December 12, 2017

Juliette Has a Gun Sunny Side Up Review

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

I blind purchased Juliette Has a Gun Sunny Side Up Perfume during the Sephora 20% Off Rouge Event because it just sounded fun. I mean how can you not like a fragrance that’s named Sunny Side Up right?

Some part of me was scared going into this purchase. Worried that maybe this would be a Lemon Pledge fragrance as sunny for me equals lemon or citrus notes. It contains neither actually! It’s a warm, slightly spicy gourmand that wears very, very close to my skin.

Here’s why I both love and hate it.

Juliette Has a Gun Sunny Side Up arrives in a bright white bottle with a yellow cap. The idea of the fragrance was to inspire happy and positive feelings accord to the creator, Romano Ricci. It does nothing of the sort for me. I can think of literally 100s of scents that I own which do evoke a sense of happiness and playfulness but I wouldn’t say Sunny Side Up was one. What does it evoke? Snuggling on the couch in front of a crackling fire with a loved one, laying under a soft blanket with that special someone in your life, laying your head on your boyfriend or husband’s chest and smelling the very faint scent of his cologne. It’s a scent that evokes a feeling of safety, security, and being cherished.

It took me several hours after trying it for the first time to figure out what it smelled like. I kept smelling my shirt over and over again and although, I knew it reminded me of something I couldn’t quite figure out what it was that I was smelling. Nearly eight hours later a light bulb went off in my head and I realized this didn’t smell like something in my perfume collection at all! It smelled like something from my candle collection! It smells like a softer less harsh version of Bath & Body Works Bourbon Maple Candle and I promise that’s not a bad thing. I know, I know you’re sitting there like, “Umm I don’t want to smell like a candle!” I promise it somehow works.

Bath & Body Works version contained notes of barrel-aged bourbon, sugared amber, and maple wood. Juliette Has a Gun’s version has a warm, comforting, creamy sandalwood with a mix of coconut, musk, and although, not listed, I feel like it’s dominated by a warm, masculine amber note. It’s slightly spicy, very warm, and quite a unisex scent that has a sophisticated yummy gourmand feel courtesy a hint of vanilla. To me it has that maple syrup-like scent going on that Bond No 9 New Harlem has going on. If you like New Harlem you’re bound to love Sunny Side Up as it is a lighter, less heavier version of that scent.

I love it.

And I hate it.

It’s a beautiful scent that wears very, very close to my skin which is my problem with it. When I mist it on I actually smell very little fragrance but once it warms up on my skin it starts to project but I feel like it gives off very little throw. You really have to get up and into my personal space to smell this. I can barely smell it on myself. It could be my body chemistry but I’m just not seeing much throw here, the sillage is weak and the wear short.

It’s a beautiful scent I just wish it created a cloud of fragrance around me! I also wish it would wear longer and stronger. I feel it disappears within a few short hours of application.

Juliette Has a Gun Sunny Side Up is a warm, comforting, sexy unisex blend but sadly, the throw and wear time is disappointing.

It’s worth trying though but maybe in a smaller format like the rollerball for $28 or from the Juliette Has a Gun Discovery Kit which is merely $20 and features seven other scents from this niche brand.

Juliette Has a Gun Sunny Side Up is available now at sephora.com.

Tried it?

Do share!

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

    • Isabella Muse

      It’s a pretty weak fragrance, not going to do much on my hair if my clothes didn’t pick it up probably 🙂

  • Gali

    Muse, I had the same love hate reaction with their “not a perfume”�. Yes, it’s really ‘not a perfume’ cause I can’t smell it! It has that effect of a “runaway perfume”� – can’t really get a hold of the scent. Frustrating, isn’t it? Btw is sunny side any close to Elizabeth James Bourbon?

    • Isabella Muse

      LOL yeah not a perfume is very subtle as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;-D Very because I prefer something stronger with more projection! No, not at all! Bourbon is vastly different notes and smells completely different 😀

  • Jen

    I get no gourmand notes in my bottle! 🙁 mostly just musk/clean notes. Keep in mind, this scent is heavy on the Ambroxan, so your nose can “get used to it”� making it feel it’s worn away when it hasn’t.
    I do find, however, none of the Juliette scents are heavy enough to create a “cloud”� of fragrance around the wearer. They stick around, but in a subtle way. As you move, the scents are lightly wafted around.

    • Isabella Muse

      I think Mmmm was the exception to to the rule when it comes to JhaG fragrances. That was a long wearing cloud of fragrance for me however, I agree, most of the scents are very, very subtle.

  • Lauren

    Curious. I hope I can sample in store some day. I enjoyed some fragrances in their sample set but nothing worth buying full size. They are all slightly too synthetic for my tastes.

  • Christy Peeples DuBois

    I have been wanting to try these but this is the first review I have read on one. The scents I wear if I smell them on me they give me s head ache. But the ones I can wear I do not smell on me but others compliment me all the time. But I also can NOT wear musk…….HEADACHE every single time.
    Thanks for the review.
    I’m playing catch up reading your posts if you are wondering.

    • Isabella Muse

      This is a bit musky so you might want to avoid! There are others in the line that are great 😀 Mmmmm is a nice fruity scent no musk 😀 my pleasure! <3! Thanks for catching up haha!

  • Laura

    Hi Isabella. I tried this fragrance today because I liked the name. The beginning is wonderful, I could definitely smell sandalwood and coconut. It kept projecting throughout the afternoon so I thought I might buy it. Now, after a shower, I can still smell – cedarwood. It smells like Dolce Vita, or its gloomy (and still available) Feminite du Bois. Might get this for Christmas. It’s not what I expect from a name like Sunny Side Up, but it’s nice.