As I discussed in my review of a few Shanghai Tang perfumes, I like to buy perfumes when I travel to be my olfactory souvenirs. When I was in Mérida, Mexico¹ I ended up buying the mini sets of Coqui Coqui perfumes at their boutique. I actually did something I never do: I didn’t smell them. I just bought them because A. I was on vacation B. there was a gorgeous perfume boutique and C. the prices weren’t so bad.
Here I am many months later, finally sniffing them.
Flor de Mayo (AKA Floplum)
Notes listed include frangipani and jasmine. Launched in 2012. PERFUMER – Nicolas Malleville
This fragrance’s opening is intense and can come across as a bit “functional”. It’s like a cool tuberose and floor cleaner. This may sound terrible, butt I’m happy that I’m patient with it. It becomes a pretty tropical frangipani paradise. The dry-down is a waxy jasmine. And really that’s all there is to Flor de Mayo.
Projection and longevity are average.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Frangipani soliflore.
Coco Coco
Notes listed include coconut and green notes. Launched in 2003. PERFUMER – Nicolas Malleville
Coco Coco is a coconut fragrance that goes in a direction that I didn’t expect. It opens with cool camphor. It’s actually comes across as industrial…like some sort of cleanser used to prevent regrowth of mildew or mold. I know this sounds harsh, but for some reason I like this. I guess because I don’t expect this in some sort of tropical coconut perfume? Anyway, underneath this sharp green weirdness, there’s a creamy coconut. The coconut is one of those cheap tanning oil coconuts. And that is what it dries down to…coconut conditioner.
Theoretically, I should find Coco Coco dull. Realistically, I should be appalled. Yet, I’m not. If you’ve ever lived somewhere hot and humid (or vacationed), you know that mold and mildew are a problem. This weird mildew/cleaner opening actually makes Coco Coco a realistic olfactory interpretation of cleaning a bathroom in a hot, humid, tropical climate…complete with coconut-scented air freshener. That’s not glamorous at all…another reason I like Coco Coco. Like I like it not as a perfume but as a weird Demeter-ish, “memories” scent.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Shower stall in a beach town. This is one is so weird. So weird, arguably gross.
Do I need full-sizes of either of these? No. But, I’m happy I tried them. When I was in Mérida, I didn’t actually wear perfume. It would evaporate so quickly in the heat and humidity. It also made the mosquitoes love me even more. I associate many delightful smells with the Yucatán, but not really perfume. I associate tuberose, neroli soaps and a mosquito repellent for babies that smelled like grass, sliced apples and neroli. Anyway, I look forward to finally trying all the other Coqui Coqui perfumes that I bought. Hopefully one will really connect with me, even if I didn’t wear any Coqui Coqui perfumes during my trip.
The 3.4 oz bottles of these scents retail for $90 at Luckyscent. Samples and a discovery set are also available for purchase.
¹Here’s my haul from that trip. Post features pretty pics of the boutique.
Pictured above: the sets that tempted me. I have a dozen more to try!
*Products purchased by me. Product pics from Luckyscent.