Sol De Janerio: Cheirosa 71 Body Mist

I've somehow managed it this long without falling onto the SDJ hype train, and having actually tried 62 first, I wasn't completely in love with it. However, having actually managed to get my hands on 71, I can say, I'm definitely blown away by how much I ended up enjoying this - especially since 62 tends to be the popular best seller, and how different this actually was from 62. 

Notes: Top: Caramelized Vanilla, Sea Salt. Mid: Toasted Macadamia Nut, White Chocolate. Base: Tonka Bean, Coconut Blossom

This is a lovely scent, it reminds me a lot of the same sweet vanilla from Creme Brulee (Theodoros Kalotinis), although the coconut is far more toned down in this blend. 

On opening, this is very much a coconut cream with the lightest dash of citrus and a rich dollop of white chocolate ganache. On dry down, this eases into my skin as a lovely more vanilla cream heavy scent, with a nutty sprinkle of warm macadamia. It's not quite so hyperrealistic, but this is unapologetically creamy, sweet and vanilla forward, and I love that little bit of salt, and nuttiness that adds a bit of depth to this scent that keeps it from being a relatively boring vanilla extract solinote. It's really fun, and I'm quite enamored with it - and I can see this being a lovely layering note as well. Definitely considering full sizing this! 

Note - For those who do complain about the wear time/longevity of this scent, I found that this scent lasted around 5-6 hours on the skin, which I think is a little shorter than most EDPs, but when sprayed on clothes, did last up to 12 hours and lingered around a little longer too. I think the linearity of this scent tends to render people a bit nose blind to it since there's not much change or intrigue in the notes, but I definitely get whiffs of it on my clothes. I think as a body mist, it's well within the performance expectations for me. 

For extra info, this scent is extremely popular and actually has two dupes I've tried (in Australia) - one from MCO Beauty (Big W/Woolworths) and the other from OXX (Kmart). The MCo brand is very similar, and almost identical to the original scent, although I did purchase 61 and had an allergic reaction to it after patch testing, which is why I can't personally recommend it. The OXX version is similar, however, it is far more coconut heavy than the original, and is a little more thin and sweet. For the price, the MCo dupe (No. 4) is fantastic, although please try to patch test if you have sensitive skin!