The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Mark Buxton designed Fabulous 2 as the EDP concentration of Dalí's Dalissime line, taking the original's fruity-floral DNA and amplifying it. The 2012 release fits within Dalí's broader tradition of theatrical fragrance design, where perfume isn't just a pleasant scent but an experience with narrative arc. Buxton built this one around the idea of abundance: stone fruit and tropical sweetness in the opening, layered florals in the heart, warm vanilla anchoring the base. The name says it all, this is the version that goes further, refuses to hold back, embraces the surrealist tradition of excess as a form of truth.
What makes Fabulous 2 interesting is the marigold. Tagetes doesn't appear in every fruity-floral, but here it serves as a bridge between the bright fruit opening and the floral heart, it adds a green-spice quality that keeps the composition from becoming saccharine. Combined with narcissus, another note that carries its own slightly narcotic warmth, the heart becomes more than just 'flowers.' The base layers vanilla and tonka bean for sweetness that never turns cloying, anchored by sandalwood's creamy woodiness. It's a formula that balances immediate gratification with something that rewards sitting with it.
The evolution
The opening announces itself immediately, apricot and plum arriving bright and tart, pineapple threading through to keep it from reading as simple jam. Stone fruit sweetness dominates, but there's an acidity that keeps it fresh rather than heavy. Within the first hour, the florals begin their takeover. Rose and jasmine arrive first, assertively, followed by lily of the valley's green whisper. Marigold lingers in the background, adding that slight spice that separates this from gentler fruity-florals. By hour two, the composition shifts, the fruit softens, the florals deepen, and the base begins to assert itself. Vanilla emerges, creamy and warm, as sandalwood and musk settle close to the skin. The drydown becomes intimate, clinging to skin with a warmth that feels almost second-skin. By hour four, what remains is a soft whisper of vanilla and musk, not loud, but present, like the memory of wearing something memorable.
Cultural impact
Fabulous 2 exists in a curious position, it launched in 2012, a period when fruity-florals dominated mass market fragrance, yet its theatrical Dalí positioning pushes it toward something more assertively maximalist. The six-flower heart and marigold's spice keep it from reading as generically sweet. Wearers who gravitate toward this tend to want fragrance as self-expression rather than background pleasantness. It occupies a specific niche: fruity-floral with actual ambition, made by a house known for surrealist theater rather than market research.
