May 6, 2024

Kayali Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar An Honest Review That Criticizes the Hype

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

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. P.S. The wear on this is not it. I needed to use a ton to get it to last for three hours at best!

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

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

  • Natalie

    I never had any of her fragrances, because when I see brands getting a lot of hype that usually makes me not want to buy from it for some reason. I don’t look at reviews much anymore for perfume or beauty products on shopping websites either, because so much of them are incentivized. If I do I’ll scroll down and try to find reviews that don’t say they are incentivized or received the product for consideration or whatever. I’m sure there’s plenty of honest incentivized reviews, but it is too hard to tell the difference when they are not.

    • Isabella Muse

      I rarely look at reviews on websites either! Even amazon reviews are utterly untrustworthy. If I want a real fragrance review I heard to Fragrantica. I feel it’s the only place to get an honest opinion! It’s hard to get a good solid review lately. Everyone either overhypes or just outright lies 🙁

  • Joyce

    I think you and I have the same nose. So many people think Yum is creamy and sweet but like… it’s just slightly tangy powder to me? I was so underwhelmed. I keep going back to my bottle hoping something’s changed but nope.

    I’ll prolly still get the small cute bottle of Rock Candy as I don’t own La Belle. Let’s see what my nose smells this time lol

    • Isabella Muse

      Yasss! I don’t get the “OMG this smells like pistachio ice cream oh my god I smell cotton candy!” I got none of that from Yum at all! Our noses must be broke! I don’t even smell the pistachio note in it! Oh I am very excited to hear your thoughts when you smell Rock Candy. It was such a let down for me 🙁

  • Dani

    I felt the same exact way when I tested it this week. I have La belle, and like it! Rock candy is so so similar. It’s slightly more airy, and less syrupy than la belle, but almost a dupe.

    • Isabella Muse

      very much so! And I agree la belle is a bit less syrupy and dare I say a bit less gourmand! This is absolutely floral gourmand but la belle I get more floral and less gourmand from. I was disappointed none the less. Kayali has so much opportunity to create something unique and they give us this!