April 28, 2023

A Honest Kayali Yum Pistachio Gelato 33 Perfume Review

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.
3 stars out of 5

My review of Kayali Yum Pistachio Gelato Perfume is going to be more of a case study into how beauty products can go viral, get crazily overhyped, and fall completely flat. I’m not putting down Kayali Perfumes by any means possible in this review. I happen to have purchased every single Kayali launch and have loved 99.9% of what I’ve purchased from the brand. I’ve even defended the brand at the start when people were saying how it wasn’t a niche house and the they couldn’t justify the prices. I think the brand makes some quality fragrances and do deserve a spot in the niche world. However, I don’t entirely love the fact that the PR that has gone out has created this really overhyped buzz on Tiktok that feels very dishonest, overhyped, and almost borderline silly sometimes. I saw a lot of that with the Lovefest Burning Cherry launch which was crazily overhyped as a Tom Ford Lost Cherry dupe. It’s not. It’s actually a unique cherry scent but Tiktokers were going pretty wild with the YOU NEED THIS IT’S TOM FORD LOST CHERRY!

When Kayali Yum Pistachio Gelato 33 launched it was the same frenzy and the claims had me in a chokehold. “It smells like an ice cream shop!” “It’s the best gourmand I ever tried!” “It smells exactly like cotton candy!” “It smells like ice cream!” I got way excited about it seeing all these TikToks about it being the most incredible gourmand on the planet.

90% or more of the reviews of Yum Pistachio Gelato 33 on Tiktoks are all about calling this a gourmand fragrance. It is not. This is my opinion and also, I’m no fragrance expert so, I could be very wrong. But I stand by my right to say, this isn’t a gourmand. I actually don’t even know what I’d classify this as! Perhaps a light, fresh floral?

The notes sound amazing that’s for sure! The notes are Pistachio, Bergamot, Ice cream, Hazelnut, Rum, Cardamom, Lily-of-the-Valley, Peony, Pear, Geranium, Jasmine, White Peach, Raspberry, Whipped Cream, Marshmallow, Cotton Candy, Loukhoum, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood, Cedar, and Cacao.

I somehow resisted all the incredible reviews and I made a smart choice to purchase a small travel spray during the Sephora Spring Savings Event versus a full-bottle. This is pretty amazing for me as I typically blindly buy Kayali fragrances at full-size since they rarely fail me. Also, it was very tempting to get a big bottle since I had 20% off during the sale. My stores didn’t have the fragrance and I was really waffling between going for the full-size or just grabbing the travel spray. In the end, I made a solid choice of getting the travel spray as I didn’t love the fragrance. This is the first time I wasn’t in love with a Kayali fragrance. It just isn’t doing it for me. Some of that stems from the fact I kept being told it smelled like an ice cream shop and cotton candy and yum yum yum and I was expecting all that when I received it and my inexperienced nose just isn’t picking up any of those notes. I did read someone saying this needs to macerate and I’m going to take that person’s advice and re-visit this in a month or two after it settles to see if the scent morphs and the gourmand notes become more evident. But so far, I’m just not into it as a gourmand.

What does it smell like? I dunno. I’m not understanding what I’m smelling. It smells like a warm floral to my nose. I don’t get the pistachio element at all (try Pistache Pistachio Body Butter if you want a real pistachio experience). I also, don’t get the ice cream nor the cotton candy. I do get warmth from the bergamot and a bit of nuttiness but not hazelnut just a general nuttiness that adds warmth to the scent. There’s a soft floral note in the background with some woodiness as well. As it settles and dries down more I do get a bit of sugarness but nothing too dramatic.

Shrug. It smells nice enough but I think the overhyped reviews killed the fragrance for me. I think if I went into this blindly not seeing those reviews I’d like it a bit more but I’d still definitely be disappointed by the marketing showcasing it as this gorgeous gourmand. It’s just not a gourmand for me sadly.

The scent is labeled as “intense” but it creates more of a smaller scent bubble that people need to step close to smell. It does seem to linger and last a few hours on my skin but isn’t intense and does have a huge throw.

Sadly, Kayali Yum Pistachio Gelato 33’s overhyped and dramatic reviews made this a very disappointing try for me. It’s an ok fragrance but not deserving of all the unusual attention it got as “the best gourmand” many reviewers have claimed. This is something I’d recommend misting on in store and perhaps walking around the mall for a while in and seeing what you think. It’s not a safe blind buy fragrance nor is it something that will have gourmand lovers rolling around in fits of joy.

Have you smelled it?

Do share your thoughts!

Kayali Yum Pistachio Gelato 33 is available now!

Where to buy

Sephora

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

  • Michelle

    I love the notes of this perfume and I thought it would smell amazing! It received a lot of 5 star reviews on Sephora’s website, so I purchased a mini fragrance during the Sephora sale. I sprayed it on my wrist and was SO disappointed. I thought it smelled like cheap bathroom hand soap. Yuck! I had to wash it off as it was gave me an immediate headache. I rarely return items to Sephora, but I had this packed up and ready to drop off at UPS within 20 minutes of it being delivered to my house.

    • Isabella Muse

      oh no! I decided to store it in my closet for a bit and see if it works out better after it has some time to rest. It’s VERY overhyped on social media! VERY very overhyped. A lot of “this smells like ice cream OMG” and I was sucked into all of that. But I really don’t smell ice cream at all. My nose is very inexperienced so, I’m really not sure what the heck I’m smelling. It’s warm yet floral yet nutty…def not cotton candy and ice cream that’s for sure 🙁

  • Kimmwc03

    Yea, I tried this in Sephora earlier this week and was disappointed so I’m glad I didn’t even order the travel size. I was talking to another customer about it and she said it reminded her of laundry detergent. We both agreed that the Ellis Brooklyn Florist is much nicer.

    • Isabella Muse

      I can’t pinpoint what I’m smelling. It’s warm but floral and a bit of nuttiness but def disappoint, not a gourmand at all!

  • Anita

    I’m getting a bit of cotton candy and some baby powder and vanilla – I like that it’s not a strong scent as strong scents can really bother me. I just have a sample one and I’m thinking of getting the travel spray either when it comes back in stock or from the local store where it is listed as available. I haven’t quite made up my mind.

    • Isabella Muse

      I wish I got that but the cotton candy element is super soft and in the background for me.

  • Miko

    I’m so glad I didn’t blind buy this one. I had it in my cart but I figured it was overhyped.

  • Tracie Warren

    That’s a bummer! Thanks for your thoughtful and honest review! I hav even hesitant to buy any of their fragrances for the reasons mentioned in your review, too expensive and not a sophisticated niche brand. I’m a lifelong Chanel (Coco Mademoiselle and Gabrielle) fragrance house person. Those are my go to scents but I’m always willing to try something new. I enjoy gourmand scents immensely, especially the creamy pistachio scents. The Pistache body cream is amazing!!!
    I was soooo tempted to buy this one and I’m glad I didn’t.

    • Isabella Muse

      My pleasure!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love CM and Gabrielle too! Such elegant, glam fragrances 😀 I’m so glad you like the Pistache Body Cream! It really is yummy! 😀 This sadly, isn’t what I expected : ( Money saved imho!

  • Lesley

    I’m getting mostly baby powder and some play dough, with a side of headache. Hate it.

  • Miranda

    I found it extremely powdery and zero throw. I have reapplied once today and still can’t detect it. So glad I only had a sample size. I almost blind bought!

    • Isabella Muse

      same here. All that cotton candy ice cream hype had me wanting a full-size bottle! Glad I did a travel spray!