Prada Candy L'Eau

I've been in the market for a new sort of "signature" scent for a while now- though I've never had a true and lasting signature, it seems to change throughout the phases of my life. But, I digress... First of all, I LOVE the scent of this one. I went into Ulta to just sniff some perfumes (I had been wanting to smell Angel by Thierry Mugler for some time seeing as I really enjoy Alien, but I didn't want to spend the money on a sample- for the record, the BO smell that many people complain of was very prevalent to me when I smelled Angel. Unfortunately. Didn't spray it on my skin though, so who knows.) I made my way to the Prada section and smelled all of the scents available there at Ulta. I ended up spraying Amber, the original Candy, and Candy L'eau onto various parts of my arms for comparison. I also smelled Infusion D'Iris, but only on the paper so I can't give a true assessment of that one- though I did like what I smelled. All four of the Prada scents that I smelled had a similar burst in the opening which I would describe as "bubbly" or carbonated even. That being said, none of them have shared top notes (or at least according to the Fragrantica descriptions) so I'm kind of at a loss for what note that could be! However, the note that they did share was benzoin. This note gave each of the perfumes a sort of soda-like sweetness on the dry down usually- which I really really enjoyed! Though I'm sure it's not for everyone. To my nose, Candy L'eau smelled like a happy medium between the original Candy and Prada (Amber), taking things I liked from both of them. The sweet caramel creaminess from Candy with a little bit of a kick which feels reminiscent of the aggressive top notes of Prada (Amber). After the opening L'eau takes one of two paths. In a cooler, more dry environment like my air conditioned office L'eau's sweet pea note really comes to the front of the composition. In fact, today at work is the first time that I'm noticing it from the scent. In a warmer or even a more humid environment, the musk and benzoin really stand out. As far as longevity and sillage are concerned, I think it lasts much longer and is much stronger in a dry and air conditioned environment or during the winter. In heat and humidity it is much closer to the skin and doesn't last quite as long, which is to be expected from an EDT. I sprayed on before work this morning around 8 AM and it's noon now and it's still going pretty strong. In fact, this is my first time wearing it to work and I sprayed for the humid summer and I'm thinking now it might've been a little too much for this environment as it's kind of giving me a bit of a headache. And I don't consider myself terribly sensitive to scents, I mean I paint my nails in the car with the windows up after all and it's never given me a headache. But today in the office Candy L'eau is doing just that. I'd say feel free to bathe in it when it's summer or you're outdoors, but be weary during winter or in office spaces. It's a lovely scent either way! I definitely prefer it on my skin over the original Candy. I bought the Candy Kiss sized bottle (20ml I believe) and I may find myself upgrading to a larger size in the near future!

Once again, this was a scent I just adored years ago but when I started to really learn about fragrances, I thought I could explore and find something I love better. Finally I've cracked and bought myself a 50ml bottle on eBay, and I'm so glad I did. I just adore this scent, and I think part of the reason I love it is nostalgia. I wore this scent during so many good memories. This was my first ever blind buy, after seeing the fantastic ads directed by Wes Anderson. I wanted to have the vibes and energy Lea Seydoux had in those commercials. Advertising really is so powerful. And I think those mini movies do more or less capture the energy of this scent. Sweet, flirty, and polished without trying too hard. Less in your face than the OG candy. Still quite sweet but curbed by the addition of citrus and removal of vanilla, in my opinion. The sweet pea takes it in a more girlish direction than Candy. Overall it smells kind of lipstick-y. I'd compare it to Kenzo Flower that way, but I enjoy Candy L'eau much more. No hint of anything indolic and a smaller amount of notes keep the lipstick quality of this scent more approachable. The dry down is my favorite part. I now understand what people mean when they say a rollerball takes a scent straight to the dry down. I originally bought this as a rollerball and now that I have a spray bottle, the opening is totally different. Still lovely, but when it settles down I just adore it. I'm generally a fan of scents with smaller pyramids. I think a handful of notes just settles better on my skin than more complex scents, and I find them to be more playful and versatile. I think this scent is a great example of that. I have to agree that the sillage and projection are not fantastic. It becomes a skin scent after a while and I can smell it for a few hours. I smell it on my clothes for much longer. For me, that's something I'm okay with because this scent makes me so happy. It is not the most unique scent in the world, it is not especially inventive, it's just very pretty and simple in the perfect way for my tastes. I haven't been able to find a good dupe for this. I'm gonna give up trying to find one and just stick to buying this. I wish it hadn't ever been discontinued.

Candy L'Eau probably is more "Candy" than the original perfume, and more floral than "Florale." Actually this is the most pitch perfect "Flowers and Candy" perfume I've ever smelled. Perfectly tuned for 21st century tastes, where anything less would equal donning a men's perfume, or worse, your Grandmother's. I read the copy of Candy Florale, and I think that the text is more appropriate here. I smell very little of the powdery benzoin that was present throughout the original, rather it remind me of fresh, melty candy made that day in a candy shop (reminds me of Nagel's Candy Barn in New Jersey) caramels, whips, nougats, and creamy chocolates. Maybe it really is a candy and flower shop, or it is summer and right outside you can smell wild sweet pea vines and white flowers and musky wild flowers. Practically speaking there is a long lasting citrus topnote, candy and flowers in the heart, and patchouli and vanilla and a hint of musk in the base. Like most Prada perfumes, wears softly and lasts almost 8 hours on me. This perfume does not smell synthetic and screechy to me, or overly sweet, or like shampoo. Even an old school gal like myself needs a perfume like this on her shelf. I love the color of the juice and the bottle design, too, that doesn't hurt. I think this is the best "Candy" out of the 3 and it's certainly my favorite. Great job Prada:) EDIT: I have been wearing this alot, and I am starting to notice the benzoin note, however, it is mostly as it dries down in to the base, and it is blended, not a main base like in the original Candy.

I could not stop grinning after I first tried on this perfume. I love this scent! I did not care for the original Prada Candy at all - it was far too cloyingly sweet and made me a bit queasy. L'Eau is everything I want in a scent called "Candy". Whereas I feel like "Prada Caramel" would have been more appropriate for the original Prada Candy, Prada Candy L'Eau smells much more like a sweet shop to me. When my boyfriend smelled it, he said I smelled like Sour Patch Kids. This fragrance is light, sweet, and has a sort of fizzy vibe to it. It has the essence of Pink Sugar without the strong licorice notes but also has a subtle but effective blend of floral, citrus, and fruit to balance the sticky sweetness. When I smell it at any stage on me, I don't necessarily think "caramel" or "sweet pea" or anything specific - it's more of just a lovely, general sugary sweet but subtly fresh smell. It's definitely a gourmand, but in my opinion it manages to be far classier and elegant than the other of its type on the market. I wore Pink Sugar in high school and some of college but find it way too sharp, cloying, and youthful for me now. Prada Candy L'Eau is a lovely way for me to capture the essence of that sugary sweet candy scent I used to love, but in a more subtle, refined, and sophisticated (well, as much as any sugar candy scent could be). It's whimsical and playful without automatically being immature and unrefined.

I met Candy L`eau around a half a year ago, at the airport, coming back from a trip. I sprayed it on me without expecting to like or even love it, as I had tried the original Candy before and it did not attract me really. I found her sister to be quite different. Caramel, yes, sweet (just as I like my perfumes to be), yes, but there was something more, something light, bubbly and happy, citrusy, something ladylike and pretty. However, I had already bought some other perfumes, so I just considered it being a good investment in the future, and forgot about it. So I met my Candy L`eau again just recently. And now I truly fell in love. Maybe its the craving for something gourmand and comforting during this cold winter time (even though it is considered as a spring-summer perfume), I do not know, but this time it was contageous. So now I am sitting here, smelling my coat which still has Candy L`eau on it (so the longevity is not that bad, it also stayed for quite a while on my skin, closer to the skin at the end, but so tempting that I sniffed my wrist every 20 minutes), checking every now and then, whether my package has been dispatched, as I cannot live without it. I instantly ordered the 80ml bottle with the body lotion as a gift for myself on my birthday. It could easily become my new signature scent.