Gourmandgrl

First, to the people saying this doesn't smell like jasmine: there are about 200 different types of jasmine flowers in nature, and not all smell the same!

This is a creamy, indolic, hyper-realistic "Arabian Jasmine" - the night-blooming kind whose blossoms close up again in the morning; found in Southern California and Arizona (and other places - those are just the two states where I've personally smelled these).

To me, real-life Arabian Jasmine smells like a blend of:
- creamy (parallel to the gardenia)
- sweet (honeysuckle-like floral nectar)
- hint of "yellow indolic" (frangipani/banana - the "bubble gum" quality some mention)

THIS is that smell! It took me right back to smelling these in my yard on a warm summer night as a kid; I almost cried because of all the memories it brought back. I cannot believe Demeter captured this so well - it's pure magic.

The most true-to-life Arabian Jasmine I've ever laid my nose on in a perfume, and the best part: it's a solinote! The jasmine is the star of the show, with nothing else to drown it out.

It does start out a tad synthetic - but give it a few moments to really bloom. If you love Arabian Jasmine, you'll love this!

I'm a citrus snob. I grew up with multiple types of citrus trees in my front and back yard, and having fresh citrus ruins you because no imitation is up to par.

But this... This. Is. A. Lemon. MASTERPIECE!
To me, no part of this is a "lemon-scented cleaner" - instead it is hyper-realistic, whole lemon.

Refreshing, just-cut lemon zest.
Tart lemon juice (no sugar - pure lemon), fresh-squeezed.
Sun-kissed lemon rind, a little too ripe... making it bright with a hint of sweet.

It's tart, it's a little bitter. But it's REAL lemon. This is now my lemon holy grail. I can't wait to wear it as a fragrance "thirst-quencher" for summer, something to brighten up a dreary winter day, etc. Thank you, C.O. Bigelow!!

I love Escada - it's one of my favorite perfume lines. Some of their fragrances have no equal or comparison, however "simple" they may be. But Taj Sunset is not one of those - it's a pass for me.

It smells nice (you get the sweet mango and fruity notes), but there's a bit of "tanginess"/sharpness to the mango note that makes the mango smell like it's becoming too ripe. It's also very hard to find a bottle that hasn't turned yet - the limited edition summer Escada releases all seem to have this problem unfortunately (but I guess it's not surprising, given the age of many of these).

Some BBW mists that give a similar vibe to Taj Sunset, but are much more vibrant, fruity, and deliciously tropical:

- "Tiki Bay Island Margarita | Bath & Body Works"
- "Golden Mango Lagoon | Bath & Body Works"
- "Fiji Sunshine / Fiji Sunshine Guava-Tini | Bath & Body Works"
- "Mango Mandarin (Fragrance Mist) | Bath & Body Works"

The opening is quite screechy-synthetic - but dry down comes quick, and it's exactly what you'd expect: a basic, sweet vanilla scent.

Pleasant enough, but too synthetic for my personal taste - I prefer these as higher-quality "vanilla cheapies":

"Vanilla Buttercream | Bath & Body Works"
"Angel Food | Demeter Fragrance Library / The Library Of Fragrance"
"Bare Vanilla | Victoria's Secret"
"Vanilla Bean Noel | Bath & Body Works"
"Fresh Vanilla Blossoms | Bath & Body Works"

On my skin, this smells mostly like marshmallow and honey in the opening and middle. Then in dry down, it's purely ambrette - slightly musky, mostly powdery.

It's nice, but the dry down kind of reminds me a little bit of the dry down of "Heavenly (2013) (Eau de Parfum) | Victoria's Secret" - just a little sweeter, and not as long lasting.

If you're looking for a slightly sweet, slightly musky "skin scent", you might love this - the ambrette was just a little too pronounced for me.