Pure Addiction Paul Emilien 2014

At first, I thought that without knowing the scent myself, the somewhat harsh negative reviews of "Pure Addiction" were a bit too strict. However, during testing, I was able to convince myself that something seems to be off with the EdP.

"Pure Addiction" simply starts with way too much cardamom, which, in combination with bergamot and labdanum, comes across as uncomfortably sour, somewhat bitter, slightly piercing, and a bit sharp, making it slightly repulsive when paired with clove. I think that cedar, basil, and sage are also mixed in excess here, giving the creation a peculiar twist. Additionally, I detect a strong lavender note that makes one wonder where it could possibly be coming from.

After about three hours, Pure Addiction appears tamed, and with the woody notes, as well as amber and patchouli, it becomes much more moderate, but still rather half-baked, and I was more or less glad that the projection remained contained, even though the test took place, just to be safe, in the home office.

This raises the question for me of what might have gone wrong. On one hand, Pure Addiction feels like a cardamom overdose, and on the other hand, it seems as if a few ingredients are missing. After all, there are also some very high ratings, and there seem to be both delighted and strongly averse perfume lovers. My impression comes from an official sample that is neither spoiled nor shows any other negative signs. One could speculate that Pure Addiction indeed polarizes so extremely or if there are significant batch differences.

It doesn't really matter, as the brand apparently no longer exists - and I'm not surprised by that.