Telekinec

If "Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca | Guerlain" and "Pacific Chill | Louis Vuitton" had a child it would probably be this one. In the family of herbal aromatics and summer freshies, this one reigns among the top contenders. I've seen it on Facebook, Reddit and Instagram, heavily featured by a lot of people. It's also quite loved here on Parfumo, ranking at #12 on the unisex list (at the time of my review) which is why I wanted to try it out.

The beginning is beautiful, reminds me of Herba Fresca with it's bouquet of fresh aromatics. Supported by a bright, zesty lemon, mint gives freshness, basil gives green and thyme offers a spicy kick. It smells elevated, sophisticated and masterfully well-blended. I get the hype now. As the heart notes start to rise up, this is where it went a bit south for me. Not because the scent started to smell bad, but because I started to feel like the perfume was going the masculine way. Most people on Parfumo seem to agree it's a masculine-leaning fragrance anyway. It might also be because I've always linked lavender and spices to men's cologne because my dad usually wears those type of fragrances. During the heart notes, rosemary adds another level of spices and green freshness while blackcurrant is tangy and more subtle. Jasmine gives this perfume a sort of floral, powdery aspect while lavender is the stronger of the two flowers, lending its distinctive scent to the perfume. It becomes a soothing fragrance, still refined and elegant, but a little bit less in the fresh territory than it was in the top notes. The drydown becomes more unisex with the spicy aspect toning down a bit. There's warmth radiating from the gentle musks and vervein adding another level of delicate soothing aspect.

It's an absolutely beautiful fragrance and I can see why it is beloved by so many. Unfortunately for me (or fortunately for my wallet), I can feel it leaning masculine (especially) during the heart notes which is the only reason why it won't be added to my collection. But for those who don't get the masculine vibe, this is a wonderful fragrance to add to your collection for sure.

I don't understand why this fragrance has such a low rating (6.6/10 at this moment) because it's a really nice beach perfume. I can picture the warm, golden sand, the gleaming sun shining high in the clear, blue skies and the sun-kissed skin... It's very vacation vibes.

Ylang-ylang and champaca flowers are the strongest flowers pulling on my skin. Ylang-ylang with its functional aspect of sunscreen and sun tan lotion. Tropical, slightly fruity with an almost carnal quality. Champaca flowers, which are floral and sparkling, add a touch of freshness and airy quality to the fragrance. Magnolia is sweet and slightly powdery while gardenia is subdued, more like an undertone, lending its powdery sweetness to the perfume. Bourbon vanilla and indian sandalwood add heaviness to the perfume, like warmth exuding off sun-kissed skin. It adds sweetness and a bit of an exotic feeling. The overall vibe of this perfume is creamy tropical flowers with a hint of sweetness and woodiness.

I might have gone for a bottle if it wasn't for the fact that I already have a fragrance in my collection that is quite similar: "Lust For Sun | Juliette Has A Gun". Nonetheless, it's a nice fragrance if you're looking for that summer, beach and vacation vibe.

Marbella is THAT girl who's ready for warm temperatures and beach vibes. Her tote bag is ready, her swimming suit is trendy, she's got those big, black, designer sunglasses on and her hair has that beach style to it. At least that's what I thought of when I first smelled it.

Blackcurrant is tart and fruity. In part fruity sour, but also sweet. Bulgarian rose has that deep, fruity, sweet, and carnal vibe to it, slightly decadent, but never too strong or too loud. Pink pepper is faint, but gives everything this elevated, sophisticated and effortless aspect to the perfume. Peonies and jasmines are sweet and floral while green tea further elevates the fresh, almost aquatic aspect of the perfume. It doesn't take long before peaches rise up, accompanied by musks and amber. Peaches are fruity, juicy and slightly tangy with their distinct sweet and rounded flesh. Musks ground out this perfume, giving it a clean-girl vibe while amber brings out the warmth. The drydown reminded me of "Peach Fields (Eau de Parfum) | Skylar" without the juvenile or woody aspect of the latter.

It's a beautiful perfume made for late-Spring and summer with a fair price. I'm still debating on whether I want to add a bottle to my collection, but that has more to do with personal preferences of wearing certain fruits on my skin rather than something against the scent itself.

I was one of the lucky ones who received a sample of this fragrance with a purchase from Sephora Canada when it was available. I waited until it was announced and entered in the Parfumo database before trying it.

Touted as the little sister to "Vanilla | 28 | Kayali", she's more like the middle child between the aforementioned fragrance and "The Wedding Silk Santal | 36 | Kayali" (without the praline note). Those who missed the latter will probably find solace in this one (although rumors of Silk Santal coming back have been circulating). The beginning is sweet and delightfully creamy, at times a bit overwhelming. It is light and airy, but at the same time quite sugary sweet. It reminded me a bit of an undescript B&B sweet fragrance. The middle notes gives off a sweetness that reminded me of crystaliized honey which is probably coming from the white caramel. Underneath the mound of sugary sweetness lies ylang ylang which has a slightly fruity and tropical facet while jasmine has a fruity and powdery aspect. If the top and middle notes remind me of Silk Santal | 36, the drydown does gives deeper and more complex notes reminiscent of Vanilla | 28. Cashmere wood adds this comforting velvety feeling while patchouli is dark and earthy, tempering down the sweetness that was quite apparent at the beginning. Vetiver adds warmth while tonka beans and sandalwood further reinforces this impression. There's no woody notes coming in from the sandalwood. Rock sugar adds a gourmand finishing touch.

There's quite a stark difference bewteen 2/3rd of the perfume and its drydown. The first part is young, sweet and delightful like candy while the drydown is deeper with complexity and a more mature take on sweetness. When the most volatile notes have left my skin, cashmere wood and tonka bean remain the strongest giving a velvety and powdery sugared skin scent.

The drydown is probably the reason why I gave this fragrance a score of 8/10. I still don't know if I'll get a full bottle or not (I do admit the bottle is gorgeous with its pink iridiscent finish). The top and middle notes remind me way too much of Silk Santal and I don't feel like Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar | 42 (VCRS) really stands out as a different or unique offering from Kayali. Like I've mentioned before, VCRS stands in the middle bewteen Vanilla | 28 and Silk Santal | 36. I will say that it's lighter than Vanilla | 28, offering a good alternative for warmer temperatures if you wish to smell sweet. It's also a bit less perfumey and powdery than Silk Santal | 36. If you own one or both of these fragrances, I'm not sure you really need this one (apart from supporting Kayali or owning the beautiful bottle).

A hint of toasty cinnamon with some tang from ginger. A zest of mandarin with the sweetness of rosewater. Flowers are more subdued, subtle, elegant with the rose being the most prominent. She has a facet of fruitiness that pairs well with the powderiness of the heliotrope. There's a deep woody and green note that rises up which is probably the cypriol. Becomes at time a bit medicinal, almost reminiscient of sanitizer. Strong and at times a bit overpowering, it tempers down the spicy floral accord found at the beginning of the scent. Vanilla, cocoa and rum never got through the cypriol barrier. The drydown becomes this green, herbaceous, almost minty scent that crushed everything else.

At the beginning, it's a gentle, delicate perfume that leans quite feminine to my nose, but the cypriol turned into a villain here. Maybe it's my skin chemistry that brought it to the forefront of this fragrance, but I felt like it was off-balance and way too overpowering. I have the feeling I could probably find something better at a better price (especially for the beautiful top notes) which is the second reason why it won't be added to my collection.