Sweet Like Candy by Ariana Grande Eau de Parfum — An Ode To Cotton Candy
Everything about Ariana Grande’s Sweet Like Candy Eau de Parfum ($59 for 3.4 fl. oz.; $49 for 1.7 fl. oz.; and for 39 for $1 fl.oz.; available at Ulta stores and Ulta.com) is, well, sweet. First, there’s the round bottle, with its raised pyramid shapes and faceted edges, meant to resemble the intricate cuts of a jewel. Then there’s the matte ballet pink coating, which attains an even daintier effect than the clear bottle of its precursor scent, Ari by Ariana Grande. And the white pom-pom that adorned the Ari bottle is now fluffier, larger, and a cotton candy pink shade. Can you say sugar rush?
The perfume’s saccharine qualities don’t end with its bottle design: the actual scent is meant to evoke a sugary playfulness, the kind of wink-wink Ariana Grande gives us when she whips her trademark high ponytail or dons her bunny ear headbands. To that end, the fragrance opens with blackberry, Italian bergamot, and pear notes that usher us into the heart of the aromatic composition, which consists of jasmine sambac, plummeria, and dewy honeysuckle. The base notes, meanwhile, don’t include any musk, amber, or strong wood notes, instead incorporating hints of crème de cassis, cashmere woods, marshmallow and vanilla.
As its name promises, the Sweet Like Candy by Ariana Grande Eau de Parfum is an aromatic voyage through a confectionery. Immediately after spritzing on the fragrance, I was struck by how familiar the scent was — and then I realized it smelled almost exactly like cotton candy but with a few floral touches. It’s not my kind of scent at all since it’s hard for me to feel sexy and feminine and commanding when I smell like a treat popular at carnivals, circus performances, and street festivals, but given the success of the Prada Candy fragrance collection or even of Mariah Carey’s Lollipop Bling scent, there’s obviously a market for scents sweet enough to give you a toothache.
What’s interesting is that, whenever I wore this scent, my 12-year-old wanted to cuddle a bit more than usual (he’s at that age when I have to practically beg and plead for hugs or a kiss on the cheek), a true testament of his sweet tooth, whereas my husband wanted no parts of the scent. Cotton candy, as it turns out, is not an aphrodisiac for most grown men. Can’t say I’m surprised!
Overall, I’m not a fan of this scent but, again, I think the 25-and-under set might appreciate the perfume’s over-the-top sweetness. And, of course, the bottle design is every young girl’s dream! It’s like the Barbie Dreamhouse of perfume bottles!
If you’re seeking a grown-up, sophisticated, sensual scent, then Sweet Like Candy by Ariana Grande isn’t your best bet, but if you’re shopping for a holiday gift for your 18-year-old daughter, then this might be just the ticket.
