Drowning In Strawberry Caramel Delight

this is another dua i had to put straight into perfume jail. i've never smelled ani or aurum, but i'm a big fan of lira. nonetheless, i thought that this would be an interesting combo. but this is neither strawberry nor caramel, nor is there a modicum of delight. as of today (05/29/2025), i've had it for a month and i'm still hoping it'll become wearable at some point. upon first sniff, all i get is lavender. just loud, straight up lavender essential oil. mind you, i can't even pick out the lavender in lira, so i didn't expect it to be so overpowering as a note. a couple seconds later, i'm not even sure how to describe what i'm smelling besides "cologne". the lavender softens as it dries down, but is still very present. i maybe get a tiny hint of medicinal strawberry and rose, but otherwise this is just a lavender-dominant, masculine (dare i say barbershop?) fragrance to my nose. i haven't been able to test it on my skin since day one because it's so strong, just paper, but it really hasn't changed much since i got it. i'll give it another month or two, smelling periodically, but i don't have high hopes. **edit 08/30/2025**: after 4 months and periodic paper tests, i think the fragrance has finally changed developed enough to be able to test on skin. this is interesting. it's like strawberry preserves cooked down with ginger and lavender, as well as some other edible florals thrown in--slightly medicinal, but not in a cough syrupy way. as it dries down, it softens and becomes more vanillic, powdery, and sweeter. the rose also becomes more present. despite starting off horribly offensive, i now find this very comforting and enjoy it. to my nose it's got this cottagecore/apothecary vibe to it that reminds me of (not in scent at all, just feel) honey suite by snif. definitely doesn't smell like or evoke what i thought it would, but i'm happy with how it turned out! ♥