Tropical Kiss

To Buy or Not to Buy?

Wearing Tropical Kiss versus the original would be like opting for a flavored lip balm instead of a gourmet dessert. You gain a fleeting tropical scent that's easy to wear, and you lose all of the nuance and complexity of a carefully crafted perfume. It’s perfectly acceptable for a casual beach day if you don’t mind a slightly artificial aroma, but don’t expect it to turn any heads or garner compliments.

First Impressions & Dry Down

Tropical Kiss kicks off with a juicy mango that quickly morphs into something resembling overripe papaya. There’s a fleeting whisper of orange blossom, but it's dominated by a sunscreen vibe, a bit synthetic, like cheap coconut tanning oil. The heart leans heavily into ylang-ylang, which takes on an almost banana-like sweetness instead of its usual floral depth. I don’t get much amber, and the coconut here has a plasticky edge. The drydown attempts iris and vanilla, but winds up smelling more like vaguely powdery play-doh than anything sophisticated. The benzoin is nearly undetectable. Where the inspiration scent feels smooth and blended, this feels... jagged.

Performance Reality Check

On my skin, Tropical Kiss lasts about 4-5 hours. Projection is moderate for the first hour, reaching maybe an arm's length, but then it rapidly shrinks to a skin scent. I wore it to run errands on a moderately warm day, and it became cloying and a bit sickening after about 3 hours in the heat. It performs decently indoors in air conditioning.