Upon first spritz, I almost thought I was holding the purple thorned rose bottle of Avril Lavigne’s Forbidden Kiss (is it still available nowadays?) all sharp edges in design despite smelling like Japanese shampoo, and anyone looking for a throwback for outrageously clean-bubblegum body spray vibes will find themselves whooshed right back to simpler times by Sky’s opening.
A combo of pink pepper, lotus, and a crunchy juicy fruit note (pear in this case). It’s super nostalgic to me for smelling like one of the few ‘clean’ scents that were released into the celeb-frag market in the early 2010s, dominated by fruity-flourmands after the success of Britney Spear’s Fantasy, or even Katy Perry’s Purr.
With only the bergamot and musk becoming slightly more pronounced with wear (if you like Marc Jacob’s Lola, or Alkemia’s Les Courtisanes - you’ll probably enjoy this part); I’d initially dismissed Sky developing into anything more as it gained a citrus peel bitterness (which, in my mind - was as ‘rebellious’ as the scent would get), and disappeared within the 4 hour mark (not bad, nor impressive for an EdT).
However, I had sprayed Sky liberally on my wrist on a Friday afternoon, left my coat in the office over the weekend, and upon arriving at work Monday morning - found myself wafting a cloud of powdery vanilla, burnt caramel and salted popcorn from the small amount left on my sleeve. Albeit, a very soft cloud.
I do enjoy the occasional waft of middle school nostalgia of Sky’s opening and heart (especially as Lola has been discontinued), but it’s too watery sweet for everyday wear (I think I’d enjoy this in a bath product more); and the overwhelmingly prominent salty popcorn note that pops out of nowhere doesn’t add to the fragrance in any other way apart from being that ‘interesting note’ either. In fact, it feels poorly blended.
Though it’s a beautiful bottle that I’m happy to have in my collection, I’d not recommend anyone paying full price for a bottle.
It was never as airy as the name suggested, and rather than the actual ride, Anna Sui’s Sky is the ferris wheel ride at a midsummer carnival with its compartments painted to look like hot air balloons. Sticky hands, and happy faces. But none of that fae whimsicalness suggested by the campaign. A mishmash of things one might like, but don’t necessarily go together.
Throw: Low-Medium
Longevity: 4 hrs (on skin)
Official description: “Sky first opens with a welcoming kiss of juicy pears. Pillows of fluffy white clouds made of lily of the valley float through the middle of the fragrance. As the scent warms up as if by rays of the sun, the soft floral petals suddenly pop and become crunchy toasted popcorn.”
Availability: Department/drugstores in Asia that stock Anna Sui fragrances; or Strawberry.net for international customers
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