Well, I got my Kayali Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar Parfum and I’m so thankful I spent $29 on the Travel Spray because I’m here to criticize the hype and give you an honest review of this fragrance. I’m just not understanding whether my nose is broken or if the people reviewing this scent are smelling something wildly different than what I’m smelling. This one is inspired by the creator’s (Mona Kattan) love of candy this fragrance contains notes of glazed candied pear, bumble gun, and vanilla! I’ve even heard jellybean, marshmallow, sugar, and caramel but honestly, I’m not getting any of that from this fragrance.
I’m sort of tired of brands re-creating popular fragrances. Dude, you have a successful brand with a huge following and you’re over there duping popular fragrance. WHY? Why? You aren’t even doing it as well as the original scent you’re trying to recreate.
Sol de Janeiro is guilty of this with After Hours which smelled like YSL Black Opium and Kayali Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar has the same thing going on as this is a floral gourmand that smells like Jean Paul Gaultier La Belle or even a cousin of Lancome’s La Vie Est Belle. This isn’t sugary bubblegum vanilla goodness. If that’s what you want I’d say move on because I’m not getting that at all.
I get warm, powdery violet mixed with sugary, syrupy patchouli and a hint of woodiness. It’s warm, slightly sweet, and has a cloyingly syrupy sugary patchouli send off. It’s not bad by any means. I’d go so far and dare to call it a floriental scent but I realize it probably fits best in the floral gourmand category. As I said it isn’t bad, it’s just not what I expected nor wanted from the scent nor is it what is advertised.
The marketing features a ton of candy which can be misleading but we’ve seen a lot of the same with the Kayali Yum Pistachio Gelato launch. I think Kayali fully understands how to appeal to gourmand lovers with their marketing. I know I get suckered into it. Thankfully, Kayali Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar doesn’t have the same crazy hardcore viral reviews that were doing around with Yum Pistachio Gelato. That was very overhyped and I’m seeing a little less of it with Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar. Although there are still a few Tiktokers encouraging people to buy a full bottle and that its backup material but there aren’t nearly as many around as when Yum Pistachio Gelato launched. This is not a full-bottle fragrance in my opinion. It’s not unique enough to splurge on. I urge you to try a smaller travel size at $29 before deciding if you need that bigger bottle. I was personally disappointed by this and I do criticize the hype because it’s a lot of “OMG I SMELL BUBBLEGUM! IT’S SUCH A TRUE BUBBLEGUM SCENT! It’s SO SWEET! It’s a MUST HAVE” and I find that so misleading. I honestly, smell no bubblegum note here! And it’s disappointing when I watch these people telling me that and smell it myself and don’t get that from the fragrance.
Oh well! I did go into this purchase fully knowing I’d probably be disappointed! I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer as I truly like Kayali but their recent releases fall super short of what they are leading people to believe the fragrance is or will smell like.
Kayali Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar is available now! If you smelled it I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!
Where to buy
Sephora
