DKNY Golden Delicious

Ok, so, this is fantastic... I know we've all smelled this a million times, and, on the face of it, it's a generic fruity floral. Thousands of non-brand cheapos in discount stores, as well as designer and niche follow this scent profile. Fruit top note? Check. Floral base? Check. Sandalwood/woody, no vanilla dry-down? Check. But, this is THE best. And I don't say that lightly. There is a reason that this is the most expensive perfume in the world. That this is the juice chosen to represent DKNY at its best. The juice in the million dollar bottle that subsequently makes it the most expensive perfume that one could ever buy. If we forget the jewel encrusted bottle for a moment, and just take the perfume itself, it has been chosen to rival Jar's Bolt of lightning (which I have never smelled) or a Clive Christensen offering, and Chanel No. 5 in some elixir form or other. (to name a few off top of head). These are supposedly some of the best scents in the world; or the most expensive, at least. I know that 'expensive' doesn't mean 'better', but the fact remains that the above mentioned scents are arguably using the best base material, and the compositions are elevated to the level of pure artistry. It is no coincidence that Golden Delicious was deemed 'good enough' to hold its own against such heavyweights, to stand comfortably next to such stars of perfumery. And, for what it is - a fruity floral - it doesn't get better. I only bought it the other day, and have never tried it before, not even on a magazine strip. My 12 yr old daughter sniffed me and said, 'this is what you used to smell like, when I was little. Expensive.' I have never worn it before. My scents of choice (back when I was richer) was Coco Mademoiselle and 24 Faubourg. Both are arguably nothing like Golden Delicious, but they were pricier than most of them stuff in my rotation now. (For reference, I use a lot of Lancome flankers now, which is maybe a shade cheaper, but I would hardly call it 'cheap'.) The point is, my daughter thought I smelled, in her own words, 'crazy expensive'.... And, I get where she's coming from. Just because I've smelled this a million times, as have you guys, it doesn't mean that this is any 'lesser' for that. It's like putting Marilyn Monroe in a room full of a thousand copycats, some of them also beautiful, and some of them absolutely not, but none of them will ever be her. None will look as good as her. This is how I feel about this perfume. Absolutely best in class.

I specifically looked through Fragrantica threads for shampoo-like recommendations and that's how I came to this wonderful perfume. I have J'adore L'or 2023, a scent I do adore (lol), so I was extra excited to try Golden Delicious as it's supposedly similar to the original J'adore (which I have never smelled, so I cannot compare them.) I can say that it faintly echoes something about L'or and so I found it instantly charming. Golden Delicious is exactly what I hoped! Sweet, feminine, pretty, fruity and floral like a great quality shampoo. It has this loft and juiciness to it; an edge of the solar creaminess of white flowers, and yes, a note that is somewhat sharp. I would prefer it without the sharpness but the rest of the scent is so good that I can overlook it. It's the kind of powder-dusty sharpness in Chance eau Tendre but not as pronounced. There is something so satisfying in smelling like this! My mood is lighter and I feel good in my skin because I smell lovely. I am re-discovering the charm of the 'shampoo-like' category of fragrance and this is a love at first spray. I worried it would smell cheap and synthetic and give me a headache, but not at all. Also, happy to report there is no soap or detergent whatsoever. It's a well blended and good quality perfume. I wish I had bought the 100ml instead of the 50ml and I'm wondering if I should just get a 100ml backup bottle. That's how much I like this and I am super picky. As an example, I love Golden Delicious and I thoroughly dislike Kelly Caleche, a scent I thought I would love. If you appreciate this style of fragrance, you'll most likely really like it. If, however, you hate the 'shampoo' aesthetic, I would not recommend this for you.

I enjoy this scent, although for some reason it isn't as sharp as I remembered it. Maybe something about my body chemistry is different, or maybe it's because I've been systematically going through my collection to review each of my fragrances. And my main takeaway is that I got the apple scent, but I have other apple fragrances that do it better. (Specifically, I'm thinking about the green apple in Versace Dylan Blue.) Same with the white floral (Dior J'adore). And the vanilla (Burberry Brit). And the rose (Chanel Chance Eau Tendre). That said, this is still a lovely fragrance, especially for a low-key day at home. What DKNY Golden Delicious does well, and that I enjoy, is put a bit of a spin on some of my favorite scent combinations. I like citrus and rose because it makes the rose smell fresher. The citrus got replaced by orange blossom, for a similar but softer effect. The lily and white florals help the combinations along, but they're not as sharp as in other fragrances. And then in the dry down, we have the rose lingering while the sandalwood kicks in, with the musk and teak providing support. The overall effect is very clearly there for about seven hours on my skin, but it's very soft, gentle and clean. I'd say this is a good scent if you want to move away from pure fruity florals toward something musky/woody without the fragrance being too heavy. For now, it is a scent that I enjoy and will keep wearing, but there's just too many others in my list that does more interesting things for me to put it among my favorites. That said, it's not as fresh or zesty as a lot of those others, so I'm thinking it's worth looking at again as autumn progresses here in the Southern Hemisphere.

How do I describe Golden Delicious? Describing any perfume is difficult, but this one seems to be more difficult than most. I should disclaim that I first got this around a decade ago, and nostalgia is a very powerful thing, so that might be why I adore this so much... ... but I really don't think that's the reason. I truly think this is just an absolutely exquisite fragrance that marries together my favourite aspects of a perfume. As a child we had a plum tree in our garden, and the first bite of those juicy, better-than-the-supermarket plums is EXACTLY the note I'm getting on first spray. I've never smelled a note that's so natural, so like what it claims to be. Mix that with the brightness of the apple and orange blossom, and you've got one of the best first impressions of any perfume I've ever tried. After a couple of hours the white floral heart peeks out, but I can still detect that delicious plum; and the drydown is pure sandalwood and musk. As a sandalwood obsessive, this clinches the perfection of Golden Delicious for me, as well as adding a slightly masculine lean to a fragrance that up until then has been very feminine. It's absolutely perfect, and the price is insanely good. Some people say they've discontinued this, but I've still found it readily available, so maybe it depends on where you live. In any case, I'm going to need a couple of bottles in reserve in case they ever do discontinue it. (Although if they do, I will straight up riot. I am not joking.)

This is my favourite perfume ever. I am an avid fragrance collector, and this is the only perfume I own that I am always in the mood for no matter what. I try not to wear this one out of the house because I can't help but compulsively sniff myself the entire time which is really awkward. Everything about this fragrance is perfect. It's clearly a white floral right off the bat but the juiciness of the apple gives it a yummy quality without being gourmand, sugary or tropical in any way. I am partial to 'clean/daytime' fragrances, and this one fits the bill. I have heard it referred to as suitable for office wear, which makes sense because it's hard to imagine someone finding it offensive, and it has a sophistiated, lady-like quality to it. It smells rich, expensive, sweet, and happy. For the young, and the young at heart :-) I have 3 different DKNY Be Delicous flankers which I love, but this one takes the cake. It is DKNY Be Delicious + white florals, perfect combo for a lot of people who think that the green apple in the original can be a little sharp (including myself, which is why I stick to the flankers). Hands down my favourite perfume, to the point where it kind of freaks me out. I thought J'Adore by Dior couldn't be beat, but I was wrong!