If you’re plugged into the beauty world online at all (or honestly just own a TikTok account), you probably know that the girls want to smell absolutely edible these days. From body lotions to fragrances, everyone is reaching for sweet vanillas, delectable caramels, and cozy cashmeres. This is thanks in part to Leah Kateb and her mega-viral gourmand body-care routine starring the Lush Sticky Dates body wash. After single-handedly getting the entirety of TikTok hooked on dates, she teamed up with Skylar to create a perfume that embodied every step of her careful scent-stacking routine: Double Dates.
While it seems like a difficult feat to reduce an entire, elaborate shower routine into one simple spritz, the rave reviews online convinced me I needed to put it to the test. After wearing Double Dates for weeks, here is my full review of the fragrance.
How Leah Kateb went from Love Island to creating a fragrance
If you somehow haven’t come across Leah Kateb before, you most definitely need to upgrade your reality TV game—but I’ll catch you up to speed. She shot to internet stardom after we all fell in love with her on Season 6 of Love Island USA. Once she left the villa, she continued to capture our hearts with her social media presence. But it wasn’t until her viral body-care video had everyone running to the store and fending off endless “you smell amazing” compliments that her name became synonymous with fragrance. After that video blew up, she became the Re-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of the beloved perfume brand Skylar. Since then, she’s continued blessing us with absolutely delicious scent combinations.
What does Skylar Double Dates smell like?
It’s difficult to describe exactly how Double Dates smells. It’s such a complex, layered perfume, but the defining factor is definitely its sticky, syrupy date note. The top notes are cinnamon, sweet dates, and walnut delight. The middle notes are benzoin, sticky toffee, and vanilla absolute. The base notes are sandalwood, brown sugar, and cocoa butter. As you can tell by that lineup, this is a true gourmand fragrance. If you don’t want to smell like a literal dessert, this definitely isn’t the fragrance for you. But if you ran to the store to purchase every step of Leah’s shower routine and have used it on repeat since, Double Dates will be your new signature scent. It smells almost exactly like her routine and is the perfect final step in her layering combo.
I love a subtle gourmand, but the sticky-sweet smell of dates had me a little worried I wouldn’t be able to stomach a perfume this intense. However, the syrupy, caramel quality had me, a gourmand-skeptic, leaning in for a second whiff. It’s perfect for winter when you want to bring warmth to a blustery day. A spritz can make you feel like you’re cozied up by the fireplace with jazz music in the background and a steaming cup of hot chocolate in hand. That said, it’s definitely not something I would reach for in the summer because it could quickly become cloying.
“A spritz can make you feel like you’re cozied up by the fireplace with jazz music in the background and a steaming cup of hot chocolate in hand.”
You also have to be careful not to overspray this one. It isn’t an office-safe fragrance. If you douse yourself in it right before you go out, you’re your Uber driver rolling down the windows. But don’t worry—just because you only need a little doesn’t mean people won’t smell you for hours. It’s not a subtle scent, with impressive hours-long performance and projection.
Should you try Double Dates?
If you loved Leah’s original body care layering routine, you definitely need this fragrance. But if you typically opt for fresher or more floral scents, I don’t think it’s a must-have in your collection. The gourmand girlies will love having this sweet scent in their fragrance wardrobe. If you ever want to switch things up from classic vanilla on repeat, this perfume is your girl.
Lauren Blue, Assistant Editor
As an Assistant Editor for The Everygirl, Lauren ideates and writes content for every facet of our readers’ lives. Her articles span the topics of must-read books, movies, home tours, travel itineraries—and everything in between. When she isn’t testing the latest TikTok trend, she can be found scouring Goodreads for new releases to feature on the site.
Feature graphic images credited to: Skylar, Rachel Milton | Dupe, Aljona Ovtšinnikova | Pexels, Angela Serrano | Dupe, Sweet July | Dupe, MuzC | Adobe Stock, Camille Brodard | Dupe, Dakota Spencer | Dupe, Emilie Faraut | Dupe, and Jelena | Dupe.
