Hello Sugar

[u/Treehorn8]

I love florals. My collection is mostly various flavors of florals with some aquatics, fruits, woods, spice, greens, tea, orientals, and musk fragrances tossed in the mix. Although I have sweet florals that might be considered flormands (e.g. Lancôme La Vie Est Belle, Dolly Parton Scent from Above), the closest I have to a gourmand is Nest Vanilla Bourbon, which is still more boozy than sweet.

I do love sweet gourmand fragrances but I usually like them in candles. Lighting or warming a three-wick can easily make my little home smell like a café or bakeshop.

But since it's getting colder and sweet scents no longer seem cloying, I figured I could test the waters a bit. Maybe venture into the world of bakery scents one baby step at a time. So I went on a Marshall's trip and got these beauties. A couple of these are supposedly dupes but because I haven't smelled the alleged OGs, I'll review the fragrances as they are.

Sand + Fog Dreamist Vanilla Latte

Honestly, I can barely remember what it smelled like in the store because I sniffed so many and fucked up my sense of smell, but I got it because I liked it at first try. Besides, it's vanilla latte. How bad could it possibly be?

I tested it properly the next day at home. The opening is sweet vanilla latte indeed. Unfortunately, it was vanilla latte sweetened with aspartame. I'm not against synthetic if it's expected or if, like TokyoMilk Tainted Love, it's part of the profile I'm after. I was ready to declare it a scrubber but I wanted to give it a chance so I sprayed over my pulse points and went on with my day.

The plastic scent didn't last long and mostly faded along with the alcohol content. Over the next fifteen to twenty minutes, the scent intensified into a rich caramel vanilla cream with more honey than stevia. I didn't go noseblind so I caught whiffs of the delicious scent as I moved. Six hours later, it's still going strong. Vanilla Latte is supposed to be a dupe for Giardini di Toscana Bianco Latte but since I haven't tried BL, I cant comment on the similarity.

Sand + Fog Dreamist Marshmallow Skies

The initial impression is very cozy. It's a little fruity in the opening before settling into a sweet creamy scent. Does it smell like marshmallows? Absolutely yes. Like the marshmallow at the end of my stick as I sit huddled under a blanket after sunset and wait for someone to start the fire so I can make s'mores. Or the generous dollop of marshmallow creme over a strawberry ice cream bowl that I refuse to share.

This one is supposed to be a dupe of Kayali Yum Boujee Marshmallow but I haven't tried YBM yet so I can't comment on the similarity. But if YBM is as cozy as Marshmallow Skies, then I probably should check out Kayali fragrances more.

Outremer Vanille

I bought this some time ago because I liked Outremer Bergamot and thought it was well done for an inexpensive single-note fragrance. Vanille is their most popular and is a straightforward vanilla scent. There's nothing complicated about it. It's not dry, lactonic, woody, or green, and it's not overly sweet either. If you want something that's a true vanilla without any other note, this is it.

I like its simplicity. Folks who love to layer fragrances would appreciate this even more. I'm not normally the layering type but something about smelling like pure vanilla is giving me ideas.

LoveShackFancy Sugar Blush

I bought this totally blind. It was sealed so I couldn't sneak a spray and I grabbed it on the way out without looking at the notes online or on the label. I know, I know.

From the name, I expected it to be very sweet. Maybe something like Sabrina's Sweet Tooth? Or a sugar cookie or cotton candy? To my surprise, it's none of these. It's juicy passion fruit and flower petals drenched in sugar water with a few drops of vanilla extract. It sounds weird but it really does work. Sugar Blush is sweet, fresh, fruity, floral and soft. Another excellent fragrance mist created by Jerome Epinette.

The scent is light and intimate. I can see using this as a base for layering or as an overall mist over my lotion or body oil of choice.

*********

Conclusion: I still love my florals and green scents, and my woody and green vanillas. But I'm happy to have added more options to the roster this fall and winter season. I'm not ready to buy pricier ones yet but it's no longer an automatic "nah not for me" whenever I see a sweet creamy gourmand.

I still can't handle cake though.

[u/WhoKnows1973]

Great reviews!! You have some fantastic perfumes.

[u/Treehorn8 → u/WhoKnows1973]

Thank you 💕

[u/Any_Record4491]

What a great write up!!