Prada Candy

It's funny had you said I would go through the bottles of one houses perfumes easily, I would not have guessed Prada. Not that I don't get the aesthetic of Prada but I am just not that high minded about my fashion, not that I don't have a concept of a beauty or that I can't appreciate the aesthetic of Prada, but I'm not a Prada woman unless you take into account their fragrances, then I am totally their woman. I went through a bottle of Infusion d'Iris eau de parfum, easily, garnered compliments, and have often consider replacing the bottle I used up. It was my easy elegant go anywhere scent that made me feel put together and at ease.

The news then came out about Candy and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, a gourmand from Prada? Then the advertising fun, playful, young bright exuberant pink, uh oh? Really, we should have all known better, this is Prada we are talking about. To say the aesthetic of this house is well controlled is an understatement.

So I finally catch my first whiff of Candy and an hour later I have a bottle, it is good, but completely not what is advertised, yes this will appeal to the young, but this scent will appeal to all ages.

First off ignore the name Candy, there is really nothing candy-ish about it, maybe hints of those amazing sea salt caramels in France or the delicious goat's milk caramel from Mexico called Cajeta but like I said hints. This scent though is firmly rooted in the Infusion family, it starts off with the gauzy note that always makes me think of papyrus and mineral dust but instead of being layered over iris this time it is layered over benzoin and white musk.  Towards the end a milky vanilla bean caramel shows up but it is light never ever overpowering, more like quality of two minutes after eating one of those delicious sea salt caramels where there is still a hint of nutty smooth sweetness in your mouth but for the most part it is gone. The effect is warm and comforting, it belongs to the family of Lea St. Barth scents, easy and comfortable but just really really good to smell. The thing is also it is very tasteful this scent is not going to offend anyone but it is interesting, it is a gourmand but one that runs away from heavy confections and rather is meant to remind the memory of confections, like this:

If I were to be really frank this is the gourmand for the people who think they hate gourmand, not diet gourmand, but rather the memory of really good treat.

Try if you like: Serge Luten Un Bois Vanille, Prada Infusion d'Iris Absolue, Al-Rehab Dalal, Kenzo Kenzo Amour, Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee.

first image: 'Cosas Intimas #72' by Conrad Roset 
second image: http://www.manusmenu.com/blue-persian-salt-caramel-sauce

A return, the state of perfume, and orange blossom

So it has been 4 years since I last posted here and as expected many things have happened. I suppose I left with no word, which is rude, but at the time I was in the middle of grad school, and going through the ending of my first major relationship. And then like so many countries the economy went bust, majorly, and well it still is.

I kept up with the fragrance world to a degree but let us be honest about one major thing, it is no longer the play land it once was, finances were hit hard, and over the years the price of perfume has risen absurdly. Indie for the most part means it should be around $100.00 and higher, unless you go very indie and try the etailers and etsy. Mainstream has released some good but mainly it has been a whole lot of bad, the fruitchouli has taken over the roll of fruity floral, and really there isn't much to say about that. On the other hand natural perfumes have gotten a whole lot better. Sadly some perfumes and perfumers have gone away. There is always the notes du jour, oud has stayed longer than expected, and suddenly it seems we are coming into an era of fragrance when uber-sexy isn't the point with the startling release of green and powdery from some major fragrance houses.

On the other hand some things don't change. I still love orange blossom and I must say the last four years has seen the return of this lovely note in a big way. Today I will start with something I bought yesterday, a cheap thrill by the price tag alone, but a big thrill I think for any orange blossom lover. LUSH's Orange Blossom, it is a gorgeous rendition of orange blossom. It is a true orange blossom scent that stays and stays, the longevity of it is marvelous considering fleeting is often a large problem for orange blossom scents. While it has some of the soapy qualities associated with orange blossom it also has a honeyed facet that keeps the sweetness of the blossoms going allowing it to not go into neroli territory. What is strikes me even more is the dry woody note placed in it that gives it a hint of incense. Even better it is never heavy. This is perfect for a hot summer and I plan to take advantage of that.

In another interesting turn I took the recommendation of one of the SA's at LUSH yesterday and layered it with Vanillary and the guy was definitely on to something, the orange blossom notes cut through the sweetness that times can be overwhelming in Vanillary. I have also had wonderful layering results with Vanillary and Pacifica's Malibu Lemon Blossom.

If you like Lorenzo Villoresi's Dilmun (which sometimes can be sweeter than I like) I think you will like LUSH's Orange Blossom they share that same ripe intense orange blossom note, which I would almost called fruited.

image: The Staircase/L'Escalier by Repp 1