A beauty editor with a collection of more than 150 perfumes has named Kayali's Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar 42 as the first full-size bottle she has finished in at least two years. It is currently 20% off at Sephora, with prices starting from £22.40.
Jada Jones, Commercialisation Editor, said her collection spans celebrity scents, high-street favourites and expensive niche fragrances worth hundreds. Normally she changes her perfume according to her mood, but this one has stood out.
Why the Kayali scent keeps getting compliments
The fragrance opens with candied pear, violet leaves, rum, ylang-ylang, marshmallow and vanilla cream. Its heart adds bubble gum, jellybean, white caramel, jasmine and labdanum, before drying down to rock sugar, sugar, tonka bean, patchouli, cashmere wood, sandalwood and vetiver.
Jones credits the jasmine for making it a good date scent, describing jasmine as widely considered an aromatic aphrodisiac. She says it never fails to draw compliments from men who like smoky scents and women who usually wear only floral or fruity fragrances. Even paired with a generic shower gel and fragrance-free Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion, she says the perfume still turns heads.
Layering, sizes and seasonal alternatives
She likes layering the perfume with Snow Fairy shower gel and Coco & Eve's Glow Figure Body Moisture Whip in Lychee & Dragonfruit, although the latter is currently out of stock. Adding lychee, she says, elevates the scent and has earned her more compliments than she can count.
She has flown through her 50ml bottle over the past few years, which is rare given the size of her collection. The scent works both day and night. In cooler months she leans toward heavier gourmands such as Sticky Dates (£29) and Eilish (from £35), while in hot weather she reaches for Eden Sweet Peach (£80) and Vanilla Nectar (£26).
Price and availability at Sephora
Kayali describes Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar 42 as a “lighter, youthful, summery take on its classic Vanilla 28”, although Jones finds it sultry on her skin. It is available in 10ml, 50ml and 100ml sizes, with Sephora's 20% discount applying to the 10ml and 50ml sizes, starting from £22.40.
Jones calls it “perhaps the perfect perfume” because it combines florals, aphrodisiacs, sugary notes, fruit, a boozy element and a woody dry-down. Still, she notes that it remains sweet, so it may not suit people who avoid sweet fragrances.
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