Carioca Heart

I came across Jusbox fragrances around two years ago. I saw a cute pink bottle (Sirens & Sailors) and added it to my ‘check out’ list and forgot all about it. Queue last summer, and I found my self in San Marino, and literally stumbled across the cutest little niche boutique I have ever set foot in. I was smelling my way through and didn’t really have any idea as to what I wanted since this visit was entirely unplanned. I got great help in the store, and there I was, in a cold cellar alone, just me and the sales clerk, and he shows me the Jusbox fragrances. I ended up not liking ‘Sirens & Sailors’, but I loved ‘Carioca Heart’ and it ended up coming home with me. I digress, I am here to review, and review I will. ‘Carioca Heart’ is fresh, it is sweet, and it is almost like a tropical heaven on earth. The fruitiness of mango and pineapple could make it a tad juvenile, but fortunately it stays away from that and it only feels playful and feminine. In the drydown the vanilla emerges, slowly but surely. It keeps the scent creamy, even though it still has that fresh and juicy aspect to it. And that it how it stays throughout the entire wear, and I am so impressed by the wear. This being a tropical sweet summer fragrance, I had low expectations to the longevity. And since I almost only wear this is real heat (30 degrees Celsius and above (that is a lot for a Scandinavian girl)) I was also really surprised by how long it lasted on my sweaty and warm skin. The heat almost makes this one power on, and I get better sillage and longevity in the heat! I also have to comment on the execution of both bottles, and stories from this brand. The fact that every perfume is based on some musical genre or artist. The fact that every fragrance has its own playlist. And the love and care for the bottles, and the caps being vinyl’s and having the same weight as a real vinyl (I may remember that wrong, but there is thought put into that as well). Plus points for being the best atomizer I have ever had!

I recently purchased several new fragrances and Carioca Heart was one of them. I was looking for new scents for Spring/Summer since where I live is about to be very warm. Average temps right now are 75-80. I heard Demi Rawlings stating this was one of the truest mango scents and I love mango so I was on board with this one. I get it in the mail, open it, and it wasn't what I was expecting at all! I still love it, but I was picturing a more fruity, tropical scent and what I get is a fruity gourmand scent that is appropriate for year round wear. This is actually something I would easily wear in the winter where I live; however, I can also totally pull it off in every other season. The main note that I get from it is RUM! The rum and vanilla work together to create a caramel like gourmand sweetness. There's a brightness from the top with the lemon note that creates a sparkly dynamic quality with the caramel rum note. The fruits sit just behind the rum-nilla in potency and it's actually hard for me to distinguish between the mango and pineapple, but I think the mango wins. I notice the peony note which creates this girly, freshness and there's a definite lift to the fragrance with the ambroxan used. On the dry down, there's a subtle smoothness with the sandalwood giving it some depth-the labdanum and sandalwood help to ground the fragrance, give it that depth, and the added layers that tropical scents desperately need to keep them from going into cheap body spray territory. It's a love for me. I'm not sure it's super niche but I like it and it's good. This is a safe blind buy AS LONG as you like/don't mind liquor notes in your scents because the rum is probably stronger than the cognac in Angels Share. If you don't, try before you buy. The dry down is pure gourmand rum-nilla sweetness with a little mango in the background. It's sweet, it's sexy, it's delicious and this would definitely make a good date night scent because I can imagine a partner loving this on their girl.

Yeah, I'm the asshole here for doubting this fragrance. This smells incredible. As a lover of tropical fruits/scents and an certified career HATER of coconut in perfumery, this was my white whale. Coconut is my nemesis. Unless it's a supporting actor in a long line of other notes, the instant a coconut note stages a mutiny within a fragrance, I'm done. Especially in tropical/beachy/'white girl summer' scents that lean sunscreen-y, and the inevitable coconut mixed with some god awful tiare-jasmine nightmare is always at the scene of the crime. And you know what? On top of it all, I hate summer. I hate most summery fragrances. I never yearn for the heat. I'm like the Grinch but instead of Christmas, it's August. Worst month ever invented. I searched forever in the designer sphere, in niche frags, and all, for something tropical with no coconut war crimes. I choked on so many sunscreeny white floral abominations it was driving me insane. I'd heard of Carioca Heart and, stupid stupid me, wrote it off as "probably sunscreeny with how everyone rants and raves about it being the best summer scent ever, blah blah." Well, well well, color me dumbfuck when I looked at the notes list after spraying it and saw THERE'S NO COCONUT. I'll take that L with pride any day because this smells so good. Good on paper, incredible on skin. The actual scent on my skin took me by surprise at first since it morphs on skin really nicely. I'm not really getting a ton of the rum, on my skin the ambroxan and sandalwood come out pretty quickly. But it's SO nice. The labdanum/sandalwood 1-2 punch keeps it super woody in the base, and somehow the tropical top notes linger for way longer than they should in the drydown. The performance on this is super impressive, too. I get strong whiffs hours later just sitting around. Maybe summer isn't that bad after all (let's see if I'm saying that in 6 months)

The last two summers, Carioca Heart was THE SCENT on social media when the influencers were talking about mango perfumes. Other names were dropped in the conversation but this was the favourite for most. After trying it from my 1.5 ml sample, I can see the hype behind but I don’t think it worth the price for me personally. As everyone mentioned it is a smooth blend of creamy mango, juicy pineapple, sweet vanilla, rich rum, soft sandalwood and resins. Smells great I am not going to deny it, but it reminds me slightly of Cruz del Sur 2 by Xerjoff and I have that already in my collection. Jusbox is an expensive brand that never goes on sale and has weird bottles for their perfumes, with that vinyl disc on top of the bottle, which, again, personal preference, it’s not my thing. And their full size bottles are 78 ml instead of 100 ml, like most of the brands do, which bothers me again for some reason... While the scent itself is a delicious tropical fruity gourmand with boozy, floral touches on a vanilla/sandalwood base, taking in consideration all the other aspects mentioned above, I am not entirely sold on Carioca Heart. I am testing it now to see how it performs because performance it’s important to me. For the moment, I will pass on this and revisit my sample next summer, see how I feel then. Might grow on me and become totally obsessed with Carioca Heart like it happened in the past with other perfumes! For me, this is a summer time type of scent, something that I would wear paired with a linen sun dress and sandals on, and now it’s winter in full swing in Europe. I’d just add that this is a 100% feminine scent.

It's bold and brash and juicy and sweet and fun and soulful all at once. This is the kind of tropical scent that packs a punch: this is not trying to be subtle and I love it for it. It opens with juicy mango. I would challenge you not to smile at this point - it's just so fun and popping! The tropical aspects remain right the way through Carioca Heart's wear, but they soften and become a bit creamier. I can see the comparisons to some extent with the likes of Erba Pura but for me that's more about the juiciness of the fruit rather than the dry-down. And I can't tolerate Erba Pura-alikes' DNA - I feel like Carioca Heart's fruits are more realistic and visceral: almost photorealistic at the start. It has something in common with the likes of Pulp by Byredo in the way that it's almost impossibly juicy and you think: How?! So good. The dry-down is where I would say this may be an acquired taste. However, people's appetite for amber-wood bases seems to still be strong, so you may love it for this. The base does have that ambroxan-style heaviness - big, bold, enduring molecules. I'm picky about this scent profile but I think here it is nicely done, perfectly taking Carioca Heart from the beach to the Copacabana bar. A wild, fun time. HOT! This is high on my wish-list (I wish Jusbox did smaller bottles!). IG:ScentAWeek

Love at FIRST SNIFF!! I first discovered Jusbox almost two years ago with Sirens & Sailors and that fragrance had to grow on me because the rum was sooo strong but I did end up loving it. When I saw this release also had rum I was a little worried it would be as potent as it was in the other perfume but then I saw all the love and hype that continued growing and how it constantly went out of stock within a day or two of being restocked so I put it on my wishlist then for my birthday I ordered 3 scents from my wishlist and my oh my was I not ready.. this is better blended and I hate to say it but it’s a superior scent profile to sirens & sailors.. I didn’t think Jusbox was capable of this magic but holy cow it’s a delicious miracle!! It’s so so sooooo good! This is my scent of summer and possibly beyond because I’m addicted. The mango lemon blend is something I never knew I needed or would salivate over but it’s like a platter of fresh mangos and pineapples drizzled in fresh lemon juice and then a rum drizzle over top of that. It’s good good! It’s that type of love where you purchase a second bottle the moment your juice reaches the halfway point

I can’t wait to wear this when it warms up because it’s divine in winter. On a wild windy day where I’m home with a virus I can and am enjoying an evening with this beauty. The texture is thick and juicy. The colours are those of a sunset - golden yellow, peach, pink and burnished with some tangerine accents. It’s fruity for sure. I’m getting a perfectly ripe juicy mango where you can smell the bite of the skin as you eat it off the skin. Complete with that slight bitterness a real mango has. There also feels like other stone fruits, white peaches and nectarines. I’m not getting any pineapple in these lower temps, but that might change with the seasons. A wispy leathery almost tobacco note like in Sunshine Woman appears and a musky touch of salty skin. This is divine. I need a bigger decant and a bottle. I don’t perceive any rum. Will try again later in the year and update if there are any changes. ❤️

This is the best rum I have ever smelled! OMG! And this is unisex! FEM leaning though if you are a man who likes to smell like heavy patchouli and oud! The very sweet opening doesn’t last but the rum- is smooth, intoxicating, top shelf quality. This is great on me but when I close my eyes all I can see is a firm, well built dark skinned chest glistening while this whiffs off his chest as a gentle breeze teases me- inviting me to come closer. This is def 3 season wear. Add a 4th by laying down a base of just about anything: wood, amber, tobacco leaves , tonka or a syrupy vanilla to wear this in the cold. I’m going to add chocolate. I’m so glad I have this now. Again, the rum is EVERYTHING! I would love a drink of this! Or to lick this off skin. 😜

This is really good. If you want to start a curated collection, I highly suggest this as one of your summer fragrance...it'll be a simple easy summer day or night reach. Not too challenging at all but very pretty. Layer this with D&G Pineapple and you won't be disappointed! Best layering combo EVER. D&G Pineapple is also a must imo for a summer collection and it layers nicely with almost all my other summer frags. But this is a good frag. I mostly get even amounts of mango and pineapple, hint of rum on a bed of sandalwood and I pick a just a small trace of vanilla in the background adding a grounded sweetness to this fragrance. 8/10.

Oh this is gonna be a nice grabber for the summer. I agree with sindely this does just elevate my mood. This is kind of what i was hoping cruz del sur II would be. That one is nice too but there can be an offputting note at times. This is just a creamy teopical dream of a scent. Sometimes a scent makes me think of a song and i know Jusbox bases their fragrances off music. Im not entirely familiar with what the music is supposed to be but, what it made me hear when i sprayed it on the first time was that tequila song. Dun nuh da nuh nana na duh..... TEQUILA! That one lol

I looooove this. It’s fruity and sweet and a little floral, very tropical. I think it might be able to be called a gourmand? Is this a gourmand? It makes me want to lick myself. Am I starting to like gourmands? It’s not complex. This fragrance does not have an advanced degree. But it will take you out dancing all night and mercilessly flirt with you while ordering drinks for you. If anyone can recommend a slightly more grown-up version of this fragrance, I’m all ears, but I’m also unsure if I’m really more interested in Carioca Heart’s big sister than her herself.

I got a 3ml decant of this baby and at first I wasn’t too impressed. I thought “is this all?” This fragrance is vvvery hyped and hyped fragrances can usually be a little underwhelming but the more I sniff it the more I love it. I love that it’s not overly thick, sweet or cloying and that is a nice change for me in my collection. This one has a lot of ambroxan so you have to like that to like this one I think but it’s paired so well with the fruits, rum and sandalwood. Such a nice and easy reach perfume and I would get a full bottle if it wasn’t for the price hehe.

Got this to compare with my Tagomago sample I bought and I have to say they’re almost identical. In terms of the scent it smells pretty good but there’s something in it (and in tagomago) that’s off putting slightly to me and I can’t figure out what. It’s a sharp tinge in it that reminds me of the florals in instant crush that ruined the fragrance for me. But the dry down is amazing. If it were that throughout the entire fragrance this to me would be full bottle worth but for now I’ll wait and see if it grows on me.

I received this sample as part of a sample pack from The Perfume Guy. I already own 2 glorious perfumes from this house, and now I will own Carioca Heart as well. This is one of the most beautiful tropical, mango scents that I have ever smelled in this category. I knew immediately after just 2 sprays that this would be mine. I can see where others have compared this to God Of Fire; and they have a few distinct similarities, but GOF has a small amount of metallic undertone, where this gem is mango and pineapple.

I guess I’m a little out of the loop because I had never heard of this fragrance before. If it is hyped up I understand, it smells good and lasts for a long time! Smells like a nice fruity rum drink, I get a lot of the rum and vanilla on me but it mixes with the mango and pineapple well without smelling like “spilled alcoholic beverage”. I put two sprays, one on each arm, before I went out the door this morning and I can still smell it (8 hours later). Good stuff! I’m curious to look into this brand more

Before I get into the smell, I love the bottle design so much!! The color and the vinyl cap is really nice. Opens up with an amazing mango and pineapple, I think mango is more dominant. I love how this fragrance is not a sugar bomb, but rather creamy and enjoyable. Heavy on the tropical cocktail vibes. Longevity is really good, I believe this is rather a feminine scent but as a guy I would not mind wearing it. Would be an amazing choice for the summer. Love it.

This is fruity, sweet and woody - not super obvious but enough for you to catch whiffs of yourself and remember smugly that you smell excellent. It’s tropical but I find the lower notes can feel a bit muddy and stuffy if I overspray. However, it’s fun, fruity and syrupy. Performance is decent - I wasn’t expecting much and it surprised me. Maybe not a blind buy considering the price but I’d really consider a full bottle after finishing my wee tester.

Fruity, Fun, Flirty! Carioca is a juicy tropical dream. I live in a hot climate and I love to wear fruity scents. The projection and longevity are great but there is still light & fresh element to this scent that makes it more appealing than some of my other tropical fruity scents. Spraying it on is an instant mood booster. It makes me want to bounce around town in a sundress and sandals leaving a scent of creamy mango training behind.

This has a very similar DNA to hibiscus mahajad, definitely a more light version of that, missing some of the depth that comes from the leather and the other notes in hibiscus mahajad. I love that DNA so this is a LOVE for me, might be redundant to have both in your collection though. Longevity: 8/10 HM performs better but this easily lasts 15+ hrs on skin Silage: 7/10 strong in the first few hours and then becomes more moderate

This is a beautiful creamy rich fragrance. It reminded me a little of Sol de janairo but with better ingredients. It’s a delight at first sniff. It’s a lovely long lasting gourmand aimed at a younger demographic. Excellent longevity and mid projection. Mango, vanilla, rum and soft milky sandalwood are the takeaway notes on me. Enjoyable. I cannot justify the cost of a full bottle but a very appealing fragrance.