Hiya Olfactoria’s Travelers,

Portia with you today from Australian Perfume Junkies and Perfume Posse.

Imagine you are cleaning out your cupboards and you find a home made decant of something you can’t remember buying, maybe you got it as a swap or in a fragrant care package, maybe it was an extra in something you bought on the boards or Facebook? Oh well, you say to yourself, why not give it a whirl? Spritz!!!

Set Sail Martinique was created for Tommy Bahama in 2010.

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin, apple, wild raspberry
Heart: Floral bouquet
Base: Creamy musk

Yes, the note list has it. Wet, dewy apple and pithy citrus with a little squeak of berry. Wet and sugared, pretty but 100% unnatural smelling. Like a fragrance created for a robot. Artificial like cheap lollies, and just as disgustingly more-ish. Repulsive and addictive, I want to spritz it again. The fun, silly, yucky, fabulous fruity opening is completely generic, but where I would usually be making faces and pulling my precious nose away with Set Sail Martinique I find myself glued to my hand and putting my head in my shirt.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

Though it is a fruit confection, sugared and watery smelling there is something quite dry and constrained running behind the shiny exterior. Do I know what it is? NOPE! No idea but there is a pithy dry furry undercurrent that could be a musk?

You will probably hate Set Sail Martinique if you are a dyed in the wool perfumista or if you like your fragrances to smell like they have been introduced to a natural ingredient. If you’ve spent any time with teenagers and their fragrances then this will be something you’ve smelled a thousand times and are probably sick to death if it. Set Sail Martinique is like a high octane Tocca fragrance for the young ‘uns.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

I can’t see that this fragrance has anything to do with the Caribbean. Though fun and fruity there is no richness, no impression of heat, sweaty bodies, beautiful bright colours and the heartbeat of a living island. Set Sail Martinique is pretty but soulless, though I can see why it is successful in its price point and for that price you will smell very nice. Better than very nice, you will smell good and as you waft past someone they will get a lovely blast of clean, sweet candy-flowers.

Will I purchase Set Sail Martinique? No, I can’t see myself buying it, I want my fragrance with a little more depth and charisma. I would think about it for a present though.

FragranceNet has $19/50ml

Have you tried any of the Tommy Bahama fragrances? Which did you like?

Portia xx