Gourmandgrl

This is delicious! The orange is almost candied, but not sickly sweet; still fresh. It actually leans more like a peach on my skin. The bourbon isn’t very smokey, but is still ambery and warm. The honey comes across as crystallized brown sugar (clearly molasses-based) to me, rather than lighter or more floral honey-like nectar. The vanilla orchid adds a touch of vanilla cream in a slightly-powdery way.

Together, the notes bring to mind a peach-infused bourbon on the rocks - with a brown sugar-dusted rim, and a candied peach slice garnish. There’s a bowl of warm peach cobbler to enjoy on the side. The longer it develops on my skin, the more it becomes a boozy peach cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream + drizzle of bourbon syrup over top.

Be prepared for a strong blast of alcohol in the opening, but this softens. Lasts forever on my skin, with an intoxicating scent trail; excellent performance for such a cheap fragrance. A unique gourmand choice for fall!

Cashmere Snow is:
(85%) whipped coconut cream
(10%) the finely-milled white flour coconut cake part of Hostess "Snoballs"
(5%) super soft, subtle hint of raspberry
- very light fragrance overall, doesn't project well

I saw someone say elsewhere that this smelled like Winterberry Wonder , which is the whole reason I wanted to try it - but they are not at all similar.

Winterberry Wonder is:
- vibrant, deep, "cool"/dark berry
- "cashmeran"-type slightly-sugary musk
- very juicy and fruity, with a nice musky base
- projects well, not a soft fragrance

This is more similar to Frosted Coconut Snowball. The coconut is toned down just a little in this, and there's a hint of raspberry that Frosted Coconut Snowball doesn't have - plus this is a much lighter fragrance overall.

Given that it is so light, and the coconut already feels whipped or airy, this comes across like a "diet" whipped coconut cream. But despite its light nature, I can see this being a nice "holiday fragrance palette cleanser" between the heavier holiday fragrances.

This feels like a blend of Vanilla Lace Fragrance Mist and Sizzling Vanilla (and Sizzling Vanilla feels like a mix of Fresh Cream Eau de Toilette + Bare Vanilla to me).

If you've never smelled any of the above, Gilded Vanilla is a creamy, almost lactonic, vanilla-forward fragrance. The sandalwood isn't prominent, and is well-blended into the rest of the fragrance; just adds to the warmth (almost leaning a bit towards melted caramel). The jasmine adds a subtle, soapy-floral undercurrent to the rest of it to prevent Gilded Vanilla from feeling tooth-achingly sweet - but it's soft enough that this wouldn't be considered a floral fragrance.

Vanilla Lace Fragrance Mist had a musky, almost incense-like depth to it, and Gilded Vanilla also had something incense-like on my skin that wasn't present on the tester strips. The longer I wore it, the more that element started to feel "burnt" - somewhat like the burnt dry-down I also experienced with Frostmelt.

This is the closest fragrance from Victoria's Secret to Vanilla Lace Fragrance Mist since that one was discontinued - so Gilded Vanilla is definitely worth trying if you miss Vanilla Lace.

I haven't been this excited for a fragrance from Bath & Body Works in a long time - but in person, I was a bit let down. The bottle felt cheaper than I was expecting, and the notes weren't what I hoped. Comparing both concentrations:

Perfect in Pink Eau de Parfum
- noticeably stronger than the mist
- mostly musky almond créme (60%), subtle Maraschino cherry (10%), ozonic notes (20%), and possibly licorice? (10%)
- projection: low
- sillage: moderate
- longevity: low for an EDP (2-3 hours)
- dry down was mostly sweet powder, like Cloud Eau de Parfum

Perfect in Pink Fragrance Mist
- much more watered down than the EDP
- mostly ozonic notes (80% or the most prominent part of the mist - differs significantly from the EDP), with a subtle hint of musky almond créme (15%)
- it was so airy/ozonic, it could have passed as an air freshener
- the Maraschino cherry was so quiet and fleeting (5%), I might not have caught it if it weren't listed in the notes
- nonexistent projection + sillage (even when applying generously), and faded after a few minutes of applying

I definitely preferred the EDP over the mist, but I'm not sure I like it enough to purchase. Both blends were fairly synthetic. The mist was very "airy" overall, and the EDP had a "sharpness" due to the musk/cherry.

Sweet Like Cherries is similar to this profile - but has more projection, feels less synthetic, has more of the "almond créme" feel + richer cherries, and is more affordable... so I'd recommend this over Perfect in Pink Eau de Parfum (both concentrations).

If you're looking for a realistic coconut solinote, this is it. Coconut (2024) smells like the experience of drinking out of a fresh coconut: sweet, pulpy, creamy, with a hint of husk.

It's a natural-feeling coconut - not your typical synthetic/"screechy" coconut note that so many fragrances use now. A bit gourmand from the sweetness + coconut cream, which makes it perfect for cooler weather - but also has warmth from the "golden" or "bronzed" feel (not a green coconut), which makes it perfect for warmer weather too. This coconut isn't screaming for your attention - she's perfectly balanced and effortless.

I first thought this might be a close dupe of the Coconut Milk Moisture mist from several years ago, but then realized it's an exact repackage of Exotic Coconut Body Splash. Comparing side by side with an old bottle, they seem nearly identical (aside from the older bottle's turning from age). Super exciting considering Exotic Coconut Body Splash was one of my staple fragrances in the 2000s that hadn't come back yet, and I've missed it for many years!

you get the warm, creamy, coconutty-goodness the entire time
when applied generously, it lasted 4+ hours on my skin and I could smell it on my clothes the next day
I regularly smelled a sweet, creamy trail when moving my arms around me
seems like it would suit warm and cool weather, and is a "neutral"-enough coconut to be appropriate in many settings (general/daily, office, evening/outings)

I love coconut fragrances in general, but am picky about the ones I keep. This is one I'll be getting back-up bottles of - it's so well done!