First Impressions 🍈🌹

Two sprays after a shower, and my first thought was: How does this smell so much like a real melon? It’s a photorealistic, perfectly ripe honeydew sliced open: juicy, fresh, and almost absurdly vivid.

The rose started out supporting the melon, then gradually wrapped around it. Now it smells like a slice of honeydew dipped in rosewater, with little wafts of melon still poking through. I usually don’t enjoy rose, so the fact that I’m digging this is a bit of a surprise.

It’s powerful! Nuclear! Erba Pura is the only other fragrance in my collection that comes to mind as a performance comparison. Two sprays feels perfect. No headache, no harsh synthetic edge, no unpleasant “perfumey” smell. It leans softer than what I typically wear, and I love the confidence it takes to wear something this gorgeous without worrying whether it smells traditionally masculine.

Still a first impression, and I’m curious where the dry down goes overnight. But Melon Malo is already a serious full-bottle contender for me.