Holy Orange Blossom Syrup Batman!: Loverdose L'eau de Toilette by Diesel

I remember the first time my brother and me visited France, well who wouldn't that sort of trip leaves an impression for a life time. From that trip I have always associated the flavor of fennel/anise/liquorice with France. We were taking long car trips from Normandy to the Languedoc-Roussillon region, where my grandparents had bought their retirement home in a sleepy beach community right by the Mediterranean. Being that we were children we would complain of boredom and every once in awhile one of my grandparents would hand us a small yellow container that held little black pellets and told us to try one, my brother and me were adventurous eaters so we did, and the shock of Cachou Lajaunie on our for the most part American palates must have been evident on our faces. The concentrated flavor of licorice taking over your palate and remaining there for what seemed eternity, I did not accept another one after that first try. Years later as an adult I have come to quite enjoy the flavor of anise/fennel/licorice/star anise but as a kid it was a bane to me, I often wonder how I would feel if I had Cachou Lajaunie now.

The first spriz of Diesel's Loverdose L'eau de Toilette caught be off guard just like Cachou Lajaunie and because of the very same note, it starts with an intense sweet licorice note maybe a hint of fruit notes, but mainly just a whole lot of licorice. I am not against licorice/anise notes in perfume but Loverdose is all about hitting you over the head and announcing this is a licorice factory. That opening lasts a very long time and then it morphs into something unexpected.

As I waited for the intensely strong licorice to calm down a candied note and musk started to appear, the musk thankfully not the laundry detergent kind, but one more akin to sweet musk. What eventually revealed itself was a very pure heart of orange blossom syrup, the sweetness just cane sugar so that all that shown was the orange blossom, maybe a little musk to keep it rounded but otherwise orange blossom. That scent remained to the end.

Loverdose L'eau de Toilette is not a scent I would personally wear but I cannot help but admire the fact that it has character. It takes two notes that I associate with the southern France, anise and orange blossom, and basically introduces them to Las Vegas. It is bright and forward, it makes me think of alternative pop like Grimes and Charlie XCX. Actually the whole time I wore this I thought of Charlie XCX and her giant shoes, her throwback 80s and 90s fashion, and well here is her music video that exemplify's this scent to me:

Yes, this scent is youthful, but it is not the usual caramel notes rather it goes for the jugular with licorice.

Try if you like: Lolita Lempicka, Armani Code, La Petit Robe Noir, Les Couvents des Minimes Orange Blossom, Classique Jean Paul Gaultier.


Cachou Lajaunie image courtesy of Design Mom