Mainstream Monday: Sniffing a Popular Perfume
Let’s get this out of the way: I am not the target demographic for any Ariana Grande perfume. I’m going to keep that in mind while I sample the newest Ariana Grande perfume, Moonlight¹. I may not be the target demographic for a celebrity perfume by a young pop star, but I have to confess I’ve seen her perfumes at Ulta and really thought the little “bunny tail” packaging was cute. Yes, not for someone my age, but definitely cute for someone that would want a celebrity perfume by a young pop star.
Moonlight’s opening is fruity and “purple”. It’s like cassis and slivovitz (plum brandy). It’s actually pretty darn good. It’s that boozy “purple fruit” with that minty, coolness of blackcurrant. Unfortunately, this top is short-lived. It fades into a floral marshmallow. As you’d expect, it’s sweet. It’s a sweet vanilla floral. It’s like a pink peony in rock candy. It’s all soft and fluffy. The best way to describe it is “cute” and pastel. The dry-down is a powdery amber and more vanilla.
I’ve already told you I’m not the demographic for this perfume. So, it’s not the sort of soft, fluffy, gourmand floral that I see myself wearing. But, I think it’s a “cute” perfume that should really satisfy the sweet tooth of her demographic. For this genre, it’s pretty good. I could definitely see a tween/teenager really liking everything about it. I don’t have anyone like that in my life I can run this by, but from reviews online, many of her fans seem to enjoy it².
Notes listed include blackcurrant, plum, marshmallow, peony, sandalwood, black amber and vanilla. Launched in 2017.
Give Moonlight a try if you like sweet, powdery florals. Or if you like perfumes like Kat Von D Saint, Maison Martin Margeila Funfair Evening, Escada Cherry in the Air or any of the other Ariana Grande perfumes.
The bottle of this one is really cute. And the little lavender “bunny tail”/pom-pom is super soft. The geode-ish bottle has a pastel holographic reflect. Projection and longevity are below average. This may actually be a positive if this thing is meant to be in the hands of inexperienced, young perfume wearers!
The perfume is available in a few sizes with the 1.7 oz retailing for $49 at Ulta.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Fluffy, soft florals and lots of sugar. It’s what I expected it to be, which isn’t a bad thing. It fits with Ari’s brand and the cute/sweet packaging.
¹A quick web search educated me. “Moonlight” is also a song by the artist. And a tattoo of hers.
²I have a teenage brother with Down Syndrome that is a mega Ariana Grande fan. He absolutely adores her and has created an ASL sign just for her (a high ponytail gesture, lol). I’ll probably give him this bottle. I give him all my celeb or masculine designer PR samples/bottles (don’t get me wrong, I am so thankful that PR thinks of me sometimes and gives me products, but I can’t keep it all!). I figure he can keep what he likes and give away the ones he doesn’t to friends. Long story short, he does keep a lot of them because he loves fragrances. But, he started taking some to school to giveaway. We all assumed there was a girl he was crushing on. Well, he was but we we found out it was his teacher!
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*Disclaimer – Product provided by PR. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic is mine. Ariana Grande pic from Fragrantica.