Salt Caramel

This perfumery house is frickin' awesome! All their fragrances are high quality, sophisticated creations, which I believe are on equal par and share the same English style as Jo Malone. However, "Salt Caramel" Is Just Raving Gusto-Olfacto Perfection!!! For lovers of sweet-salty tastes, nutty-buttery flavours, or just lovers of ever-so-slightly burnt toffee – you really can't look past this one. I understand it may not be everyone's preferred taste, but for the niche it's aiming for it hits the nail on the head! So, description... Intense caramel and salt flavours – neither outweighs the other; they sort of bounce off each other in a balanced harmony – it is sweet but not sickly. Combined, it is delicious... There are other notes that are not shouting out in the foreground like the caramel and salt, but are still noticeable. These include: burnt toffee, nuts, creamy butter, vanilla, tonka bean and sandalwood. The middle notes turn the scent from delicious into scrumptious! The burnt toffee seems to permeate everything and it's really hard to detect what part of the pyramid it belongs to – but it adds an EDGE to the sweet caramel/salt combo. The nuts have a sort of back-of-the-throat deliciousness that goes well with the caramel and reminds of praline, but there’s also something else – brazil nuts? chestnuts? peanuts? The butter is tasty, creamy... and wispy soft. Like suede. The vanilla may not actually be there (since I have difficulty identifying vanilla when similar scents are present), but I've included it in the list anyway. In the base, the tonka bean smells strong, creamy and warming and is predictably put with its old friend sandalwood, which is thick and dark. But to me these notes felt quite harsh, as they intensified over time, becoming quite piercing, heady and slightly medicinal. Warning: this is not a seductive, Arabian Nights oriental base. However, that being said, the base never dominates the composition, as the caramel and salt form the main olfactory treat that keeps prominence through the drydown. Lastly, I want to mention that as a rule, I don’t buy gourmand fragrances. I can't stand smelling like food - it's too frustrating, and I don't want to feel like a walking dessert (it's distracting to others). However, I HAVE made an exception here, because this fragrance crossed the boundary of food satisfaction and entered the pure pleasure zone. Half the time I don't even think of it being gourmand, because I'm in heaven! For those who dig the flavours I mentioned, you really can't go past this scent. Even people who aren't hugely into these should give it a go... High quality and artistry can break boundaries, as it did for me. This is an X3 excellent gourmand.

Oh my world, where do I start with this fragrance? Imagine the most lovely, expensive salty caramel macaroon. It's been hand made and hand picked just for you, the prettiest most perfect little bite of heaven. Now imagine you're picking it up from it's gorgeous pastel box, it makes your mouth water as your taste buds are already expecting the gorgeous taste explosion to come. You put it in your mouth, it makes your vocal cords go a nearly carnal "mmmmmm". You close your eyes to savour this piece since you know there will only be about two bites left. The salt, the caramel and the vanillic sugar melts on your tongue, you savour the buttery, nutty flavour with a silly, happy smile on your face. Sunshine and angels and flippin butterflies in stomach to ensue. This is Salt Caramel, the perfume. When you spray it on, you get a buttery, salty, toffee popcorn note which is a bit circusy strange but yet, yet it makes you swoon already... awaiting things to come. This beauty envelops you minutes after in the most delicious creamy caramel aroma which, lo and behold, isn't sweet. It's succulent, creamy, soft and oh, oh, oh so tasty. It literally makes your mouth water. If you're on a diet, DO NOT under any circumstances use it. The scent makes you long and think of all the beautiful things in life. At the same time it is the most foody-erotical smell I've ever encountered. Wow. just Wow. Perfect 10 for gourmand lovers. I'm flabbergasted at it's perfection and affordability. The lasting power is a few hours, I will respray during the day for that toffee popcorn, childhood circus smell though. Delighted with this purchase, love at first sniff and goes straight to my top 3.

Rather lovely. A nice, non-synthetic, quiet butterscotch, caramel, and slightly salty popcorn scent which is light-hearted and fun but not sickening or juvenile and surprisingly warm and pretty. This actually dries down to something surprisingly sensible and approachable - I still smell the caramel popcorn, but my rather traditional-perfume florals-only mother loves this on the dry-down and keeps threatening to steal it from me. It's also one of the few perfumes that I own that my sister always compliments - although we both agree that it wouldn't play well in her very corporate work environment because it's far from a strict, serious, polished scent - it's more like a fluffy hug. As a fun aside, I work in an academic library and this is the one scent that my students seem to love - I've never had a bad comment, but the comments I have had have ranged from the very complimentary to the good-natured but slightly weird, such as comparisons to coffee shops (?), cinema popcorn, toffee, fudge, biscuits, and once when I layered it with a vanilla body lotion I got enthusiastically sniffed and asked if I was wearing the infamous Prada Candy. I now have to remind myself that if I wear it to work, I run the risk of being sniffed, conversations about confectionery, and hungry students! Which, in its way, is in itself a glowing endorsement of this rather nice fragrance...

I ordered the full size 100ml Salt Caramel fragrance, which costs £55. Having read the descriptions of every perfume available, this particular gourmand scent really appealed to me. (Needless to say I am a fan of Thierry Mugler’s Angel, as well as anything containing vanilla!). Shay and Blue describe Salt Caramel as “irresistible”, “tempting” and “indulgent”, and have very helpfully broken down each note for each of their scents. Salt Caramel is composed thus: Top Note – Liquid Caramel On The Nose, Expertly Offset With Tangy Sea Salt. Heart Note – The Smoothness Of Tonka Bean Adding A Touch of Elegance. Base Note – Refined Bourbon Vanilla For Depth In The Base With Sandalwood A Woodsy Counterpoint To The Sweetness. In addition: Made With Real Flowers, Fruit And Spices, and contains Around Two Pounds Of Woods and Vanilla. Wow. I sprayed twice onto my wrist, and the scent lasted on the skin all day. It never appeared to fade. I sprayed it a few times all over (including clothes), and went to work. Comments from colleagues included “You smell nice”, “Ooh, yummy”, and “Is someone eating coconuts?”. I found this scent really gorgeous and yes, rather addictive – I kept sniffing where I had sprayed (sounds rather primal!). The scent faded just a bit over the day, which is not bad, and becomes an incentive to also buying the more travel-friendly 30ml size.

It's the most gorgeous perfume I've ever had. First spray it's full of sea salt, it almost makes me cough, it's sharp and scratchy like the real salt itself. After 5 minutes the sharpness fades away and it becomes the most warm, creamy, unashamedly buttery, full and round caramel fragrance you could imagine. The salt note stays noticeable, but it's just helping the caramel to be balanced. I can see the resemblance with the popcorn, it's extremely buttery and fatty. I love it so much! It sounds like a childish gourmand, but it's not: it's a totally grown up and nicely composed fragrance for every age. I know a lot of people will say this is not a real perfume, it's just caramel with salt, and they are right. But at the same time I cannot dream a perfume more perfect like this. Longevity is insane. After having 2 showers, I can still smell it. When I spray it on my arm, and fades away after 5-6 hours I just have to water it a little bit and the scent returns. LOVE! It's not cheap, but worth every cents.

If you're a gourmand lover, YOU HAVE TO SMELL THIS! I myself am not a big fan of gourmand scents but just yesterday I tried this fragrance at M&S and I went 'wow, wow and wow'!. A super interesting fragrance! Nothing like I have ever smelt before. It is on point buttery popcorn! It is super food-like and nothing in a way of that annoying cloying gourmand scent (no offense gourmand lovers). This is also very wearable and yummy! I even feel like this perfume does not want to be a perfume, it literally wants to be popcorn. There is a little sharpness at the beginning but it then mellows down to a comfy scent and creates this popcorn cloud around you. However, sadly as time goes by it becomes a little less interesting, the saltiness is still there but... "Someone ate up the whole popcorn box! The movie isn't even done yet!" Overall this does not smell juvenile, I believe it is moderately long lasting and is super fun to have in the collection, especially if you're a gourmand lover!

I am very picky when it comes to fragrance & this has been my go-to for fall & winter the past 4 years. Salt Caramel was my introduction to the world of gourmand scents & led me down the rabbit hole 😆. I would describe it as warm, cozy, sexy... like being wrapped in a warm blanket while the most delicious caramel blondies are baking in the oven. The salt is the perfect twist because it cuts through the sweetness. Every time I wear this, it makes me happy. Strangers stop me to ask what I'm wearing. I love its simplicity and lasting power without being cloying or too sweet. I don't experience any unpleasant notes like urine as I've read in other reviews. Maybe it just depends on your body chemistry? If you love gourmands, you need to at least try it. A bit of a side note: I find Shay & Blue to be am amazing company. They have great prices, offer different sizes, including samples, in each of their scents, & provide excellent customer service.

I personally don't think this smells of popcorn. There are some great popcorn fragrances out there (La Fin Du Monde by Etat Libre d'Orange perhaps being my favourite), and when I bought this I was half hoping that it would smell like popcorn and I love the scent and have a growing collection of carnival inspire scents. On first spray, I was initially disappointed. This fragrance reminds me of the milk left at the bottom of the bowl after eating Cheerios, evaporated milk, fudge...not the rich caramel I was expecting (like the caramel sauce they pour on your whipped-cream coffee at starbucks). My first bottle of this was 10ml and within a month I found it completely empty, having gone to it so often. This really surprised me and I had to get another 30ml. I absolutely love this fragrance now , despite it not being as I originally wanted. It is subtle, long lasting and absolutely delicious. In my top 10 now!

Such a simple fragrance, and yet so ingenious. Beautiful heavy bottle and presentation. Opens with a heavy salty blast, but dries down to a lovely woody sweetness that is balanced by the tonka note. Not overly sweet or sickly and so different from any of the gourmands in my wardrobe. Fantastic projection and longevity, and the saltiness gives off a summery ozone vibe. I really like how different it is, and the different layers are fun. In the end, it's a beautiful summer by the ocean fragrance with the perfect level of sweetness. I'm a Tonka lover, and it plays wonderfully in the drydown - along with the sandalwood, giving it an earthy twist. The saltiness is detectable in the drydown, but it's subtle and blends well. There's nothing "pretty floral" here. This is a true gourmand that's sensuous without any sharpness or hard edges. A pleasure to own and wear. Thank you so much for the swap KA!

In the words of Willy Wonka, this is scrumdiddlyumptious. I bought this recently as I had noticed the profile of Shay & Blue had been on the rise - helped in part by the glossy and classy ads in the usual magazines. The name alone piqued my interest and as a gourmand fan it was inevitable I would end up at least trying this but took the plunge based on the notes and bought blind. It really is delicious, although I do prefer Suffolk Lavender, Salt Caramel is just that, close your eyes and you can indeed imagine the taste. Of course it’s not one dimensional, it’s not just the salt caramel but a beautiful and interesting mix of edible goodies with a considered and welcome hit of sandalwood. I think I will explore S&B more closely as they seem to have delivered in both bottles I have (SL and SC). Delicious Totally agree with jedrzejowskia's review

First of all this fragrance smells like the taste of butter popcorn jelly bean! It's freaking delicious. I have never smelled a fragrance with such a noticeable scent of popcorn in my life. I LOVE IT. To me this smells more like caramel popcorn than caramel, but this is most likely because I'm used to Biancolatte from Zeromolecole which has a much more prominent and sweet scent of caramel. The first 15 minutes smells like popcorn, then it turns into a woody kind of mysterious caramel. The note of sandalwood makes this fragrance wearable and a bit masculine compared to Biancolatte which is pure sugar/vanilla/caramel. The scent lingeres on the skin for quite some time and when it dries down this lovely scent of popcorn appears again. I can see myself snuggling up in this cloud of popcorn and caramel during the winter. Can hardly wait!

Every time I pass by the Shay & Blue London counter I just can't resist giving this one a sniff. To my nose, it smells just like fresh, warm poporn! So delicious and gourmand. I'm not sure why vanilla isn't listed among the notes above, but I can definitely smell vanilla in this. Once it starts to develop, this scent really reminds me of a cross between two Chopard perfumes, Casmir and Wish. Today I sprayed it on the back of my hand and keep pressing my nose against my hand to get a whiff of this deliciousness. Love at first sniff.

Love this perfume. It is all that I hoped it would be. Salty caramel with vanilla. It reminds me of a bar of peanut crunch that I use to love. If you are a gourmand lover as I am then you are sure to love this. Longevity and sillage are very good. It lasted 7 hours on my skin. Salty, nutty, buttery and it makes me want to smell my arm all the time. I bought a 30ml bottle from M&S online for £30. I have had some positive comments on this perfume already . Going to get the bigger bottle when this runs out. Gourmand Heaven for sure.

This is a love hate situation and I suggest you do not blind buy! I did but it was lucky for me because it’s my favourite scent. Firstly it’s strong and it’s punchy, it smells like just cooked hot salted popcorn there is only a slight sweetness (very slight) of caramel, it’s a buttery, salty, deep, warm comforting fragrance. As it dries down it keeps the warm, salty aroma with a light creamy, hot butter and brown sugar melted in a pan but I REPEAT it’s not sweet, could be unisex but does lean towards feminine at the same time.

Buttery popcorn and chewy caramel Not synthetic and not immature at all. This is so comforting and warm to me and lasts from morning till night As it develops the sandalwood comes through and it becomes more powdery and woody, but there is still that salt and creaminess lingering. Sometimes I feel like it smells like warm skin or an embrace from a loved one, many feelings and emotions came up with this scent. Its my ultimate cozy comfort scent, that suits cold autumn days.

Some else mentioned it but it's true - this smells like the milk left at the bottom of the bowl after eating cereal. Sugary milk. I actually really like it. A light caramel scent which isn't overpowering. Projection could be better for the price, but it lasts a long while albeit close to the skin. I actually didn't think I would repurchase when I first tried this, but after turning to it surprisingly frequently over the last few weeks I got a larger bottle.

buttered popcorn drizzled with caramel! this is such a cozy gourmand and I wear it all the time bc the scent is so addicting. I know not everyone loves that popcorn type of butter smell but personally I love it! It doesn’t smell too foody thanks to the tonka bean and sandalwood making it more grounded and smooth. Lasts pretty long and the sillage is good enough for me to receive multiple compliments when I’ve worn it.

I haven’t owned this in a couple years and I just sprayed from new bottle... sigh of relief to smell that it’s still delightful. Though I often love gourmand scents they can veer too foodlike for me. I could see why some people would say that about this perfume but to me it’s a perfect marriage of yummy and just comforting happiness. And major kudos for making smaller size bottles which I always prefer.

Love at first sniff! I have a love/hate relationship with Shay&Blue. Oftentimes their scents can be overtly herbal-ish. Not for me. And I admit, I didn't expect to like Salt Caramel omg it's adorable. Sure, it starts with a massive blast of popcorn, but it soon dries down to a warm, comforting fragrance which surrounds you with sweetness. One of the best gourmand out there. 8.5 out of 10.

My ultimate comfort scent I have had a large decant of this for years and find myself craving the warm, salty, burnt sweetness on rainy nights that I have to myself. I have never once worn this out, its always strictly been for comfort which I find funny. Its not a sexy scent or a pretty scent... it makes me think of homely comfort, loved ones and indulgence.