Kayali: Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar 42

Vanilla Candy: Notes of glazed candied pear and bubble gum playfully enhance the fruity, candy-like sweetness with a tempting vanillic explosion at the heart, magnified by warm and woody notes of tonka bean, sandalwood, and patchouli.

Top notes: Candied Pear, Violet Leaves, Rum, Ylang-Ylang, Marshmallow, Vanilla Cream.
Middle Notes: Jasmine, Labdanum, White Caramel, Bubble Gum, Jellybean.
Base Notes: Tonka, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Cashmere Woods, Patchouli, Rock Sugar, Kayali Signature Accord

As with all Kayali perfumes, my hit rate isn't fantastic, yet I can't help but keep on trying them because of all the praise they get on mainstream/niche websites for making wonderful gourmands. They've really become the gourmand darling within perfume discussion groups (with their Pistachio scent getting a lot of praise). 

With high hopes, I sought this one out to hopefully find a hit, but unfortunately, the combination of gourmand elements with the heavier accords of labdanum and patchouli, this is not at all my type of gourmand. The opening is personally the nicest of the phases, a blend of abstract sugar, musky jelly beans and a haze of cotton candy. Aspects of this reminds me a bit of raspberry ketone, a sort of indistinct type of fruity sweetness which isn't potently fruity, but a sort of abstract fruit sugar. Despite the heaviness of this scent, I have to say, this does give more of a summery feeling, with a sort of mango and apricotty nuance, bolstered by an insistent cloud of sugary sweet vanilla. After dry down, the sweetness remains just a touch cloying, similar to the way mainstream gourmands tend to lean (think Fantasy, Cloud or SDJ 71/62), although this scent goes a little sour on me - there's an almost feral, indolic quality to the jasmine, resulting in an almost ammonia like vibe that I just couldn't quite unsmell, especially when huffing. However, the larger scent cloud is perfectly acceptable as a mainstream leaning gourmand, and honestly, out of all the Kayali scents, I find this a relatively fun scent - I'd enjoy walking past someone wearing this, but it's not for me personally. However, I have to give massive props to the wear and projection of this scent, the intensity is out of this world, and lasted 12 hours. The last dregs of this scent is a little more patchouli and vetiver heavy, although the whimsical fruity sweetness clings on even till the end.