DKNY / Donna Karan
DKNY / Donna Karan
183 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The immediate burst of blackcurrant and apricot over bright grapefruit feels genuinely zesty for approximately five minutes, with the citrus providing a light, slightly metallic sparkle. However, this vivacity begins its retreat almost immediately, as if the top notes lack sufficient tenacity to sustain the opening promise, and you're left watching the brightness fade into a softer, more muted fruity haze.
The floral heart finally asserts itself with creamy lily of the valley and soft jasmine emerging over the now-subdued stone fruits, creating a powdery, somewhat soapy aesthetic that dominates the next two to three hours. This phase reveals the synthetic nature of the composition most clearly—there's a detergent-like quality that prevents the florals from ever achieving genuine sensuality, resulting in a clean, almost impersonal middle passage.
What remains is primarily the red apple base note, now woody and slightly austere, alongside a pale impression of the floral heart; however, this phase is notably brief and faint, with projection diminishing considerably by the fourth hour. The fragrance settles into a skin-close whisper of vaguely fruity sweetness with negligible sillage, eventually becoming virtually indistinguishable from the wearer's natural scent.
Be Delicious Fresh Blossom is a fragrance that occupies a curious middle ground—neither quite the green-apple freshness of its predecessor nor a full-bodied floral, but rather a diluted interpretation of both. The opening assault of apricot and blackcurrant against grapefruit should feel vibrant, yet instead settles into something rather timid, as though the fruit notes have been softened with cotton wool. The real intrigue lies in how these tart, slightly jammy fruits attempt to anchor the inevitable floral rise: rose and jasmine emerge with lily of the valley's creamy sweetness, creating a composition that reads less like a cohesive dialogue and more like two separate conversations happening in the same room.
This is a fragrance for those still discovering their olfactory preferences—perhaps someone drawn to the promise of "fresh" in the marketing but finding themselves craving substance. The synthetic undertones (a substantial 52% of the accord profile) reveal themselves through a slight plasticity in the floral heart, a detergent-like cleanness that prevents the jasmine from achieving any true indolic depth. The base attempts rescue through a red apple note paired with woody accords, but by this point, the composition has already faded considerably.
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