So yeah; I've become a fan of her music [we were only at the concert in my brother's memory, as he had been a fan] and I really want to be able to be able to say that I fully enjoy at least one of her perfumes too, so I picked up Moonlight as soon as it was released in the UK, in order to really be able to give it a chance to impress me.Out of the current line-up of permanent releases in the Ariana Grande perfume range [Ari & Sweet Like Candy], I enjoy Moonlight the most scent-wise: it is very similar to her other perfumes as they contain long notes of marshmallow and vanilla too, but this time the fruit notes are more distinct and have a nice fresh & juicy feel to them, rather than being overly sweet and candy-like as they are in all of her other releases, which tones the sweetness down a bit overall and makes it seem cleaner and quite airy.
The biggest plus for this fragrance is that the floral notes aren't quite as jumbled when compared with her earlier releases - the floral background is still fairly close and quiet, but I can pick out the starring peony and what I think is rose and possibly honeysuckle? I can just about pick out a hint of light musk too. To copy myself; Moonlight is cleaner and clearer in comparison to her earlier releases, and has a sense of airiness/weightlessness about it.Official scent notes; Rich Black Currant, Juicy Plum, Fluffy Marshmallow, Fresh Peony, Creamy Sandalwood, Black Amber and Sensual Vanilla.
So the actual fragrance is lovely, has an all-seasons appeal and easy-to-wear vibe, is reasonably priced and the pearl-toned-holographic-treatment-and-lilac-puff-ball combination of the bottle design is all "pick me up and buy me NOW for display" cuteness, so it's all good, right?
Unfortunately not; the longevity and sillage are both really poor - in under two hours it's gone. I've tried spraying it directly onto my top, but even that doesn't last for more than a couple of hours. The fragrance of the Ari and Sweet Like Candy body lotions actually wear better on my skin in comparison to the Moonlight edp. Such a shame, as this had such a pleasant start, but it just vanishes.
Fingers crossed for an improved quality on Ariana's next perfume release [Cloud], which launches in the US sometime this month - and fingers also crossed that it doesn't take forever for it to get a UK release...
I used to be interested in Ariana's perfumes out of a general curiosity, but now as someone who lives in Greater Manchester and was injured in the Manchester Arena explosion last year, I've developed a new respect for her after she visited bereaved relatives and the seriously injured, plus had a big part in organizing and headlined the #OneLoveManchester concert to benefit the families of the deceased and help the injured in their treatment, recovery and adjust to their new lives.