Borabora

I’m always in search of the “perfect” tropical scent. Something sweet and coconut-ish, but not straight up coconut. Something with the essence of tropical fruits, but not overpowered by mango or pineapple. Something that actually smells like tropical flowers (example, ylang ylang or tiare), but not too camphoric or synthetically sweet. Something rich, but not another boring vanilla bomb! I’ve literally bought and/or sampled almost everything out there in this category! Soleil Blanc, coco coco, Drink coco, corpo caldi, miss marissa tropical, Iles Lointaines, virgin island water, cocobello, beach, bronze goddess, terracotta, lust for sun, intense Tiare, Oud Janue, lost in paradise, lust in paradise, cacao in the sun, cocci alla vaniglia, moonlight in heaven......... I could keep going, but you get the point! But THIS......this is not good, it’s great! It’s tropical, but not tropical in the way that 90% of tropical fragrances are. This isn’t the vanilla, coconut, synthetic Tiare bomb that most tropical fragrances try to make you believe the tropics smell like, this is what the tropics actually smell like!!!! This is the single most realistic Ylang Ylang I have ever had the pleasure of smelling in a fragrance. It’s not the camphoric ylang either, it’s the ylang flower that’s only a couple of hours from falling to the ground, the sweet creamy one that makes you want to keep smelling it forever! I live in SE Asia and I have a large Ylang bush in my backyard, and this fragrance has captured its scent! The coconut is more of a realistic fresh creamy coconut instead of the coconut oil suntan lotion smell. The tiare isn’t overpowering, but just strong enough to know what it is, and for it to linger in the nose a second or two post sniff. As it dries down the vanilla and caramel come through to lend a sweetness to the scent. Overall it’s a well crafted tropical scent at an okay price. It’s the best tropical I’ve smelled in years second to Oud Janue, which is my favorite. Oud Janue unfortunately comes with a price tag that I haven’t been able swallow yet. So if you’re looking for a different take on tropical, give this one a shot, it’s a real beauty!

This fragrance is beautiful! So much so, that I wish I had perhaps been less hasty in ordering Ylang Ylang Nosy Be. I am still happy with my choice, but this fragrance quite truthfully really surprised me! Perhaps one day I can have both in my collection but at the moment I really only need one tropical fragrance! This may be my next summer frag purchase, however... I love it that much!! Noting that Ylang Ylang Nosy Be and BoraBora are not really similar, they're just both tropical florals (I would consider them to be that, at least). Just noting that living in a high-desert land locked state, I don't know that I NEED two tropical fragrances like RIGHT THIS MOMENT. I am personally turned off by fragrances with a coconut note, to me that always gives me more body spray vibe. However, the coconut is very well done in BoraBora! Gosh, I can't stop sniffing, it smells so wonderful! Beautiful Ylang Ylang, extremely well blended! And the white florals are done to perfection. This is my first time sampling a fragrance from this brand and I am really impressed! I think the price point is great, for how beautiful the fragrance is! It is literally magical - it's tropical without being sunscreen-y (in my opinion, though I see it is to other.. please advise ASAP what sunscreen you're using!). I am someone who is immediately turned off by a sunscreen vibe, like will not even buy a body spray if it smells that way (looking at you, Rio Radiance)... I just don't get that here. If anything, I'm getting a photorealistic lieu... now that I've identified it, it's taking me back to my annual trip to Hawaii and wow I'm surprised by the accuracy! Truly, it is stunning! I would consider this a lighthearted, magical fragrance. Not juvenile at all, it's been masterfully crafted and I would say is lovely for any age! Well, any adult age, perhaps not for a teenager. Kind of like... an elevated take on a body spray? But not in a way to cheapen it, or lessen it, of course. I have a hard time seeing this on a man... to me this is a full-feminine fragrance. I am totally in love! Definitely full bottle worthy, IMO!

Yes, it smells like sunscreen and that's because sunscreen is often scented with tropical notes such as coconut and tiara flower. I don't get a chemical note, it's just the strange nuances that come from natural waxy flowers like tiara and frangipani. This is a very realistic example of those notes. The ylang ylang is quite noticeable but it's blended well so it doesn't jump out at me and create an 80's oriental scent. The tiara, coconut, vanilla, and ylang and jasmine are apparent and create this smooth, creamy tropical scent and I can close my eyes and place myself on a tropical beach somewhere with warm sand and white sunshine. It's a love. I don't notice an ammonia urine smell to this, it's just slightly indolic as many white florals can be. If you love lilies, tuberose, ylang ylang, and tiara, then you'll like this and not notice that note. If you don't like white florals, why are you even reading this! It's potent so I wouldn't overspray or you might choke yourself out. It's nice because if I want to keep it floral, then I do 2 sprays, and if I want more coconutty sweetness then I go for 4-5 sprays but no more than that. I do wish plumeria was in the composition because I love plumeria but I'm okay with the composition as it is, too. It is a bit on the sweet side so if you don't care for sweet things then you probably won't care for this. I would also classify it as a floral scent, so bare that in mind as well. I used to live by the beach and now I live in the desert so I will get plenty of wear from this. The average temperature in the winter here is 75 and 105 in the summer so this is my kind of gourmand! I would actually classify this as a tropical floral gourmand. I prefer this scent to Latte as Latte had a scratchy note for me and made me itchy. I still really like it, though. I was sent Celeste as a tester and that scent reminded me of Latte as well. So far, I'm really digging this house!

I tested the whole Giardini di Toscana line today and ended up purchasing Borabora. The initial spray gives you the tropical blast we have all smelled before: the yellow & white floral combo that is present in sunscreen/tropical fragrances like Soleil Blanc, Terracotta, Oud Jaune, Roja 51, etc. I cannot say that GdT created something never done before with Borabora. True, the notes of tiare, ylang ylang and jasmine together have been done tired already. But it's still a scent profile that I crave time and time again as beach weather rolls around. GdT does things a bit different that made me addicted to this scent once I got to appreciate it through its drydown stage. Once the florals tone down, your skin is left with a sheer scent of caramel, vanilla, creaminess from the coconut and a distant sweetness from apricot. The coconut is not prominent at all, though it gives the entire composition a smooth quality. The creamy dry down turns a tropical scent into a comforting almost-gourmand that displays the DNA in its pillar fragrance, Bianco Latte. This is not Bianco Latte, but the DNA of a sweet powdery vanilla runs through it the same way it runs through Celeste. If you're looking for a new take on a tropical scent and can get past the florals in the opening (about 2 hours), you will really enjoy the GdT take on an old beachy classic.

I LOVE this scent. It's a perfect blend of tropical florals with creamy coconut and musk. I am curious how an extra sprinkle of coconut would have performed with the current blend. I love coconut so I think it would have worked out well. Sure, it will shine in the summer, but I will wear this all year round. It has that flexibility that some other summer fragrances like, Lineage by Amouage, Ylang in gold by m. micallef, or L'imperatrice by D&G don't hold as much. I love all those summer fragrances as well. Some have compared this to an elevated sun screen scent, perhaps lounging on a yacht, but it is so much more than that. I imagine a clean, ocean-loving person, introverted but with the right people extroverted, who can be fun, warmth, lover of nature and all things healthy, but doesn't hold back to indulgences. It's beautiful. It reminds me of the perfume Kai but creamier, and IMO better. This is strong and performs well. I love it so much! I wish I had a bubble of this scent surrounding me without giving others, and perhaps myself a headache, haha. I enjoy this more than bianco latte. Some have compared the two, but I don't think they smell similar at all. Maybe second cousins, if that. Bianco latte is sweeter, maybe even at times, too sweet (sticky sweet, if that makes sense). 9.5/10 for borabora. My new favourite.