INITIO
NARCOTIC DELIGHT

2024

PINK PEPPER
BLACK PEPPER
CHERRY
HEDIONE
COGNAC
VANILLA BEAN
TOBACCO

‘A sensual shot of provocation. It set its sights on the erogenous vanilla bean, electrified by pink pepper, drenched in a draught of cognac, before finally succumbing to the intoxicating swirls of a cigar. A cheeky twist of plump and juicy cherry celebrates the indulgence of a polished proposition.’- Initio

I definitely need to try out more Initio, as I’ve only sampled a couple of the line properly at the time of writing. However, the brand has yet to make an impact on me and this Narcotic Delight unfortunately didn’t do anything to change that.

The scent is moderately interesting. I was expecting something along the lines of Scents Of Wood Plum In Cognac, but that’s half the story. Narcotic Delight is much brighter, almost citrussy. It reminds me of back in the days mixing drinks of Fanta with Cassis.

The scent is cool; it’s way different from what I expected, but it’s versatile, it’s not too familiar and I can see this being considered a ‘sensual’ scent. The cherry is understated and is more of a cherry tobacco combined than a stand-alone cherry. Either that, or the sour facet from the Fanta/Cassis mix comes from the cherry. As it dries, it gets a bit harsher and I get leathery tinges.

Where Narcotic Delight loses me, is in how it feels. Super modern, flat, almost fuzzy, like a transparent musky fragrance. Not like a lush, rich or thick scent, but more like a hairspray. Kind of similar to my complaints for sister-company Parfums de Marly Althair. In summary, I would have to say it smells cheaply made to me. Despite feeling screechy, its longevity seems never ending.

Overall, a decent scent, but nothing that wows me and it doesn’t wear like a high priced niche fragrance in my opinion.