Kayali: Lovefest Burning Cherry 48

Another instalment of Kayali reviews - this one is Burning Cherry, 48, or Lovefest which was released in 2022. The naming convention for Kayali's perfumes are a little more than mildly amusing to me, so I will continue to make mention of it. I just wish they'd make some minor distinction between the numbers, the 'nickname' and the actual name, because the full title being lovefest burning cherry doesn't feel like they arrived at the intended outcome they thought they were going for. At least Kayali's bottles are always gorgeous. 

The product description is: 

What it is: A luscious, woody gourmand fragrance that awakens the free spirit within you, an enticing contrast of succulent burning cherries and raspberries accompanied with sweet caramelised praline against the smoky, earthy notes of palo santo, guaiac wood, and patchouli.

What it does: Lovefest Burning Cherry | 48 is full of hypnotic signature notes with burning cherry taking centre stage. Succulent raspberry offers even more fruity juiciness to the top note while sparkling Italian bergamot brings an effervescent sensation. In the heart notes, experience the floral rose Damascena essence, spicy Jasmine Sambac, and powdery Heliotrope. Sweet praline along with these exotic florals creates an irresistible delight. Smoky palo santo and deep, rich guaiac wood offer a textured, warm tone to the ambery Peru balsam. With its earthly and mossy qualities, Patchouli Prisma harmoniously balances this captivating scent for undeniable seduction.

Top Notes: Burning Cherry, Raspberry, Bergamot

Middle Notes: Praline, Heliotrope, Damask Rose, Jasmine Sambac

Base Notes: Palo Santo, Tonka Bean, Guaiac Wood, Ambrettolide, Peru Balsam, Vetiver, Patchouli

Based on the name alone, I was curious as to how similar this scent would be to Tom Ford's Cherry series, and upon first sniff, this was almost identical to Tom Ford's cherry accord - I tried both TF's Cherry Smoke and Electric Cherry earlier this year and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the cherry note, while I could definitely do without the rest of it (indie cherry notes sometimes tend to go a little sharp and medicinal, and I was surprised by how lovely the cherry syrup notes were in the TF blends) (while not an exact dupe for any of the cherry scents, I personally think the result is close enough for me to not quibble about the details here) . For me, the opening here was a gorgeous smokey cherry note, paired with rich wood and a delicate touch of smoked wood. While I don't think it's quite as heavy as Cherry Smoke with its more leathery, darker qualities, Burning Cherry does a really lovely job of balancing the sweeter, cherry syrup, ripe cherry accord with the slightly nutty, heavy fragrant woods (and a distant yelp of patchouli). I can definitely catch bits of the lighter, sharper heliotrope and jasmine here as well, but it really feels like a full bodied, ripened cherry scent. While I've made it abundantly clear that I'm not a fan of mainstream scents, I don't think I would be mad at having a sample of this at all.