Daisy Dream is the latest from Marc Jacobs. If you pay attention to perfume at all, you probably already know it's a flanker to 2007′s Daisy, a fragrance that's been fantastically successful1 and already spawned a number of spin offs. The success is deserved, in my opinion. Daisy is not the best perfume made in the last 10 years, mind you, not even close, but it's about as pleasant and wearable as they come. Despite its obvious orientation towards the youth market, Daisy has a kind of easygoing cheerfulness that transcends age categories, and the packaging is genius. Even an old perfumista curmudgeon like me finds Daisy likable.
I admit I have not paid all that much attention to the flankers. I did review Daisy Eau So Fresh, but I skipped the next two paired sets of flankers: Daisy Sunshine and Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine, Daisy Delight and Daisy Eau So Fresh Delight (do comment if you tried any of them). Daisy Dream caught my attention mostly because of the addition of coconut water in the notes — I hoped it might be a light version of the sort of beachy slash suntan oil fragrances that have become so popular over the last few years. That it was supposed to be more sophisticated than the original Daisy was a possible plus as well, and hey, I would not mind owning that adorable little 30 ml bottle (see picture below).
Like the rest of the Daisy series, Daisy Dream is a fresh fruity floral. It starts with fruits, primarily blackberries and pear. It's a bit strong and sweet, but not for long — it's light and breezy within 20 minutes or so, and it stays that way for the duration. The rest of the notes (grapefruit, jasmine, lychee, blue wisteria, white wood, musk and coconut water) are mostly a blur; it smells, as Daisy did, like random flowers, but a bit less like Daisy's 'grassy field' and a bit more like 'department store perfume'. The base is pale musky woods, and the coconut water does, indeed, smell more like coconut water (i.e., like nothing) than like coconut. You probably won't even notice it, and Daisy Dream isn't beachy in the slightest.
Verdict: it's fine and it didn't kill me to wear it, yadda yadda yadda, but still, a big meh. The early stages don't quite hit the 'massively likable' target as well as the original Daisy, and I will be really surprised if anyone finds it more sophisticated — if anything, it smells more like a standard issue youth-oriented fruity floral. If you do like the early stages, be warned: it fades to bland sooner than you'd expect, even for an Eau de Toilette. After an hour or so, it smells like the wan remains of the not-that-great perfume you put on five hours ago. Shame, because that's a great bottle (I think it's the best of the Daisy series so far).
The quick poll: now that the year is half over, what do you think has been the best new perfume of 2014?
Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream was developed by perfumer Alberto Morillas. It is available in 30 ($52), 50 ($76) and 100 ($94) ml Eau de Toilette and in matching body products; there is also a rollerball but I don't know the exact size.
1. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2012 that Daisy had "tripled Coty's Marc Jacobs fragrance business"; see Perfume Bottles Gone Wild.
My favorite 2014 release I’ve tried is Wit by a mile. In department stores… probably Velvet Orchid?
That bottle is darrrrlinggg and I even prefer the plain cap on the smallest one.
Wit is very high on my list too!
And gosh, yes, great bottle. Wish they *had* done a light beachy thing, would have been a perfect fit.
I totally agree. I was on a long no-buy, and Wit (and Bel Respiro) finally convinced me to take the plunge.
Wit is WONNNNderful.
Surprising myself by saying this, but the parfum concentration of Chanel’s Jersey is on my best-of list for the year so far. Have to concur with Victoria at BDJ that it’s much, much nicer than the edt.
And I don’t usually care for lavender.
Haven’t sampled any Marc Jacobs in ages–I remember liking a couple of the limited edition things that only came in huge bottles, so was never tempted.
I will have to go try those one of these days…I seem to forget every time I go to the mall.
Had to order from STC–none of the stores at the mall seem to carry it.
Ah, then maybe mine doesn’t either.
I too adore the Jersey parfum.
Nordstroms had a bottle hidden away and if requested would allow a spray – really beautiful.
Oh, I’ll check my Nordstrom then!
My favorite 2014 fragrance so far is Diptyque Eau de Lavande; I like its ingenuity.
I was hoping in CdG Serpentine, but for me it didn’t really live up to expectations.
I did not fall in love with Serpentine either…
I love that bottle too, but I doubt I’ll go out of my way to try this one.
So far this year for me there are three perfumes in a close running for best: Wit, Amouage Journey Woman, and possibly Rodin Bis (which I’d love to see someone review here!). The last one is possibly more quirky than great, though, especially for its price. And sadly I’ve decided that Wit, while beautiful, is not really me—too similar in its citrus and floral notes to a couple of things I already own and almost never wear, but I did buy a little decant of it because it’s so gorgeous I’d like to revisit it occasionally. Which leaves me eyeing the Amouage and counting my pennies…
I need to get a sample of Rodin Bis!
Janice, great that you mentioned Rodin Bis! I find Rodin addictive (but cannot and will not spend that money), but Rodin Bis didn’t really charm me. Do you prefer Rodin Bis?
I admit I have not smelled the original Rodin perfume, just a sample of the face oil, which I think the perfume was based on? As I recall it was mostly jasmine, and Bis seems like it has a bit more going on–I get tobacco and it goes very powdery on me. It’s an unusual scent but I’m not sure how much I like it (and like you probably would never spend that much on it regardless!).
Sadly mine is the already sold out Le Labo Geranium 30, but Wit is a very close runner up with an honorable mention going to Hermes Bel Ami Vetiver (certainly my favorite flanker of the year).
Sometimes I feel like, how DARE Le Labo make such beautiful perfumes in spite of all their marketing nonsense? Can’t they just be silly and leave us in peace?
I wonder if they’ll find a way to bring the Geranium back in a regular version? That was seriously limited.
Oh, dying to try Bel Ami Vetiver! Just tried Bel Ami for the first time this year and feel it will be even better with the JCE treatment.
My 12-year-old loves the original Daisy and I don’t mind smelling it wafting around the house so we’ll probably stick with that one, I think. I did really like Dot though and if it lasted longer than a few minutes, Honey was nice enough, too.
This year my favorite new perfume has to be Terracotta le Parfum. I recently tried it side by side with the edp Nuxe put out and there’s still no contest as the Nuxe just feels so pale and faint beside that beautiful beachy flower explosion that’s Terracotta. I’m so glad I have a bottle.
Chanel Beige in extrait and Angel Eau Sucree are contenders on the fb list as well. It’s been a slow sampling year with the baby keeping me on my toes, but I’m keeping a list of all the fragrances I want to try when life slows down a bit. I very much want to sample the LM Parfum line one of these days so that will probably be what I track down next.;)
Terracotta is another I wonder if they’ll bring back! It sold so quickly in the US, although of course most stores only got a few bottles so maybe that doesn’t mean all that much.
Yeah, I was pretty bummed with this one. It dried down to something pretty Dot-ish to me, and I don’t much care for Dot, like at all. I want that bottle, so looking forward to the flankers of a flanker! Cuz anything can beat this. Haha!
Several people said that. I don’t even remember Dot well enough to say, ack.
I hardly pay any attention to Daisy or its flankers (husband doesn’t care for Daisy at all). Wit is by far my favorite of the year (my husband even liked it, and that is saying a lot, coming from him), but I would love to smell the new Chanel Exclusifs extraits.
Wit might be the winner this year
Another thumbs up for Wit.
I’m an unabashed and unashamed Parfums DelRae fangirl. And Wit is their best of the recent releases.
And I was so glad to see them release another, I’d heard rumors they were through.
I haven’t tried Wit but it’s now top of my list to sample. I am really loving my Amouage Journey decant, but find I am reaching for Terracotta a lot as well. I heard/read somewhere that Terracotta might be an annual edition, similar to bronze goddess. I hope it comes back!
I bet it will. I only got to smell it on a blotter, but really nicely done…
I saw two bottles in the Guerlain display at Dillards Scottsdale on the 4th. Just putting the word out.
Love that bottle!
Wit is definetly on the top of my list now.
I’d go with Jersey parfum as best so far this year. That’s a pretty cute bottle too
Wow, lots of votes for Jersey.
One more from me for Jersey. It is very beautiful and comforting. If only it would offer a tiny bit more sillage.
I can’t help but find myself yearning for some more and having the constant “nose-to-wrist”.
Daisy Dream was meh on me but the bottle is very nice.
My favorites of the 2014 releases include:
Parfums DelRae Wit
Atelier Cologne Blanche Immortelle
Angel Eau Sucre
Good potential:
Aedes de Venustas Oeillet Bengale
Ann Gerard Rose Cut
VC&A Rose Velours (I think this came out in 2014)
SSS Yin & Ylang
Nice list!
Bummer to hear about this Daisy flanker, though, I wasn’t expecting much. I do like original Daisy a bit though.
I don’t know if I’ve tried enough new releases to pick a fave.
I wasn’t expecting much and was still disappointed, ha…
I am bemused by the paradox of Daisy flanker names – for example, is Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine a flanker of Daisy Sunshine or a flanker of Daisy Eau So Fresh, or both? It’s like a Moebius strip of perfume flankers!
Ha! And you’ve come up with a great concept for next year’s Prix Eau Faux.
Never thought I could write one of those, but you’re right, it is a fun idea. Hard to beat the pros who come up with this stuff for a living, though!
It’s a flanker of a flanker
I want it for the bottle too, and clever MJ for sticking flowers on the 50/100ml bottle caps, tempting me to dish out more cash.
I have yet to see this flanker, the lastest I tried was Honey Pink – yawn.
This review reminded me so much of my recent “coconut water” blind purchase – Estee Lauder’s Pleasures Flower. I blind-bought it assuming it would be a Bronze Goddess tinted creamy floral. I also assumed the “grassy field” and “sunscreen” but it all it was, was your meh-verage department store perfume (quite diffusive too) with a tiny smidgen of coconut water just to let you know the list of notes is indeed correct.
Kind of funny how we both got the same thing from these separate flankers!
Presumably the smallest bottle hardly has room on the cap, but still, I think you’re right that they also want you to spend more.
And yep, that Pleasures Flower bottle was great too!
I am drawing a blank on the best new perfume–the only thing I can remember trying that I think came out this year is Dolce, and I can’t imagine it winding up on any “best” lists.
Not mine, ha
Love Wit. Saving for a bottle now.
I have such a soft spot for Daisy – I even spritzed a bit today in the Duty Free because nothing else they had really appealed. And I do love the bottle for Daisy Dream, but can’t imagine I need something *LESS* distinctive than Daisy!
Exactly. They could have done some great flankers, I think they’ve really dropped the ball.
Maybe flankers that didn’t work should just be called FLUNKERS?!?
Excellent!!
Daisy Dream will probably be on the top, of my two younger sisters’ wish list. They are both obsessed with Marc Jacobs perfumes. At least, this one has an adorable – yet still classy- bottle…. unlike Dot.
Hmmm…. best new perfume release of 2014? Of the ones I smelled, it would have to be Tom Ford Velvet Orchid. Though, I have not tried it on my skin, yet. It smells beautiful in the bottle, and on paper.
I have only smelled VO on paper too, need to spend more time with it.
I have not smelled much that was new this year, but I did like Atélier Cologne Blanche Immortelle and Santal Carmin.
Both nicely done. But hope Atelier will not give up on their “cheaper” line!
Sorry I’m so late but my vote is for Rose Cut!