Bali Paradise by Escada

I love it. It’s fruity, tropical, juicy, and cheerful, yet with a sexy summer-night touch. I find it super attractive. I say sexy because it’s perfect for evening; in the morning, I prefer something fresher and aquatic. I liked it at first sniff. I thought it was a delicious mango, but turns out it’s dragon fruit (which smells nothing to me, but that’s another story). It has that typical Escada candy note, but isn’t as childish as other versions, like that pink bottle that reminded me of Camy’s ice cream (I think it was called “Festival”…). The point is, this smells much better and I love it. When I’m looking for a summer and tropical scent, these juicy fruity notes come to mind—nothing like the creamy coconut and tiaré ones that get cloying in the heat. It’s like a mango or papaya sorbet, a cool cocktail at sunset, or a fruit salad from the fridge for dinner. I loved it so much.

In my adolescence, I was the queen of end-of-term days: because of my good grades, my mother always gifted me the Escada summer fragrance. It wasn’t cheap back then for a kid (I’d spend several bottles over some summers), but just as I never failed a subject, my mother never failed with the gift on the last day of school. My friends knew and always asked me to spray them, celebrating the end of the term and the start of those unforgettable days. The scent of Escada’s limited editions is the smell of summer, youth, endless days, and first teenage outings, with clear mascara, a bit of blush, and lots of foam for wet hair. Spaghetti-strap lycra t-shirts, low-waisted flared jeans, and Escada. Over time, it became a ritual: before the term ended, I’d go to El Corte Inglés to sniff the launch and dream of the grades day to kick off the holidays and own that coveted summer perfume. Every summer of my youth is linked to a specific scent and color from these editions, and although they’re unrepeatable and smell different each year, they all share the same DNA, just like all the summers of youth (each different) yet recalling the same happiness. Lately, I wasn’t attracted to Escada’s new summer launches; now I prefer other scents, but Bali Paradise I like a lot. It has the same vibes as those old colorful bottles (wish they’d return), but in a more adult perfume, more restrained in sweetness and intensity, and as fruity, tropical, floral, and fresh as the previous ones. It particularly reminds me a lot of Pacific Paradise. I managed to get my mom to buy me the last bottle of that after summer ended, since it was limited edition and I had to prolong that scent as much as possible before it disappeared. And seeing how it’s gone, I might restock Bali Paradise before the cold returns this year.

It smells like persimmon and papaya, a linear scent that’s barely noticeable after an hour. Definitely dispensable.