#Candy

Bought this to see if I could get the nostalgia from the early 2000s. The watermelon top note is great and definitely reminds me of the old Candies but it barely lasts 10 minutes before it is completely gone. Then the dry down is a fabric softener dryer sheet. Simple as that. Definitely has the vibe of the old Candies and admittedly it’s been a long time since I’ve smelled it but this being $45 an ounce is a bit of a disappointment especially since it is not as long lasting as you’d expect from an extrait concentration. 7/10

Blind buy based on reviews online, never encountered the original from Liz Clairborn, this is nothing like the notes listed by Dua on their website or on the original Candies page. Very short, expensive, metallic, masculine, musky fragrance. It is 100% not unisex. Nothing sweet or fruity about this, no candies or watermelon. At best, it presents straight out of the bottle as something like smoky wood but quickly mutates into a young wall street banker from the late 90s that gyms after work. It has presence in the first couple of hours, no one in the same room as you can ignore it unless they've got covid, and then it's totally gone. At worst, it's overpriced Rexona active sport roll on deodorant or the same aftershave they splash on you after a trim at a middle eastern barbershop. If you're keen to smell like you've just come straight from a gym or a barbershop, then go for it. This perfume for me, however, was a pricey, short lived, one-dimensional experience; a regretful purchase.

Purchased the DUA dupe of Candie's for Men - called #CANDY in summer 2020. It smells IDENTICAL in the opening. DUA states that they hammed up the "watermelon" note. I didn't notice anything different about the opening. The difference is that the DUA #Candy has an extremely smokey drydown. It reminds me somewhat of Aventus's smokey birch note. The DUA drydown turns into that grating, cheap metallicness found in Azzaro Chrome. I will use the rest of the DUA dupe, but I can't be certain I will bother repurchasing it. Definitely check it out, you really can't go wrong.

Upon first spray this does smell exactly like the original candies for men by liz claiborne which got my excited. But then After 10 minutes the watermelon note is completely gone and all I smell is a very smokey birch incense and soapy dryer sheet. I'll let this macerate for a month or so and report back if anything changes with it. So far Alexandria Fragrances has the closest inspiration of vintage candies men and I would stick with one.