So Hooked on Carmella

Dear So Hooked on Carmella fans, I, too, hold a candle in my heart for this perfume! I remember purchasing it 10 years ago, in a Duty Free at the airport in Atlanta. It smelled so good, perfectly balanced and lasted all day. One of Benefit's best, I still remember exactly how it smelled! I liked to layer it on top of the Flowerbomb lotion and together they created the most soothing little scent bubble. I still have my bottle for collector's item purposes but the juice is long gone. However, there may be hope yet! I have never smelled anything remotely close to So Hooked on Carmella since it's release UNTIL last week. I went to Claire's looking for fashion glasses and stumbled upon their new fragrance collection. I was so surprised, never have I seen "sophisticated" perfumes in a Claire's store. I went through and sampled all 5 frags and "Latte a la Caramel" immediately struck me! There's a definite echo of SHOC within the DNA in this frag. Lasting power is so-so but for $20 bucks and the chance to reinvoke even a sliver of SHOC- it's worth it! There aren't any entries for the new Claire's fragrances on Fragrantica but I'm hoping that that will change soon and open up more discussion about them. But I'd be remiss if I didn't share the good news of "Latte a la Caramel" here with you all now. Of course I purchased "Latte a la Caramel" and also " Lait de la Fraise". Both smell amazing! Happy smelling!

Carmella, sweetie you smell just lovely! This is the second perfume from Benefit with which i have fallen in love (the first being Gina). Sweet vanilla and amber...such an intense amber though , it's presence is sublime and mixed expertly with the perfect amount of vanilla making this perfume sweet but not too sweet, oriental but not heavy in that direction. The beginning is very light citrusy and a hint of florals can be felt just lightly, but oh man the amber, oh so caramelly and charming - i know other ppl feel the vanilla is the dominant note here,but on my skin it's the amber - fortunately! Love it, projection nice, silage ok - nothing that's gonna blow your mind, duration... well this is where I fault these juicy concoctions from Benefit : they need to last a little bit longer,i mean i'm not complaining, for their price range it's actually ok : now i'm going on 4 hrs, and knowing the other fragrances from Benefit, by the 5th hour it'll be almost gone....if it would last 6 - 7 hrs it would be perfect. But all in all lovely fragrance. Later edit : The name is soo spot on : "hooked" on carmella yes I am ! It's my new perfume obsession! And about the beginning on me it smells like peach/pear ice-cream, then comes the vanilla-amber mixture.So ... unique? Yes it is unique, and delicate and addictive!

This is a lovely fragrance with lots of sensual appeal. Many people think that caramel should be in the fragrance pyramid, but I think this is just because of the name. In actuality, this fragrance dances around caramel, hinting at it, giving the impression of it, but never explicitly broadcasting this note. At first spray, it is very sweet and vanilla. It comes out a bit heavy and single-note-ish but the dry-down sets in quickly and very soon this density is lightened by the citruses and florals, deepening the complexity. it feels luxurious and indulgent, like wrapping oneself up in cashmere. A must-have staple for fans of sweet, sexy, amber scents.

How odd to open sweet warm caramel with a sour lemon!? In spite of that I find myself craving the dissonant notes. Like a strange piece candy that once the first tart lemony coating has dissolved you are left with a delicious grainy melting vanilla center. In the end I'm really delighted by this. A soft dusty caramel with a just hint of lemony sourness lingering. It has a light but pleasant projection. A very subtle and dreamy gourmand, with an understated elegance. Smells wonderful on the cuff of my sweater. I find it uniquely delicious. The tiare really blossoms in the heat with this one. Longevity is good on skin, great on clothes.

Seeing the notes, I am rather confused. And an oriental floral? I would never have guessed. Either way, what this fragrance is is extremely yummy! I get the most amazing sweet milk and caramel, with vanilla musk undertones. Definitely gourmand, but not overly sweet. This is a comfort scent for sure, warm and cosy and softly sweet. It's certainly not a dressy fragrance, nor is it very perfumey. This is for being at home and snuggling with your boyfriend, wrapped up with a book on a rainy day or for putting small children to sleep. Inviting, reassuring and delicious, this is my favourite gourmand scent.

This is a VERY sweet scent, but I adore it. On me it starts with a pina colada / tiare mix (I think the rhubarb + grapefruit smells like pineapple). Soon a thick, luscious caramel emerges - I often find "caramel" notes in perfumes don't smell like actual caramel or don't smell edible - this one definitely smells like some kind of caramel, pineapple upsidedown cake with a little rum. Strong sillage. Men seem to love it. Compliment getter for sure. I usually wear it as a "sexy" gourmand for nights out in the summer. Can be cloying if overdone.

never have i ever come across a perfume like this. i have looked high and low but nothing has replicated this smell. how i pine to wear this and smell it again. why they ever discontinued this is beyond me. it was warm caramelly deliciousness. this had the best staying power of any perfume ive ever bought and the price tag wasnt even expensive. everyone could smell this on me and i used to get so many compliments on it from random strangers. i miss it. i dont want something similar i want to wear something near identical.

This was my first perfume purchase ever and I was in 10th grade at the time, little did I know that reaching for this was where my gourmand-loving nose would first fall for a fragrance. It’s incredibly sweet and yummy. It simply smells like a warm, Carmel and vanilla dessert, or warm and sweet pastries in a bakery. I still have juice left in the bottle because I was very stingy when it came to using it as it was expensive for my 10th grade wallet and I wanted to save it. The projection was never that great though.

So Hooked on Carmella is one of my favorite perfumes hands down. It's very distinct from other scents and it really stands out on the skin. I always receive compliments when I wear this fragrance, and it has amazing lasting power. I spray it on before I go out at night, and literally the next morning my skin and clothes still smell the same as if I have just applied it. It lingers on your skin and in the air with a pleasantness that you will always remember.

this is my signature. I have a lot of perfumes but none of the others I own make me take a step back and go 'wow' when I take the lid off and smell it. This Is like vanilla ice cream, drizzled in hot caramel sauce and then sprinkled with desiccated coconut. I cannot give this creamy creation enough praise better than pudding better than orgasms better than actually eating vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and coconut sprinkles better than everything!

This reminds me so much of bath and body works brown sugar & fig with the addition of a sweet lemon top note, a gourmand lemon. The dry down of both is so similar, centered around caramel and vanilla. The other notes look different but something about the composition of each makes them so similar. I love them both but love so hooked on carmella more really just for the fact it lasts longer than bbw. i could do without the lemon top note.

This is a beast caramel/sandalwood scent. I put this on before bed on cold winter nights and get 24 hours out of it. Very cozy and comforting, starting out gourmand and eventually turning woody. I see it is around $175 on Etsy for a used bottle. I purchased mine for $20 at Shoppers Drug Mart a few years ago, and it is definitely a keeper. I also have the Gina and Eva scents - all of them are beast mode. Benefit, we need more scents!

i love this one. it is so vanilla-caramel-like. very very nice. i think it is the best of the "name" collection from benefit. sprayed on clothes it lasts all day long. put only use three sprays (one on the hair two on the clothes) as it is very strong otherwise you might appear as a super sweet cloud that people can smell one mile away;). i know it contains citrus-notes, but i cannot smell them -.-.

Weirdly, this smells somewhat like a Pina Colada to me, despites not having pineapple or coconut as an official note. It's delicious and I got many compliments when I wore this. Warm but fresh, vanillic and beautiful. Addition from 05/04/18: If you loved this discontinued gem, try Dolce Garden by Dolce & Gabbana. It's not the same, but it has a similar vibe, at least to me.

I miss this precious gem so much!!! Why Benefit don’t produce any perfume anymore? Too bad, it seemed to sell very well though... I have memories with this perfume when I was in art-school and i remember Carmella made me smile in the winter with its juicy fruits and its piña colada vibe! Benefit, please! Give us back your joyful, playful, youth and crazy scents!✨ 🙏✨

I'm so glad I still have this in my collection since it's been discontinued. I'm almost afraid to wear it because I don't ever want to run out. This is what a caramel gourmond scent should smell like! It is absolutely just right! If Benefit ever decides to start producing this again, I will make sure to purchase several bottles - it is that good.

Very strong but thats what i like! Reminds me of Cream Soda. Only comes in a small bottle and is quite pricey but you don't need to spray too much as its quite heavy. I always have an extra spritz if i have my winter coat on and when i go to put it back on it still smells strong :) Unusual scent that is perfect for cold evenings to warm you up.

This is most definitely very sweet and creamy - quite like caramel. The thick sweetness of the vanilla and amber are dominant, but I also pick up on a slight spicy/woody oriental quality in the drydown. I really don't get anything floral or citrusy from this, as the notes would suggest. So far my favorite of the Crescent Row series by Benefit.

I went back to Ulta to get Sofia, but I fell in love with Carmella instead. It is indeed vanilla buttery sweet, but there's something else there that's green and lush and primitive. That sealed the deal for me. I can't find any citrus or fruit. Carmella is vanilla buttery, with a garnish of tiare, and the soul of a gorgeous tropical jungle.

very edible scent.. Vanialla caramel, with almost a praline and coconut.. I get the tiare flower but thankfully I dont get any citrus, no lemon or grapefruit (yuk, hate grapefruit!) but I have only been wearing for an hour so far.. avg/low sillage on me. -- at 3 hrs I can still smell if i touch my nose to my wrist..