Calliope

In my latest sample set, I requested my bonus sample be 'sellers choice', and that I'd like to try a gourmand scent. Gourmand-light, for someone who didn't usually like them. This is what I got, and really - it IS nice! I have a particular aversion to sugared vanilla: Bath and Body Work's syrupy take on it turns my stomach. But this is very pleasant. Magic_eye27 mentioned a wine-like note, and I get that: a sort of rich fruity note that works very well with the sweetness. It's beautifully blended - it somehow manages to be both playful and glamorous at the same time. It's pretty potent to my nose... just a miserly dab to each wrist and my neck, and I can still smell it several hours later. The florals have taken over the fruity notes, but still a very warm, pleasant scent.

This is one of my daily drivers. I see a lot of the reviews comparing it to Pink Sugar, but I don't get that at all. Pink Sugar smells like the mall--plasticky, cloying, clumsy. Calliope is a cotton candy meets very clean musk that makes it feel both fun and adult at the same time. There's a bit of citrus in there too, balancing it all out. This goes really well if you need to transition from the office to like, a date or something. It works fine for both. For day or night, and for any season except winter. Lasts a long time on the skin too. Just lovely.

Positively FETCHING! (: This perfume is light-hearted, and playful. I like to wear this when I want to get out of my head and simply have a good time. This is a great fragrance for work or stressful or high pressure jobs. Bright, cute orange twines with the cassis and the cotton candy in an almost candied wine like note and the orchid gives a little powder and elegance and the demure touch of sweetness keeps it upbeat. The vanilla is the creamy not too sweet kind and the breezy musk is clean and white, love! <3

Every time I have ordered from Alkemia I have ordered a sample of this and finally decided, after 3 years, to go for a full 30ml. This is a cream-soda-esuq scent. Light and floral but still gourmand. Not overbearing so suitable for any occasion.

This is a fun, easygoing, cotton-candy-esque white floral. It has an airy sweetness to it, but never falls into being cloying or heavy. Orange blossom and orchid give it that clean white floral smell, with the vanilla and musk keeping it gently grounded. I didn't smell any blackcurrant or tonka in this, so I'm not sure where those notes are hiding. Calliope is quite linear, just sugary florals beginning to end. It's quite easy to wear, especially for a younger girl who likes sweet things, and is fairly non-offensive. If you're after a true gourmand or a floral, Alkemia has better offerings (Irresistible, Foxfire). Longevity was average at best. I have the oil and it doesn't have much sillage, unfortunately, so you might want to upgrade to the spray or ultime for that.

first impression: WOW, fruit explosion! this smells like baking an elaborate fruitcake in a warm cosy kitchen. the clementine and currants really jump out at me first. all notes are distinguishable and work together deliciously. i get a whiff of something a little spicy (like cloves or cinnamon maybe?) and something a touch chocolatey hidden in here. the cotton candy reminds me a bit of pink sugar. on the skin, it reads more juicy and fruity than intensely gourmand - but, i think this is too gourmand for my taste. however this is an incredible, delicious scent. i can picture this as a gourmand lover’s go-to christmas/holiday/cold weather scent.

Smells similar to Carnival of Illustrious Hearts, but this one has that artifical orange candy smell. Both of them remind me of a lighter, more playful version of LVEB. I agree with what Maleficent's cotton candy said in her review. It smells somewhat stale, slightly mixed with some sweat. I prefer Carnival of Illustrious Hearts compared to this one, but this one is still lovely.

This is like La Vie Est Belle's younger sister. Very sugary sweet and pink, tempered by the fruitiness of clementines rather than the sharpness of patchouli. The clementine is more like the sweet, canned in nectar kind instead of the fresh sour fruit. I like it a lot, it also has a distinct sudsy soapiness on me that is probably the musk.

This is a sweet, playful fragrance with muskier, more "adult" base notes to ground it. This is what I wanted from Pink Sugar; it's cotton candy without the punch of licorice. This is a soft scent with low sillage. You could get away with this day or night any time of the year. This fragrance is a sweet dream!

A sweet, fluffy, girly, fruity-floral with candy. On me this is actually very strong for the first hour or two. Sometime the orange blossom is so powerful that it actually gives me a headache, so if you are sensitive to white florals I would try this in sample form first just in case.

Super sweet and sugary! I enjoy it but it feels very young and girly.

Light, sweet, and cute. A fun smell for a fun time.

I think this might be the only perfume I've tried that has caused my mom to comment on skanky musk from across the room. My skin must really amplify it because it was difficult for me tell when applying. I do enjoy the cotton candy and orange blossom together here, and with a milder musk may have full sized. This is definitely one of Alkemia's offerings that could pass as a mainstream scent, and the sillage here is one of their strongest. Rugged stuff for a fruity floral oil.

This reminds me of Sweet Honesty, by Avon. I don't know if they've changed over the decades, but it reminds me of my first bottle of perfume as a little girl. Soapy, powdery, and sweet. There's nothing wrong with the fragrance, but I don't want to relive the 80's every time I smell my wrist.

This is a whimsical cotton candy fantasy grounded by a clean musk and balanced with artificial citrus (think Sunny D or Tang as opposed to freshly squeezed juice.) If you like an artificial fragrance that reminds you of childhood this could be a good choice. Lots of cotton candy that lingers. I don't like Pink Sugar because it has a plastic note that bothers me. This isn't like that - it's artificial in a good way that feels fun and childlike. Good staying power but weak sillage.

for me, this fragrance is a pretty typical "pink sugar" type scent with an added soapy note that i don't really like - i'm guessing it's the musk? i really don't like musk, and it stands right out in this scent. wasn't a home run for me, but alkemia has lots of other fantastic offerings, so i wasn't too torn up about it. i do wish she would create a cotton candy scent without so much musk, though - i'd be first in line to try it!

This smells like someone is already wearing it. It smells like cotton candy and oily hair. As soon as I put it on, I smelled candy but with someone’s “home” smell in the background. It’s not body odor, but the way a person smells when they’ve put off bathing but don’t quit smell dirty yet.

This smells almost exactly like Britney Spears Private show, just with more orange. I like the fruity opening, but then it dries down to candy and musk.

This smells to me similar to la vie est belle