Eden Juicy Apple by Kayali

I wore Eden Juicy Apple by Kayali every day for a week as my only fragrance, and here are my thoughts about it...

The Results in short

Source: 10ml bottle, Feel Unique

• How much I like it: 8

• Composition rating: 8 for its type (i.e fruity, flirty and fun)

• Lasting power: 6

• Did my view change as the week went on? No

• Did I get bored/ sick of it? Amazingly, no!

• Any Compliments? From husband, and my dad when I pressed him

• In three words: Sweet, juicy, capricious

• Cost and value for money: Fair/ mid-price

• Will I buy it? I have a mini 10ml and would buy again.

• Husband's notes: 'I would love you to smell like this on a summer's day.' 'It smells like the fresh entrance of a Mediterranean hotel'. Not sure I agree of the latter, but both he and my daughter seemed to enjoy this one.

Picture from Kayali marketing

Notes from Huda Beauty:

Top: Juicy red apple, Blackcurrant, Pink Grapefruit, Lychee

Heart: Wild berries, Raspberry blossom, Jasmine, Rose Centifolia

Base: Vanilla Flower, Amber crystals, Sugared moss, Sensual musk

The Week's Review

I wanted something joyful and lighthearted after the stresses of last week and I completely found it in Kayali's Eden Juicy Apple 01 (2021) by parfumers Clement Gavarry (who made the BR540 clone, Cloud), and Gabriela Chelariu.

I wasn't coming to this completely blind because I had sniffed it in Selfridges' beauty hall (they're in the Huda section, of course, since Kayali is the project of Mona Kattan, Huda's sister). I don't know much about the gorgeous and entrepreneurial Kattan trio except they're exceptional business women who have built an empire together, and I think that's pretty cool.

When I sniffed it in Selfridges, I must say, even though I'm usually more pulled by the niche and luxury sides of the market, I very nearly bought it on the spot. The sparkling and sweet juiciness that hits you is like a giggle rising up in the throat. It's just such a happy, playful opening I may have laughed out loud. It's also quite astounding how the parfumers have captured so perfectly the smell of shiny red apple skin. It's hyper-real, like it's designed by AI - you can almost smell the shine itself.

The opening recedes, leaving a more traditional fruity body spray middle, which is fine. Whilst there are echoes of Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works during this stage, it steers clear of the plasticky smell the cheaper offerings can have. Whilst I don't find this stage particularly interesting or inspiring, I don't mind it: it's a pleasant, sweet melange of berries and citrus.

What I was left with on the skin is a soft floral - maybe rose, freesia and jasmine. After the opening burst, which is very sweet, another plus point for Eden Juicy Apple is that the sweetness lessens and there's a nice transparency, keeping things sparkling and fresh. Not as fresh as the archetypal apple scent, Be Delicious (Maurice Roucel, 2004), but still quite bright and breezy.

From top to toe, I found Eden Juicy Apple to be cheerful and appealing, though pitched quite young (it wouldn't smell out of place on a pre-teen as a special occasion treat).

7 Day Test

Whilst I wouldn't pick this as my signature fragrance, I was surprised not to get bored of it. I did cheat slightly by layering it with Kayali's Vanilla 28 on two occasions. One was to transform it into an evening out fragrance, and the combination worked way better than I expected, even throwing up Greenwich Village vibes to me at one point (surely some kind of scent illusion). The bubble this layering combination results in is pretty darn fab, if you're after a youngish, sexy pouf of fizzing muskiness. The other time, I just wanted to smell something more complex that day.

I tend to begin my layering experiments towards the end of the 7 Days. I guess my nose starts craving a little variety. I don't own many perfumed body lotions but I tried this layered with a few:

Eden Juicy Apple + PdM Delina body cream

= brings out the romantic rose and makes the scent more grown up. Very pretty and juicy! 🍎🌸

Eden Juicy Apple + Function of Beauty Milk(Shea)ke lotion

= that crazy, creamy, dreamy cocktail you drink too much of on a night out because it's so delicious but end up throwing back up the next day 🤢

Eden Juicy Apple + Jo Malone Peony Blush Suede body cream

= Accentuates the white floral aspect and adds maturity 👩🏼‍💼👡

Final thoughts

I think it's important to judge fragrances like you do music: how good they are within their genre. Obviously this fragrance shouldn't score an '8' next to Mitsouko or Chanel No. 5, just like you wouldn't compare Kelis's excellent pop song 'Milkshake' to Mozart.

That doesn't mean this isn't a great fragrance. It really is. It does all those things I personally want a fragrance to do: make me feel things and trigger my imagination. There is room for fun and flirty perfumes in my collection. My husband will be glad this one is staying.