Kylie Minogue Darling : Perfume Review
Kylie Minogue Darling, the debut fragrance from the Australian pop diva, is the latest entrant onto the celebrity perfume scene. Moreover, in the short time that it has been out, according to some sources, it has managed to become the top selling scent in the UK. In other words, Posh Spice beware! Although at one point I defended celebrity fragrances, I have grown bored of the numerous neon-pink, fruity and girly offerings that are lavished upon us by the celebrity fragrance market. Being quite pleasantly surprised by Hilary Duff’s With Love…, I decided to seek out Darling. After all, it was created by Thierry Wasser of Firmenich, the perfumer who is responsible for several interesting compositions such as Calvin Klein Truth and Christian Dior Addict. ...
The first impression of Darling is the soft fruity accord, blending the mild citrus and the green floral notes. There is the tropical fruit freshness as well, which would be familiar to anyone who takes a whiff of any department store perfume counter. Nevertheless, the initial impression of Darling is much gentler than what one might expect. The floral heart is likewise tender, composed of white floral notes with a hint of violet fruitiness. The vanilla layered over the floral heart lends its characteristic creamy sweetness.
Eventually, the composition starts to deepen somewhat, ushering in a new oriental twist in the form of a woody-ambery accord. In fact, Darling’s musky, woody facets remind me of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely. Although Darling is described as chypre floriental, I find it hard to pinpoint what exactly about this fragrance is chypre. In general, both the chypre and the oriental accords are rather subtle, with the fruity and floral impressions dominating the composition. However, as the composition dries down, I am left with a feeling of disappointment once again. Darling is pretty, but it has nothing that catches one’s attention. It does not stand out in the sea of celebrity scents and fruity-floral confections. For someone who is as quirky, strong and interesting of a person as Kylie Minogue, Darling seems a bit too contrived.
Kylie Minogue Darling features notes of freesia, lychee, starfruit, boronia, lily, sandalwood, amber, vanilla. It is available in the Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum versions. Darling is used to scent Kylie Minogue’s figure at Madame Tussauds wax museum in London (according to Madame Tussauds website as reported by Now Smell This).
