Diesel fragrances have always rated as ‘Not bad but Not Great’ on my scale of perfume awesomeness (which runs from Viktor & Rolf Antidote to Guerlain Shalimar BTW). They’ve always been competently put together, pleasant enough fragrances that smell utterly mainstream. This isn’t a bad thing in itself, after all there is nothing wrong with decent smelling mainstream fragrances, but as perfumistas we expect more, don’t we?

Loverdose is the latest feminine release for the Italian brand and it follows Fuel For Life as the second feminine launch since the Diesel fragrance line was completely revamped.

Loverdose is described as follows:

“Loverdose is the sexy & addictive new fragrance from Diesel. It represents a woman who is sexy, playful and irresistible. She receives an overdose of love from those around her, but she wants more. She desires pleasure, adrenaline & passion.” [1]

The Notes

Top: Lemon and Mandarin
Heart: Liquorice, Star Anise/Chinese Anise and Jasmine
Base: Vanilla, Cedar and Sandalwood [2]

How Does it Smell?

Like a lot of modern feminines, Loverdose opens with a hefty dose of candied berries. Normally these berries are used in a shockingly sweet and obnoxious way, however Loverdose is far more restrained than that and the effect is relatively pleasant. A touch of citrus adds a nice dose of sparkle.

Liquorice is there right off the bat, and it does a good job of tempering the sweetness of the berries. The problem with most fruity scents is a lack of balance, there is nothing to counteract the sweetness of the fruit and in lots of cases notes are used to amp up the sweetness rather than soften it. Loverdose does a good job in creating this balance, and whilst being quite sweet, it never becomes cloying or over the top.

The liquorice takes more of a centre stage in the heart of the fragrance but it never really takes over, which could either be a good thing or bad thing depending on how you like your liquorice. There are flowers within the heart, mainly jasmine and perhaps a touch of rose but Loverdose is mainly about the blend of liquorice and vanilla, which after the top notes is what you are left with for the majority of the development.

I’ve always thought that the combination of liquorice and vanilla works really well and the smell of the two ingredients combined is quite addictive, I find myself regularly sniffing the spot on my hand where Loverdose is sprayed. But overall, Loverdose is more like for me than love (Likerdose?).

Diesel have done well with Loverdose, it’s well crafted and more interesting than a lot of the crap available on the mainstream market, that said it is nothing new or exciting and there are fragrances that do the liquorice, vanilla and woods combo in a much more interesting way. If you are looking for a REALLY good woody liquorice/vanilla fragrance then you should go for Lolita Lempicka Eau de Parfum, it’s a much richer, darker and more interesting fragrance.

I like Loverdose, and if a bottle were to come my way I think I would wear it quite often, but I don’t love it and right now I’m sitting on the fence as to whether it would be something I would buy. The concept and the marketing campaign behind Loverdose is strong and I imagine that it will sell really well.

The Bottle

One thing Diesel never disappoint with is their bottles, and the flacon for Loverdose is no exception. The bottle is designed to look like a heart being pierced by an arrow. It’s eye-catching, and whereas a lot of bottles stray across the line into tacky territory, Loverdoes tiptoes along the line quite happily. It’s purple too, and seeing as purple is my favourite colour I am more than happy!

Availability

Loverdose is available in 30ml, 50ml and 75ml Eau de Parfum and prices range from £35-£58. Matching body products are also available.

Disclaimer

This review is based on a sample provided by Escentual.com.

[1] debenhams.com

[2] osmoz.com

Image 1 parfumerie.nl