So I was scrolling TikTok last Thursday when this Sweet Candy perfume ad pops up – you know, Ariana Grande holding those giant pink lollipops? My dumb brain went “ooh shiny” immediately. Obviously needed to smell like candy floss clouds or whatever.
The Great Online Hunt Begins
First stop: googled “buy ariana grande sweet candy set”. Big mistake. A million sketchy sites popped up selling what looked like bathtub-made perfume. Seriously, one listing showed the bottle with the label peeling off! Noped outta there fast.
Checked the actual Ariana Grande fragrance site next. Of course they had it – 100ml bottle plus matching mini body spray for $72. Added to cart faster than you can say “sweet like candy”. Then bam! $12 shipping slapped on at checkout. Nearly choked on my coffee. Sorry but $12 for what? A padded envelope?
The Ulta Workaround
Remembered Ulta gives free shipping over $35. Genius move! Drove to their site:
- Found the exact set (bottle + body spray)
- Added cheapest $3 hair tie to hit free shipping
- Used “WELCOME15” for new account discount
Grand total? $64 including tax. Saved like $20 just avoiding shipping and using coupon. Felt like a championship couponer.
Confirmation email came instantly. Then… nothing. For three whole days. Checked tracking – just said “label created”. Was ready to storm their warehouse myself!
When It Finally Landed
After 2 weeks (felt like 2 years), this pink glittery box arrived. Opened it like a kid on Christmas:
- The bottle’s way smaller than ads made it look – duh moment
- Body spray cap came cracked like someone sat on it
- Spritzed it… immediate headache
Seriously smelled like someone melted cotton candy in cheap vodka. My cat ran away sneezing. Smacked myself for falling for celeb perfume hype.
Cold Hard Truth
Ended up giving the set to my 13-year-old niece who thinks it’s “literally everything”. Watched her douse herself in half the bottle before school. Pro tip? Skip the “limited edition” bullcrap. That $20 Body Works spray lasts longer anyway.
