Mariah Carey’s Lollipop Bling Fragrance Trio

Many years ago when I was in Israel I chanced upon a Bazooka Bubble Gum logo transfer in Hebrew.  I’m not a t-shirt/sweatshirt girl by nature, but you can bet I slapped that puppy on a long sleeve and wore it proudly for years.  While the bubble gum of said company leaves (quite) a bit to be desired in the taste department, the very kitsch of this childhood product makes it desirable.  In that regard, I suppose it makes sense that some how, some way, Bazooka would find an intertwined destiny with songstress Mariah Carey.

Ah, Mariah.  She’s half human, half goddess, and proponent of junior high fantasies  – for girls. This is the woman who likes shiny so much, she debuted in a movie called Glitter.  So what’s in a name like Lollipop Bling for fragrances?  Rumor has it her tender beau, Nick Cannon, proposed to Mariah by giving her a Ring Pop (Bazooka tie-in) with a diamond wrapped up inside.  Elizabeth Arden, already handling Mariah’s fragrance launches, thought it was ideal to capture this moment in a scent.  Before we head into the product, take a look at the ring Nick gave to Mariah when they renewed their vows this year:

Omg, too cute.  I hope this is less PR and really a token of love.  They do make a cute couple.

Onto the product.  There are three “Flavor Inspired Fragrances” named after a few of Mariah’s songs:

Mine Again

Chocolate Raspberry w/Magnolia

Ribbon

Blue Raspberry

All light scents, this seemed the lightest. Very blueberry-ish.

Honey

Honey and Pineapple

This very much came across as Peach.

The Good:

• Price point – At $35/oz, this is a nice price point for when you want an alternate to ponying up $50-$75 or more for your regular fragrance.
• Packaging – It has a solid feel and doesn’t seem like they skimped for this price range
• Scents are light

The Bad:

• Scents are almost too light – Arden admits this range is to appeal to a younger audience to build up a new fan base for Carey.  This may explain why the scents are so light you have to be necking-under-the-bleachers close to discern it is on.
• High alcohol base – a bit dry feeling, doesn’t have depth
• No bling – No strong tie-in with the name. Then again, maybe this should be under “good”
• No Pop Ring!  – promises of candy given out at the counter for purchases were unfounded

What’s Different

• Not much.  This is pretty brand consistent for Mariah Carey.

I went in to pick up Bulgari or Vera Wang’s Princess and left with Lollipop Bling in Mine Again.  There is that initial alcohol, but after dry down, on my way to the car there was a cloying chemical scent.  I went back and exchanged for Honey.

The staying power is good on Honey, but a reason I want a fragrance is to combat that blech feel from summer’s high humidity.  I have to press my nose to my wrist to pick up any scent.  I’ll likely use this up just because, but I wish it was a little more power packed like Carey’s vocals.  These all have a great scent, but if you wear a fragrance that no one can smell, does it defeat the purpose?