry a pair of scissors on me to cut my way through the heady, powdery Addict miasma. These days though, when the air is saturated with GuccibyGucci, Elle YSL (if you can tell them apart, that is) and their ilk, I feel weirdly nostalgic about Addict. Having resmelled it a couple days ago, I found out that it *can* be a great, sexy frag if applied lightly. Ditto Hypnotic Poison, which I’ve always loved.

    • March says:

      aHA!!!!! Validation! From a straight man!!! Sexy, yes? I think it smells like something a woman would put on with the idea of it appealing to men. Same thing for HP.

      Maybe I could spray HP on a kleenex and then touch it once, lightly, to my body? 😕 It is so strong.

      • Dusan says:

        Whew, for a sec there I read “spray it on a kleenex once lightly and then touch my body” tsk-tsk
        Look, I wouldn’t mind if you spritzed HP once or twice, it’d sure send shivers up and down, but go easy on the Addict will ya or I won’t touch my body! 😀

    • Patty says:

      I’m with you on the HP, and I guess the Addict could work, but in a weaker vein. 🙂

  • MattS says:

    Sounds like a waste of a great name for a perfume. Think of all the fun that could really be had with ad copy and images for a fragrance called Addict. b-(

    • Patty says:

      I know! What a lost opportunity. Now no one else can use it, unless they called it Addicted or Addiction or something.

      • MattS says:

        Kate Moss presents . . .Addicted, a metallic powder with a boozy, musky drydown. I might actually be interested in it.:d

  • Marina says:

    Hypnotic Poison’s perfect balance, Patty?! :d No. No, no. NO. :d
    March, Missoni, although it decidedly is NOT something I’d ever wear, is at least interesting. Interesting like an object from another planet or something. This one…not so much [-(

    • Patty says:

      well, I didn’t say balanced between what. HP is always on the verge of being just too far out there, but it still manages to work.

      Addict is just a damn mess.

  • Elle says:

    LT gave 5 stars to Missoni? Wow! Fascinating. Horrible scent. Addict is one I find neither horrible nor wonderful – just doesn’t thrill me in any way and I require some sort of strong emotional response from scents I fork over for. Oh, and LOL about the coincidence of your post and Marina’s. 🙂 Reminds me a bit of how women who live together start to be in sync w/ their cycles – some sort of psychic in syncness amoung perfume bloggers or something?

    • Patty says:

      I think they planned it. 🙂

      Agree with you on the Addict, for sure, and I don’t even need to smell the Missoni.

  • Louise says:

    Allright now, ladies, I gotta tell you-I have a little bottle of the Missoni, and I think it smells quite nice on me, ‘specially on a cold day. About a 3-pointer in my Guide

    I love HP on others, but turns it soooo gaggy sweet on my skin, pure Marzipan (which I can consume by the pound), rather than a delicate almond-based fragrance. For warm almond, I’ll take my Datura Noir.

    Addict has a weird attraction for me. I have been very close to buying it…but it just grows and grows on me, and then I need to wash, feeling slightly nauseous. But I try it over and over. Addiction, much 😕

    • Patty says:

      I’ve managed to miss the Missoni so far, i think I won’t go out of my way. 🙂

      HP is great, at least on me, and I keep thinking Addict should have been more like that, and it was just… weak.

    • Debbie says:

      Whew! Someone else likes Missoni! I love it; it is wondrous on me. 😡

      Okay, so now I need to try Datura Noir. How would you say that compares to Louve? Or do I need to use “confused guy” emoticon?

      • Louise says:

        I can barely smell Louve-it goes all powdery light cherry cough medicine on me. But Datura, ah Datura-richer, creamy florals, caressing almond…my gateway niche perfume. One of the very few floraly scents that I always wear and love.

  • risa says:

    Oh, Addict is one of those horrid migraine-inducing scents for me. I like many of Dior’s scents, so unlike the maigraines caused by the lines of Etro and Keiko Mecheri, I know it’s just this one perfume. But my goodness, reading three reviews of it in one day is giving me a phantom headache!

    Sally, the silk tree flower is this soft, fan-like flower that has a lovely, creamy candy smell. Here’s an image:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Albizia_julibrissin4.jpg

    When I was much younger, a neighbor of my grandmother’s had one and I always used to steal the blooms because they were so soft and smelled so nice.

  • carmencanada says:

    I’m definitely one of those perfumistas that don’t bother with mainstream releases, I’m ashamed to say. Partly because of what Sylvia says (it’ll be here next time), partly out of utter, sheer, and certainly misplaced snobbery. But as Marina, Victoria and you ladies have done, I think I now need to re-explore Thierry Wasser’s work to see what’s in store at Guerlain.

    • Patty says:

      I love Wasser’s Iris Ganache, so I am wondering what he will do with Guerlain. Could be an interesting or horrific time ahead. 🙂

      • Debbie says:

        Iris Ganache is so beautiful….I hope his work continues to be as innovative and wondrous. I, um, don’t really like iris all that much, but IG is breathtaking.

  • sallycantdance says:

    That Missoni was disastrous. A pink-and-chocolate clash of wills. Something about it reminded me of the leftover chocolate in the Brach’s box, the one no one wanted and someone would later regret. I just threw out a sample of it.

    I’ve had a large bottle of Addict for the last four years; I cannot pick out any floral note in particular (what is a silk tree flower, anyway?). I recall being surprised by it when I first smelled it. It smelled to me as if it had been constructed on a rough retro template; it didn’t smell modern and it didn’t seem to have any momentum in that direction. It lacked the distinction of the models it seemed to me to be bent on updating, those heavy-lidded 1920s orientals that act as narcotics. Addict just thudded along, smelling at times a bit musty and claustrophobic as it looked back over its shoulder at a decade it couldn’t possibly know.

    I’d replace it. I find it moderately enjoyable in the fall. I do like a vanillic scent even if Addict has a slightly desperate quality. In comparison with its bastard fruity sibling, it may seem more rewarding than it actually is.

    The Addict brand seems ponderous and dated to me now.

    I wore HP so much that I could no longer smell it. I took a good break and still couldn’t smell it. I waited two years and then it had a sillage best described as embarrassing and obvious. I want another bottle. I was sailing along without any thought of HP in my head, and there’s the power of blogs for you.

    • Patty says:

      HP is the bomb. 🙂 I mean literally!!!

    • Debbie says:

      “Heavy-lidded 1920s orientals that act as narcotics”? What are these fragrances? They sound like must-tries to me, if I haven’t already checked them out!

  • sylvia says:

    oh my god. ive never smelled it in store. its just one of those that you’re like “it was here last time and itll be here next time, so i wont bother this time” but i did know someone who alternated it with BCBGirls Metro, and addict was the one i hated on her.

    • Patty says:

      we just wanted to cover one of those un-reviewed scents that everyone has heard of, but maybe never smelled. I could have kept on walking by this one, but other people can love it, so I wouldn’t write it off by any means.

  • Billy D says:

    When I was working my way through highschool in the lovely world of mall retail, I had a coworker who, every day, doused herself in some truly enchanting perfume. She smelled fantastic, even though I thought it was a bit much. One day I asked her, “What the hell do you wear every day? Don’t you think it’s a bit much?” And she told me it was Dior Addict, and that she simply loved it, and she thought it smelled incredible on her and made her feel sexy, and so she wore it. I thought that was pretty fantastic reasoning and admired her decisiveness (which I, pisces that I am, am sadly lacking). It was one of my first perfume memories besides my grandmother’s omniprescent Shalimar (looooooong before real interest–I think I still wore Marc Jacobs for men at the time, yuck), and it has stuck with me ever since.

    I remember it as much more of a floral though than gourmand–then again, I would have hardly known what you were talking about back then. Maybe it was one of the flankers you speak of?

    • Patty says:

      I think this could be pretty great on the right person and at a distance, but up close on me… bleah!

      I admire people that just go for it, regardless, as well.

  • tmp00 says:

    Oddly I smelled Addict at my “suck up AC-palooza” at the Beverly Center and I was just bored.

    DId you and Marina co-ordinate or was it just happenstance? *-:)

    • Patty says:

      I think March and Marina and Victoria all start yakking about this in e-mail and coordinated a little!