Escada
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Mandarin zips in with almost aggressive brightness, a citrus snap that feels obligatory rather than intentional. Within minutes, honeysuckle's saccharine warmth begins creeping underneath, and you sense the sweetness-forward direction this fragrance intends to travel.
Peony materialises as a soft, powdery presence—more translucent than floral. The mascarpone and biscuit base begins asserting itself noticeably around the two-hour mark, transforming the composition into something decidedly dessert-adjacent, whilst honeysuckle continues its honeyed whisper above.
Chocolate and coffee emerge with surprising prominence, merging with the mascarpone into a creamy, overly sweet base that loses definition rather than gaining complexity. What remains is essentially a powdery-gourmand haze that grows fainter with each passing hour, offering minimal longevity or lasting impression.
Desire Me occupies an awkward middle ground between gourmand comfort and floral sophistication, ultimately satisfying neither impulse fully. The fragrance opens with a sharp mandarin citrus that feels almost perfunctory—a bright, somewhat generic citrus flourish designed to suggest freshness before the real narrative unfolds. What follows is where things become genuinely conflicted: peony and honeysuckle arrive with considerable sweetness, but they're undermined by an overly generous mascarpone-and-biscuit base that threatens to turn the composition into something resembling a dessert advertisement rather than a wearable fragrance.
The floral heart (88% accord strength) should anchor this composition, yet the peony reads more as a powdery shadow than a genuine presence. It lacks the green, slightly bitter edge that makes peony interesting; instead, it simply softens further into the honeysuckle's honeyed sweetness. The orchid, presumably meant to add sophistication, dissolves into the general sweetness rather than providing counterpoint.
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3.6/5 (116)