You

It's strange, but I do not get any coffee with this one. Strong bergamott, then the cardamon, some citrus, cedar and maybe a 1% of violet. Very strange, since the coffee note has been voted to be so prominent. Maybe I'm insensitive to coffee, since I drink it so frequently..? I have a problem with coffee note scents in general, they often smell like instant coffee to me which is such a turn off. Fresh coffee beans are so marvellous to smell and I've never experienced a good interpretation/execution of it. Oh, well. It's probably a good thing I don't get any coffee here, then. Haha. I see that many people consider this to be a cold weather scent, winter/fall. I don't know, to me it's perfectly acceptable as a summer scent, it's July right now and 32 degrees C here. This perfume works really well for me right now, probably will be very good in the evening when the weather cools down a bit. I am not too much into fresh scents, but this has the citrus and bergamott without being too fresh. It's spicy but not heavy. That works for me in the summer. I have been wearing Chanel Cristalle EDP before in the summer and there is something slightly reminiscent here, it's probably the mandarin. Where Cristalle was overpoweringly mossy and earthy (with a weird combo of melon), this is light and less serious. It's hard to be offended by You. This isn't a gourmand to me. Not a "bomb" in any way, just a simple, enjoyable scent for a day/evening of taking it easy. I can see myself wearing this a lot from now on.

Desigual You was created by Olivier Cresp (Angel, Light Blue, Midnight Poison) in 2015. It is a cosy and creamy floral gourmand with a pronounced coffee note and a bit of animalic musk. In this way it reminds me of Cacharel Noa by the same perfumer, as well as the more recent Angel Muse. It is a complex and nuanced fragrance but it doesn't “wear the wearer” or jar with the natural human body scent. I love how Desigual give you a proper pyramid with many different notes, at a time of ever-shortening note lists and patronising “who is it for” slogans. It took me some time to understand You after I took to wearing it as an easy weekend fragrance but then discovered its pensive and enigmatic personality. Although I love to wear different perfumes You has become “mine” and I come back to it a lot. Fragrantica has a lovely article on this one by Miguel Matos, I couldn’t agree more with his in-depth review.

vanilla with herbs, almost lavender like; benzoin, tonka, bergamot, cardamon; no lovely tart rhubarb or grapefruit, no powdery violet, no florals. It really is a tonka/benzoin fragrance but not rich or boozy or marshmallowy or resinous with some bergamot to freshen it and some herbal quality. Think earl grey tea mixed with vanilla and benzoin.

TOP NOTES: - Rhubarb - Grapefruit - Violet - Bergamot - Mandarin Orange MIDDLE NOTES: - Benzoin - Sandalwood - Orange Blossom - Musk - Tonka Bean BASE NOTES: - Hedione - Praline - Jasmine - Coffe - Cardamom

Amazing coffee note in the opening! The drydown is quite sweet - pity it's not an edp, after a few hours it becomes almost a skin scent but I guess I'm gonna buy it anyway for that coffee note!