Image: cathycouture.com
“Macaron”. Just one mention and mouths start to water and eye glisten with excitement – who can resist one of those sweet things? (By “one” I mean “twenty”.) And why not get that kind of reaction when you enter the room?
Below are some of what I think are the best smelling sweet-treat inspired perfumes around today to make you smell as yummy as possible. Be warned, though: the scents recommended below will make you irresistible.
Top 10 Best Sweet Perfumes
- Britney Spears Fantasy. Simply put, this perfume is a cupcake in a bottle. Notes include cupcake accord, white chocolate… and I didn’t pay attention after that, they had me at “cupcake”! Some say it’s almost too sweet (I am one of them; I am convinced that you can feel your blood sugar levels rising after one whiff) but thankfully it has a woody base so the fragrance does have some depth to it. Fantasy is a best-seller every year as well, so obviously it can’t be that sickeningly-sweet… just don’t put more than 2 spritz. Available on Amazon.
- Tokyo Milk Let Them Eat Cake. This was one of my first indie scents I bought, and my goodness, this is the epitome of a macaron-in-a-bottle! Notes include sugar cane, coconut milk and vanilla orchid, so expect a VERY sweet scent – even sweeter than Fantasy, if that’s possible. Available on Amazon.
- Nina Ricci La Tentation de Nina. This fragrance is a new limited edition of the original Nina fragrance, and is a collaboration between perfumer Olivier Cresp and Vincent Lemains, the master chef of the famous Parisian patisserie of Ladurée (aka Macaron Heaven), pictured above. Their goal? To make a scent that “makes you want to eat it”. And they’ve done a marvellous job – notes include (wait for it), macaron, strawberry and lemon, and out of all the “Nina” perfumes, this one is my favorite. Available at Amazon – hurry, it’s limited edition!
- Demeter Vanilla Cake Batter. Demeter is a natural perfume company known for very strange scents (such as “Sushi” and “Rain”), and this one is no different – they’ve perfectly captured a vanilla cake in perfume form. Available at Amazon.
- LUSH Vanillary. Sometimes all you need is good old vanilla, and Vanillary is a simple, no fuss, sweet scent. Notes include vanilla, tonka bean and lavender. If you’re looking for a cookies and creme kinda smell, Vanillary is your pick. There’s even a solid perfume version which I use all the time. Available directly at LUSH.com.
- Laura Mercier Eau Gourmand Creme Brule. Another scent that is so sweet, I don’t even know where to begin! I guess the fact that the top note is “sugar” explains it all. This is a sweet smelling cake in a bottle, and other notes include caramel, vanilla and white musk. If you feel it’s too sweet for you (and I actually think it may be), their Vanilla and Almond perfume still has the cake-smelling vibe to it but not as sweet as Creme Brule. Available at Nordstrom and Amazon.
- Dior Hypnotic Poison. Hypnotic Poison is about as grown-up vanilla as you can get. This Oriental Vanilla fragrance is popular for being a classic “date night” perfumes (is that surprising with a name like that?). And while vanilla is definitely the main scent, there is also traces of sweet almond, coconut and rosewood that still gives this scent some depth and a bit of edginess. Available at Sephora and Amazon.
- Prada Candy Of course I had to add Candy to the list! Finally one of the fashion houses caught on to this “sweet smelling” perfume trend and launched Prada Candy. Thankfully, this is sweet while still being grown up – notes include caramel, but the top note is still musk so you don’t faint from sweetness at the first whiff. I normally don’t like musk scents (and would never imagine it in a “sweet” scent), but it’s very subtle, even slightly powdery, which still keeps the fragrance as a whole very feminine. Available at Sephora and Amazon.
- Jessica Simpson Fancy. Fancy has gotta be one of the better celebrity fragrances out there – this is sweetness done right. The strong, very sweet caramel note is “watered” down with notes of vanilla, sandalwood and pear, making this a mature sweet scent, if you will. Better grab this one fast though, I have a feeling it will be discounted. For now, it’s available at Amazon.
- Aqualina Pink Sugar. Pink Sugar is a cult favorite and deemed the most sweetest perfume on the market. It’s also touted as “young” scent, because it’s so… well, sweet and girly, but make no mistake, this is one seriously seductive scent – apparently, the boys love it too! Notes include cotton candy (yes, they made a “cotton candy” note), sweet berries, caramel and vanilla, so this is as delicious as it gets. Available at Sephora or Amazon.
