I was not sure what to think about Candy for the longest time. Every time I wore it, it was different. Not hugely so, but enough to keep me from forming an opinion worthy of sharing here.
What was clear from the start though, is despite the name (which is a misnomer if I ever heard one and only a concession to trends and times in my opinion), despite the bottle (which is a glamourous and retro departure from their usual style), when it comes to the perfume, it is clearly a Prada as we know it.
Abigail of I Smell Therefore I Am, suggested “Infusion de Benjoin”, and I think that is a brilliant appellation, since it conveys a lot about the perfume, if one is familiar with the Infusion series. The best of that line is Infusion d’Iris, and Candy is clearly done in that distinctive, sheer and transparent style, ingeniously used to transport a heavy load of notes.
Created in 2011 by Daniela Andrier, Prada Candy includes notes of caramel, musk and benzoin.
Candy is not sweet, at least not in the way its name suggests, there is a subtle sweetness of benzoin, a burnt sugar note of caramel, but it is soft and restrained. This is no all out gourmand, but a cuddly and warm scent to cozy up to. Weightless and see-through, Candy reminds me of Infusion d’Iris at every turn. (Not in smell, but in structure.)
When I wore Candy for the first few times, I missed its presence throughout the day, I felt it was too weak, to close to the skin to make any kind of impact. I was ready to dismiss it for that reason, although I liked the scent per se, even if it did not particularly excite me.
Luckily, I persisted and on three more occasions, I got a slightly different picture. Although Candy will never be a sillage monster, I was a lot happier with it, when sprayed generously (I suggest the Dee Method of total immersion) Candy is just right. Still not the most exciting fragrance of the season, but perfectly nice and – for lack of a better word – cuddly.
Now that the weather is getting cooler, Candy is an good companion for walks in the park and to smell on a favorite scarf. It fills a space between summer scents and heavy-hitting cold weather perfumes for me. Although given its lightness, I think this is great year-round. I have been asked for comparable perfumes in my collection, one I can think of is Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille, although it is only the idea and a few notes that are comparable, the iron fist of M.Lutens is an entirely different approach, than Mme Andrier’s elfin touch. I like both, but there is no one substituting the other.
When I ask myself: Is this full-bottle worthy? I inevitably come up with a no, though. I like Candy, but I feel myself increasingly bored with it after only half a day.
There is a body product line to accompany the perfume, scheduled to be launched soon. I guess layering Candy in every incarnation would favorably increase weartime and volume. And isn’t that packaging to die for??? But my tendency for fickleness, even precludes wearing scented body products, after all I can’t commit for that long, can I? 😉
What about you? Did you try Prada Candy yet? What were your impressions?
Image source: mybeautista.com, glamoursister.com
Last week in Perfumeland was once more a busy one, here are just a few of the many interesting articles:
Olfactoria's Travels 