After reading the reviews, I'm left wondering if it's my bottle or my skin that is taking this in a completely different direction than the creamy, Malibu-y scent everyone else is turning up with.
On me, Paper Kite is fresh coconut husk, sharp black pepper, and a lightly sugared, herbal angelica that almost smells like green tea. Far from bags of sugared coconut shreds, suntan lotion, or rum, I get a delicate, dry coconut that reminds me of fresh shells, emptied of their milk and meat, perhaps while still ever-so-slightly green. The sugar and angelica notes are rather stubbornly intertwined - I can't isolate either one, and instead get just enough sweetness tame the herb, and just enough green to keep everything well away from cloying. Black pepper isn't nearly as domineering as I was expecting; it's a light dusting, keeping things interesting and a bit spicy.
Overall, the blend is light, airy, and fragile - evocative of something easily torn. It's coconut without the usual foodiness or tropical clichés. I'll be wearing this all summer.
