Caramel Delight

This, a dupe of a nich-house perfume, this is purely exquisite. I've not smelled Lira by Xerjoff, but if this is even close, it's clear why Lira is so loved. Caramel Delight is warm and rich and soft and sexy and sensual. Not clubbing, but to the opera, an elegant date night, fine dining, an evening boat excursion with your beloved. It oozes romance and while it projects nicely, it's all the more romantically intimate (and welcoming) up close. Put this where you'd like to be kissed and let the fire ignite. It's pretty solidly unisex but it's lovingly soft. It does smell like caramel and there is a possible hint of a tobacco, but that could be the caramel, and it's offset by something so deliciously sweet that you want to eat it. It's projection is good but it's soft, romance and office friendly. But this is no boss lady perfume. This is what you put on to enjoy your own day at the office, or perhaps you're meeting someone special after you get off work. Caramel Delight vibes with Angelique Noire by Guerlain and Orchidee Vanille by Van Cleef & Arpels, but it is its own scent. It is a romantic perfume, a signature scent and softly alluring. This lasts a long time and since The Dua Brand makes it so affordable, do pick up a bottle. You'll be *so* glad you did. ;-) Update 12/27/23 - This perfume had a co-worker chasing me down asking what it was. He's a "fraghead" too but had never smelled anything like this. The trail is just gorgeous. The combo of bergamot and blood orange give it a wonderful zesty, gourmand scent and the sweet caramel comes in to tone in down to perfection. A must have in my collection forever, and DUA's brand also has great longevity and sillage. Still in love with this one.

Caramel Delight (inspired by Xerjoff Lira) was a blind buy for me, I have never tried lira- or really had much desire to. I just ordered approximately 15 bottles from dua, my first dua haul after falling in love with white milk. Caramel delight is hands down the best one out of all the ones I ordered, and currently- my favorite fragrance. This makes it surpass bianco latte, and narcotica happy dust; so you have an idea of my usual go-to scent profile. I’ve been on the search for spring/ summer perfumes because I’m a gourmand-fanatic and I feel like most fall/winter gourmands will be too heavy for mid-summer. Caramel delight is the PERFECT perfume to fill that spot. Upon first spray, I was not impressed. It’s very citrus/lemon-y, hufflepuff is the only lemon fragrance I’ve liked thus far (dapper’s version- I love a good dupe). But after about 10 minutes, it starts getting sweeter .. and I feel like it gets sweeter and sweeter; at dry down it’s a beautiful smooth caramel vanilla with the lemon very much so in the background. Truly a masterpiece, knowing what it develops into made me appreciate the citrus smell in the beginning more. A year-round-gourmand, and one of my all-time favorite fragrances at this point. I immediately went on Mercari and bought a back up bottle (dua was out of stock, by the time I received my order).

🍋 🧁 Smells the same as Lira but is stronger and cheaper. I am new to perfume and started with 10 samples from various niche houses, one of which was Lira, which I immediately loved. I did find myself putting my nose right to my skin in order to smell Lira though, so wanted to see if I could find something stronger. I found Caramel delight and bought an almost full bottle second-hand. Smells basically the same as Lira to me (if I had to pick out a difference, Lira dries down ever so slightly smoother, creamier and sweeter), but it's stronger and cheaper. I can often still smell it on me after I shower. Edit: I wore my Lira sample again, spraying more than usual, and I think it just ends up smoother and creamier because the citrus top notes disappear quicker than they do in Caramel Delight. I actually found it got too sweet by the end of the day, and much prefer that the citrus stays in Caramel Delight!

This is probably my favourite from Dua. IMO, it smells 100x better than Lira. The blood orange is amped up here and the overall fragrance is more vivacious and full bodied. Incredibly strong sillage and projection, overspraying (more than 5 sprays) could potentially make you nauseous. 2-4 sprays gave me 6+ hours of consistent projection and medium to strong sillage. I would never pay for Lira after discovering this. This is my favourite winter time perfume because it effortlessly cuts through the cold and LASTS. Side note: I really hope Dua releases an Armani Code Ultimate Femme or OG Armani Code inspiration.. I love the way Dua does citrus gourmands, the perfect balance of freshness and sweetness without becoming overbearing.

Caramel Delight is the Dua inspired expression of Xerjoff Lira, capturing its lovely citrus/vanilla/lemon essence. It’s sweet, fresh, and midway between a light summer gourmand and a heavier winter gourmand, really filling that year-round-gourmand space, well-rounded by the additional of florals (lavender, jasmine) and spices (cinnamon, licorice), but the caramel/blood orange/vanilla combination tells much of the story, and it’s straightforwardly a very lovely mix, one of my all-time favorite inspired expressions. It’s currently out of stock on the Dua Brand website but hopefully will be back at some point—it’s a gem! 8 out of 10