Candy Florale is the latest from Prada, and it's the second flanker to 2011's Prada Candy. First, a quick recap: I liked Prada Candy. It didn't make my buy list when I reviewed it, but I ended up buying it later that year all the same, and while I have no good excuse — it was an impulse buy, pure and simple — I do wear it from time to time.1 If I had my druthers, which I rarely do, they'd have done a 'Noir' or 'Intense' sort of flanker. Something a bit more sophisticated, a bit less sweet? Instead, last year they did Prada Candy L'Eau, a lighter, fresher version, ruined (for me, at least) by an overly dryer-sheet-ish white musk.
Candy Florale "evolved from the concept of an imaginary flower created especially for Candy".2 Early on, the notes were reported in the press as limoncello sorbet, peony, benzoin, honey, musk and caramel; but the Prada website (and Sephora) list cedrat, cosmos, benzoin, caramel and white musk. Take your pick, it makes no difference: this is a sheer, "pink department store perfume flowers" sort of scent, with some muted "lemon" in the opening (it smells sort of like lemon air freshener), a light and airy peony-ish floral blend in the heart, and a pale, lightly sweet musky finish with just the slightest vague hint of the caramel / root-beer base of the original Candy and Candy L'Eau. If you liked Candy or Candy L'Eau, there's no particular reason to think you'll like Candy Florale, or that you'll even recognize it as belonging to the same family. If you found both too sweet, fear not, Candy Florale is not about the candy. I suppose you could say it's about the flowers, if by flowers you mean "pink department store perfume flowers".
Verdict: Reasonably pleasant and wearable, and possibly just right if you need a light, fresh, girly-but-office-friendly floral for summer. Still, meh, except I also said meh about Bvlgari Omnia Indian Garnet last week, and even Omnia Indian Garnet has more verve and personality than Prada Candy Florale. One of the reasons I love Prada as a perfume house is that while they've done any number of fragrances I don't adore, it's rare that they do trite. With apologies to any fans, Candy Florale, to me, is just that: trite.
Have you smelled anything wonderful from a mainstream brand this spring? So far, I'm finding this a pretty dismal season for mainstream perfume.
Prada Candy Florale was developed by perfumer Daniela Andrier, who also did the Candy and Candy L'Eau fragrances. It is available in 30, 50 and 80 ml Eau de Toilette.
1. If anyone knows the perfect thing to layer with Candy, by the way, do speak up!
2. Quote via Prada website.
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