Salt Caramel Shay & Blue London for women and men

Salt Caramel Shay & Blue London for women and men

main accords
caramel
sweet
salty
vanilla
woody
marine
amber

Perfume rating 3.93 out of 5 with 783 votes

Salt Caramel by Shay & Blue London is a Amber Vanilla fragrance for women and men. Salt Caramel was launched in 2014. The nose behind this fragrance is Julie Massé.

Read about this perfume in other languages: Deutsch, Español, Français, Čeština, Italiano, Русский, Polski, Português, Ελληνικά, 汉语, Nederlands, Srpski, Română, العربية, Українська, Монгол, עברית.

Perfumer
Pros

Pros

14
3
Great for lovers of sweet-salty tastes and nutty-buttery flavors
11
3
Intense caramel and salt flavours that bounce off each other
8
1
Unique in fragrance collection
4
4
Heavenly and delectable scent
1
7
High quality and sophisticated fragrance
1
7
Seductive and alluring
1
9
Perfect for occasions when you want to feel sexy
0
11
Great at getting you access to things and people you wouldn't normally have
Cons

Cons

14
2
Initial blast of popcorn can be overwhelming and synthetic
12
1
May not be everyone's preferred taste
10
1
May not fit the kind of gourmand some people prefer
6
1
Not a complex note structure
3
1
Can be a pain to get through initially
5
5
Scent can smell like urine on some people's skin
2
3
May not suit all genders equally
1
6
May come across as old-fashioned or outdated

Note: The pros and cons listed on this page have been generated using the artificial intelligence system, which analyzes product reviews submitted by our members. While we strive to provide accurate and helpful information, we cannot guarantee the complete accuracy or reliability of the AI-generated pros and cons. Please read the full reviews and consider your own needs and preferences before making a purchasing decision.

Fragram Photos

Fragrance Notes


Caramel
Sea Salt
Tonka Bean
Sandalwood

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All Reviews By Date

*loves_shoes*

Initially very sweet and sugary.
Dries down to a weird urine smell.

anamawsity

I unfortunately can not stand this perfume. It’s way too masculine for me, I get absolutely no sweetness. It really just smells like extremely salty sandalwood on my skin. Lasts all day, so if you like this scent I’m very happy for you even though I suffered. I personally don’t see a resemblance to Sol de Janeiro’s ‘71.

MightyMouse98

Smells exactly as it’s supposed to: salty sweet. Nothing complex about it, no extras to pick up.

I hate to love it, I find myself wanting to wear it and smell like I’ve shoved my nose into a fudge cube. Not one I’ve ever been complimented on however, my partner explicitly dislikes it so it’s definitely not to everyone’s tastes.

evish

I had 5 ml from an older (the liquid is much darker) and a full bottle from the new version. They are just similar but not identical. The old version was a better blend, perfect combination of salt, butter, caramel and woody santalwood.. unfortunately the new version is pretty bad.. too much butter and it has something sour.. also I can smell white florals like gardenia. It's blend is very chaotic. In the summer the old one worked perfectly, the new one is just uncomfortable, after 1 hour it smells like urine with sweetness. Very strange combination I can say. I couldn't find the older batch anymore so I prefer to use What About Pop instead if this.
Old version ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
New version ⭐️⭐️

deja1sabel

buttered popcorn drizzled with caramel! this is such a cozy gourmand and I wear it all the time bc the scent is so addicting. I know not everyone loves that popcorn type of butter smell but personally I love it! It doesn’t smell too foody thanks to the tonka bean and sandalwood making it more grounded and smooth. Lasts pretty long and the sillage is good enough for me to receive multiple compliments when I’ve worn it.

nanabambino

Hey guys, my first review on frangrantica. I'm really into perfumes and thought I would fully join after making an empty account for years.

> I rated this as 'OK' and for the 'Summer, Spring, Day, Fall'.
> To me the longevity is medium and spillage too.
> In terms of scent, as the name suggests I do get caramel, however I do get that light popcorn salty scent that for myself I am not too much of a fan of, being a sweet gourmand lover mainly. I think it could have done incredibly better with a hint of toffee.

Slightly disappointed, but I luckily got the small bottled version of it which has run out. I am still on the hunt for a strictly toffee-caramel-dulce de leche perfume everyone, any luck or suggestions? I would really appreciate it! :-)

Thanks,
x nanabambino x

Freedom2007

I really love the scent but, it's super simple and I have to really overspray and go thru the bottle fast in order to really get the effect I want. It's super sweet and delicious but for this effect versus cost, I rather just use Cheriosa 71.

fridaymood

Smells like salted buttered popcorn.

Open up a container of caramel. Sniff it. Then spray this. It does not smell like caramel to me at all.

It completely smells like buttered salty popcorn. Throughout the day, as I got wafts of this, it reminded me of microwave popcorn bags, or like I just spent some time too close to the popcorn stand at the movie theater. If that's your jam, then this is perfect.

Idealauras

10/10 fresh buttered kettle corn fantasy

josephineds

to me this has too much caramel, if you're into that, great! but it's not for me, a bit too sickening sweet!

Selenity

On paper the salt and caramel notes were distinct and complimented each other. But on my skin it’s a muddled mushy mess. It literally smells mushy. Like baby formula with cereal or sugary oatmeal. Another sandalwood fragrance bites the dust. As they should.

alyssarware

This smells like pee to me unfortunately, and I hadn't even read any reviews beforehand to get that idea

scarski91

For the first few seconds to a minute or 2 at most this is beautiful- it smells like a beautiful Vanilla salted popcorn. After a couple minutes it changes to smell like rancid sour stale urine. I’ve thrown my bottle away. The smell after it changes from a beautiful salted vanilla popcorn to urine is stomach turning vomit inducing.

Not for me.

AlaskanAngel

KETTLE CORN

Dry down is sea salt air and sweet vanilla sandalwood.

I'm not really into salt notes on myself but this is nice. Wouldn't purchase. Similar to SDJ Cheirosa '71 but with added salt.

Review of official carded spray sample that came free with purchase.

lunarriviera

Unfortunately I seem to be one of those people on whom this has a urine-like sour smell. Fortunately I don't get much longevity or sillage, just a metallic note. I have SDC '71 which is pure buttered popcorn and this doesn't smell anything like it, in the bottle or on the skin. I'm sad about this and glad I only bought the tester.

rileyhoad

unbearably salty/popcorn like scent, not been able to wear on the skin without scrubbing it off so not for me unfortunately!

Glitterngold

I really thought or hoped this would have more depth but its liteurally straight up salted caramel. A scent most of us like but not something I wish to walk around smelling of. Its a very candy/teenage scent to me. Il wear this at home but not something Id go out wearing.

LMBelvi

I haven’t owned this in a couple years and I just sprayed from new bottle… sigh of relief to smell that it’s still delightful. Though I often love gourmand scents they can veer too foodlike for me. I could see why some people would say that about this perfume but to me it’s a perfect marriage of yummy and just comforting happiness. And major kudos for making smaller size bottles which I always prefer.

vinegarsyndrome

Not sure how I feel about this. Heavy buttered popcorn at the beginning, joined by a soap-in-the-mouth a few minutes later. Maintains equal parts sweetness and umami throughout its performance, which is sometimes delicious and well balanced. Other times these are at odds, like when you cook something sweet in a pan that retains the flavors of a previous savory dish.

ntlzhng

This is fun! It's sweet, buttery caramel popcorn that is made less chintzy with some tonka. I thought that there might be a little bit of yellow floral in here, but I guess it's the sandalwood note. It's cute and very gourmand, but I don't think I'd like to wear out. The projection is moderate but it lasts very long on the skin, eventually leaving you with a milky, frothy skin scent.

Shan101beauty

Sweet and salty. It reminds me if the circus, fairs or even the movies due to that caramelised salted caramel scent. Perfect for a fun & festive occasion such as going to a adventure park or something. Casual and fun.

es_confetti

If there was a child of ThoO What about Pop and Sunset Hour... Salty Caramel would be born... try to layer them both

jilc

Really smell like buttery popcorn. Top note extra sweet and lactonic, but the base is way better with a soft nice dusty sandalwood/soft wood.

Rosemary14

I wore this to my Mom’s house the other day and she said, “Have you been in a candy store? You smell like a caramel chocolate or something.” Score!

To me it smells exactly like buttery salted caramel popcorn. Sometimes it can even cross over into a salted caramel bread or puff pastry to me. I love it.

Yurippe

This smells like the caramel popcorn you can get at Disneyland (at least the one in Tokyo), so it reminds me of a cold, but happy day spent there with my best friend.

Edemay

lol as soon as I saw fragrance tiktokers hyping this up I knew there would be a lot of disappointed people

warning: If you love mainstream scents you probably wont like this
Its a weird one, its not as sweet as its described and it smells very niche.
I dont think its really comparable to cheriosa and pure xs.

boolprop

Hooooo boy this is an interesting one, super glad I got a sample. Here's the thing, it smells nice. Very nice. But I swear it's nearly a dead ringer for a Glade Cashmere Woods plug-in?! That scent used to be my ride or die when I used plug-ins years ago and this took me RIGHT back.

I love the scent but I can't get past the fact that it smells like an air freshener to me. 😩 And that's to say nothing of the other issue I have which is I don't particularly get salt, popcorn, caramel, or hardly any of the other notes the description/reviews mention. It's really sandalwood heavy to me. Very odd perfume. I thought this was going to be so straightforward, a surefire salty caramely gourmand; couldn't have been more wrong.

On a positive note, the projection is pretty much exactly what I want in a perfume, not too strong not too weak. Good longevity too.

Oh one more thing, I have Sol De Janiero Cheirosa 71 and this smells nothing like it to me. That review was the one that got me to pull the trigger on a sample so I wanted to mention that in case anyone else does the same lol. In fact if you're reading these reviews and thinking salty, buttery, caramelized gourmand goodness that, if anything, is almost TOO edible smelling but you like that -- then you should get SDJ 71. You'll be very happy with it, it's straight yum.

EDIT: I tried it again and I *do* get the buttery popcorn note in the top. Unfortunately I don't find it nice at all. Sandalwood Glade plug-in with buttery popcorn spray. I have to downgrade this to a dislike, sadly. It's almost...revolting?

Shayziep

Definitely carmel corn and salt. Smells great, dry down is nice, but it just doesn't last long on me. Stays pretty close to the skin for me.

Cyllde

Let's call this what it really is... popcorn. Do I like the smell? Yes! But I also love the smell of popcorn. Would I want to smell or spend money on a fragrance to smell like I just bathed in the popcorn machine at the cinema? No. It's not overly buttery. You can pick up the sea salt notes. So think popcorn served at the beach.

naturastrid

Well, this scent was my first ever blind buy. I read so many wonderful things about it and I couldn’t wait to try it. I was wrong. It’s nothing but overly sweet to me, like caramel with some more even sweeter caramel and a hint of vanilla in the background. The worst thing is that theres nothing unique about it, for me, it’s like every sweet drugstore scent ever. Luckily, it goes away on my in 1-2 hours.

sazmattaz

This was an immediate yuck from me. There's a saltiness and butteriness to this that reminds me of cinema popcorn in the absolute worst way. If anyone has ever used gradual tan lotions from Dove, it smells like that when it's been sitting on your skin for hours. Dirty biscuit is the only thing I can describe it as. The notes are very accurate - but they don't work for me at all I'm afraid.

pyrite

Caramel popcorn is all I've got scentwise and unfortunately cant comment any further as literally within a minute of applying it to the back of my hand i had a red rash and big welt everywhere the perfume touched. I tired to wash it off and put some cream on to take the swelling down which caused the finger on my other hand to swell up and turn red too as I hadnt managed to get rid of it all. Ended up using washing up detergent to get rid of the oil residue the soap wouldnt get rid of. Luckily by morning I was back to normal. Never had any allergic reactions to perfumes before.

AubreeRichelle

So I got this scent hoping for a caramel popcorn scent, and honestly it is. I definitely get a popcorn note, but the caramel is not as sweet or as strong as I would like, however that was not a deal killer for me.

However there is a metallic musk note that I just could not deal with. I was so sad because this perfume was almost perfect, but I just could not stand that metallic note on my skin.

This has great projection, especially if it is warm or you are active, and the longevity is great. It just did not work for me.

sour_girl

Smells like one of those cheap candles that your mother buys from the grocery store for the winter months. It has a nasty knockoff Yankee Candle vibe and I can't explain it.

GoldIris

I am a big fan of gourmand and sweet fragrances, but this one is absolutely disgusting. Couldn't stand the scent anymore to the point I got nauseous. Had to wash my arm multiple times to get rid of this horrible scent. Headache inducing and synthetic sweet with that disgusting butter/salt accord, one of the worst fragrances I have ever tried. I tried to give it another chance spraying it on fabric to see if it will develop into something nice in the far dry-down, but not at all. Can't even imagine a person wanting to smell like this, definitely a try before you buy fragrance.

2/10

Patrice 123

This smells exactly like Sol De Janiero Cheirosa 71.

tippytee

Caramel popcorn. I bought this so I could layer with other fragrances to try and replicate a Miss Dior Cherie effect but haven't had a ton of success so far. It's a bit more buttery than I had hoped for, like a one- dimensional Jeux de Peau, which is far more interesting with its breadiness, spices and fruitness (and becoming more impossible to find).

nadmau

Whenever I spray this on myself, I'd smell like a walking caramel popcorn stall, which I love, but I find it a bit tricky to wear especially in warm weather. On me, the sillage is very strong & the longevity is crazy. Great perfume, but not a safe blind buy.

ceeceelee

To my nose it smells like walking on the boardwalk in Santa Cruz eating salt water taffy. I get what another reviewer was saying about there being a perfumey vibe and a gourmand vibe, but I think they work quite well as long as your not looking for a straight up gourmand. It gives the same feel as Black Opium in that you have the coffee and cream with white florals. They don't smell similar, just that perfumey smell she was speaking of. Quality is good, and I stand by that. I have allergy issues (breathing) and synthetic ingredients, if used in excess, can cause a very bad reaction and it doesn't smell scratchy like some perfumes of this type can (ex. Sklyar, Vanilla Sky). I think the price is very fair. If you like the Juicy Couture line, IMO, this smells much better that caramel scented fume.
Luckyscent sample, not a safe blind buy bc of the duality of gourmand and floral, fairly priced, good quality.

lifnisanders

A true salt caramel, smells very delicious.

Mangaetteok

Sweet & salty, a true gourmande.. Not 'liquid caramel' though, & I don't get popcorn; there's something almost biscuit-y on my skin, caramel biscuits, I think, (& on fabric,) it's quite food-y with just a hint of a 'perfume-y' note - so it's not completely pure food. It's a comfort scent, something that works well on cold nights, espc if you are craving something sweet, but the are biscuits & caramel with some sea-salt; that's what makes this perfume special, it has that delicious salty-sweet balance that is just so good; on the right person, it's gorgeous. I've never worked it out of the house - & only wore a small amount twice - myself I prefer, 'clean' often fresh, perfumes, after a while, I find I cannot stand it on myself, beautifully done as it is - love, love, love this on others - but it is just too gourmande for me, (I find Sweet Pastry a Paris,) to be similar, & I like that too, but that's a little less, 'too much' on my skin - & is nowhere near as good as this one, though Iike it - but these are perfumes I love to smell on others but unfortunately I cannot wear for long. It's a v well crafted perfume, the packaging, box/bottle is beautiful, & my bottle is a couple of years old, (I only opened it recently, ) & is not the new formulation (which is much weaker & more straight forward vanille; it's lost something in the reform, my friend's new btl wasn't as good,) but if you are craving a cold weather gourmande & it suits your skin chemistry & personal taste this is actually lovely; my friend wears it quite often & strangers compliment her all the time. It sometimes makes you feel hungry though - beware (!) I hv a full bottle of this on my swaps list if anybody is interested; otherwise I may revisit it, am not sure. The tonka in it, is gorgeous, just gorgeous, & there's definitely a little sandalwood; honestly, I wish I could wear it, but it lasts quite well, 4-6 hrs, & within 2/3, I just cannot; I had to add a citrussy layer, which was nice, but takes away from it (as I needed, ofc,) - my friend though, wears this on it's own - sometimes with a tonka/vanille lotion & it's just lovely. Far, far nicer than any of the popcorn-y Paco Rabannes, & much nicer than any caramel pfme I've trued - it has a more complex, much more rounded scent profile; some of the caramel pfmes I've tried feel 'unfinished' maybe even 'basic' but not this - & it does smell expensive; far more so than say ES 'Girl of Now' or similar. A very good one.

Blanki

I tried it out during summer. Although I liked the scent it was a bit too much in the hot weather, but I think it would be perfect for autumn and winter and I'm planning to get a full bottle during the colder months. For me, it's not very much about salt and caramel, what comes to my mind when smelling it is a rum-raisin cake. Sooo yummy.

mamafrag

I think fanntonyoscar hit the nail on the head! Those are my feelings exactly about this one. Sadly I blind bought it and I'm not loving it.

fanntonyoscar

This is a perfume trying to step into gourmand territory and still be a perfumey-perfume. That just doesn’t work for me (except for a select few from Kilian). I get all the yummy notes, and then there’s some kind of cheap perfume smell behind it and in the dry down. I don’t believe the notes listed are all the actual notes added for this reason. Sadly, I just can’t.

AnneofCleves

Straight up smells like walking by a caramel popcorn stand at the fairgrounds. Very very sweet and strong in the opening. The dry down settles it a little but it’s still a very syrupy gourmand. I can appreciate it but It’s not something I would reach for.

Edemay

The formulation has either changed or possibly my bottle might need to age a little.
The old decant I had of this was INTENSE and quite sweet.
But my new bottle only has a touch of sweetness and is much lighter
Bourbon vanilla is listed on the box so it may just get better with time.
I remember my old juice being quite brown in colour as well.

PeachK

The description calls this an "amber vanilla" fragrance but there is no amber or vanilla listed in the notes. Weird.
Also, another perfume website lists this as also having oakmoss and bourbon vanilla in it (as well as liquid caramel, not just caramel). I wonder what accounts for the difference?

Anyway, this fragrance starts out smelling almost nutty on me. I have an old Bloom & Prosper candle that is labelled "Pumpkin & Pine" that has a nutty background like this, too, that you wouldn't expect from the name. After 20 minutes this perfume smells more like caramel and popcorn. I like it. But I like anything that reminds me of autumn and this does. Or at least it smells like something that would smell best in autumn.

antolin1

Smells great on initial blast – the combo is reminiscent of my childhood, eating salted chews around the pier in SF with the scent of fresh salt water through the air.It’s not overly or overtly sweet on me, which was exactly what I had hoped. Unfortunately, this is fleeting and is gone within 1-2 minutes. Then it becomes a skin scent of something else – burnt brownies? Not getting the urine dry down that others mention, which I am grateful for, but it certainly isn’t what I had hoped for and definitely is one of the most overhyped caramel scents out there. Longevity is abysmal, certainly not full bottle worthy (I purchased the 30 ML).

jinglebells

I've been wanting to try this for a while, and purchased a decant, the initial spray had potential, can really smell the yummy caramel and it's very very gourmand, smells almost chewy. However from the second whiff onwards it has an undercurrent of something bad, I understand why some people are saying it smells like urine. I had to wash my hands after a while because it was too much for me. I might try this again in the cold weather but I doubt my feelings would change, if anyone in the UK wants to try this let me know I'm sure we can work something out.

Nataliemarie

I actually like this BETTER than What about Pop. It's more of a realistic Popcorn/Caramel Scent. WAP is amazzzinnng, it is a more "Perfumey" Popcorn scent than this is. I have Jeaux de Peau & LOVE it, (reformulated into an expensive line from Serge Lutens now), this ranks right there with it. They are different, JDP is more Bready, this is more Popcorny, to give you an idea of what this smells like. PR Pure XS has been reformulated & the Popcorn note was taken out, which was stupid. It now is basically Olympea. I am in love with this perfume!!!!!!!! Saw someone mention BS Fantasy, I cannot stand that scent. This is nothing like that, or urine.
Just realized it reminds me of BBW Summer Boardwalk Candle scent, w/o the waxy smell. OH YEAH!!

Cosmina07

This is sticky caramel, when I smell it my mouth is watering. The scent is somehow warm, sweet... so sweet. Among the caramel and tonka I can feel a milky, creamy note. Sandalwood is in here maybe for balance but I can t pick it as an individual note, everything is a melange between caramel, tonka, cream I would love to be more salt in it because it can become a little bit cloying with its sweetness.

L.E: ok, ok this is not caramel at all it’s condensed milk

Polinabar

It smells exactly like it’s named! Salty caramel, great gourmand. Has a sweet popcorn vibe. Love it

tilda.dudas

Sweet popcorn! Not a safe buy, but if you need to seduce someone who really likes popcorn with caramel drizzle on it, this will make them crave going to the cinema when smelling you.

clone

britney spears fantasy + salty pretzel

GoldIris

This fragrance is literally disgusting, the longer it stayed on my skin, the more I had to throw up. If you want to smell like greasy caramel butter, then this is the scent for you.

2/10

sakura28

Purchased a sample, thank goodness I didn't blind buy.

First impression, unfortunately sweet urine popcorn.

So sad. The urine-like note dies down significantly after settling, but I don't think this is meant for my chemistry. After it dries it turns into a kind of basic sugar vanilla on me. Doesn't last too long on me, only 3 ish hours before it's a skin scent. Nice, but for the price it's a pass for me.

I am super envious of others skin chemistry that pulls just a yummy caramel popcorn. I'm searching for a salted caramel/popcorn vibe scent, but it seems my skin just hates salt notes even though I love those scents.

I recommend sampling before purchasing.

Edemay

My ultimate comfort scent
I have had a large decant of this for years and find myself craving the warm, salty, burnt sweetness on rainy nights that I have to myself.
I have never once worn this out, its always strictly been for comfort which I find funny. Its not a sexy scent or a pretty scent... it makes me think of homely comfort, loved ones and indulgence.

Whify

All I can say is "Yuck". Too sweet, too salty, too doughy, too foody. Too much like baked goods. Just too much. I tried layering it, but this just overwhelms everything. And it makes me nauseous. Strong sillage and great longevity but the scent gets nul points from me.

bella.cheirosa

I wanted to love this, but it just doesn't agree with my skin. It smells like straight up musty sweet popcorn on me and I can't stand it. Definitely not a safe blind buy

[email protected]

This fragrance has all the notes I love but sadly on my skin it lasts for around five minutes then disappears to nothing 😩 not great for the price point

marymag

I know it’s been said, but immediate sweet popcorn and general perfume scent. It, in these times of quarantine, takes me on a journey, mentally, back to when movie theatres were safe to venture into. It is a tub of popcorn, caramel candy, the scent of multiple nervous first dates everywhere

Caramel and popcorn and super sweet women’s perfume (think Black Opium/Prada Candy/Juicy Couture) and little else. The buttery-ness of the popcorn smell is off-putting to me, personally, but it doesn’t smell bad. As the perfume dries down, the caramel takes over but I can’t get past the initial popcorn scent.

Overall, fairly inexpensive, but not blind buy safe. Scent isn’t bad, just not as easy to like as the notes would suggest.

Jacqueline7nt

Definitely smells like popcorn! I love popcorn, but wearing it did not sit well with me. I did not like it on my skin and it felt weird smelling of it. I will stick to eating it. For a similar-ish but more wearable scent, i would go for PR Olympea.

I believe it is a love or hate. My brother smelt it and loved it and so a few of us debated liking it versus wanting to smell like it. I think this is a debatable one but not one i wish to keep. Not a safe blind buy IMO.

FadelAbbasShow

Smells like salted caramel popcorn soaked in urine.

Snicole82

That initial blast of popcorn is way too much for me. Really salty and buttery. It made my stomach turn. Then it turns into something sweet, but not quite caramel. More like buttered honey. I'm a huge gourmand lover and this doesn't quite fit my kind if "gourmand."

Sillage: Medium
Longevity: Medium

Edit: 4/20/2020 This smells like urine.

JustFluxz

This reminded me of Jeux de Peau by Serge Lutens. They don't smell that similar, they make me think of similar things. It smells like a freshly-made salted pastry, but this time more dark, creamy, and a little bit sticky due to the caramel.

Jasmindee

Let's start off with the good points...

Presentation and packaging was very smart, this would make a nice gift.

The dry down of this is wonderful. Very nostalgic in a weird way. Salty buttered popcorn and warm sandalwood.

However I cannot move past the opening spray - holy synthetic, Batman! It smells like literal cat pee. I don't know if it's the salt or the tonka, or perhaps my bottle is off, but this is the most nausea-inducing opening I've ever smelt. Once it mellows down a bit, I get the lovely, drool-worthy caramel I've always dreamed of, but that opening... I don't know if I should keep this and try to let it sit for a bit. I'm trying to make this work for me, but on my clothes it just smells so screechy and artificial. On my skin, it's delicious.

If you're going to buy this - don't make the same mistake as I did and buy a tester first.

Sigh, my search for the perfect caramel perfume goes on. Maybe this is a sign that caramel scents just don't work for me. Viva La Juicy is the closest I've ever got to enjoying a caramel based perfume on me, I think I might save my future pennies and just stick to that.

Titibug

Dreamy, naturally sweet, dopey, salty, innocently intoxicating. For me it's like a big sedating cuddle that I can sniff directly into my brain. Oh, that sounds bad. But this fragrance is rich and mellow, comforting and good. It lasts long and stays the same. Not complex or challenging, but when it comes to cuddles you might not want surprises. Love this.

tayyabforyouth

Yes, it smells like salt caramel. Like the smell of a pretzel dipped in salt caramel to be exact. Not very sweet oddly. Is it ok? Yes. Is it amazing? Meh. And I say that as a gourmand lover.

3.5/5

globato85

Hands down smells like buttered caramel popcorn. It's delicious. It's sticky. It's sweet. It's a little salty. I think this is a great gourmand fragrance and if you are a gourmand lover you should definitely try it. The longevity leaves something to be desired but the price is quite fair so I don't let it bother me too much.

gtabasso

As someone else said, buttery for sure. This is sweet buttered caramel corn. Delicious.

sushimaw

Buttery salted caramel popcorn with florals. The caramel note is gorgeous, the salt very real... but I do not like the floral notes. I guess that's the tonka and sandalwood. On my skin it turns quite sour, with the florals more prominent than it does on tissue. Sadly disappointed, as i did not expect it to bloom the way it did. My mom likes it, but it's not really for me.

winter.night.traveller

Rather lovely. A nice, non-synthetic, quiet butterscotch, caramel, and slightly salty popcorn scent which is light-hearted and fun but not sickening or juvenile and surprisingly warm and pretty. This actually dries down to something surprisingly sensible and approachable - I still smell the caramel popcorn, but my rather traditional-perfume florals-only mother loves this on the dry-down and keeps threatening to steal it from me. It's also one of the few perfumes that I own that my sister always compliments - although we both agree that it wouldn't play well in her very corporate work environment because it's far from a strict, serious, polished scent - it's more like a fluffy hug.

As a fun aside, I work in an academic library and this is the one scent that my students seem to love - I've never had a bad comment, but the comments I have had have ranged from the very complimentary to the good-natured but slightly weird, such as comparisons to coffee shops (?), cinema popcorn, toffee, fudge, biscuits, and once when I layered it with a vanilla body lotion I got enthusiastically sniffed and asked if I was wearing the infamous Prada Candy. I now have to remind myself that if I wear it to work, I run the risk of being sniffed, conversations about confectionery, and hungry students! Which, in its way, is in itself a glowing endorsement of this rather nice fragrance...

Lockon

It smells like I'm standing in front of a concession stand
at the movie theater. With freshly popped popcorn. Then they will add caramel to it(takes about 30 minutes tho), cheddar cheese powder, butter, etc. It's a fine fragrance that I will hardly wear. But fine nonetheless...

It reminds me of county fairs & rides at coney island (Brooklyn NY). So ferris wheels, kiddy roller coasters, arcades, food stands & those win a prize booth...you know where you have to "test your skill" (insert mortal kombat theme song here). As the host gas you up, to make you think you have a chance to win at his rigged game.

Anyway, the fragrance doesn't last long.
It projects for half an hour and then just sits close to my skin. From open(first spray) to mid (semi dry) you'll get the buttery/caramelized popcorn scent....in the drydown it smells like Shirley Biscuits (it's a shortbread cookie).

I'm pretty sure this bottle will last me until it's my time to leave this plane of existence.
It doesn't last long or projects well.
So it's meant for cuddle time with a special someone and hopefully, they like the scent profile already. Because they won't smell it, till they're right under you.
So be kind & find out if they like it.

If they do like, save it for special occasions & events.
So you can make an awesome scent memory or memories.
And you can spray this whenever you need a pick me up.


I used six sprays...both wrist, back & front of my neck, chest, and front of my shirt.

Will I buy this again? No.

What's the strength of this? Parfum.

Does this fragrance enter BEAST MODE, good, just okay or weak sauce at best? Just okay.

Can you use it as a unisex scent? Yes.

Am I willing to trade this fragrance? No.

Should You Skip It, Sample It First or Blind Buy It? Sample it first. Even if you're a gourmand lover. Sample first!

Very similar to Caramelized popcorn in the opening to mid, and the in the dry down...You'll get a biscuit fragrance from it. E.g...Shirley Biscuits or shortbread cookies.

Is it the old, new formulation? New.

What's its availability; in production, limited edition or discontinued? In production.

SKU Number: 0609613836046
Batch Number: 8135/0110057 (Production Date: 15 of May, 2018)

Age: Any
From: Lucky Scent
Size: 100ML
Scent: 3.5/5 (Fine).
Value: 2.5/5 ($80).
Sillage: 2/5 (Two feet).
Longevity: 2.5/5 (Five hours max).
Creativity: 5/5 (Carmelized Popcorn in the opening to mid, with a shortbread cookie vibe at the end)
Projection: 1/5 (About 30 minutes tops, after that it fades to a skin scent).
Versatility: 5/5 (Fall/Winter & anywhere that's not work related).
Compliments: 2/5 (Could be better).

Hope this helps someone.
And until next time, I'll catch you on the flipside.

shinayu

Could I say...I was rather disappointed by the first impression of this perfume? It smells like burnt caramel or something burnt almost incense-like. Yes...it becomes more tolerable after 15 mins but still not caramel enough and sweet enough I thought...was rather disappointed :/ It does smell like popcorn...burnt semi sweet popcorn with a lot of cinnamon maybe? I need to test this properly once again.

Although something I need to add, I feel like this is more of a unisex leaning more masculine scent. I can definitely picture a guy in his mid 20s-30s wearing this. Someone classy wears leather shoes and a checkered suit jacket with glasses? Yeah, when I picture someone who can pull this off would be someone like Sherlock Holmes...lol I don't know why. It didn't meet my expectation of a salted caramel scent but doesn't mean it's a bad scent. It's just not what the name suggests that is all.

I mean I travel so far (1.5hr of bus and train rides) just to buy this off someone. I also bought Serge Lutens La Fille De Berlin which also cost me another 1.5 hours of bus and train rides after that. So I travelled for 3 hours in total. I was happy with serge (not extremely happy because it's been used a bit but happy the fact that its the old formulation). This one was fairly full but smells not what I have expected it to be...so I would say after a long treck I am rather disappointed. I will try it again and update my review if I change my mind.

EDIT: I have worn this perfume a few times now but I actually tested it out to layer it with SL's La Fille and they turn out to be a rather nice combo. On its own, it's not that sweet, but in combination with La Fille it's a Turkish Delight caramel pastry It's a rather delicious scent combo. I want to test this perfume more with other perfumes to see what more combinations can I come up with. I was concerned I would have to sell this away but for now I will keep it and test out with other perfumes I have.

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Nice~er;)

nirvana95

I always get compliments on this scent, especially "you smell edible"! It's so delicious, gooey and sticky caramel. It's a very warming scent and I really only wear it when it's super cold in winter, which doesn't happen much in Australia:(
Perfect for any gourmand fragrance lover! Longevity is around 6hrs and it has a good silage.

MyersAlice

I have been dreaming about this perfume
for quite a long time now.
And I instantly fell in love with this scent.
On first spray, it's a buttery salty popcorn scent.
And even that, to me, is very pleasant.
It dries down to this warm, salty sweet caramel
and it's just absolutely gorgeous and delicious.
I honestly couldn't be happier with this scent,
it's exactly the way I thought it would be.

darrenwrite

It is a lovely caramel scent. I definately get a salt nauance. To my nose it is very much a unisex fragrance with the caramel smell being quite light and sweet.

Oudaddict

Butterkist toffee popcorn. It's very creative, but I'm trying to think of a time that I would actually wear this. I find it too feminine for my liking.

clross26

Ok, I just got this in the mail today, and I can tell you initially, I don’t like it. The opening is super strong, salty caramel and some butter(faint popcorn scent) but if you can get past the first 10-15 min dry down that’s when this really starts to perform. It becomes sexier the more it dries down and goes into a nice subtle sensual caramel. I love it overall but initially is going to be a pain to get through. With that being said. It’s not a blind buy or a dumb reach fragrance. I don’t know how often I’d wear this. So I’m glad I only got the 1oz bottle, this will last me a couple years, might only wear it on holidays or dates.

Edit: I changed my vote to dislike... I can’t get passed the opening. It’s not bad... just not for me. I tried.

Nicole f

I get a kinda smoky vibe from. It doesn't smell like popcorn to me, and the caramel doesn't smell as rich as I hoped. I do like it and will wear it on days I'm not doing much.

theLady

I'm loving it. I am in awe at how the chemists nailed salty buttered popcorn with a hint of caramel.

At first it's pretty chemical, but that goes away within a reasonable amount of time.

I'm a sucker for Foxcroft Fairgrounds by Solstice Scents, as well as Maine Moon, both of which have a buttered popcorn accord. I'm into this!

Somehow, smelling like movie-watching food makes me feel kinda sexy.

Hastey

Smells nothing like popcorn to me, smells like a baked biscuit with a salted caramel flavour. I love this, so beautiful. Not a complex note structure, but stands unique in my collection. Need a full bottle.

icingsugar

I personally don't think this smells of popcorn. There are some great popcorn fragrances out there (La Fin Du Monde by Etat Libre d'Orange perhaps being my favourite), and when I bought this I was half hoping that it would smell like popcorn and I love the scent and have a growing collection of carnival inspire scents. On first spray, I was initially disappointed.

This fragrance reminds me of the milk left at the bottom of the bowl after eating Cheerios, evaporated milk, fudge...not the rich caramel I was expecting (like the caramel sauce they pour on your whipped-cream coffee at starbucks).

My first bottle of this was 10ml and within a month I found it completely empty, having gone to it so often. This really surprised me and I had to get another 30ml. I absolutely love this fragrance now , despite it not being as I originally wanted. It is subtle, long lasting and absolutely delicious. In my top 10 now!

chloematilda

Such a simple fragrance, and yet so ingenious. Beautiful heavy bottle and presentation. Opens with a heavy salty blast, but dries down to a lovely woody sweetness that is balanced by the tonka note.

Not overly sweet or sickly and so different from any of the gourmands in my wardrobe. Fantastic projection and longevity, and the saltiness gives off a summery ozone vibe. I really like how different it is, and the different layers are fun.

In the end, it's a beautiful summer by the ocean fragrance with the perfect level of sweetness. I'm a Tonka lover, and it plays wonderfully in the drydown - along with the sandalwood, giving it an earthy twist. The saltiness is detectable in the drydown, but it's subtle and blends well.

There's nothing "pretty floral" here. This is a true gourmand that's sensuous without any sharpness or hard edges. A pleasure to own and wear. Thank you so much for the swap KA!

cedar_lea

I don't have much to add. I agree with everyone who said that this is popcorn Jelly Belly bean with caramel -- and that isn't a bad thing! The tonka gives it a slight mimosa floral scent, but doesn't go full on baby oil like it sometimes does on me. It makes it a little more perfume-like but keeps it fun and light.

anouk.bachman

Reviewer GodKing nailed it: 'I certainly don't wish to spend good money just to smell like a drunken carnival worker who fell ass-over-tea-kettle into a vat of circus popcorn.'

I was looking for a sweet caramel candy scent, and I got it. Only to realize that indeed, I want to smell this at a fair, a carnival, my kid's birthday parties, not my skin. Wearing it on my wrist for half an hour makes my head spin, like coming off a carnival ride you got 'bonus rounds' on you didn't sign up for.

I will use my sampler on potpourri perhaps, to go on one ride and get off before it turns so very bad!

GodKing

Heavily salted and buttered popcorn mixed with Cracker Jack. While I give Shay & Blue bonus points on creativity, and it is a very nice smelling fragrance, I certainly don't wish to spend good money just to smell like a drunken carnival worker who fell ass-over-tea-kettle into a vat of circus popcorn. Moreover, as much as I enjoy the scent (a comforting gourmand) it is entirely synthetic and quite disgusting smelling this fragrance on skin.

Some may enjoy wearing this fragrance (although I can't imagine why) I would suggest just popping some buttered organic popcorn (non-GMO) with coconut oil and Irish Butter, toss in Cracker Jack, and you'll enjoy smelling Salt & Caramel...plus a sweet and buttery treat in the process.

Performance is pretty good in that it lasts 7-8 hours and projects, overall, slightly above average on my skin. Final analysis is that I really enjoy this scent; give credit to the creativity; but it fails in that it is not at all wearable. Cheers!

RCDiane

I love this fragrance so much! This is one of the few perfumes that I am always in the mood for. It's a very buttery caramel gourmand, so if yummy food-like scents are your thing, I would definitely check this one out:) And the bottle and box it comes in is so charming!

;)

Received a sample and it is for sure buttered popcorn. I have worn it to bed a couple of nights because it's a snuggle scent. Gone by morning. It would be better as a candle. Definitely can find indie oils on Etsy that smell the same and cost much less. I am interested in sampling other Shay & Blue scents, though.

pavotrouge

I love gourmands, and this is a beautiful scent, but too sickly artificial to me. I love smelling it, and would love body care products with this scent, but as a perfume, I find it way too cloying and synthetic. I do not get any popcorn association, either, but I'm from Eurooe, where popcorn simply comes in 'popcorn' flavour.

SailorV

I go along with all the reviewers who say this smells like popcorn. Additional to the popcorn I also get caramel and a strong note of warm, sweetened milk. After it dried down for some hours it smells more like the listed notes, but overall it's more popcorn than salted caramel.
This is extremely foody and very sweet, not comparable to the usual designer gourmands. I think it's kind of cool, unique even, but I don't think I really want to smell like that all day long. It's missing something, it's too one-dimensional for my taste. It's perfect if you want to smell like delicious food and nothing else, and I can imagine it would be even greater for those who like to layer different perfumes. It could be good with something fruity and uplifting for balance.
I myself like my gourmands a bit more nuanced and perfumey, though, and don't want to layer different fragrances to get the desired result. It's purely a matter of taste.

freebirdsoul

I'm a sucker for gourmands so I had to try this one.

My initial reaction was "this smells delicious, but I don't think I want to smell THIS much like food."

Or do I? ;)

The initial blast is straight up Salted Caramel. It's actually quite salty (and sweet), and incredibly realistic. I agree with previous reviews that this smells like the boardwalk- buttered popcorn, sweet taffy, the salty ocean breeze. It evokes wonderful childhood memories.

When it melts into the skin it becomes much more wearable and COZY!
Creamy sandalwood wraps itself around the buttery, savory-sweetness of the caramel; cutting through what could otherwise be cloying. The Tonka Bean rounds it all out this becomes a lovely Sweet Oriental Vanilla.

I probably wouldn't reach for it daily, but for an every now and then indulgence. I think it would make for a wonderful home scent as well.

rafatramon

smells like a night at the movies, with popcorn on my lap haha

Jessicajessa

Huge blast of butter popcorn upon 1st spray. But on me it dries down to a caramel, musk,nutty sweetness. Very unique, I absolutely love this perfume.

redskyatnight

Salt Caramel is definitely true to its name, but the sandalwood adds a sexy muskiness that I just love. At first there was an overly synthetic butter undertone with the caramel, but that faded within minutes. At the drydown you're left with Cracker-Jack goodness and sandalwood belying that this is not your average gourmand. Love it!

Soutty123

At first I thought this was a fairly basic salted caramel scent but as it developed on my skin, wearing this fragrance actually felt like an experience.

I smelt the fairground, I smelt the beach, I could almost hear seagulls and the sound of slot machines. It was like being at an English seaside resort on a warm summer's day.

Really clever and well done - and not expensive either.

10/10

ANDREADOLORES

This perfume is good, Im not saying anything else. But to me, its hazelnuts. Roasted hazelnuts only. Not what I was seeking, so I ended up selling the bottle.

But if you love the idea of salty roasted hazelnuts with a little sandalwood this is your gem!

yasmin.mochtar

If you're a gourmand lover, YOU HAVE TO SMELL THIS! I myself am not a big fan of gourmand scents but just yesterday I tried this fragrance at M&S and I went 'wow, wow and wow'!. A super interesting fragrance! Nothing like I have ever smelt before.

It is on point buttery popcorn! It is super food-like and nothing in a way of that annoying cloying gourmand scent (no offense gourmand lovers). This is also very wearable and yummy! I even feel like this perfume does not want to be a perfume, it literally wants to be popcorn. There is a little sharpness at the beginning but it then mellows down to a comfy scent and creates this popcorn cloud around you. However, sadly as time goes by it becomes a little less interesting, the saltiness is still there but... "Someone ate up the whole popcorn box! The movie isn't even done yet!"

Overall this does not smell juvenile, I believe it is moderately long lasting and is super fun to have in the collection, especially if you're a gourmand lover!

B!tchBrisket

It's a delicious scent, not juvenile at all but playful enough. I don't mind smelling like a pecan pastry bakery. I don't find it sickly at all. On cold evenings this is ideal

Foxysardar

Salt Caramel Shay & Blue London - Initial Impression

Some perfume are very simple yet very enjoyable and salt caramel is one of those perfume and its very aptly named also as Caramel and Salt are major notes well supported by Tonka and Sandalwood in the background.

It is a gourmandish fragrance which may appeal to non gourmand folks (Like me) as its not in your face sweetness like we get in PCT or one million . As you spray this perfume you can smell the caramel sweetness with a tinge of saltiness and it reminds of movie theater where i always ask the vendor to mix me caramel and salty popcorn's and that's a very apat example of this perfume. It is a quite linear fragrance however it projects and last a lot . I went with 3 small sprays even then it projected quite well and lasted 8 hours+. If i have to compare then this is quite similar to what noir 29 does to fig , Lumiere noir does to Rose and oud wood does to Oud. I will recommend folks to give this a try and its very well priced also so must try 9/10

Hegevel

First of all this fragrance smells like the taste of butter popcorn jelly bean! It's freaking delicious. I have never smelled a fragrance with such a noticeable scent of popcorn in my life. I LOVE IT. To me this smells more like caramel popcorn than caramel, but this is most likely because I'm used to Biancolatte from Zeromolecole which has a much more prominent and sweet scent of caramel. The first 15 minutes smells like popcorn, then it turns into a woody kind of mysterious caramel. The note of sandalwood makes this fragrance wearable and a bit masculine compared to Biancolatte which is pure sugar/vanilla/caramel. The scent lingeres on the skin for quite some time and when it dries down this lovely scent of popcorn appears again. I can see myself snuggling up in this cloud of popcorn and caramel during the winter. Can hardly wait!

icingsugar

Some else mentioned it but it's true - this smells like the milk left at the bottom of the bowl after eating cereal. Sugary milk. I actually really like it. A light caramel scent which isn't overpowering. Projection could be better for the price, but it lasts a long while albeit close to the skin.

I actually didn't think I would repurchase when I first tried this, but after turning to it surprisingly frequently over the last few weeks I got a larger bottle.

OTA Mom

Perhaps just a bit too much salt note, tipping this one from a potential 'love' to just a 'like'.

Coconut_Smores

Absolutely delicious--warm, inviting, and buttery! It reminds me of a freshly baked butter cookie. The saltiness is there but it simply enhances the caramel beautifully. The only downside is, to me, it doesn't project quite enough. But the longevity is quite good, especially on clothing. I may have to spring for the full bottle of this one, it's that yummy.

TheRealMisterJames

Rich sweet salted caramel in a bottle. Undeniably seductive.
Very good at getting you access to things and people you wouldn't normally otherwise have...
Use with caution.

kerion

I never want to be without this special, just for me Gem. This is my first gourmand actually and now I can't turn back. I find it very nutty in the dry down which I love almost like a hazelnut latte with caramel sauce and a little sea salt. This one is a grown up treat and my boyfriend goes wild when I wear it. No it isn't going to fill a room, sits close but I get whiffs of it all day long sneaking up on me and my coworkers always linger around when I wear it so that's a plus. All day on my skin.

pommegom

It's the most gorgeous perfume I've ever had. First spray it's full of sea salt, it almost makes me cough, it's sharp and scratchy like the real salt itself. After 5 minutes the sharpness fades away and it becomes the most warm, creamy, unashamedly buttery, full and round caramel fragrance you could imagine. The salt note stays noticeable, but it's just helping the caramel to be balanced. I can see the resemblance with the popcorn, it's extremely buttery and fatty. I love it so much! It sounds like a childish gourmand, but it's not: it's a totally grown up and nicely composed fragrance for every age. I know a lot of people will say this is not a real perfume, it's just caramel with salt, and they are right. But at the same time I cannot dream a perfume more perfect like this.
Longevity is insane. After having 2 showers, I can still smell it. When I spray it on my arm, and fades away after 5-6 hours I just have to water it a little bit and the scent returns. LOVE! It's not cheap, but worth every cents.

Edemay

Buttery popcorn and chewy caramel
Not synthetic and not immature at all.
This is so comforting and warm to me and lasts from morning till night
As it develops the sandalwood comes through and it becomes more
powdery and woody, but there is still that salt and creaminess lingering.
Sometimes I feel like it smells like warm skin or an embrace from a loved one, many feelings and emotions came up with this scent.
Its my ultimate cozy comfort scent, that suits cold autumn days.

FragranceAndFashion

Very natural smelling, well done fragrance. Im on my 4th bottle and glad to see that no reformulation has happened. This is truly a masterpiece.

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Nicely qualified;-)

Cherry_Darling

This is my guilt free dessert perfume. It's like having an indulgent salted caramel dessert. It lasts long too, I always wear it before bed especially on days im depriving myself of sweets for the sake of my figure and always smell it in the morning. Does change a bit with time worn and can be overbearing but ideal for a calorie free dessert substitute! Very indulgent I wouldn't recommend for daily wear.

I have 100+ niche samples for swap within Europe - updated spreadsheet of samples on my profile, get in touch!

LuckyChilla

Sweet and salty popcorn! It lasts, and lasts, and lasts... Very mature at the same time, nothing childish. Cozy, warm and calm, delisious but not really sweet scent with sandal wood and a little bit of tonka beans in the base.

Madrona

Opens with popcorn. Wheat. Definitely. In that sense it reminds me somewhat of L'Artisan Parfumeur Jour de Fete and Lostmarch Lann-Ael. The saltiness in this one has a marine note that I find absurd in combination with the caramel. It is like a wheat cracker dipped in sea water with a squirt of caramel sauce. Not what I expected, but certainly intriguing.

paneradfisk

This is a quite unique and lifelike scent. To me this is salt water, wheat and starchy vanilla crackers. It is such a great blend of some quite masculine marine notes as well as bakery feminine notes, salt and sweet. The tonkabeans render this perfume thick, a dry, little earthy vanilla (imagine real vanilla instead of synthetic/sugary). By no means overpowering. Unique and with a low pitch, melding good with the skin's natural warmth. No milky/sour notes. A great gourmand if you're looking for realistic yet not too sweet bakery scents. Lovely!

freddinos

Tried this at the John Lewis store in Birmingham this afternoon.
The opening is spot on -and I mean exactly- the smell of a favourite candle of mine from ForEveryBody candles, Chocolate chip cookie. It is buttery more than anything, and quite pleasant, but having burnt many of the aforementioned candle jars the recent years I am left with the inpression of a room fragrance. It also brings to mind freshly popped corn with lots of yummy butter added.
It is very gourmand and quite long lasting, and towards its drydown it reminded me of Ava Luxe Milk a bit (but that is more multifaceted and less sweet).
In my opinion it is not similar to Matin Calin, that is not buttery but milky and aromatic.
Safe as a blind buy only if you truly love buttery smells, otherwhise a sample is always a good idea.

DramonaScarlet

Gorgeous. Delicious and woody. The slightly masculine edge is actually beautiful. Smells like true caramel, and lasts well, even on my acidic skin.

Mrbigbigtoe

I smell pralines more than anything.

It is a wonderful scent.

Just never overdose on it.

tandaina

I too smell popcorn. I'm thinking there's a strong buttery note to the caramel in this that's making us all think popcorn. On me it's smooth and really enjoyable, creamy butter, some sweet soft caramel and enough salt that it isn't at all cloying.

I like it! I'm actually inclined to it as a warm weather scent for some reason, but frankly I'd wear this any time of the year, not entirely what I was expecting but in a good way. Fine and well done.

_Lashes_

I'm cutting down on my blind buying so bought a 5ml sample of this from everyone's favourite auction site. I love anything caramel so have been wanting to give this a try for a while. As everyone else has said it does smell like popcorn...the butterkist variety with an insane amount of toffee on it. I do like the fragrance but in the same way I like the smell of barbecue... It's nice but I don't particularly want to smell like it.

shushkin

I love gourmand fragrances but this too sweet even for me. I was hoping the salt would tone the sweetness but on me its barely detectable. It is also very linear so pretty boring. Its just the smell of sweet buttered popcorn. Moderate sillage and longevity

Musky4

Every time I pass by the Shay & Blue London counter I just can't resist giving this one a sniff. To my nose, it smells just like fresh, warm poporn! So delicious and gourmand. I'm not sure why vanilla isn't listed among the notes above, but I can definitely smell vanilla in this. Once it starts to develop, this scent really reminds me of a cross between two Chopard perfumes, Casmir and Wish. Today I sprayed it on the back of my hand and keep pressing my nose against my hand to get a whiff of this deliciousness. Love at first sniff.

nero77

Salty & Sweet...

I didn't know what to expect from this one before I tried it. Would it be too much for me? Would it be overwhelmingly sweet or cloying? Would I have to scrub it off?

Thankfully, none of those things happened because it's a wonderful fragrance and one I appreciate a lot. It's true there is a degree of linearity to this one but it is simple and has such a nice smell that I don't dislike it at all, in fact it's really quite nice!

I think the best thing about it is the addition of salt to the mix, because without that, it would just have smelled nauseatingly sweet (ie just pure caramel). So to be able to balance the sweet and sour (yin-yang) aspects of this was a really good step to take when composing this one.

I do see where the vanilla and sandalwood come in, as the dry-down starts to happen. The smell of salted caramel stays throughout, turning into a caramel biscuit/cookie feel by the end. For me it's something I really like. As a gourmand lover I would recommend it if you are into these kinds of fragrances. It's worth a try.

prettywhitestars

I ordered the full size 100ml Salt Caramel fragrance, which costs £55. Having read the descriptions of every perfume available, this particular gourmand scent really appealed to me. (Needless to say I am a fan of Thierry Mugler’s Angel, as well as anything containing vanilla!).
Shay and Blue describe Salt Caramel as “irresistible”, “tempting” and “indulgent”, and have very helpfully broken down each note for each of their scents. Salt Caramel is composed thus:

Top Note – Liquid Caramel On The Nose, Expertly Offset With Tangy Sea Salt.
Heart Note – The Smoothness Of Tonka Bean Adding A Touch of Elegance.
Base Note – Refined Bourbon Vanilla For Depth In The Base With Sandalwood A Woodsy Counterpoint To The Sweetness.
In addition: Made With Real Flowers, Fruit And Spices, and contains Around Two Pounds Of Woods and Vanilla.
Wow.

I sprayed twice onto my wrist, and the scent lasted on the skin all day. It never appeared to fade. I sprayed it a few times all over (including clothes), and went to work. Comments from colleagues included “You smell nice”, “Ooh, yummy”, and “Is someone eating coconuts?”.
I found this scent really gorgeous and yes, rather addictive – I kept sniffing where I had sprayed (sounds rather primal!).
The scent faded just a bit over the day, which is not bad, and becomes an incentive to also buying the more travel-friendly 30ml size.

catsngunsnyarn

Salt Caramel is done very well. i had high hopes based on the name, and it delivered. i get some briny-almost floral, but a warm sweetness (i find most florals to be biting and soapy), balances the briny-floral. i love sweet sugary scents, and though this has more marine than i normally like, the combination works really well. strongly considering a fb.

mihaela_i

This smells so bad on me it's unbelievable. I bought it after reading all the reviews and because I love gourmand fragrances. I don't smell any caramel here, just a milky note similar to Ava luxe's Milk. The problem is this note isn't combined with a light sugary vanilla or warm vanilla, as you'd expect from a perfume reminiscent of caramel, but it's drowned in a heavy mix of sweaty cheap musk, pepper and nondescript red fruit - I guess that's supposed to be the salt. It's incredibly similar to the nightmarish Angel Eau Sucree and it also reminds me of Calvin Klein's Reveal. Terrible.

Roge

First sniff, you can't help but to say wow! You'll notice right from the beginning that this smells exactly like the name. This is like comfort food for your skin. The opening is like a blast of crunch and munch popcorn which oozes to a milky base of tonka beans. Overall, very linear in its development but trust me, that isn't particularly a bad thing. The longevity is something to behold. To tell you the truth, I don't think you necessarily have to be a gourmand lover to like this. With that being said, this exceeds the sweet limit in every way. Know your character before indulging...

zenbabylove

You know when you have just finished a bowl of sweet cereal and all that is left is a bit of milk at the bottom of the bowl and you lift it to your mouth and drink it? That's what Salt Caramel smells like to me! It also reminds me a bit of a less sweet version of Prada Candy.This is definitely a foody fragrance but not too sweet! In fact,it could have stood to be sweeter in my opinion.I will use the entire bottle but I'm not sure if I'll repurchase.

gill007

It is very tasty !! yes, Tasty ! deserves a sniff for sure.

Not gooey kinda sweet, its sexy sweet. just like caramel. i really like it, it made me kinda hungry and all i wanted was "something caramely". So i had to buy caramel salt ice cream on my home after testing it ! :)

Orshi

Oh.. My.. God!!! I don't even know where to start..
Just like @evagargon, I went to their store on Marylebone/London today just because I dreamt about this fragrance a couple of days ago and in my dream it was amazing and something special.
So I went there today, I could have ordered it online but I thought it will be an adventure to go there and test it and make sure I like it. The store was so hard to find! It's in the middle of nowhere, it took me ages to find it. It's kind of a secret shop, you have to ring a bell and a few minutes later someone comes to let you in.
It was a nice lady who let me in and I told her I was looking for Salt Caramel. I was a bit embarrassed because I thought; what if I hate it and came all the way just because of it? But I shouldn't have worried..It was phenomenal and exactly how it smelt in my dreams!
Gourmand, classy, caramel heaven!
I don't smell much salt, it's very well blended (but it's definitely there somewhere in the background). It smells expensive and luxurious, not foody. To be honest this is what I thought Vanille Marine would smell like, but that one had too much salt for me.
Now I feel like I have found a gourmand for life. I'm always looking and looking and somehow nothing has ever fully satisfied me. Until now. This smells sooo..:RICH. Lasting power is great so far, I bought it 6-7 hours ago and I can still smell it!

Sorry it's such a long review, I've never ever written such a long one! But I had to share my joy! If you like rich, mysterious, classy gourmands, you have GOT TO try this one and you will know why I'm so happy!! xxx

xxsaphxx

This fragrance is HEAVENLY! One whiff of this and oh man, I swear I have diabetes. The caramel is delectable, definitely edible. Reminds me of the caramel popcorn I ate as a child. Absolutely amazing! Definitely buying a large bottle as soon as I can!

StopHammertime

My skin really brings out the salt in this. Have you ever had anyone trick you when you're drinking coffee... they take the sugar and dump salt in it? Then you pour it in your coffee expecting it to be sugar and the first sip is really weird, and you're like what's going on here... that is what this smells like.

Angel in the South

Love this perfume. It is all that I hoped it would be. Salty caramel with vanilla. It reminds me of a bar of peanut crunch that I use to love. If you are a gourmand lover as I am then you are sure to love this. Longevity and sillage are very good. It lasted 7 hours on my skin.
Salty, nutty, buttery and it makes me want to smell my arm all the time. I bought a 30ml bottle from M&S online for £30. I have had some positive comments on this perfume already . Going to get the bigger bottle when this runs out. Gourmand Heaven for sure.

rickyrebarco

Great, fun, salty caramelly goodness! Salt Caramel opens with a salty caramel sweetness that at first seems a bit much, but it quickly develops into a pleasing combination of lovely tonka and smooth soft sandalwood that endures into the drydown. The drydown is mostly woody notes and tonka with some salt remaining. It's a cozy warm comfort scent with good staying power, but it is not overwhelming. This scent could easily be worn on a warm summer night without being too much. Lovable, comforting and downright yummy!

Taliera

This perfumery house is frickin' awesome! All their fragrances are high quality, sophisticated creations, which I believe are on equal par and share the same English style as Jo Malone. However, "Salt Caramel" Is Just Raving Gusto-Olfacto Perfection!!! For lovers of sweet-salty tastes, nutty-buttery flavours, or just lovers of ever-so-slightly burnt toffee – you really can't look past this one. I understand it may not be everyone's preferred taste, but for the niche it's aiming for it hits the nail on the head! So, description...

Intense caramel and salt flavours – neither outweighs the other; they sort of bounce off each other in a balanced harmony – it is sweet but not sickly. Combined, it is delicious… There are other notes that are not shouting out in the foreground like the caramel and salt, but are still noticeable. These include: burnt toffee, nuts, creamy butter, vanilla, tonka bean and sandalwood.

The middle notes turn the scent from delicious into scrumptious! The burnt toffee seems to permeate everything and it's really hard to detect what part of the pyramid it belongs to – but it adds an EDGE to the sweet caramel/salt combo. The nuts have a sort of back-of-the-throat deliciousness that goes well with the caramel and reminds of praline, but there’s also something else – brazil nuts? chestnuts? peanuts? The butter is tasty, creamy... and wispy soft. Like suede. The vanilla may not actually be there (since I have difficulty identifying vanilla when similar scents are present), but I've included it in the list anyway.

In the base, the tonka bean smells strong, creamy and warming and is predictably put with its old friend sandalwood, which is thick and dark. But to me these notes felt quite harsh, as they intensified over time, becoming quite piercing, heady and slightly medicinal. Warning: this is not a seductive, Arabian Nights oriental base. However, that being said, the base never dominates the composition, as the caramel and salt form the main olfactory treat that keeps prominence through the drydown.

Lastly, I want to mention that as a rule, I don’t buy gourmand fragrances. I can't stand smelling like food - it's too frustrating, and I don't want to feel like a walking dessert (it's distracting to others). However, I HAVE made an exception here, because this fragrance crossed the boundary of food satisfaction and entered the pure pleasure zone. Half the time I don't even think of it being gourmand, because I'm in heaven!

For those who dig the flavours I mentioned, you really can't go past this scent. Even people who aren't hugely into these should give it a go… High quality and artistry can break boundaries, as it did for me. This is an X3 excellent gourmand.

Binjy

Absolutely delicious, I can't get enough of it. Bought the 30ml and will be buying the larger bottle when it runs out, which I expect will be within a few months. I overspray a tad as I want to walk around In a gorgeous cloud of it, so two on the arms and two on the body does it.

Scentmad

In the words of Willy Wonka, this is scrumdiddlyumptious. I bought this recently as I had noticed the profile of Shay & Blue had been on the rise - helped in part by the glossy and classy ads in the usual magazines. The name alone piqued my interest and as a gourmand fan it was inevitable I would end up at least trying this but took the plunge based on the notes and bought blind.

It really is delicious, although I do prefer Suffolk Lavender, Salt Caramel is just that, close your eyes and you can indeed imagine the taste. Of course it’s not one dimensional, it’s not just the salt caramel but a beautiful and interesting mix of edible goodies with a considered and welcome hit of sandalwood. I think I will explore S&B more closely as they seem to have delivered in both bottles I have (SL and SC).

Delicious

Totally agree with jedrzejowskia's review

jedrzejowskia

Oh my world, where do I start with this fragrance?
Imagine the most lovely, expensive salty caramel macaroon.
It's been hand made and hand picked just for you, the prettiest most perfect little bite of heaven.
Now imagine you're picking it up from it's gorgeous pastel box, it makes your mouth water as your taste buds are already expecting the gorgeous taste explosion to come.

You put it in your mouth, it makes your vocal cords go a nearly carnal "mmmmmm". You close your eyes to savour this piece since you know there will only be about two bites left.
The salt, the caramel and the vanillic sugar melts on your tongue, you savour the buttery, nutty flavour with a silly, happy smile on your face. Sunshine and angels and flippin butterflies in stomach to ensue.

This is Salt Caramel, the perfume.
When you spray it on, you get a buttery, salty, toffee popcorn note which is a bit circusy strange but yet, yet it makes you swoon already... awaiting things to come. This beauty envelops you minutes after in the most delicious creamy caramel aroma which, lo and behold, isn't sweet. It's succulent, creamy, soft and oh, oh, oh so tasty. It literally makes your mouth water.
If you're on a diet, DO NOT under any circumstances use it. The scent makes you long and think of all the beautiful things in life. At the same time it is the most foody-erotical smell I've ever encountered.
Wow. just Wow.
Perfect 10 for gourmand lovers. I'm flabbergasted at it's perfection and affordability.
The lasting power is a few hours, I will respray during the day for that toffee popcorn, childhood circus smell though. Delighted with this purchase, love at first sniff and goes straight to my top 3.

Lily2911

Oh, i love this very much : it is a super well made gourmand but still in a restrained way because it is not "sweet caramel" candy scent : what i smell is more a hazelnut/praline aroma with light, sweetness and a tiny bit of salt to give it a little kick but this is a very sensual scent, more a lingering "hug me" scent : i was constantly sniffing my wrists, could almost eat them :-). I am really tempted to buy FB now but how can i control myself not to indulge in sweet gourmand food if you smell such yumminess during the whole day ?. It is almost foodie torture, you smell all the good things but don't touch them !! Recommended if you can resist the food urge :-)

suile

I get quite a strong salty note from this one on my skin, plus the caramel of course and a very mild background of Tonka bean/sandalwood.

Absolutely love it as a warm summer fragrance.

Don't find it especially sweet but to qualify this, I do like gourmand fragrances generally. However, I hate Prada Candy, find it nauseating - Salt Caramel is no where near as sickly, IMO. This might help to put its sweetness on the scale for some people.

evagargon

Bought this perfume yesterday from their beautiful Marylebone store, I love gourmands so although it did not blow me away I wanted to have this in my collection.
It reminds me tremendously to Ava Luxe Milk and CSP Matin Calin, condensed milk all the way, I do not perceive the salty notes anywhere, more like a praline aura sometimes, but very faint. Very flat overall. If you love tooth-aching gourmand you will definitely enjoy this, and the 30ml is £30 only.

 
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