I smell of Diesel Loverdose

Another ode to perfume rests below...I know it's just smelly water but my God, I love it!
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This is a true guilty pleasure perfume - one of those uber-commercial fragrances that you know you shouldn't really like, but you just do.

It's bottle, with more than a design nod to Vera Wang's Princess, shrieks "teen market". The marketing blurb - about how it possesses molecules that stimulate hypothalamus, the part of the brain responsible for attraction and lust - is stuff to make the eyes roll. And the fragrance itself initially opens just like another Angel-esque clone - sweet, spicy and warm.

But despite all of this, I enjoyed it from the first sniff back in August and put it on my Christmas wishlist. And there is a very specific reason why.

Liquorice. (UK spelling by the way although licorice is far easier to type :)

Yes the Bertie Bassett liquorice note that rests between the woody amber/vanilla base and the bright, sharp mandarin and star anise top notes makes it stand out from the rest of those generic sweet scents.

So here's the perfume journey...

When you first spray it, I will admit, it smells like a load of chemicals. Delightful.

But then within seconds the liquorice emerges. It's strong and almost bitter and when mixed with the vanilla creates a dense, creaminess that mitigates the overt sweetness of the star anise. It's hard to describe - I'm trying and failing here - but after an hour or two your skin smells like a warm and robust cocoa.  And after four hours it's pretty much gone.

Oddly it smells better on my neck that it does on my wrists...in fact right now I am trying to contort my head to smell it so that I can better describe it for you.

Now I don't think it's ground-breaking - and the use of liquorice isn't particularly new: comparisons online refer to Lolita Lempicka, Black XS and Escada Magnetism - but there is something quite interesting and most of all, fun about Loverdose.

Of course it's not going to win any awards for sophistication any time soon - the heart shaped pink glassed bottle saw to that - but it's the kind of perfume that will keep you warm and comforted on a winter's night.

Loverdose has also absolutely confirmed that I need to take the plunge and get Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille. This fragrance has haunted me for about 18 months and yet I still haven't bought it. Why is that? A vanilla scent with liquorice, sandalwood and coconut? I should be ashamed! :)

So, what are you smelling of today? Did you get any perfumes for Christmas?