STEPHANE HUMBERT LUCAS
SOLEIL DE JEDDAH MANGO KISS
2022
Mango
Wild Chamomile
Orange Blossom
Mandarin
Ylang Ylang
Solar Amber
Coconut
Iris
Benzoin
vanilla
‘In the heart of the palm grove, umbrellas are lined up on the edge of the turquoise water.
The morning sun, still soft and caressing, is divine. A few swimming laps in the pool and already the delicious fresh fruit cocktails are being prepared. A day in paradise’ – Stephane Humbert Lucas
At the moment, this is my favorite Stephane Humbert Lucas and I’m especially in love with the opening hour of this fragrance. I much prefer this over the more popular, fruitier (Erba Pura-esque) God Of Fire.
Straight away you get a lot of juicy, rather sweet, almost candy-like mango. It also has a slightly aromatic or herbal tinge (presumably from the chamomile).
As it dries, the fragrance (like many SHL) goes more powdery. Texture-wise it’s a combination of juicy, syrupy mango and a dry base from the start, but it ends up going dry and powdery after a while. There’s a prominent iris and together with chamomile and orange blossom they keep this fragrance more on the mature, classy side for a mango scent.
After the initial minutes, the tropical tinge from ylang-ylang and coconut comes through strongly for me. Picture a mango scented, sun tan-body butter. Chamomile as often smells a bit retro, almost mentholated and it’s the only aspect that I can see make or break this fragrance (for people that enjoy mango).
Everything comes together into one smooth blend, with the mango lasting really well, albeit mixed in more and more with the other notes, while the iris-y powder grows sweeter in the drydown.