Scentzilla!

Dior introduced Addict 2 this summer, and it is the third Addict in the line - the previous two being original Addict and the Addict Eau Fraîche. This newest one shares nearly nothing in common with Addict.

On a paper strip Addict 2 remains pretty and bright. But I am not made of paper; My skin interacts with it in a very disappointing manner.

Addict 2 sure starts out quite promisingly. The opening is deeply juicy, redolent of dripping oranges, tart grapefruit, and iced melon wedges. Yet the promise does not hold. Within 10 minutes, and I am being generous with this time line, it disappoints. Every note here becomes a bleached out version of itself. I would not be surprised if Dior told the perfumer, “make us perfume that is pastel.” As an intellectual experiment that is interesting. But on my skin, sadly the experiment fails. The composition after the initial 10 minutes reminds me strongly of the way quick watercolor sketches look. It gives general shape and lines, but the colors are waterstreaked and thin. The middle gives me a short glimpse at more fruits, white freesia, sandalwood, and something that smells like it might be lotus, yet they are such wan notes that I’m scared I am just imagining them. The whole fragrance smells so pale and slight on me. I also pick up on a note that seems rather rosy to me. Dior claims Addict 2 uses a “white musk” in the base, but it smells to me also like a bleached out version of the musk used in the first Addict. I quite like this sexy musky note, but alas, it does not redeem the whole fragrance for me. I don’t notice the musk at all until the very end, after the other notes have left. The staying power for the musk portion is decent, yet in general the fragrance lasts only an hour on me. Admittedly, fruits occasionally do go to die on my skin anyhow, but an hour of staying power is just ridiculous. I don’t know, maybe I just have weird skin. I tried this out on one of my young sons to try to get a different view of it – I find children wear fragrances in an interesting way that tends to cause the more angular and peculiar notes stick out. On him it was indeed juicier, but still rather unanimated.

I am hoping someone reading this will have had a completely different experience of Addict 2 than I. Please don’t be shy, share what you get from it that I am missing!

Above top right photo is taken of a vintage Schiaparelli silk scarf. The Addict 2 bottle is pictured below left, and the picture is a clickable link to its page at Sephora.com