Spice Blend by Maison Christian Dior | Fragrance Review | The All Rounder We've Been Waiting For?

Today I'm going to give you some initial thoughts on the new fragrance from Maison Christian Dior, Spice Blend. The name is terrible. Sounds like two keywords dreamt up by a PR machine that have spent all day deciphering what people punch into Fragrantica. 

But that's all the nasty words I have for Spice Blend as I'm enraptured with this scent. From the nose of Francois Demachy, Dior's perfume creator, (who remarked upon this as being a nostalgic creation) Spice Blend is marketed as a signature scent, simultaneously fresh and fiery. 

The opening notes are very peppery. It has a knockout opening, like Tyson coming out for round one, swinging. Blistering. The fusion of rum and ginger feels slightly boozy yet exotic. It's catchy, its invitational, it's also a bit suspicious. Like going a second date with a girl, whom on the first date, confessed she's a Russian spy with orders to kill you. 

It has a middle of coriander, nutmeg and cinnamon, which sweetens on the dry down. This gives this underpinning of sweet and spice, an elegant and sophisticated mix. It did envelope me. It did make me question, what am I going to do with this fragrance? 

How can I categorise this? Section it off, box it up. We all need genres, we all need a certain taxonomy to help us identify who we are. This could be a signature scent but it has too much of an uppercut for a height-of-summer fragrance. 

That said, the piquancy of Spice Blend is a real joy to experience. If you like Tuxedo by YSL then this is in that ball park. I think the luxury and the spice element is closer to Ambre Noit, also in the Dior collection. 

It's available now for £200 for a 125ml bottle. Ask for a sample from your local stockist. It's available on their website.