Scrumptious

 Gourmand fragrances smell good enough to eat. The notes are often things like vanilla, chocolate, coffee, honey, berries, etc. Some people feel these should only be worn in the cold months, but I disagree. You can wear anything in any weather, it all depends on the application. If you're going to wear a sweet perfume in warm weather, use a bit of restraint when spraying. You can always go back and add more but it's harder to subtract without a full shower. Let me tell you today about a handful of lesser known gourmand scents that you'll definitely want to sample. 

FROLLINO LAVANDA by Kyse Perfumes 

This is delicious. I don't really smell any lavender though, it's a buttery, salty creamy caramel to me. Really buttery actually. I can almost taste melted butter when I smell this. It makes me think of the winter holidays and the treats and warm drinks you get around that time of year.

OMNIA GREEN JADE by Bulgari

A nutty, buttery pistachio note that lasts and lasts, backed up with that very signature Bulgari woodsy musk base. This is a gourmand that does not scream gourmand. Very classy gourmand.

AMOUR DE CACAO by Comptoir Sud Pacifique 

I'm koo koo for Coco Puffs! Enough said. 

AVATAR by Hilde Soliani 

Yum yum! Ice cream. This was a sample sent to me after I purchased the custom perfume fitting from LuckyScent. I never would have thought to try this scent on my own. Now I'm going to have to get a whole bunch of other samples from Hilde Soliani because gourmands seem to be her thing. This is delectable. Like a bowl of vanilla ice cream being eaten while lounging in a fluffy bubble bath.

SWEET ORIENTAL DREAM by Montale 

A sweet, heavy powdery gourmand on my skin. Yummy and cozy, like an oversized sweater on Christmas morning, eating almond kringle and you can smell Grandpa's pipe tobacco wafting in from the porch.

CHOCOLATE GREEDY by Montale

The best, truest chocolate perfume I've had the pleasure of trying in twenty some years of being an avid perfumista explorer. Mouthwatering. Like fudgey brownie batter. This is what you recommend to someone looking for a true chocolate experience (gotta save your pennies first, it is Montale after all) Don't wear this if you're even slightly hungry or trying to diet, you will straight up chew your arm off.

Bullseye. Shopping for Perfumes and Cordless Drills.

 You've probably noticed that Target is one of those stores where you can go in to buy one item and leave with a lot more because you got sucked in to the vibe and the low prices. They've got everything! Including their very own store line of perfumes. If you've ever felt curious about these rows and rows of pretty tester bottles in the Target cosmetics aisle, this is your chance to find out what is what. I have tested a huge assortment of the Good Chemistry line (which spans genders and genres) and am set to pass the knowledge along to you! 

GOOD CHEMISTRY @ Target stores

GARDENIA PALM 

A gardenia scent that isn't just a pile of tuberose. Lots of aquatic/green notes in here to keep the gardenia fresh and not cloying. It doesn't fall into the sunscreen gardenia trap either. It's a nice new take on gardenia, really.

JASMINE ROSE 

This is nice, it's very much a shampoo floral. More rose than jasmine. Very bright and office safe, like clean hair and good manners.

MAGNOLIA VIOLET

A very pretty crowd pleasing floral. It's very light, something of a milky violet scent. It reminds me of various Ellen Tracy perfumes I've had over the years. It makes me think of a luxurious skin cream.

VANILLA ORCHID 

This one surprised me! Vanilla so often does not sit well with me in perfume, too sweet or heavy. But this was really fresh!! Almost like lilac or heliotrope with a small dash of milky vanilla underpinning it. Two thumbs up, this is very nice and even refreshing.

COOL GLACIER 

Cool Glacier is an appropriate name for this one. It smells almost cold. Melancholy, like days spent alone out at sea. It reminds me of popular bar soaps like Irish Spring or Coast. Will definitely extend your shower fresh feeling for the entire day.

MINERAL DESERT 

I kept forgetting what this one smelled like after I sampled it because it didn't bring to mind images like "desert" or "mineral" at all to me. This was like the budget version of Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte. Smells just like it but fades quickly. This would be good for a hot summer day when you just wanted a quick refresher spray. Very citrus. 

RUSTIC WOODS

The dark green packaging and the name Rustic Woods had me expecting pine but no, instead I got LEATHER. Straight up soft handbag leather start to finish. Unexpected but I do like it!

SILVER COAST 

Your basic aquatic-citrus-aromatic blend. Smells nice but not extremely unique. You've smelled this before in fragrances like Acqua di Gio. Not groundbreaking in any way, but a nice affordable version of that type of smell. Would make a safe blind buy for a man, it's safe for the office or anywhere else. Not going to turn heads but you'll smell appropriate and well groomed. Would be a good starter for a young person on a budget just building up their fragrance wardrobe. This is the basic white shirt of colognes.

APRICOT BLOOM 

This one seems to be very popular, but I have determined that apricot notes in perfume are not really my thing. This reminds me of the sweet floral scents that were popular in the late 80s / early 90s. Good for those who like sweet or amber fragrances. 

BLUEBELL 

This smells so much like D&G Light Blue, but if you were to dial back the lemon and cedar notes quite a bit in Light Blue and then turn up the volume all the way on the bellflower. Perfect for a hot summer day I'd say! Less masculine than Light Blue and a much prettier bottle too. All of the Good Chemistry bottles are beautifully designed.

SUGAR BERRY 

One of my favorites from the Good Chemistry line. First of all, how pretty is that bottle? I love the raspberries on the bush, reminds me of high summer. This is a scrumptious warm sugar scent, hints of raspberry marshmallow. If you're a fan of stuff like Pink Sugar, Ari, or Dolce & Gabbana pour Femme, GET THIS. Such a nice creamy dessert smell.

WATER LILY 

A pretty aquatic. In the same vein as Dolce Floral Drops or Alfred Sung Shi. However, it's not the same as either of those, this one is even lighter and airier. There's something about this that conjurs up nostalgia for me, although I can't say what, just that I have smelled this long ago, in another life maybe. I get little hints of the berry now and again, but it's definitely a floral aquatic perfume.

BRAINIAC

Very peppery and hot but the citrus lightens and brightens it. Woody on the drydown, a huge pile of logs. I really think the entire Good Chemistry line is worth sampling, they really have something for everyone's taste.

DAYDREAMER

This is a strange one. I didn't even get pineapple until the drydown. For most of the time, Daydreamer was a dryer sheet musk with the volume turned up to 11. Smells like hand soap or gummy vitamins.

QUEEN BEE 

Queen Bee is the Good Chemistry line's take on the modern fruity floral. A very juicy currant accord reads almost honeyed by the amber notes. This does remind me of Coach or something along those lines. I'd think that a little bitty spray should go a long way with this one.

WILD CHILD 

Wild Child might be my favorite of the Good Chemistry line that I've had the chance to sample thus far. Very woody and not too sweet, this reminds me so much of James Heeley Coccobello, which I wore when I was in Hawaii. Therefore Wild Child will be a cost effective way for me to take a trip back to Hawaii in my mind whenever I want. If you're unfamiliar with Coccobello, I'll explain it this way. It's not coconut in a sweet gourmand way. It's coconut in a woody, green, still growing on the tree way. There are leaves and bark surrounding this coconut. You can really smell the humid air filled with thousands of these palm trees. If you're a fan of rich woody scents you'll most likely enjoy Wild Child.