Sunday

Arielle Shoshana Sunday was released this week and because I was one of the Kickstarter backers, I received my 10mL travel spray in the mail yesterday. For background, I love matcha lattes and horchata (I'm Mexican), so I had definite ideas about what this would smell like. I'll be honest and say I was a little disappointed when I first sprayed it. (I hesitate to say that because I want Arielle to succeed and don't want to dissuade anyone from trying this. That said, everyone's experience is different, no matter how many reviews there are, so I definitely recommend getting a sample of this unique fragrance.) The first 30 seconds are full blown rice crackers and rice, which was a little disconcerting. but certainly different. The first several minutes smell like freshly cooked rice right out of the rice cooker and the undercurrent of green tea emerges. I don't perceive any sweetness or spice notes, just rice and tea and maybe a skin musk. The blend conjures milkiness, but I don't smell milk itself. The lack of sweetness and cinnamon is where my expectations weren't met. I can see why they weren't included (or if they're actually there, not amplified enough for me to detect), because perfume doesn't have to be (probably shouldn't be!) an exact replica of the inspirational scent. The perfume remains linear and is definitely a 'close to the skin' type of scent. I sprayed 4 small spritzes from the travel spray on my arms and needed to reapply in a few hours. I don't have someone to ask whether they could smell it on me, so it's possible that my nose just got accustomed to it. The style of perfume is definitely relaxed, not loud, and not gendered (if you prefer ultra "feminine" or "masculine" scents, you'll probably disagree because this is in the middle). I do agree with the inspiration that it's a perfume you spray on a Sunday when you're living in the moment and enjoying the weather outside your window, whether it be rainy or sunny. In comparison to the other green tea scents I have it's softer and less perfumy than Bvlgari Eau Parfumee au The Vert, and closer in style to By Kilian Imperial Tea but definitely doesn't smell like either of those. Overall, I'm happy that Arielle continues to create unique fragrances with high quality ingredients and none of the nonsense marketing that you find with many other brands. While I do wish this was slightly sweeter, I still enjoy it and look forward to hearing other people's opinions. EDIT 2/28/21: This has grown on me a lot. My initial expectation was that this would smell like a super sweet, cinnamon heavy, straight up horchata drink (most of the ones I drank in my youth were so sweet, they made my teeth hurt!). I think what was intended was a more modern, refined matcha and rice scent. There's still a level of sweetness to keep it out of bitter face territory, but it's more of a grown-up scent profile focused on a creamy matcha and it is truly addictive! I still don't really smell cinnamon per se, but that's ok. I think I smell the mate because there's a hay/dried grass kind of undercurrent. My original review mentioned comparisons to green tea because that's the closest I had to compare with. Now, Je Ne Sais Quoi from Teo Cabanel is available and it's also a beautiful matcha and rice fragrance. They *are* similar but do have differences and I love them both. Happy to see many more people trying and enjoying Sunday!

I really enjoy Arielle Shoshana's Sunday as a scent overall. Do I think of it as a "matcha" scent though? Not really, but I do see it suggested as a matcha option sometimes. To me it smells like horchata with matcha powder since the cinnamon and milk come through a lot. I do get more of the matcha on the dry down but the sandalwood and amber are definitely louder. The coconut throws me off a little bit; depending on the day, I can really smell it but other times, it mixes with the milk as almost an oat milk scent? I tend to reach for it more during the fall and winter as the spiciness makes me a bit nauseous during the summer. I love the packaging of this bottle and I think that's why I like it so much though! I've been trying a lot of matcha scents and though this is a top scent, maybe not too matcha-y? Best matcha gourmand - D'annam Matcha Soft Serve, Arielle Shoshana's Sunday, Mochiglow Matcha Cloud, Kayali Freedom Musk Matcha, Fantome Kuidaore Green tea with lemon, but not matcha - Le Labo The Matcha 26, Narcotica Happy Dust, Teo Cabanel Je Ne Sais Quoi, Momji Angel's Tea, Fugazzi Matchabuya Grassy matchas - Obvious Un Ete, D. Grayi Matcha Cat Floral or soapy matchas - Liis Rose Struck, Sorce Match Made in Heaven, ROAN Current Culture Save your money, no don't do it - Obvious Milk & Matcha, Theodoros Kalotinis Matcha Ice Cream, Solinotes The Matcha, Smell Frankly Lie To Me, Tabbeau Place Matcha Rush Also no since they're dupes - Dossier Citrus Matcha, Zara Matcha Mochi, Briix Fragrances Matchatopia, Le Monde Gourmand The Matcha, Parfums by Cherie Stardust, Dua Tangy Matcha Latte

This fragrance gives a grassy, Timothy Hay type scent when it first hits the air. It warms up immediately upon touching the skin and this beautiful realistic rice pudding smell blooms. It quickly settles into what I would say is kind of a grassy lactonic skin scent that's kept from being too sickly thanks to the cinnamon and sandalwood in this. I was first put on to Arielle Shoshana fragrances through tiktok at the beginning of 2022 (at the very beginning of the Great Cap Fiasco that was holding the restock of this perfume hostage until Black Friday of this year,) Sunday immediately caught my attention. I was a full time barista and despite coming home and smelling like hot coffee and milk all day, I wanted to find a perfume I could wear at work without it clashing with the smells of the coffee shop. Since I was not able to blind purchase a full size off the website right away, I bought the three day weekend discovery set and flew through my sample of Sunday. I've bought the discovery set twice now and have fallen in love with Friday and Saturday as well. Sunday is truly an all purpose fragrance, I can see myself wearing at any time of year, day or night (depending on where the night goes.) It is not offensive to people who may be in close quarters with you, people who lean in to have a conversation with you will catch a sniff but you will not fill a room which I prefer. I wore this to bed the night I received my full size in the mail and still smelled it on my neck when I woke up in the morning. Run, don't walk, to try this fragrance.

Wonderfully addictive gourmand fragrance. Smells exactly like matcha horchata. Super creamy/lactonic without being cloyingly sweet or overly powdery. The rice and matcha notes make it feel unique as a fragrance, while still familiar and delicious like baked goods. The spices deepen everything without taking over. Because of the matcha there also this fresh green coming through, which is interesting. It is very well-balanced. It might be a bit out of the comfort zone for some people, because it is certainly Different. I wouldn't recommend a blind-buy unless you are absolutory certain about the notes, and I would definitely avoid it if you're not a fan of matcha. But if you do like matcha and are looking for something unique, this might be a winner. I have been looking for a unique signature fragrance, and this blends well with my skin, and dries down super nice, milky and clean. Bought a full bottle after smelling my skin nonstop all day. I imagine it will be super versatile. It is great for fall or winter because its a gourmand with some light spice to it, but also for spring because of that green accord. If you paired this with something with coconut to bring out that note more (and maybe throw in a fruity note that pairs well with cream, like mango or strawberry), it would be great for summer too. I see most people voted this as a day-time fragrance, and I do think it would be good for day-time, but it gives such cozy vibes to me, so I was thinking night-time.

🍚🍵🌰Sunday is a very comforting nut & matcha scent. I get initial impressions of pure photorealistic pine nuts: nutty, buttery, savory, and slightly earthy. There is a distinct matcha smell that blends very smoothly into the starchy rice/nuts scent since they share a similar profile. It does not smell sweet, bitter, or synthetic at all, so I find it to be a scent I can fully take in. (I love this in a perfume!) The matcha in this perfume leans more into a mate rather than purely green. I can see how this perfume may not be for everyone; the food-like rice scent could make it difficult to wear. I see how it can smell a bit weird to some noses & skins (in an oatmilk or playdoughy way), but I did not get any of the sour notes that some people did. On my skin, Sunday is a beautiful, comforting, and creamy matcha horchata. I also found this perfume develops over time into a savory and somehow clean, nostalgic scent. It carries the comfort of freshly steamed rice and matcha and reminds me of childhood memories of playing in a grass field. (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)