Island Hawaii

It fascinating how people either love or hate tropical scents, but as for MK’s Island Hawaii, I love it not because I am a fan of tropical fruity myself but also this one specifically is the most personal scent I’ve ever worn. On my last trip back to my home country, we have to transfer at Haikou, Hainan Province. This Southernmost part of China is of tropical climate and although it was the middle of January, it was unusually warm like late spring. While me, my dad and my sister had the time, we took a taxi to the “old town”. As the cocktail I was wearing sizzled into my nose, all I can say in my mind was: “this scent really compliments”. The mass apartment buildings, the small businesses cramping together. The probably palm trees growing within the sea of concrete, indicating that this island province had more similarities than different to the mainland up North. Kate Spade’s Live Colourfully would also complement such scene, but more leaning towards the concrete where the white collars dwell by day. Fast forward to when we taxi again back to the airport, the cocktail that is MK Island Hawaii returned to my nose, reminding me of childhood. When mom and I would transfer around Shenzhen and Hong Kong and the handbag with that Nokia she always carried. Sometimes after that 2 week trip, I’ve returned to Auckland NZ. I put this cocktail on again, while my Chinese side remained fresh in my mind. It’s strange right? I never been to Hawaii so it doesn’t make sense! Above all, I love this masterpiece and I’m proud of it! For those who like underrated or fruity fruity scents, you’re not alone. Don’t let other’s negativity bring you down because behind every unusual fragrance choices, there’s always a backstory so deep.

Instant Vacation Vibes with Humid, Clean Tropical-Orange... This scent has a humid quality and reminds me of a hotel in a humid, tropical climate with open-air hallways carrying air heavy with clean laundry, tropical fruits and freshly squeezed orange juice. Signed by perfumer Bruno Jovanovic, this beauty opens with a burst of clementine & neroli with fruity, soft orange & clean touches that transitions into a orange blossom & ginger heart resting on a clean & creamy amber-woody base. The opening is beautiful and the citrus here is more like orange kool-aid with neroli bringing a clean pungency. The drydown is a lather of creamy sandalwood & resins that's slightly soapy. Contrast to Neroli Portofino Tom Ford: These are different, but there are some similarities in the openings, both being neroli forward scents. NP is less sweet and it doesn't have the orange-kool-aid backdrop. NP is even more neroli forward. Performance is roughly equivalent. Overall: A beautiful scent profile with a light summer wearing experience, this is the perfect scent to wear for an instant vacation vibe. This is a longtime love for me. Enjoy!

This is still one of the BEST perfumes I've ever had and I have yet to find anything even close to it (and believe me I've tried) I usually don't care for florals as much as I do fruitier scents with coconut or clean scents like D&G Light Blue. But MK Island Hawaii is such a beautiful scent with a great combination of floral & fruit that's not easy to achieve. Unfortunately I can't find a dupe that's even close but I just can't afford the price of this one. So I've held onto a sample vile I've had for years just so I can smell it every now and then lol

I've never been to Hawaii but if hawaii really smell like this perfume I would retire all my money in my saving account and jump on the first plane to live there! I have to say a lot of mIchael kors perfume smell chemical (I know I have most of the island collection) but Hawaii is the exception to the rule, a beautiful mix of gentle white flowers combined with the freshness of orange and you get an amazing smell that makes you wanna say aloha to everyone around you

It was love at first sniff from the sample I received years ago, and I still have about half a bottle left. It is still one of my go-to summer fragrances. All I picture when I smell this are the orange trees in bloom from my childhood in California. Also, I have gotten so many compliments whenever I wear this. Wish MK would bring this one back! Anyone have any suggestions on something extremely similar?

I really like the Michael Kors Hawaii. I bought this because I have really enjoyed other fragrances by Michael Kors. Does this "smell" like Hawii? I don't know, but to me it really brings together all the sweet fragrance of Florida!

karlo: your review is very accurate and I totally agree: a man can very well pull this off. I shall review after wearing it for a while but i do like it a lot...

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!! Has a lot in common with Alien Luminisciente! Thank YOU TRIPLEX!!

Opening notes, orange, clemantine, and a very small touch of pineapple. Later there's a stretch for a blend of things that could be considered jasmine, white ginger and sandalwood...buried in orange and clementine. I was disappointed as far as the notes go. I love white ginger, jasmine, and sandalwood and was really hoping they would show up more. It's not a bad scent, but it doesn't make me think of Hawaii. Except for the bottle, it could pass as a sunset. Otherwise it makes me think of a Florida orange grove with sun warmed oranges hanging on the trees. If your an orange fan this is it. ~ Addition ~ Just tried Lolita Lempicka Coral Flower, and in my opinion, if you want Hawaii, that's one you should consider trying. Lazy days in Kona.

I just got this one by mail... I ordered it because it is hard to find in shops and from all the reviews I figured I would love it so I couldn't go wrong. now all I smell on me is a bit cloying flowers. It reminds me of tuberose but it must be the neroli or jasmine. For some reason I don't smell any of the other scents no ananas or citrus ...nothing fruity at all! I even thought the might have put something else in the bottle but then again, it was sealed. I am going to have to see after wearing it for a whole day but so far I can say there is nothing tropical/exotic or vacation-like to this! I am sad!

Just got a bottle of this. Am wearing it in the Australian summer and it smells wonderful. This is definitely a summer scent. Reminds me of the smells of my beachy holidays. Fresh morning sun, tanning lotion, fresh flowers, ocean, balmy breeze... I absolutely love it!!!

slightly disappointed in this fragrance, perhaps i had high expectations. it is almost bitter in smell, not as tropical as i had hoped, no trace of pinapple for me. don't hate it, but don't love it either.

Hi, Emg905. Maybe it's just me, but it strikes me as very similar to Annick Goutal's Neroli, Kenzo Amour Florale and JPG Classique X. Except Island Hawaii is a wee bit fruitier.

It's a warm fragrance, nice smooth, but not for everyone, I like it. Michael Kors fragrance tense to be heavy, this one was okay for me.

I have never been to Hawaii, so I could not say whether Island Hawaii captures some mythic essence of the place. It is, however, very refreshing and clean, buoyant, slightly sweet but not overtly floral. It has a very strong "ozone" flavor--that kind of synthetic, idealized oceanic smell. IH smells like what the sea is "supposed to" smell like, or what someone who has never visited it dream of it smelling like. The image that comes to my mind is that of a cool sea breeze, mingling faintly with sunscreen and swimming pool chlorine, from the deck of a luxurious ocean liner that never comes into port. The guests never actually get to go in the ocean, but they leave with very pretty, idealized postcard memories.

A while back, I was generously gifted this scent, and I was excited because I love orange blossom and neroli in perfumes! Unfortunately Island Hawaii dried down to smell unbearably sharp and synthetic on my skin, which is not what I expected from Michael Kors. I asked a girlfriend (who has a very different chemistry from mine) to test it, and it smelled like luscious and natural orange blossoms on her, without any synthetic edge, so I passed it on to her...further proof that personal skin chemistry can make or break a composition! Also, after the dry-down, it was very much a floral on both of us, not much of a floral-fruity in my opinion.

I bought this at Changi Airport on my way back from Langkawi - my then-boyfriend and I agreed that it reminded us of the frangipani flowers that we smelled on the island. Somehow it didn't quite smell the same back in Europe but it is one of those classic floral scents that are pleasant but not memorable. I still smell frangipani but it seems that it is more likely to be jasmine based on the other reviews. That may also be what spoils it a little for me, there is a heavy subtone that makes it neither here nor there.

Sadly, I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. Another blind buy gone wrong for me. Imo, this was not worth the amount of money I paid for it!! It was too citrusy floral and mature and not near enough "island" or "Hawaii." I can't pick up anything from this fragrance that suggests I'm surrounded by the tropical paradise that is Hawaii. The bottle itself is more appealing than the juice inside. This is a 70 year old woman holding flowers and oranges on a sketchy beach.

THis smells like ur skin after u have laid out all day.It does have a orangy pineapple scent.THe jasmine doesnt burst forth like it usually does but the ginger does sing.The finish is boring to me.I love white musk but,in this its kind of BLAH,What can I say about the sandlewood?Exactly.JUst not a great fume on me.

Orange overload. Yes, there's the tartness of clementine and the sweetness of pineapple, blended into a massive orange note. Adding greenness to the composition is a nicely-blended neroli, along with the slightly-indolic edge of jasmine. The flower never really stands out completely, but its semi-ripe freshness lends the scent a little much-needed depth. Eventually the orange vanishes, the jasmine's indoles fade away, and the floral notes, illuminated briefly by a very pleasant, Creed-like ambergris, dominate the drydown. Island Hawaii isn't bad at all. It's a bit simplistic, but so it goes with summer scents. When it comes to the gender marketing here, I doth protest; unless orange and notes of clean, floral ambergris conflict with his skin chemistry, I don't know why a man couldn't wear this during the warmer months.