Cucumber Melon

Oh, Cucumber Melon. They could never make me hate you! I met you in January 2009, and you still hold a special piece of my heart. It was January 2009, I was 8 years old, and I had wanted my mom to take me to the mall for a while. It was the last day of Christmas break before school started again. I had a bad case of the Sunday Scaries and so my mom finally obliged. In a childhood full of abuse with my mom as one of the perpetrators, this is a very nice memory for me. It was very kind of her, especially since we had just got done with Christmas and were still in the midst of a recession. Being a chubby little girl in the 2000s, I hated clothes shopping, but Bath & Body Works drew me in because fragrance was something feminine, girly, and fun that I didn't need to be a certain size or look a certain way to indulge in. I remember coming out of the store not with body mists, but with body washes. Cucumber Melon and Country Apple. Cucumber Melon is very sugary while still being very light. The sweetness present here is only very distantly related to the notorious, heavy gourmands of the 2010s and 2020s. I don't detect any of the bitterness other reviewers have mentioned. Cucumber Melon smells far sweeter than either of the fruits it gets its namesake from. Yet they're both present, most especially the melon. It's a very innocent, simple, and fleeting fragrance, in the same way that produce ripens and spoils quickly. Very well-suited for a little girl in need of cheering up! I was obsessed with Cucumber Melon, but after that body wash ran out I didn't get any more for several years. The mall was almost 30 minutes away, money was tight, and this was before online shopping was the accessible beast it is today. Not to mention that I spent my teenage years in tomboy mode (though I did get some Cucumber Melon lotion for Christmas from my mom in 2015). This past summer I noticed the body mist was on sale online for all of 3 dollars and so I bought it. It smells exactly like I remember...I will always love you, Cucumber Melon.

Just here for the nostalgia... I didn't care about nostalgia until this year. My best friend and I were reflecting on perfume mixes I would make for her. My aunt would bring me a nice fragrance when she would visit. My personal allowance was five bucks on Friday and not always borrowed back. I saved up for cucumber melon spray and rocked a good glittery peony and sweet pea from our local Dollar Tree. Those days had cloying Body Fantasy sprays and fresh no-namers with simple scents that filled the junior high school locker rooms with deliciousness. I moved on to Body Fantasy's Raspberry or something to the like (purple-still out there.) It smelled like alcohol and flowers. I focused on the flowers. I recieved both complements and insults for my scent selections: including Calgoons moon-light path. I smelt delcious to some, and like a grandpa to others. Ode to the Cucumber melon; everyone liked it! Always. I wished I had CKY back then... and had many fun things I tried before finding my "Signature fragrance" I love love by Moschino back when I was freshly heart broken in 2006.

This was the o.g. 1990's girl scent. I think every single girl I knew owned this one. This mixed with Aussie hairspray was a winning combo! I do think the formula has changed a little bit. I don't think it's quite as sweet or crisp as I remember, BUT overall this is still a young and fun bodyspray that is great for spring and summer. It has moderate sillage and does not last that long on skin. However, if you layer it with the shower gel and body lotion it lasts a bit longer.

Cucumber Melon will always be a love of mine. I've worn this fragrance for the last 20 years and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. This is perfect for anyone for any occasion. It works so beautifully in the heat and smells fantastic. There are no rules that you can't wear this in the winter either, it smells crisp and clean! Woman, man, non binary, child, can all wear this. It's fresh and aquatic and can never be too much or too cloying or strong.

I love this fragrance so much. It doesn't smell complex, it's really simple. Some people may relate its simplicity to cheapness, but honestly, I like it. It's not pretencious in the least. When I first smelled it, I thought it smelled like something from when I was really young in the early 2000's, even though I barely have memories from that time. I'd say it's slightly fresh and fruity. I don't agree with it being ozonic; it feels watery.