DKNY

DKNY Sweet Delicious – Tart Key Lime by Donna Karan 2012

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

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Post by Tina G

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The Be Delicious line by Donna Karan New York (DKNY) sometimes just doesn’t get its day in the sun. But honestly… to keep on top of this range would take a fair amount of dedication as it is large, with many special editions which are possibly not easy to come by. Recently I was given a sample bottle of Delicious Night (orchid and frankincense being the stand out notes) and a full bottle of Fresh Blossom Eau so Intense (an extremely sweet rose), so the range has been on my radar.

DKNY Sweet Delicious – Tart Key Lime by Donna Karan 2012

DKNY Sweet Delicious Tart Key Lime Donna Karan FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Orange, bergamot, sweet notes, mandarin
Heart: Neroli, ginger, basil
Base: Violet leaf

I spotted the funky pastel packaging of the Sweet Delicious line recently, which includes three fragrances: Creamy Meringue, Pink Macaroon, and Tart Key Lime. Adorable! Although the designer of the bottle obviously has bigger hands than me – I find the standard “apple” design difficult to use and need two hands to hold the bottle and depress the spray mechanism. Awkward.

There are a few different types of limes, some you may be familiar with are kaffir lime, Persian or Tahitian lime, and Key lime. In Australia we usually are sold Tahitian lime, which are a bright green, have a certain sweetness in the juice, and are preferentially marketed because they have a thick skin (ie: easily transported). The Key lime is named after the groves in the Florida Keys, as this thin-skinned lime variation grows better in warmer climates. It is also used as an ingredient in Key Lime Pie, a zesty sweet treat, and I’m assuming is the reason it has been included in the Sweet Delicious line beside meringues and macaroons.

DKNY Sweet Delicious Tart Key Lime Key_lime_pie WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Citrus notes are an absolute favourite of mine, particularly mandarin and tangerine, but lime is up there as a “wow, must try” factor. Tart Key Lime doesn’t fail to deliver. It opens with a mouth-watering burst of lime, fresh and juicy and not overly bitter as to bring tears to your eyes. Quickly the pure lime top note gives way to orange and mandarin, and at 15 minutes there is a fragrant green herbal vibe wafting in the background.

A spicy ginger and basil combo comes through as the base, but this is the limit to its development. I’m reading the notes as I’m testing and I don’t get any sense of the listed violet leaf, bergamot or neroli which is a pity as it would be nice to have a bit of depth to the base notes. There is a thread of something honeyed in the background but it is a far cry from the sweet tooth sugar-bomb that you may expect from the advertising.

DKNY Sweet Delicious Tart Key Lime limes bowl timlewisnm Flickr.jpgPhoto Stolen Flickr

Sweet Delicious Tart Key Lime is fresh, vibrant, and uplifting, and really is perfectly wearable as a go-to every day fragrance. I’m not sure that it is the one for me, I think there are other citruses out there that are a bit more intriguing, but I like to aim for the “never say never” category when it comes to exploring, and to have a bit of fun trying new things!

Tina G xx

Pure DKNY 2010

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Heya Scentaholics,

Pure DKNY 2010

When Pure DKNY came out it was sold as a fragrance helping Ugandan women through creation of farming and production of vanilla beans. A worthy cause. There was also much talk about the use of recycled glass and paper in the packaging and that it was all biodegradable. Excellent small steps towards sustainability, but also great leaps in awareness. When you have a company that is viewed as fashion forward by not only the high rollers but also mainstream then the message is heard loud and clear across the financial divide.

DKNY Pure FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Ugandan vanilla, dewdrop floral petals, lotus and Bulgarian rose
Heart: Jasmine, freesia and orchid
Base: White amber, sandalwood and vanilla in water

Pure DKNY opens so clean and bright that it can burn out your olfactory system. That first fragrant burst is a watery, clean, fresh burst of fun. If you don’t like the style then stay far from Pure DKNY because it is an overdose. Usually I am not into it but for some reason Pure DKNY captures my attention and keeps it. I love the way it gives off a super saturated lightness filled with flowers that only hint at themselves, it’s a bouquet. The warmth of the vanilla and amber comes in early and slowly but surely takes over the whole composition leaving you with a pretty over-skin-scent that remains as a barely there whisper for about 5 hours till I completely lose it. There has been some talk on the blogs of boring and lack of imagination, while Pure DKNY will not change the world with its outrageous newness I think there is a compelling case for a fragrance that does smell good, is wearable and very pretty. It is a step away from the usual DKNY big fat feature fragrance here and I think the watery aspect will deter many perfumistas but I went through my decant so quickly that there is now a bottle in my collection.

Totally office friendly, wearable for any occasion.

Further reading NowSmellThis and PerfumePosse

FragranceShop has a 100ml EdP tester for around $41
MyPerfumeSamples has 1ml/$2 up to 5ml/$7

Did you ever try Pure DKNY or any of its flankers?

Thanks for wandering through my fragrant thoughts with me.
Portia xx