When I reviewed the Pink Sugar fragrance back in 2007, I noted that it had been a top-seller at Sephora since shortly after its launch in 2003. It's still a top seller, and in the interim, it shot past Thierry Mugler Angel and J Lo Glow to become the most-reviewed fragrance at MakeupAlley. You'd think there would have been a long string of flankers by now, but Aquolina has been relatively conservative, mostly sticking to new formats — everything from solid perfume to hair perfume to shimmering perfume roll-on. Enter Pink Sugar Sensual, which launched last year but took a good long while to reach the US. As you might have guessed from the advertising, it's meant to be the sexy, grown-up version of Pink Sugar.
Pink Sugar, for those of you who have never smelled it, is pretty much what it sounds like: a blend of red fruit + cotton candy. On my skin, it smells most unfortunately like red fruit + cotton candy that's been scorched onto melting plastic, but no matter, plenty of other people (including quite a few perfumistas) love it. I can see the charm of the original Pink Sugar, even if I don't love it — after the strawberry wears down and before the sugar notes melt and char, it's a perfect gourmand comfort scent for someone with a sweet tooth: a bit of musk, a bit of caramel sugar, nothing fancy or complicated.
Pink Sugar Sensual, like Pink Sugar, is a gourmand, but it isn't as in-your-face about the candy as Pink Sugar. Whether you'll find it sexy and grown-up, though, depends on your definition of sexy and grown-up — what they've done, essentially, is graft a bit of the Pink Sugar base onto your standard-issue mainstream fruity floral, in this case, Britney Spears Fantasy has been widely identified as the particular standard-issue mainstream fruity floral in question.1 The two fragrances aren't quite identical in the early stages, but they're close enough that you could just pick whichever was cheaper, or had the nicer bottle, and let it go at that.
Later they diverge a bit: the Fantasy is more vanilla cupcake, the Pink Sugar Sensual is more caramelized vanilla sugar; both scents have a pale, musky-woody dry down that is more clean than not, but the Pink Sugar Sensual is a wee bit warmer. Pick your poison — they're both $45 for 50 ml, although the Pink Sugar Sensual can also be found in a 30 ml bottle for $29.
Aquolina Pink Sugar Sensual is available in 30, 50 or 100 ml Eau de Toilette and in matching body products. The notes include blackcurrant, mandarin, bergamot, orange blossom, pink jasmine, tiare, vanilla, toffee and sandalwood.
1. When Fantasy first launched, many people compared it to (the original) Pink Sugar, so this completes the circle perfectly, no?
The model looks like the victim of a fatal PhotoShop assault.
Don’t touch her, the Adobe CSI crew will investigate shortly.
Apparently, the suspect sprayed some Pink Sugar over her face, fell to the floor, and bashed her head on the champagne bottle. Case closed
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Lol – perfect! I find the photo pretty obnoxious. May or may not try the fragrance – I didn’t like the original much.
Setting the stage for the next flanker: Aquolina Pink Necrophilia.
LOL!
Yes! Yes! To all of these comments. Exactly my first thought…
P.S. My second thought was–this is what happens when Lolita grows up. I’ve always found the whole idea of Pink Sugar–regardless of smell–a little creepy.
I’m sure this scent is perfectly pleasant – not my style, but perfectly pleasant. But the advertising….yikes!
It’s pleasant but sadly less interesting than the original…not so unusual for a flanker, I guess.
Yes, definitely less distinctive than the original. Although that’s not a bad thing, in Pink Sugar’s case.
Ha!
I’ve never smelled those two, but I guess it is something like Bath & Body works Sugar Warm Vanilla…
Sometimes I want a scent like that and since in my part of the world Bath and Body Works is not selled – I use a body lotion by PUPA Miss Milky in Sugar Floss wich is also a pretty close sugary vanillic, girly, comforting smell.
Sounds like pretty much the same thing!
The model looks to me as if she died of malnutrition. Maybe she should have eaten some pink sugar–or any color sugar or any color anything-before she wasted away. OK, OK, I know–that is what most models look like these days, but that is my point. I’m just tired of the message that emaciated=sexy.
Yep! I’m making Fettucine today!
Then have a glass of wine with them and before enjoying, let’s do a minute of silence for the poor model.
I’ve never heard of Pink Sugar, now my teeth hurt. It reminds me of Oscar Levant’s other quote about Doris Day, “I never watch her. She’s very bad for my diabetes.”
Now “Fettucine” is a fragrance I’d be willing to try.
Oh, save some for me!
Believe it or not, I have never smelled Pink Sugar (well, I have probably smelled it *on* someone without knowing it). I do have a bottle of Aquolina Chocolovers that is a few years old, but my perfume tastes have changed since then and it’s way too sweet for me now! It’s still fun once in a blue moon though.
I liked Chocolovers, but it’s gone so guess it did not do as well as Pink Sugar.
I once read a review that said Chocolovers smelled like lemon Pledge sprayed on a cheap candy bar…lol..I kind of agree. (Or maybe the review just stuck on me and when I got the fragrance, I was already ruined for it?)
I haven’t ever tried Pink Sugar either! Like Jill said, probably smelled it on someone and just didn’t know it. As appetizing as Robin’s made it sound (not), I think I’m going to look for it at Ulta the next time I’m there. No, no…don’t worry…not on actual skin….strawberries and burnt sugar could really be a mistake. Right now I’m enjoying a spritz of another sugary wonder: CSP Vanilla Abricot (original formula) now there’s a yummy vanilla ….I want to lick my arm……
Mmmm … original Vanille Abricot…. [raps fingers on table rhythmically and pouts longingly]
As candied sweet fruity florals go, I’d say Pink Sugar is better than many…plus it costs less than many, which is a definite plus.
Pink Sugar seems to get plenty of love out there. I’d like to sniff the Blue Sugar too—both of them used to be all over ebay, haven’t noticed in a while though.
Robin, after this you deserve a huge, pristine bottle of vintage Diorissimo. I sincerely hope one finds its way to you.
Gosh, I hope so too
I’m definitely curious to try Pink Sugar after hearing about it all this time.
Regarding Sensual: do you think it’s out of place to say that CSP could put this in a can and call it “Vanille Cassis” and it would be believable?
“Candyfloss,” as they say, is not my cup of tea, but if people like it, I hope they sell the hell out of it.
There is a Blue Sugar for men too! Although don’t know if they’re still making it. And on the CSP, sure, why not? But I think Pink Sugar outsells the CSPs as is…
I believe Blue Suagr IS the men’s “version” of Pink Sugar. It gags me,though. Reminds me of Good and Plenty candy. Black licorice-y, bad for you and CHEAP! Ick.
Whoops…I meant to type SUGAR, sorry.
I could send you a sample………… Yes, I’m one of them who likes it as a comfort scent, but I would never leave the house with it
Maybe I should now change my membername?……..
I remember the last time you reviewed Pink Sugar and I was the only one who thought the model looks gorgeous! I know since Ms Renn came into the spotlight for plus size models; it makes it more appropriate to slam skinny models. Anyway, as before I say again; the model looks like an elegant snake. Her legs are so long she barely has room to extend them. Her strange body makes her gorgeous in an artistic aesthetic way. I think Yves St. Laurent would have loved to use her for the runway!
I don’t know, I think people having been slamming skinny models for years…certainly for as long as I can remember. She does look like a snake though, and you’re right about YSL.
I have never been able to figure out the craz with Pink sugar,I tried is several times and it does 0 for me.
People love sugar & vanilla, that’s all!
I liked Pink Sugar but people always said they smelled baking cupcakes when I wore it to work. I ended up giving it to my daughter-in-law who actually works in a bakery. I’d like to try the small size of the Pink Sugar Sensual or even a sample. I think the model looks like she’s writhing around on itchy pink carpet!
That would be funny to wear it in a bakery!
The place to wear Pink Sugar is to an elementary school. I always get compliments from the kids the days I volunteer and pick that scent.
Oh, I bet! My son used to love Antica Farmacista Vaniglia…smells just like cookies.
I’ve mentioned before that I have a very elegant, grown-up friend who wears Pink Sugar and it smells fantastic on her – I never recognize it. It smells terrible on me and I don’t even like smelling it on a strip. The vanilla/light musk is sort of nice but then the Twizzlers accord kicks in and I get a headache. I hate the bottle. My friend aside, I think the Pink Sugar demographic is probably teens – certainly 18-24 and under. I think of it as this generation’s Love’s Baby Soft and covering the bottle with black lace is wrong. Like a roach on a wedding cake as my husband would say.
When you put it that way, Pink Sugar seems like an improvement (I was not a fan of Love’s Baby Soft). LOL at “roach on a wedding cake”!
Now you mention it, quite a few new launches are covered in black lace. Think Christina Aguilera, Avril Lavigne, even Rock’ Princess (by Valentino right?) Some painted the lace on, others added pink lace, but lace is big.
Pink Sugar smells good on me. I remember wearing it at a belly dance class and having all girls tell me I smell lovely “like a strawberry-glazed lemon biscuit”. Strawberry glazed lemon biscuits belong in the kitchen in my opinion so I was not so sure they meant it as a compliment, but lo and behold, they all bought it too, and next class radiated Pink Sugar!
Pink Sugar Sensual did not reach our shelves yet but will give it a try when it does. I don’t really like to wear Pink Sugar anymore (though I still like the smell, in an abstract sort of way) and thought Chocolovers was icky, but who knows, this one may be nice.
Sorry to be hijacking this thread, but would a kind perfumista review Escale aux Marquises? Robin made the announcement back in May, I tested it yesterday, and in my opinion it is much better than its predecessors. The neroli and tiare make a combination nice enough even for me (usually tiare in a fragrance means massive headache so I steer clear). The drydown is lovely and long-lasting, somewhat reminiscent of Eau des Merveilles.
Give it a try, you won’t be sorry.
I just got a sample yesterday, and will review it soon…
I’ll look forward to that review. I tried the scent and really like it, but I’d be curious to read other opinions as I’m thinking I may be getting swayed by the sheer awesomeness of the bottle into making a hasty purchase.
Yes, I’ll also look forward for the review. I find it the best of the three and I really like it. I don’t get much tiare of it, the drydown remembers me however like a sister of Guerlain Flora Nymphea.
You know, as horrid as Pink Sugar is, I kind of like the sheer, uncompromising gall of it. It’s repulsive, but it makes me giggle, too. A duller flanker just seems like an exercise in pointlessness to me, but I suppose it might sell.
Perfect way to put it, thanks!