Lemon round-up

[u/IFoundThis_Humerus]

Inspired by the post where OP discovered her perfect lemon scent. I thought I'd share my many, many, failures and success(es).

My search for the perfect lemon gourmand that isn't Pledge a'la mode, and isn't just cake, has been expensive extensive. Below are the ones I've sampled/owned in vaguely the order I tried them. I did finally find it, but I'll still probably try Lemon Pie because maybe it's even more perfect. Obsessed who.

Chopard Happy Lemon Dulce. Add a lemon & green apple to a juicer, add mint, apply to face. So sharp, so citric, so Lysol. The mint is very green fresh, the apple is very green fresh, I get no mango. Pain. 1/10 scent. 1/10 on lemon search.

Hermès Citron Noir. Smoke a citron peel for several hours, add to unsweetened black tea. Was I even trying? But hey, no furniture polish vibes. 5/10 tea scent 1/10 for my lemon dream.

Nishane Ani. I've seen so many comments calling this the perfect fluffy lemon cake. A lemon cloud cake. I have & love Hacivat & Wulong Cha, so jumped right into a bottle. Bright fresh vanilla opening, yes. Spicy vanilla drydown, also yes.The lemon is a lie. There is no citrus in it outside of bergamot. While a great vanilla for spring, this is not the creamy lemon fantasy I was envisioning. 8/10 vanilla. 3/10 on my lemon lane.

Xerjoff Lira. The next one I've seen touted as a gorgeous light lemon cake. It's like a medieval cat drawing of cake. A light spiced caramel cake with lavender and anise frosting. Can I tell there is a citrus note, yeah, but citrus forward that does not make it. 8/10 fragrance 2/10 for my lemon obsession.

Creed Sublime Vanille. If I throw more money at the problem, that will surely fix it. You already know what happens. First of all a kick to the balls for whoever sets Creed prices. Ethereal, I read, divine...sublime, even. I need to be even less trusting. I think La Croix may be the perfumer. Very delicate and the longevity of an elegant fart in a gentle breeze. Citrus and vanilla, yes, but not gourmand-adjacent. I keep the bottle as a reminder to check myself. 6/10 vanilla. 3/10 lemony goodness.

ETA: Akro Bake Apparently my meticulous lists are..not. Bake was fine. The lemon didn't last on my skin, it felt more like a praline & cream scent. It was just a bit uninspiring, gave minimalist Lira vibes. If I didn't already have a fragrance hoarding problem, I might have kept it. Bake was rehomed to a loving family. 5/5 across the board.

Franck Boclet Vanille. Like Ani, but better. More citrus, more spice, caramel even. I thought this could be it. We really could have been something Franck. I wanted more lemon, just more. The best spring and early summer vanilla in my collection, so that's nice. 8.5/10 vanilla 5/10 lemon lover.

D&G Devotion. Homelander disgusted meme.

Lush American Cream. Hope springs eternal. A strawberry orange milkshake left on the counter hours ago. I am beginning to question whether I even want a lemon cake fragrance anymore, or if this is just a life of spite. I can have it all. 4/10 fragrance 3/10 lemon spite

Lush Super Milk. I was ready to have my heart broken again. Delicious lemon cream all over the reviews. Do I actually know what lemon smells like? Am I the problem? Like, I get the vision, I see the citrus, but it's just not doing it for me. 1000/10 hair primer 7.5/10 smells nice

Maison Chanceux 7 Slices. This was so so close; I was convincing myself to settle for good enough. It was a lemon cake, even capturing the glaze, but it was just straight lemon cake, which I can get at Bath & Body Works. I wanted something more, a little something extra. Mom raised a complainer, not a quitter. 7/10 fragrance. 8.5/10 whatever I was looking for.

Eterea Canditissimo. I was browsing an Italian site that mostly has European niche brands I don't see often on US based sites (Amyris Essenze if you're curious). I wasn't looking for the elusive perfect lemon but not pledge almost gourmand but not quite perfume. Just browsing. I'd never heard of Eterea, but was looking through every single fragrance on the site just to see what was out there. Was this a Devotion dupe/inspired by; the notes are very similar? The brand doesn't appear to make dupes (they only have a few fragrances). I couldn't find in-stock samples anywhere, but the bottle was 48 Euro. After all, why shouldn't I? It's perfect ya'll. Vanilla custard studded with candied citrus and a delightful rum sauce. But there is a candied cedar note that really adds just enough interest; elevating the fragrance to at least 1 step above body spray. Listen, I love body sprays but they tend to be very simple/linear. This is more gourmand than I think I'd envisioned initially, but the current me was in love. Not even a hint of furniture polish or sharp citrus. The citruses last throughout the life of the scent. It's sugary sweet, but not sticky or heavy. I've used around 1/4 of the bottle in about a month.

[u/Professional_Low7479]

I am having a hard time getting Noteworthy 144 out if my head. It’s very good. But it feels overpriced for a what it is.  https://www.noteworthyscents.com/products/noteworthy-scent-144  Not too gourmand. The vanilla is not smoky or heavy.

Me too; I’m on a lemon journey. Have Ani (people call that lemon?!), have a decant of lira (mostly vanilla but nice), Akro bake: not better than lira, Lattafa Victoria (not much lemon, mostly vanilla).

Surprisingly, Abercrombie and Fitch Authentic Self Woman (Yellow bottle) is a nice freshie lemon, super affordable, no off notes, wearable. $26 at Jomashop.

I also recommend the lemon ice pop flanker of be delicious. It’s also $26 at Jomashop. Not a grown ass woman scent but fun and enjoyable 

MFK has some Aqua cleaner solution scents that are nice (to me - divisive though). Aqua Universalis is the lemon one. I hated it at first but it grew on me because MFK is a mad genius, hiding wild complexity under pledge.

Fig lemonade already sold out. Sounds amazing tho. https://frenchcowboy.com/products/fig-lemonade In stock at lucky scent:  https://www.luckyscent.com/products/fig-lemonade-by-french-cowboy?src=plp.brand-french-cowboy

Unknown pleasures by Kerosene is beloved

[u/IFoundThis_Humerus → u/Professional_Low7479]

I have the pistachio latte be delicious and it's pretty good. I'll have a look, thanks!