Blue Sugar (2006)
by Aquolina

Youthful, sweet caramelised scent, that is pretty linear, but carries on lingering for quite awhile. The mandarin is GORGEOUS in the top notes - it really smells to me like you just opened a tangerine up, and the skin is emitting that fresh orange scent - but then POW - the brown sugar mixed with a caramel - A * MEN type sweetness takes over and carries on talking for about an hour. The middle is a more muted vanilla play on the above, and if you like sweet, if you like Rochas Man, A*Men, Joop Homme - the sweet cloy of those frags - you'll like this - a total and utter steal at the price you can get it!

13rd January, 2012.

Might smell good on a woman, but this is not a manly scent. Should have known better with sugar in its name.

24th December, 2011. (Last Edited: 26th December, 2011.)

Smells a bit feminine to me after smelling Victoria's Secret Pink Sugar on girls. They are the same sweet sugar and vanilla smell with only a small deviation. It is delicious smelling, but it is still rather candy sweet in a teen girl kind of way. I'd be more likely to spray this in my car as it is a fine smell, but on a man it would be a little awkward. Very carnival cotton candy mixed with vanilla smell.

15th November, 2011.

i get carmel,sugar,warm toasty vanilla, very fair ground smell.... it does exactly what its expected to do and its a great gourmand, maybe one of the best and it stays on my skin for like 11 hours !!! only thing bad for me about it is i dont know when its appropriate to wear cuz you literraly smell like caramelized sugary caramel fairground..

14th November, 2011.

I have absolutely nothing against sweet (even overtly sweet) fragrances. (I tend to have a bit of a "sweet-tooth", so perhaps a "sweet-nose" as well !?) And "Blue Sugar" is certainly a sweet frag. However I found it not nearly as "saccharine" & potent as I've been lead to believe by the various reviews here. And after all the positive comments, I was expecting a far better scent than what it actually is. Which is only average at very best. (Though, I'll add that it's quality & longevity is at least much better than most frags in this same "el cheapo" price bracket).
Seeing as it's named "Blue Sugar", the overpowering "sugar & candy floss" notes don't exactly come as a surprise. These are certainly the forefront notes that immediately assault your nose, & mostly remain throughout the 'fume's progression. However I don't understand the "smokey" & "caramel" descriptions. I got none of that ! The sugar note is not a "brown sugar" or even burnt or caramelised one, (if only it were !) it's rather much more reminiscent of pure white crystalline "refined" plain sugar, to my nose.
And I can even understand mention of the "Licorice" note, which is definitely present in the first half of the scent. Though I didn't detect any "Anise" at all. (There are in fact detectable differences between these two, albeit very similar, notes.) And whilst certainly apparent, the Licorice note doesn't really stick around for very long, thankfully (as not exactly a fave note of mine). It soon dissipates and gives way to ......
And here, as the heart of the scent begins to bloom, is where I get a nasty surprise. One which unfortunately totally ruins this 'fume for me.
In fact, I'm really surprised none of the reviewers here mentioned this note yet when referring to BS (???). As it's very central to the composition. And had I been aware/warned I'd certainly not have gone near a bottle of "Blue Sugar", let alone buy one "blind". (At least it only cost a pittance).

The dreaded note I mean, is the herb Cilantro (i.e. Coriander Leaves). When I noticed "coriander" mentioned in the notes list for BS, I immediately presumed it'd be the seeds instead. A note well suited to gently spicing up a "vanilla". Never even contemplated it might be the leaves used instead, as I'd read no mention of Cilantro in BS. But mark my words, (or be warned, if you happen to feel the same as I do) it's all about the Cilantro once the Licorice departs, & for a good few hours.
In short, this is pretty much how Blue Sugar smells to me. Imagine this :
Take a cup of water, and add to it as much white sugar as the solution will take. To this thin sugar syrup add a couple of teaspoons of Lemon juice, (&/or a good squirt of Bergamot if you have it ;o). Then grate/chop a Licorice root and blend with a good handful of slightly bruised/crushed Cilantro leaves. Add to solution and shake vigorously ! As a finishing touch throw in a couple of Vanilla Pods and a Tonka Bean. Leave it all to macerate. ...
And there you have it ! - If you can imagine how this blend would smell like then you'll pretty much have a good idea how Blue Sugar smells.

NOT a scent for "Cilantro-phobes" that's for sure. ~ You've been warned !
Pity though, as I was kinda enjoying the rest. ...
Otherwise it's got good sillage and above average longevity. (Especially for such a ridiculously cheap price !)

P.S. ... Whomever thinks "Blue Sugar" is a "dead-ringer" for Micaleff's "Note Vanillee" (as I've read somewhere) must have a very "unsophisticated" nose. I'm sorry but they DO NOT smell anything alike. Not even their shared vanilla & licorice notes smell the same, even though basically both vanilla. ~ "Note Vanillee" is IMO, one of the very best vanilla-centric renditions I've smelled to date. Rich boozy and utterly gorgeous. Blue Sugar in comparison is as "a spoon of sugar" is to a "creme brulee".
One is certainly not a viable substitute for the other. To say they smell similar is just ridiculous ! ~ (Sorry !)

29th October, 2011.

(updated review 12/17/11) FIRST POINT OF CONSIDERATION: I have found that Patchouli by Molinard tones down the sweetness of Blue Sugar, perhaps by picking up the patchouli note already in Blue Sugar. This is an exceptionally unique fragrance that I received as a sample and purchased a day later. Bold anise/licorice scent at top that mellows to a sweeter spicy note than that of other Men's fragrances. I found it intriguing and different from the warmer "woodsy, spicy, tobacco-ey" fragrances I normally gravitate toward. It is both a distinct contrast and complement to other scents I own and I believe Blue Sugar would appeal to those who like warm fragrances but want a lighter interesting scent for daytime. I do find that this has a short longevity, notably breaks down after 4 hours and virtually gone in 6-7 hours. That could be fine if one wears it through the day and likes a bolder scent for night.

28th October, 2011. (Last Edited: 3rd January, 2012.)