On this Substack, we tackle the big issues - what happened to My Leaves Candle? and have gourmands gone too far? But sometimes I like to share a quick recommendation as well. I am loving revisiting the fragrances of the past, as with Paris Hilton’s Can Can, so I wanted to pop in and give a recommendation for two fragrances that aren’t new, but I would suggest to give them a sniff to see if they fit into your collection.
I was browsing TJ Maxx when these two popped up, one I had purchased and smelled before and one was a blind buy. They are quite similar with distinctive notes in each, and quite affordable if you’re looking to buy a small, discount bottle.
DKNY Be Delicious EDT
I picked up Be Delicious at TJ Maxx for the pure nostalgia. I wore this fragrance right after I graduated college in 2010 (I remember wearing this on a spring break trip in Destin, FL that I was way too old to be taking), but it’s been around since 2004. I love Donna Karan, and I have a longer post about her Cashmere collection in the works, but this one is just pure fun. TJ Maxx had the Eau De Toilette for $19.99, so the cost was low comparatively for such an iconic scent.
Doing a bit of googling, there are so many spinoffs of this fragrance that would be fun to smell. There’s a coconut variation, and a lime mojito, and a “nolita” girl in a purple bottle. I’ll be on the lookout for the other variations, it looks like a lot of these scents are still extremely popular and in production.
This is a bright green, fresh fragrance. The first blast, I can’t help but smell the cucumber. Lots have described this fragrance as “shampoo-smelling”, but I’m not getting that, more, just stepped out of the shower, with skin still fresh from the body wash. The bottle is shaped like a green apple, and there is definitely a fresh apple accord, along with giant florals. There is a slight woodsy note, but it’s barely there — once it dries down the floral are still in charge.
Remember that scene in Laguna Beach, where Lo and Lauren were shopping for bikinis at the surf shop? This is exactly where that fragrance takes me. Fresh out of the shower after a full pool day and ready for a bonfire at the beach. It’s a tasty, tart, fresh dose of 2004 and it’s just really FUN to wear.
Versace Yellow Diamond
This one was a bit of an impulse buy and a surprise. I haven’t smelled anything from Versace, but the bottle/box looked interesting and so did the notes. Yellow Diamond was released in 2011, which is right around the time I was heavily using DKNY Be Delicious. I grabbed the EDT for around $39, which seems to be a pretty hefty discount since they are still in stock on Ulta’s site for $70.
When I sprayed this, I was taken aback to how close it was to Be Delicious, but there is that glaring cucumber note missing. In it’s place, lemon, pear sorbet, neroli, and my absolute favorite, bergamot. The middle notes are again, those fantastic white florals, including mimosa, freesia and lily (the lily really sticks out to me). The dry down has those musk notes, with a slight amber tinge. It’s also really close to Light Blue, but maybe a bit more powdery. Light Blue is another scent I wore ALL THE TIME, and might warrant a full nosestalgia post.
This to me feels like the more grownup cousin to Be Delicious. I can imagine this on a tropical vacation, or a fun Saturday brunch. I find it to be sparkling, with the pear sugar announcing itself to the world. The citrus is really well done - for me, lemon can lean so closely to cleaning products that it’s risky in certain scents.
Overall I think this is a fun scent - but definitely leans more towards a spring/summer fragrance. It is fun to try these out as they are not my wheelhouse of what I would explain that I like (I go for more woodsy, dark scents) but fun to try on for the day. I would compare wearing these to when I decide to wear color (rarely, as I feel most comfortable in black) but sometimes the occasion calls for it.
Have you picked up any fun affordable fragrances recently?
Mal xoxo
