Gateau de Carnavale

Kyse Perfumes’ 2018 release, Gateau de Carnavale is a scent with official notes of funnel cake, vanilla latte , toasted brown sugar, and apricot, though I don’t get apricot specifically (which is fortunate, as I’m usually not a fan) but rather a general faint fruitiness far in the background. As with many of perfumer/owner Terri Bozzo’s creations, GDC is a nod to big gourmand fans like myself that don’t mind—rather, prefer—smelling like dessert. It’s bready sweet and simply delectable, with the vanilla latte being a subtle acknowledgment of the vanilla with perhaps the tiniest bit of coffee in the background , along with some vague hint of fruit. It’s primary sweet sugary bread, though. As far as uniqueness, it’s a nice departure from some of the other creations, perhaps only somewhat close to Fichi e Panna in terms of the breadiness, but I like that GDC is dominated by the sweet bread, rather than vanilla. Performance-wise, it does very well on my skin, a few small 3ml sample sprays creating a nice cloud for some hours. As with most of the Kyse line, the pricing for Gateau de Carnavale is fantastic, $80 / $54 / $34 / $23 for 100ml / 60ml / 30ml / 15ml, respectively. As always, I recommend checking out the Kyse website and ordering some very reasonably-priced samples, particularly if you dig gourmands. A very nice creation that’s now on the list. 8 out of 10

An instant love! (Literally, I applied from the sample vial, sniffed my wrist, and "oh yum!" came out of my mouth without even consiously realizing I was saying it out loud. My 7 year old came running wondering what he was missing out on.) Now I am a big fan of pretty literal, straightforward, gourmand scents, but I also don't like them too cloyingly sweet. Homemade baked goods, yes. Syrupy soft drinks and store bought frosting, no. This one is the perfect sweet level. Incredibly cozy and warm, with a really wonderful toasted grain quality, I am obsessed with grain notes! It actually reminds me a bit of Armani Sensi with that toasty grain note mixed with a warm-sweet vanilla with just a touch of a light fruit to brighten the top notes (I do get the apricot, but only right at first. It fades away completely within 30 minutes). Not a smell alike per se, but a close cousin. I will absolutely be upgrading my sample to a bottle!

This is my SOTD. It smells similar to elephant ears from the carnival, but when the sweetness seems that it may come on strong, it just stops. Perfect! This is truly unisex, and great for Miami because it isn't overbearing, overly sweet or a monster projector. If you live in a warmer climate, don't be afraid to try this one out. Kyse Perfumes also offers 1ml and 3ml sample for peanuts. One of the houses I tell gourmand lovers to check out. All of the fragrances by Kyse seem to be of extremely high quality. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ BTW, the fragrance smells a lot more special than elephant ears, but this is the best way I could describe it.

My favorite Kyse fragrance. The runner-ups are Fumee Vanille and Delizia di Marshmallow. Carnavale is so amazing. It’s delicious. It’s chewy yet not sickeningly sweet. Strong yet airy. This will permanently be in my collection and if it ever gets discontinued, I will stock up. Best part about Terri’s fragrances are the sillage and longevity. How does one single person make higher quality fragrances than designer brands that have money at their disposal?! Crazy.. But I’m glad for it. Get yourself a sample set if you’re new to Kyse!

Let me tell you this, one of my all time favorite treats is funnel fries dipped in strawberry sauce, so obviously I had to sample it right away. I'm just blown away by the realistic scent of a funnel cake with a little fruitiness in the back, I love this! It sits close to my skin but I put this on after a shower with lots of moisturizer and the scent really shines! So I think this in a summer night is going to be heavenly because combined with your body heat is going to bomb!

this is yummy! i always get a little disappointed when kyse scents don’t have the in-your-face projection that douceur brulee has (i’m a silage queen), so i do wish this projected a little more, but it’s still great. i mostly get a dense, oily bread note, butter, and brown sugar. would be perfect for layering to make the funnel cake note in an indie carnival-scented oil (of which there are many) stronger.

There must be differences between batches because this was definitely not a weak projector at all. I didn't get any weird oily smell. This smells incredible with a strong-moderate projection, maybe more. Super confused smelling this and reading the reviews. Does anyone else know if there are stark differences between different batches??

First impressions: (dabber) Dare I say that I like this more than delizia de la marshmallow? This is the type of perfume that I wanted Vanille Abricot Comptoir Sud Pacifique to be. Unfortunately, for that one the papaya or jack fruit note smelled like throw up on my skin chemistry. This however is smell better imo.

I smell carnival treats, fried waffle cone, warm cupcake a tiny bit of the apricot. You are gonna strait up smell like a bakery. I love these kind of gourmand scents. It’s not overbearing, just warm and comforting. With the dry down, I get the vanilla and apricot, which bumps it up to more of a candy scent.

This smells like a carnival. You get sweet, candied apple notes (I know it says apricot but it smells like apple to me). Fried dough. All of Kyse evokes a specific, delicious memory for me. This is one of my favorites.

In the opening it smelled a little too oily/doughy for my tastes, but this drydown is gorgeous. Sweet funnel cake and apricot. Mmm.

So photorealistic! Smells like sweet breading and has that fried toastiness that a funnel cake has. Super nostalgic.

I'm a huge fan of Kyse and her chocolatey graham cracker Oui Plus has been my signature for years. I also had Douceur Brulee before, a very buttery burnt caramel. I've been eager to try this one. Gateau de Carnevale is best described as the scent of melted butter with the thick powdery texture of a graham cracker. Quite foody and literal, with no excessive sweetness and instead putting the focus on the bready aspect. Don't mistake bready for dry or coarsely powdery, like Jeux de Peau by Serge Lutens. It's still oily from the unmistakeable melted butter, a bit popcorn-y, and it's bready in the thick, graham cracker-y regard. This immediately brought to mind Salt Caramel of Shay & Blue, with it's thick, powdery biscuit texture and melted butter over popcorn impression. They are definitely sisters. The difference is that Kyse never goes over the top, whereas Salt Caramel makes me nauseous within a couple of wears, when the butter becomes too fatty and the thickness becomes stuffy. Kyse did a much more wearable, while still being realistic, take on this. An indie sister to both of them would be County Fair by Alkemia, a öerfume I have loved for several years. Its notes make sense with the popcorn and thick toffee scent.

Another realistic gourmand from Kyse. This one smells like walking by a baked goods stall on a fair, so the name Gateau de Carnavale is very fitting. Extremely sweet. It actually reminds me of a deep-fried dough treat, maybe a donut, but with whipped cream, powdered sugar and sprinkles on it. Or just dipped in pure sugar syrup. Really hard to pinpoint what exactly this smells like, but it's delicious despite being a little sticky. The apricot adds a lactonic fruity note that lifts the fragrance, and there is also something almost minty in the opening. So it's not too heavily doughy overall. I still find it too literal to wear for me personally, maybe I would enjoy it more as a body care product. But it is yummy and I could also imagine that it would be good for layering with fresher or darker fragrances, because it's a relatively simple scent.

Not as sweet as I expected, but I’m not mad about it! On me, it’s kind of light and milky and reminds me a bit of Philosophy Fresh Cream with some added brown sugar. I wouldn’t necessarily say I smell “cupcake,” it’s more of a light breadyness, and I definitely don’t get any apricot. The milkyness and brown sugar do fade within 30 minutes and I’m left with a very light and hardly sweet bready scent. Sadly this is one of the more faint fragrances I’ve tried from Kyse and it only lasts about 4 hours on me. In terms of perfumes listed as similar— ❌ Billie’s Eilish: a light, grassy vanilla ❌ Montale Chocolate Greedy: a deep chocolate scent ❌ Pierre Guillaume Musc Maori: a very sour chocolate scent ❌ SDJ Cheirosa 71: a very nutty biscuit scent

A super sweet hot out of the fryer oily bread scent that wears close to the skin and lasts about four hours. This is a like but not a love. This is a fun and photo-realistic gourmand but I feel like this is missing something. This needs a powdered sugar note or an artificial fruity topping to make this a love. Gateau de Carnival pairs lovely with artificial fruity perfumes. Sabrina Carpenter Cherry Baby, Phlur Peach Skin, and BBW Strawberry Pound Cake are all scents that I wore Gateau de Carnival with to give me a funnel cake topped with a bright syrupy artificial topping feeling. 6/10 because this is a unique and unexpected gourmand, but I have to pair it with another fragrance to really enjoy it.

I love Kyse and have been largely impressed by them. This isn’t a bad fragrance by any means. But if you are expecting a realistic funnel cake, you’re gonna be a little disappointed. It is definitely a sweet cakey perfume with a lingering powder scent at the end. But it’s missing the airy quality that a funnel cake has. It definitely gets nicer the longer you wear it. I blind bought this and definitely wish I bought something else instead.

Gateau de Carnavale (launched 2018) is light and subdued compared to other Kyse Perfumes offerings I've sampled recently, like the incomparable and addictive Oui Plus! (see my review). For me this one is a moist vanilla and butter-cream cake from start to finish with the faintest trace of apricot. A pleasant, anytime eau de parfum, gently sweet and unobtrusive.✿ Scent family: Gourmand Longevity on me: weak to moderate

When I put this on I was immediately smacked with the smell of fresh BREAD. LIKE BAM PASTRY. And like, panaderia kind of bread! It’s a cute scent, dries down into a cotton candy smell after the immediate BREAD BREAD PASTRY is over. You will smell like spun sugar/ cotton candy. Performs well in the cold, this is more like a bakery with icing on you than a carnival.

This is such a weak fragrance that I have to smash my nose into my arm to smell it. That’s a shame because I genuinely think it has a deep-fried fair food scent about it. It’s like a sweet, powdered sugar dusted funnel cake. But, like the funnel cake at the local carnival, it’s unfortunately devoured too quickly and gone too soon. 6/10

This definitely smells like funnel cake/funnel fries with a hint of fruitiness coming from the apricot. The scent is sweet, airy, light, and bready, but the issue is the projection. It’s a skin scent at its peak, and the longevity is so so. I think if it projected more I would adore this so much more but it’s just soooo light.

Smells like biscuits or funnel cake. I agree with @nativelocal below, it does remind me of the biscuit scent in Chocolate Greedy, minus the chocolate. Nice scent to lounge around at home, not sure I'd ever want to really wear this out of the house.

I like this one more than the marshmallow one, but for some reason with Kyse perfumes, since the labeling is so amateur-looking, it kind of alters my perception of the fragrances as a whole

It more or less succeeds at evoking fried carnival pastry with a taste of apricot, but in a synthetic way. Improves in the drydown and reminds me a bit of CSP Vanille Abricot.

ok, alright. This is fun. Definitely smells like deep fried sweets at the county fair. It's a nice, comforting, lounge around the house scent.

Gateau de Carnavale is the fourth fragrance I have tried from Kyse and I'm not mad at it, but it's not what I expected and it's not all the represented by the notes shown. As a gourmand girly, I can 100% attest that this is not cupcake, this is bread dough, specifically chocolate bread dough, with a nutty top note that I think is supposed to be caramel, but reads more like peanut. Honestly, it smells nice if you're into chocolate scents, however, it did not last long and it sits very close to the skin.

perhaps: longing for the memory of a funnel cake. nostalgia for carnivals, walking along the pier. you know, a boy once asked me to go to the school prom with him with a funnel cake, at the end of the dock where all the fishermen stand and stand? it is the sort of memory you can barely bring to the surface. digging into your own chest, sprawled fingers. it is never quite as close to what the Real Thing was or is or could be. i never enjoyed forgetting, but it happens all the time.

smelt really cakey, gourmand, and sweet when i first sprayed it!! so edible and delectable, just like fresh cake, but after a while it just smells really oily?? like a fried, greasy, day old cake.. it smelt amazing but the dry down is just really sour and stale on me :(

this smells like a coconut pie with a TON of chocolate to me so imagine my surprise when i see none of those notes lmao. this is a bit too foody and photorealistic for me so it’s a pass but it’s by no means terrible.

I'm wearing and reviewing this fragrance from a sample. It smells just like I'm eating a sugared cupcake at a summer carnival. The realism is stunning. I'm very impressed. Perfect for a cozy evening at home for me. -

brown sugar and oil. not completely unpleasant but not exactly appealing either. wish it smelled closer to actual funnel cake :( overall rating: 🩷🩷💔🖤🖤 2.5/5

i really enjoyed delizia di marshmallow from kyse and was optimistic about this perfume--i wanted something a little more cakey and unique, but still gourmand. the astringent, nose-tingling quality that delizia di marshmallow has immediately after spraying always dries down into a creamy, sugary cloud of loveliness, but, unfortunately, gâteau de carnaval starts and finishes the same--synthetic fry bread. that's it--no apricot, no powdered sugar. not particularly feminine, but extremely warm: think oil and obscure cashmere. it smells less of funnel cake and more of the fairgrounds themselves, evoking sweaty bodies and yellow popcorn in paper boxes, gritty asphalt under floodlights; perhaps it's meant to be this way... will try again in the colder seasons!

I am writing review on cream I purchased. I think out of all Kyse scents, this was mot disappointing for me. And thats weird because I love all notes; cupcakes, vanilla,... but this does not smell like anything to me. I just smell the butter, perhaps yes, when someone says it smells like cake it does smell like buttery pastry, food . but problem is that its neither sweet or saury. FYI I realized that brown sugar does not have any smell. I purchased from another company cream - brown sugar hoping its going to be sweet, sugary perhaps a bit of cinnamon and it literally smell like nothing. This might be just my skin chemistry.

as a long time delizia di marshmallow fan, i wanted to love this perfume. it smells more like the oil the funnel cake is fried in more than actual funnel cake. theres no sweetness to this at all, just oil. i've even let this sit for a couple of months and it still smells just as gross to me.

This smells like something sweet and cakey, and honestly like any of the indie gourmand you can get on etsy. It’s a little childish and does not evoke actual funnel cake, but rather an interpretation of it. Something about it goes sour on my skin. Disappointing.

Not sure what I was expecting, but it doesn’t smell like much. Just sweet. Longevity and Sillage are non existent. I typically like things from this line.

Eeeeyuuck! Smells like adding sugar to frying oil

***Trigger warning: This is a rant I have actual hatred for this. I'll explain. I had a sweatshirt with this awful smell attached to the sleeve. I washed it 6 or 7 times and the smell remained. I almost was ready to give up and get rid of the sweatshirt even though it's my favorite! The smell was that eternal. I could not figure out where it came from but I knew it was perfume. As I was going through my samples today, I decided to go back to this one since I hated it when I first smelled it, to give it a second chance. The first time, it was nothing but burning grease and overused cooking oil. Like the smell of someone frying at the fair but they haven't changed the oil in 15 years. When I picked it up today, some of it got on my fingers. It was then that I realized, this was the atomic mothball smell stuck in my sweatshirt. I washed my hands, used hand sanitizer and finally an alcohol pad. I could STILL smell it. It turn out the alcohol didn't work because the perfume is oil based. I scrubbed my hands with coconut oil and then dawn dish soap which worked. The silver lining was learning this method of perfume removal.

On first spray, this smells so synthetic to me. Do not like. I'll let it drydown and maybe it will get better. Fingers crossed. Nope. Still synthetic and kind of gross. Reminds me of Cheirosa 71. Blarg.

I'm obsessed with this scent! It definitely is giving photorealistic funnel cake. This fragrance is so fun and comforting to me because it evokes such a specific image in my mind, I think a good fragrance should do that. To me it smells like going to the carnival at night with a handsome man, everything is noir tinted, he buys you a funnel cake and ur wearing this really chic coat, just looking way classy at the carnival for no reason. The whole night there’s tension as you both would love to be kissing and all over each other (best feeling ever), but you don’t because ur both trying to be respectful. like idk how but once the fried cake smell settles down there is something very feminine, chic, gently fruity and pretty about this. The vanilla sings and there is a gentle sweet muskiness. Somehow I’m not getting kitsch tacky artificial gourmand scent from this, it somehow it's well developed and beautiful to me??

Gâteau de Carnaval lives up to its name: it undeniably smells like fried dough with a big dollop of cream and lots of powdered sugar on top (but not a hint of apricot for me, unfortunately). The result is delicious, obviously, and the greasy aspect of the confection is thankfully played down, but I'm still not entirely sure whether it's succesful as a perfume. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying it quite a lot, but it's realistic to the point of being conspicuous, and I usually prefer this kind of all-out true gourmand scent coming from the kitchen rather than my skin. Although it can be just what the doctor ordered on a couple of cold, bleak, comfortless days a year... So I think my big sample is all I'll ever need; I'll treasure it for those rare occasions when it'll feel just right.

Not nearly as sweet as I thought by the note structure and imo and a few others here, she's BREADY! Be ready for the bready, Drydown is a barely sweet bready, graham cracker-esque scent combined with an off-putting oily, old funnel cake oil scent, like slightly sweet fryer oil? Idk, its weird. I find this and Oui Plus seem to share a similar base but ofc without the chocolate notes. I adore Delizia and Jasmine macarons, i like Cocca a vaniglia and Zucherro Filato, this one not so much unfortunately

2 hours in and it does not smell like funnel cake, but a more pleasant, non-plasticky version of Fresh Cream by Philosophy. I sprayed Gateau on one wrist and Fresh Cream on the other to compare. Fresh Cream projects more, but also has a lactonic note I don't love. These two fragrances do not share any of the same notes but smell really similar on me, similar enough that when I first sniffed my tester of Gateau, I could immediately recognize Fresh Cream...weird.

This is a very warm, slightly sweet, fried bread. I get a little bit of a chocolate note here, but some may or may not smell it. This is good for wearing at home, around friends, maybe even at work because it does not have insane projection. And even if it did, it's not offensive. This would also be great for layering if you wanted to bring warmth and bakery vibes to something jammy. Gateau de Carnavale is pure photorealistic fun.

Sweet and doughy. Agree w/ stayathomesiren below that I wish it had more projection/oomph. I have been sampling much of the Kyse line and this one does have a little less sillage than some other ones. Still a good choice if you're seeking a foody vanilla.

I can’t quite explain it, but this kinda smells like Montale’s Chocolate Greedy if you removed the chocolate. Somehow it's not as overbearingly sweet as I found Chocolate Greedy to be. Just deep fried-smelling vanilla goodness. I love this!

Reminds me of a Dutch baby and apricot jam my mom made me for my birthday breakfast! It was always a special treat. This is not too sweet and I gets bit of cinnamon/spice. I love it. It sits close to the skin and doesn’t have much sillage.

I wanted to love this one so badly but can’t get past how oily it smells. They really nailed the photorealistic fried aspect of it, but it just reminds me of a McDonald’s fryer. Not my favorite from the brand.

I might be the only one here, but I smell a bit of oud in this fragrance (thought it might not actually be in there). It's a very pleasant scent, very sweet but somehow doesn't give me a headache. I love it!

It's a sweet gourmand scent, no apricot though. I also smell this obscure masculine woody note in here. Normally that would be a plus, but in here in seems to clash.