What is the best Vanilla Perfume? It strikes fear into my black – anything but vanilla – little heart just thinking about doing all the sniffing research necessary to classify these into best vanilla, most gourmand vanilla, kinda sucky vanilla.
The loyalty perfumistas that love vanilla have to their favorite is frightening. I know this one is going to leave a couple of marks, but I’ve girded myself, and I’m just going to plunge right in.
You can sass me back if you disagree up to and including calling me a… Vanilla Cretin. (I’d rather you not, but I’m okay if you feel you have to.)
Rules again for how I picked my comprehensive guide to the best vanilla perfumes, the worst vanilla perfumes, and the in-between vanilla perfumes – must be vanilla centric, more vanilla gourmand, not vanilla oriental, though I’ve got some overlap. I eliminated some perfumes I know I’ll get told I should have put in, but, you know, those will have to be in the Oriental perfume review probably taking place in 2014’ish.
I’m a lot overwhelmed when I think of vanilla perfumes. At first I was thinking, oh, yeah, a few, Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille, a Montale or two, L’Artisan, Guerlain, Micaleff and… and… and… then it occurred to me how many vanilla perfumes there are and that I must be even more insane to tackle this than I was the rose perfume post.
I started out pretty much hating – or thinking I hated – vanilla perfume and only came around to them after the appearance of Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille and Le Labo Vanille 44. I hit the brakes hard on my vanilla hate then, backed up, ran over a couple more vanilla perfumes I thought I hated, and then started picking up those abandoned vanillas sitting by the side of the road and sniffing at them in earnest. Life is a strange journey, yes? Ah, but March went on the same one, with some different stops and I think a different conclusion (see far, far below), but that darn Guerlain Spiritueuse is at the center of both. Evil thing.
But I love a challenge, and sanity has never been my strong suit, so let’s just dig in!
There is a comfort in vanilla perfumes that few other things can provide, and in some rotation, they are completely perfect, especially as the fall creeps up on us, with mornings retaining more and more chill. If you saw the title of this post and thought – Woo-hoo, vanilla! Now she’s finally getting around to the good stuff!! – hey, maybe it’s time to try something besides vanilla, ya think? Vanilla can skew incredibly young, and it can be overpowering and intense, cloying to the point of people clawing for air. You may love it, but as I can attest after putting on about 40 vanilla perfumes over the past few days, in between multiple showers, not everyone does, and too much can literally make people ill. Listen, the nausea did pass after a couple of hours and some fresh air, but I will never recommend anyone roll through 40 or more vanilla perfumes in three days. I can do it because I’m familar with most of these and just needed a teeny drop as a refresher.
What is magical about vanilla is its power to comfort. If Jasmine is narcotic, vanilla is the scent of love, warmth and caring. Is it because it’s a scent we remember from childhood and our moms baking? I used to think that, but I remember when I first baked with my mom’s help, I got on my little stool and pulled out the Watkins vanilla from the cabinet, and I opened it and had to put down my measuring spoons. I swear, my eyes rolled back in my head and I sighed. I’ve never been able to pass by a bottle of vanilla without huffing on it like it was a crack pipe. I keep vanilla pods around for baking, opening them carefully and scraping out the vanilla beans for ice cream or some other tasty baking treat, but I don’t really care about that all natural crap, I just want the smell. I’ve been guilty of opening them and scraping them just to get my vanilla fix.
They always say vanilla is the scent to wear that men view as sexay. This concerns me a lot. If it’s reminding them of mom and childhood and baking, and this is what they find sexually arousing – um, Dude, Oedipus much? If that just means you get the warm fuzzies and get all relaxed and cuddly, then okay, no judgment here. I’m all about comfort being a precursor to getting ramped up for fun.
Vanilla Perfume to Wear if you Want to smell like a Cupcake with LOTS of Frosting
Cupcake Perfumes – you want to smell like a Vanilla Ho-Ho with extra vanilla frosting on top, then dipped in vanilla ice cream, not that there’s anything wrong 
with that. At the top of this list is Aquolina Pink Sugar. This is the vanilla badass all vanillas owe their life to – well, maybe. Comptoir Sud Pacifique, pioneered the fine art of smelling like a BIG VANILLA CUPCAKE with Vanille Abricot, didn’t they? I’m not averse to Pink Sugar or CSP Vanille Abricot, but they take a level of commitment I don’t think I possess most days, and they should come with some kind of warning label. There are probably a bazillion vanilla fragrances in the mainstream arena that you can pick from if you like this version of vanilla, so I’m not going to list them. These two pretty much sum them up and are I think the best of the Cupcakes. But I can’t talk about vanilla perfume without a nod to Thierry Mugler Angel. It’s more about chocolate, patchouli, caramel and burnt dessert that has cleared out an entire restaurant, but I think of it, at its heart, as a vanilla perfume. It is in the base, and that’s what gives it serious skeerage (this is the very big version of sillage). Though I’ve learned to love some of the parfum/extrait versions of Angel when I apply just a drop, I am in no way taking back my hate of the regular version of Angel.
A couple of others that are variations on the cupcake theme – Kenzo Amour Le Amour, straight up cherry vanilla over amber and rice, and Dior Hypnotic Poison is the jasnilla cuddly version of Poison, which earns it a spot, um, somewhere? Bath & Body Works Vanilla Noir, I think it’s discontinued, but it’s the only vanilla from BB&W that I can tolerate for a minute without screaming and running to the shower, and I did want to list a few Vanilla-zillas for those of you that like your vanilla to be pure, straight and take no prisoners while it remakes you into a frosted dessert. With all of these big Cupcake Perfumes –
restraint is the key skill to master.
Lolita Lempicka L de Lolita is also getting thrown up here. Well, because I pretty much hate it, though I shouldn’t. It’s a vanilla flower with some immortelle pancake syrup thrown over the top. That should be the only warning you need. You may love it at first, but overdose on it, and you will be forever horrified at the smell. It’s the only perfume I’ve had people ask me to please wash off. This in a household that still hasn’t batted an eye at me smelling like an industrial bakery for the last three days.
Van Cleef & Arpels Orchidee Vanille is expensive cupcake, and it’s light’ish on the frosting, but it is cupcake. L’Artisan Havana Vanille (now called Vanille Absolutement or something?) is rum-soaked bread pudding with vanilla cupcake. Profumum Aqua e Zucchero is major expensive cupcake with frosting and syrup drizzled on top. If you like your perfumes suhweeet! and cavity-inducing, this Profumum does it – and how! Now, it also is a little compelling for me, too, kind of like one of those Black Cow suckers or Sugar Daddys. Do they still make those? Now I want some. Thanks, Profumum, you suck! Now I’m craving Sugar Babies, Sugar Daddys and Black Cow suckers.
Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille is a little cupcakey and a little not because the licorice starts snapping and popping with coconut sprinkles. I really want a cupcake that is just like this. Except eventually a little wood gremlin pops out of the cupcake and scares the shit out of me! So it went in this section, but that’s just the open, things may change in it. It still makes it completely charming and one of my top three ten vanilla perfumes.
Montale Boise Vanille is sweet enough to be a little cupcake-ish on the open, but it’s got a nice woodsy quality to it that keeps it from getting too sweet, and it eventually settles into a not-sweet vanilla perfume (Yawn!). But it’s here because, well, I found the open sweet enough that I don’t want to scare anyone off when they first uncap it. You know, I really don’t like this one, and I think I used to, but now it’s boring. Other people do. I faaaaar prefer Montale Vanilla Extasy, which pretty much beats you over the head with sweet vanilla. Sorry, I don’t seem to have a middle ground, either like it barely vanilla or verging on a gagging vanilla mess. Vanilla Extasy is charming because it doesn’t pretend to be anything else, and it does that really well. There’s probably a couple hundred other Montale vanillas that I don’t even know about – talk about prolific vanillic perfuming! Indult Tihota is discontinued, and I shouldn’t even mention it, but it is a great vanilla – rich, full-throated vanilla, sweet enough if that’s your bag. I remember always wanting to hate it. Now it’s gone. I would have sworn I had a little bit around, but alas, it is definitely gone, and I miss it, and I’m going completely from memory.
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille is not something I love at all, but lots of people do! So there you go. I liked it better early on, but it’s just so pushy! But if you like some vanilla-heavy perfume with lots of tobacco stuffed in, you probably should give this a quick go and see if it’s MFEO. It has lots of fans; it won’t miss me as a fan. i Profumi di Firenze Vaniglia del Madagascar was a hard one to place in a category. It feels pretty cupcakey to me, but it’s more like a silky cashmere cupcake. Ultimately I put it here because it is a strong enough vanilla that those that want their vanilla covered over with something else so they don’t have to smell so much vanilla would be horrified. Cupcake it is!
Parfumerie Generale anything vanilla – Tonkamande, Un Crime Exotique, Felanilla. I’ve been able to wear some Parfumerie Generale foodie vanilla scents in the past, but as I’m running mop-up on this post and note I don’t have one single thing from that line, when they actually do some great vanillas, but my blood sugar must be up over 600 with all the vanilla I’ve indulged in the last few days, and the thought of putting on one of his big-ass vanilla perfumes is just more than I can take. So cut me some slack. If you love big-ass vanilla perfumes with a side of cereal and that are guaranteed to have the half-life of Fermium-253 (about three days), grab 2-3 of these and have a ball!
Boozy cupcakes include Micallef Note Vanillee. She’s not only boozy, but she had too much to drink the night before and is having a hard time remembering what she did, but why does she have a pair of boxers and a paddle in her purse? There’s a nice smutty quality to Note Vanillee that puts this into the first known skanky vanilla category.
I know, who knew there could be such a thing?!?!?
Oh, Wait, Xerjoff Mamluk does it too, but in such a different way! It’s in another category at the bottom, but it could go up here, it’s just not a cupcake!
Drawback to writing this and Googling for Cupcake pictures? I am soooo hungry for cupcakes.
Vanilla perfume – hold the sugar, lay on the incense and smoke!
Now we are in my very favorite vanilla perfume category and the one that completely turned me around on vanilla scents. From the mainstream lilting bitter-tipping vanilla/incense/angelica combo of Annick Goutal Vanille Exquise to the choked smoked vanilla of Guerlain’s Spiritueuse Double Vanille, this is the section to find a vanilla if you don’t think you love vanilla or the only vanilla you’ve smelled has been from the category above. On the more economy scale, Vanille Exquise is lightly incensey and slightly bitter, really light on the vanilla, which made vanilla fans very angry when it was first released. Vanilla is there, but it’s tempered by the wood, angelica and incense – by tempered I mean threw some bitter at it until it went and shut the hell up and sat in the corner.
Atelier Vanille Insensee, provided you can get some friends to split that big vat, is another deliciously incensed vanille. With a lot less vanilla, and I probably shouldn’t even put it in this post, but Caron Parfum Sacre is a really scrumptious woody vanilla. I get the vanilla in this one really lightly, it lends a comfort, and maybe as an introduction to the vanilla-averse, it’s a good place to start!
Guerlain Tonka Imperiale sketches out Shalimar and goes on the gourmand side, the tonka velvety with tobacco, hay, 
smoke, gingerbread. Soivohle Vanillaville chuffs out smoke and leather and birch tar over the vanilla, and it is far less gourmand than probably everything else listed in this post. Hey, it’s a leather cupcake!!
L’Artisan Vanilia (now discontinued) is a gorgeous almost-not-vanilla that has this lovely amber/sandalwood combo that puts it in contention with the Goutal as the most easily wearable vanilla perfume when you don’t want to smell quite like a cupcake or much like vanilla. They just both take them out there in a whole new place while leaving it still comforting and lovely.
Mona Di Orio Les Nombres d’Or Vanille is a spicy smoky vanilla playground, a little boozy, and it is a completely different and unique take on vanilla. No Cupcake here, it’s a grown up vanilla, and an incredibly fine one.
Vanilla Perfume that Behaves Itself and Promises Not to Make you Smell Like You work in a Cake Factory
These are perfumes that wear their vanilla lightly, restrained, really low on the sugar, more of an abstract gourmand than an actual one. Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise walks this gourmand line with perfection. Warm and cuddly, little bit oriental, this is the vanilla to wear when you don’t really want anyone to know you need some comforting vanilla. Hermessence Vanille Galante is really more about the lily, but it has this lovely smoky vanilla floating around the lily, and I’ve adored this from the moment I first smelled it until now. If you want just a whisper of vanilla in a floral, you can’t go wrong here.
CB I Hate Perfume 7 Billion Hearts is a smoky vanilla beauty. Not huffing black smoke like Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille, but huffing embers of vanilla. It stays close to the skin and lets gentle vanilla smoky tendrils envelop you and remind you that someone loves us all. And the Perfume Blog-ville loves it. Tom loved it (Tom, you forgot you loved this!), Candy Perfume Boy loved it,and the Non blonde loved it.
Diptyque Eau Duelle is a vanilla fragrance I defy anyone to hate. Therein lies its problem as well – it gets no attention. It is probably one of the best-behaved vanilla perfumes in this entire post, and it is really nice. As Gaia at Non-Blonde put it – “it’s the poor man’s version of Le Labo Vanille 44.” I’ll add to that that it does bring in some tea, and I long for more smokiness, but I’m thinking if I just spritz some L’Artisan Tea for Two gently over it (not Comme des Garcons Tea, that will kill it!), it will be pretty much perfect. It is the perfectly inoffensive vanilla perfume, but I’m not going to fault it for that. It’s really nice, it’s really pretty, and there are a thousand more things a perfume can be in the world that are far worse than that.
Le Labo Vanille 44 is the Paris City Exclusive, and it whispers vanilla softly in your ear, coos a little, you look at the price tag and what you have to go through to get a bottle and say no, no, no! And Le Labo Vanille 44 whispers, oui, oui, oui! Incense and woods have this absolutely magical touch with the vanilla, and you think it will just float off in the air at any moment, but this thing sticks and floats and keeps whispering, oui, oui, oui. Give in, save yourself the useless resistance. This is probably the closest thing to that lovely vanilla pod. Yes, it is stupid expensive, and you will convince yourself it’s not worth it, you’ll just get some of that Diptyque Poor Man’s substitute, and then you will just think about how delicately Vanille 44 wafted for what seemed like days. What was that perfume commercial from the ’60s or ’70s? “I can’t seem to forget you” – oh, yeah, now i remember -” Your Wind Song Stays on my mind.” LIke that, only worse because I don’t think Wind Song ever sold for anything above a $20 bill.
Creed Sublime Vanille is geared towards men, and you believe it on the open with the lemon blast. It never gets too sweet, nor too anything else. If you want a vanilla that completely behaves itself with its prim little vanilla pods tucked inside a buttoned-up base, Creed Sublime Vanille is your go-to scent. I do like it! It just isn’t extraordinary or even that memorable. I hadn’t smelled it since I reviewed it back in 2009, and I didn’t remember what it smelled like! I think they could have named it Pretty Good Vanille instead, then I’d remember it. Sublime veers sharply to overhyped and then crashed into it.
Santa Maria Novella Vaniglia is just a perfect low-key vanilla perfume. A little smoky, a little gourmand, not sweet, there is something for everyone to love here. I’d never actually smelled this one before, and it surprised me with how great I thought it was. I went around the interwebs looking for all the love and – nada! One old review from Ina. I expected a whole lot more love out there. This is the best thing about doing these long reviews – I keep finding things I never tried and falling in love with them or falling in love with old loves I almost forgot about.
Parfums de Nicolai has two entries in this, Parfums de Nicolai Vanille-Tonka, which is a cinnamon-vanilla fusion that sounds much more gourmand than it is. This is a vanilla if you don’t want a gourmand vanilla at all. Parfums de Nicolai Vanille Intense is much more vanilla, less on the surrounding notes and my favorite of the two. I know Vanille-Tonka has a lot of love, but it just smells weird to me. Vanille Intense with the addition of immortelle with the cinnamon is just warmer, richer, not cloying vanille, just one that you want to get closer to.
Givenchy Organza Indecence may hint that you work in a bakery, but probably not. Don’t overapply, this one is not shy, but it is the way to do sexy vanilla. Chopard Casmir is on the cusp of bakery, again, apply lightly, and let this sweet thing take you away! These two might have gone up in the cupcake area, but I’m leaving them here, Yell at me later if you think I’m so, so wrong.
Guerlain Shalimar. I got nothing else to say. Shalimar hates me, and the feeling is mutual. It turns into a baby powder diaper mess on me, so I have no idea what any of you are talking about when you get all worked up about Shalimar. I’ll take your word for it enough to put it in here, but that’s as far as I’m going.
Vanilla Perfume that are big old Gourmands, but not just about the Vanilla – and they won’t last forever.
“They won’t last forever” means that so many of these vanillas require a level of commitment similar to going into battle with your kids over cleaning their room or smoking pot – the effort is futile, but you feel you should make it anyway. The ones below I can attest to they won’t last forever even though you might have a few moments where you are pretty sure they will.
At the top of this list has to be Lostmarc’h Lann-Ael (Breton for Angel Heath, though I can’t imagine why Angel Heath smells like cereal). Buckwheat, cereals, milk, apple and vanilla. I think I called them Fruit Loops in an old review. Really yummy Fruit Loops! Addictive, comforting, I could roll around in this until I OD’ed.
Bois 1920 Sushi Imperiale is just a little dessert with cinnamon, pepper, apple nutmeg and vanilla. It makes me happy to be sitting all bundled up on a fall morning with the windows open, it’s kind of perfectly weird, which often makes it perfect.
Xerjoff Mamluk is the only successful oud gourmand I can think of. Montale I’m sure has one, but Mamluk is special. Since it was released in summer, I didn’t play with it beyond testing it, but damn it is a sex-filled dessert! Here’s what I said about it back in May –
“Candied Oud with a skanky backwash. You’re not sure whether to eat it or bed it. Caramel, honey and vanilla blend so beautifully with the oud, and you get a jab of sharp oud, then it’s covered over in more candy Floating down there under it all is sex and more sex – with the dessert after and, well, before and during.”
My Personal Top Five Vanilla Perfumes –
Le Labo Vanille 44, Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille, CB I hate Perfume 7 Billion Hearts and Xerjoff Mamluk and – wait, that’s five already?
Okay, My Personal Top Ten Vanilla Perfumes, Continued –
L’Artisan Vanilia, Lostmarc’h Lann-Ael, SMN Vaniglia, Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise, L’Artisan Havana Vanille or whatever it’s called now and – wait, that’s ten? F&*&#$CK. I apparently have a few vanillas I like, which is a long way from the zero vanilla perfumes i liked a few years ago.
Rounded up from the Posse their favorites, those that could hit the gas pedal quick enough with my last-minute request for their faves –
March, after much thoughtful deliberation – BARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF. Wow, that was mature. Okay, that f’ing Guerlain SpirituaIalIcantspellinfrench double vanilla was pretty awesome. Getting mah vanilla fix from the Brief and Discontinued L’Occitane Miel et Vanille. Hands down favorite: Organza Indecence. Men follow me around like dogs.
Tom, after the same thoughtful deliberation – I agree with March, although since it was 100 in L.A. today it would have turned to caramel.
Musette, thinking and clearly drawing a blank – My ONLY vanilla love is Shalimar. Oh! No. I lied. Donna Hathaway sent me the most amazing vanilla fragrance – hang on…let me go find it (it’s Vanilla Nero/Negro/Necro something…okay, I’m lying about the Necro….hang on)…Monotheme Te Nero y Vaniglia. Really like that – a LOT!
Ann, who has some good taste – I do love me some of that Paris Le Labo Vanille 44 — it’s such a delicious mix of vanilla and incense. And who could forget the late, great, discontinued Indult Tihota? That stuff was so yummy I was just about temptedto drink it.
Portia, who always goes outside the box! – Jacomo Art Series #2, Serge Lutens Muscs Koublai Khan, Ambra del Nepal Il Profumide Firenze, Parfum d’Empire Cuir Ottoman, Le Male JPG, DKNY Gold, Burberry Brit, DIOR Eau Noire, Vanille Marina M Micallef, Narciso Rodriguez for Her, Vanille Absolutement L’Artisan Parfumeur, Shalimar Guerlain
Okay, your turn!
Do you hate vanilla? Do you want to only be entered so you can win and throw all the vanilla in the trash because it will be good for the environment to remove some vanilla perfume from the world? Do you love it, wear it daily, intend to completely ignore my advice not to choke anyone with it and swear that you could get laid every night with this certain vanilla perfume? If so, please disclose details of which one and if you are over the age of 45 and not in the sex trade. Actually, if you are – never mind. Where did I go wrong with my list?
Samples provided by me and some lent to me for trying and giving away by Surrender to Chance
So, today I come up with this great idea of doing a vanilla serieson my blog as I realized I’m slipping into my vanilla phase and while googling for what else vanilla I have that I’m not aware of, I come across this post.
I would have read it sooner but life/work intervened and now my idea feels plagiarized. 🙁
Although I do believe I’ll go through all my vanillas and enjoy them, probably write about those I haven’t yet. It seems there aren’t many of those… 😉
Btw, if I got it correctly, there are people out there who don’t like vanilla perfumes? How is that even possible? 🙂
Opium pour homme edp has always worked like nice vanilla for me. Similar is with Rochas Man. When almost everything slowly dissapears ,vanilla that is in the base of both fragrances still stays.
I’ve got to try that! I’ve missed the guy’s Opium, but it sounds great!
Thanks for the great post – it inpired me to put on some Le Labo.
I know and love about half of the perfumes mentioned. PdN Vanille Intense is my guilty pleasure. My daughters wear Pink Sugar (queasy)…
I have a secret Pink Sugar addiction. I don’t put it on, but I go and smell the bottle. I know, it’s sick, but it’s just like eating a cupcake!
Yeah. You like a lot of the same vanillas I do. For a real vanilla extract try Laura Mercier’s Vanille Gourmande. Love your writing style I can’t wait for your next one!!
Thanks, Jessi! Tune in later tonight!
My first foray into fragrances heavier on vanilla was AG Vanille Esquise. I love it still. Now I have several in rotation but there are many on your list that I absolutely must try!
Vanille Exquise is such a cool vanilla, I can’t help but love it. Mostly because AG just thumbed their nose at everyone that was expecting a heavily sweet vanilla perfume. 🙂
I really need to try more vanilla perfumes! That serge ubv sounds great! A few years ago, the body shop made a vanilla spice shower gel that was so decadent and rich you could actually gain weight while showering with it. I bought a bottle this past holiday and it wasn’t nearly as good, just typical vanilla. Had I known, I would’ve bought out the store and got the lotion and the spritz.
The UBV is great. Sometimes it works for me an sometimes it’s not quite right, but that woody vanilla combination is unique.
I must say Tiare Flower done right with vanilla can smell so much so like pink frosted cupcakes, im wearing TL elle by ted lapidus today and it is beyond expectations !
I’ve never heard of that one, but I’ll put it on the list!
I’m a total newbie, so I just realized I liked vanilla last year when I tried Shalimar for the first time. I sniffed my strip obsessively and kept it in my living room and then as a bookmark. I should really get a little. I usually like green, leather, and iris type scents, so this is all uncharted territory for me, but vanilla is just so cozy.
It is cozy, it’s like this little hug for your nose!
Love, love, love this post!!! Only relatively recently (last couple of years) that I’ve been discovering the niche perfumes, but think vanilla and amber seem to be my go-to choices. Loving Organza Indecence, Shalimar and Salimar Ode a la Vanille (I was really lucky to get a virtually-new bottle of the latter on eBay). Recently got a sample of L’artisan’s Vanilla Absolument and really want a bottle, and finally have to mention that my sample of Attrape-Coeur is one of my most treasured possessions and only gets used on very special ocasions.
Thanks, Julie. That L’Artisan is so gorgeous, as are the others you mentioned that I know, so you have a great vanilla setup already!
i loooooove the come hither smell of Dior Addict on women .
had an ex-GF who wore Perlier Vanilla edt, and that was delicious as well .
Dior Addict is my favorite of the dior vanillas, and I can’t believe I didn’t list that one instead of Hynpotic Poison, which I don’t like 1/4 so well!
I have a full bottle of Vanillaville, but it can be a bit rough so I really have to be in the mood. I also have Vanille-Tonka, but it just smells too much like rootbeer for me to wear anymore. I’d love to get my nose on all of these though…particularly 7 Billion Hearts…Christopher Brosius is amazing.
Yeah, it’s not exactly what you’re thinking of when you think of vanilla. Not exactly snuggly.
CB is amazing. i was surprised he did a vanilla, but I sure am glad he did!
I completely agree with you on Lolita Lempicka L de Lolita – I thought I loved it at first, and how could anyone resist that clever little bottle? I was so pleased with myself. I quickly learned to hate the smell of myself when wearing it. It is just too,too much.
WAsn’t that crazy/ I adored it up until then, and when that one thing went wrong, I can’t get anywhere near it, which is a shame because I still think it’s great. Maybe it was my body chemistry that went off.
My favorite vanilla is SDV – it is so perfect for Alaskan fall days ( the boozy, warm vanilla; wood smoke; and in the very beginning a tart high-bush cranberry). However I get the most compliments when I wear Cuir Beluga or L by Lolita Lempicka.
I had to laugh when I saw the post; I was trying to decide whether to wear SDV or L’Artisan Tea for Two. Well vanilla smoke won over tea smoke today!
have you ever tried putting them on together? I dunno, think about it, I think it’s been done before (looking innocent) and worked.
Whoa! Thanks for that….I’ll reference it anytime I want a vanilla perfume. I’m not big on vanilla precisely because it’s a comfort scent (I like tuberose, jasmine, and leather, all the opposite) but I do like Vanilia, Un Bois Vanille, and Givenchy Organza Indecence.
Yeah, and stroll through the comments,lots of additional great suggestions there!
To my surprise, I am very curious to try out some of the perfumes mentioned not only in the second category, but in the first one as well. I treasure Shalimar, even if I do not wear it often and I love Montale’s Chypre Vanilla for its depth, elegance and comfort. But now I realize that I must explore further this territory.
Katrin, that’s great! Sometimes just trying, even if you wind up liking them or not doesn’t matter, to go beyond what you think you like or don’t like really helps us understand something about ourselves.
I’ve learned to get down and do a – what was that called, chinchilla roll?? – in some of the things I find disgusting just to figure out why. It’s perverse, but pretty fun.
I love a great vanilla scent and picked up a bunch of new ones to try from this post, thank you! My favorite is probably Mona di Orio’s Vanille and Shalimar Ode de la Vanille (one of the limited edition flankers with some extra vanilla thrown in). As an oddball, I would have to go with Chinatown by Bond No. 9 – it has an amazing dry down with lots of vanilla (I am wearing it now and the vanilla is quite prominent) although I don’t know if it would technically count as a vanilla scent.
You are so welcome! I’ve got to try that Shalimar Vanille thing.. See, I’m getting sucked back in by Shalimar, that vicious thing just won’t let go.
I can see Chinatown witth vanilla. It’s heavily oriental, so sure!
Oh vanilla, I love you so. Loved me some Body Shop vanilla body wash back in the day….
I bet it loves you back too!
I absolutely love vanilla!! My favorites are Eau Duelle and Orchidee Vanille!!
Such great choices!
This is quite an interesting post and the first I have read. I’m just smitten with Vanilla based scents, gourmands in particular.
I started thinking about what you said about vanilla and its associations with “Mom, Cupcakes, & Comfort”. And well, my Mom wasn’t much of a baker. She didn’t make cookies for after-school or homemade birthday cakes or any of that. So I don’t associate vanilla with my Mom at all.
I was the one who did the kitchen projects. All completely inedible, but I didn’t care because they made the kitchen smell like cinnamon and vanilla and butter and whatever else I threw into the “mix”.
The first time I even thought about vanilla as a fragrance was a reference in a “bodice-ripper” romance novel I swiped as a teenager. The heroine was a kitchen maid and the dashing hero, lord of the manor. She dabs a bit of vanilla extract behind her ears and he mentions something about her smelling “good enough to eat”
So I would beg to differ that the man/vanilla connection is an Oedipal one. I would say rather that the scent of vanilla brings to mind the taste of vanilla and makes the sniffer’s brain think that the skin of the person wearing the vanilla scent might taste sweet.
We don’t usually eat flowers or woods or incense or leather, all typically considered components that make a scent “sexy”. So vanilla adds an extra sensual mystery (Does his/her skin taste sweet? What would it taste like if I licked it?).
I feel like a bit of a philistine because I have not tried many of the scents you mention. I try not to sample things I might possibly fall in lurve with if I cannot afford to buy the bottle (I’m looking at YOU, Creed Virgin Island Water), I tend to stick with the less expensive niche fragrances, which I haven’t seen mentioned.
Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs has some gorgeous, rich, thoroughly un-subtle, and possibly quite skanky vanilla scents that I wear all the time:
Snake Oil: Vanilla and Indonesian spices (smells more like vanilla, incense, and wood to me). Some people smell vanilla baby powder, but please sweet Jeebus don’t put it on the baby! Waaay too sexy for the baby.
Velvet: Cocoa-infused Vanilla with sharp sandalwood. Warm comfortable sexy cocoon of fragrance. Soft and sensual like, well… velvet.
As a side note, I am such a fan of vanilla that I’ve purchased straight vanilla absolute and vanilla bean oil infusions. It’s shocking how little they smell like “real” vanilla. There’s a HUGE whiff of camphor in the ones I’ve tried along with a very earthy/loamy/woody smell. It’s hard to find a “natural” vanilla scent that carries the top notes of cream and butter and the bottom notes of luscious leather that I smell from an actual vanilla bean.
Any idea if the high-end fragrances you mention use artificial fragrance oils or altered natural vanillas? Just curious!
Hi! Love your posting name! I think it might be that I’ve just never dated a guy that liked vanilla scents, so it confuses me. I can see how it would be a comfort, a smell that signals pleasure, and maybe that’s how it works?
You make some really good points and probably ones that are more accurate than my vanilla-infused meanderings. 🙂
I didn’t review very many of the low end vanillas because I just don’t have that many laying around, but Chopard Casmir, Pink Sugar, the CSPs, Dior Addict and Hypnotic Poison, L de Lolita, BBW and some others aren’t expensive, and some can be picked up cheap at the discounters or eBay. They just aren’t normally ones that I like. Not sure why, but usually the vanilla is too strong, too sweet, and linear. I’m sure there’s some good ones out there that I didn’t talk about.
I’m not familiar at all with BPAL scents, I don’t think I’ve smelled even one! I know, I am a neanderthal. I went on their website once, poked around, then saw it would take X amount of time to get my perfumes – this was years ago – and I clicked the back button. Too much drama to get my scents.
Exactly! It’s almost impossible to re-create it properly. Like the gardenia and some other notes that are just difficult to translate.
I think most everyone in the commercial market is using chemical vanilla just because it’s cheaper, more reliable, but I don’t know that for sure. I think IFRA didn’t go ahead and ban vanillin in the regs, but some perfumers may have pulled back from it out of worry it would happen. So there are fragrances out there that are still using Vanillin, and natural perfumers obviously do, but I can’t tell you which ones, nor whether natural smells better than chemical. All the vintage Guerlains with the vanilla Guerlainade would have vanillin in them. I sorta avoid that whole natural vs. chemical discussion because IFRA has made it almost impossible for European perfumers to use naturals exclusively, so it’s not even a possibility for them.
MdO Vanille is my very favorite vanilla slightly ahead of Shalimar Parfum. Otherwise I’m totally perplexed by the entire gourmand category of fragrance. Yuk
I am so glad to see so many people that love the MdO vanille. It gives me hope that one day people won’t be annoyed by vanilla so much.
Well, I am serious in love with Hypnotic Poison, which I never really thought of as a vanilla, but yeah, you’re right, it is. All I know is that I want someone to turn it into a body powder so I can chinchilla roll in it.
Now I guess I better make a trip to Nordstrom to see if I can find any samples of these perfumes you just reviewed, otherwise my wallet is going to take another serious hit. I blame you.
Ha ha! Love that term, chinchilla roll. That must be like my bulldog Vinnie’s roll.
I know, everyone blames me, and I’m absolutely okay with it. It’s my mission in life to lead people to the perfumed light. 🙂
Hi Patty, I’m a newcomer to the Perfume Posse and just starting to get interested in different perfumes. Last night my youngest woke me up at 2am and then since I was up and everybody else was sleeping I decided to check out your post. So I had a bit of a chuckle over your comment about not sleeping for five years because of your kids. I wonder if it’s true that reading about vanilla can put you to sleep. Maybe I could try that on my kids! Anyhoo, I loved this guide and it’s given me so many new perfumes that I want to smell. Thanks! I would love to be entered into the drawing for the samples!
Welcome, Laura! We love new people. Make yourself at home, join in anywhere, ask questions!
I do remember those nights of trying to get back to sleep, and I’m glad my mad rantings about vanilla perfume were there to keep you company.
you are entered, good luck!
Rochas Man when I want sweet vanilla/coffee perfection, and Spiritueuse Double Vanille when I want smoky.
Thanks for the guy’s vanilla recommend. I don’t think I’ve smelled the rochas Man, but I’m filing that under Good to Know.
Reading about vanilla. I want to go and buy a vanilla perfume. Thank you for all of the suggestions. I will be busy trying and smelling!
Oh, have fun with it. I love shopping for a new perfume. Denver is just a wasteland for perfume, so when I get to Chicago or L.A. or NY or Paris – never too often – I’m just in heaven with being able to sniff at will.
I was super excited to see the vanilla reviews, but even more excited about the drawing 🙂
I am pretty much a perfume idiot, but i have been dying to find the perfect vanilla scent for me. I have tried SL Un Bois Vanille, and though i like it…it makes me smell….more mature…age wise…to say it politely… 🙂 I’ve also gotten decants of Jill Stuart Vanilla Lust. (which I LOVE!) and Des Filles a la Vanille Intime Secret- which to me, is fun and playful in a very youthful way, but super sugary and i wear only when i want random people around me to mention they have a sudden craving for a milkshake. (This has happened! FOUR TIMES!)
Thanks for the giggles!
Oh, yeah!!! There is no such thing as a perfume idiot. You just haven’t been playing with them as long. The coolest thing about perfume, the opinion that counts the most is your own. Whatever you love and feels great to wear, you should just go with that.
Yeah, UBV does skew older in the drydown, I think it’s the woods. Vanilla Lust is realy nice too! I don’t know the Des filles.
You are so welcome! I’m glad you had fun with this, I hope you’ll join us every week.
I’m wearing the Diptyque right now, and am dying to try Vanille 44 and 7 Billion Hearts. I’ll definitely be ordering decants if I don’t win the drawing! Thanks!
That Diptyque is so pretty!!!
Vanilla… I USED to be a vanilla-basher, thought that even SL Un Bois de Vanille was too much pastry (I am glad that it is called a little cup-cakey in this post!). But gradually I started to discover the ones I do like — Van Cleef & Arpels Orchidee Vanille, Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee… so if I were a lucky winner I would share the sweeter ones with the gourmand lovers and would load up on woody and incensy vanilla myself! Mwahaha!
That would be such a NICE thing to do!!! 🙂 I figure share the love with the stuff you don’t like. xo
I’m new with perfumes but I’m hooked! I keep going to malls to test perfumes lol!!!!!!
I wish I could win! 😛
Welcome, May! Pace yourself, a new perfume exploration can get intense! 🙂
Ah, vanilla. Thanks for this post. So excited to try new scents now (the only one I’ve worn previously was hypnotic poison… Which I never even thought of as vanilla).
Hey, Katie! Vanilla is pervasive, it’s in everything! 🙂
You have totally piqued my interest in vanilla now. The scent turned me off after sitting next to someone who smelled like a rancid cupcake, but I am going to have to give the sample set a try now.
Val
Aha, I love it when that happens! 🙂 It is so obnoxious when people do something overbearing in scent. i don’t mind if I’m stuck next to someone for a few minutes that reeks of horrible musk, but in the workplace or theater or other places that you can’t escape, it’s really just foul.
Overcoming that is my mission because I just refuse to let someone else’s bad taste interfere with my potentially finding some scents I might love were it not for them. Or something like that. I hope you find out one way or the other if you even like a couple of vanilla perfumes!
I cannot stand vanilla perfumes because of bad experiences with two different women who drenched themselves, and their home in one case, in vanilla. And I’m about to add a third to the list. Has anyone else had a bad experience in relation to scent that affected how they feel about that scent?
I wanted to love Shalimar when I was younger and kept trying it at the Guerlain counter in the Seattle Nordstrom’s store. One day I stopped in again to see if it or my chemistry possibly changed in the last month, and discovered Mitsouko and never looked back. I love Shalimar for that, leading me to Mitsouko. 😉
Carrie, I know what you mean, and that was my experience. I still have some aversions to musk for the same reason.
Mitsouko is perfection. I can never figure out why anyone would wear Shalimar while Mitsouko exists.:)
I started reading this yesterday and I got so hungy I ran to have a bowl of cereal – truly! And I don’t even like cupcake vanillas, except maybe Vanille Abricot, and that’s not so cupcakey on me, not as much as the dreaded pink sugar, anyway.
My favorite vanilla so far is Spririteuse Double. I love booze and tobacco with vanilla and this has lots of both on me. When I wear it, people near me sniff then wonder what that fabulous smell is. No one has ever realized that it’s me 🙂
Lemon, sorry! When I was writing it,I had to send people out for cupcakes AND cookies. It was a diet-decimating mega-review.
Well, I had no cupcakes or cookies, and no one to send out (kids are in school) so had to content myself with Cheerios.
My favorite vanilla is Hanae Mori. Please enter me in the draw.
My favorite vanilla is Hanae Mori. Please enter me in the draw.
Sure will, Janell!
I cannot do Shalimar either. I tried & I tried, even the Parfum Initial, which I tried in summer…big mistake! I have not tried many of these fragrances, but Portia mentioned DK Gold??? I thought that was lily & I loved it but it gave me a huge headache. I have tried vanilla extract behind the ears when I was younger, and Yup, Late husband loved it. I would love to explore your favorites. Thanks for the draw.
Sometimes I think we should give up on those difficult perfumes, yes?
yeah, I missed DK gold, which I think that is lily or jasmine maybe, but it does have a vanilla component.
you are so welcome!
I love the smoky, incensey vanillas….I am dying to try the CBIHP. I need to win this one, I’m crossing my fingers and toes!!
I’ll cross them with you!!!
Great post! And I’ve loved reading through the comments. I always thought I hated the ‘nilla (probably, like so many others, a hangover from the super sweet late 90’s version fugging up the place back then.) But a while ago, I dunno.. I just got drawn into it and started playing around, slightly obsessively trying to find ‘my’ vanilla. Like every note, I realised it has facets and vastly different incarnations depending on how it’s used, how much and what with. I found some gems and they’ve become among my very, very favourites: Mona di Orio Vanille is stunning, every single time I wear it. Le Labo Vanille is just.. breathtaking. Honestly. Exactly as you describe it: it whispers and wafts around you, like some sort of ancient Greek Siren. It is perfectly translucent, but like incense, you catch swirls every now and then. I also like the CB 7 Billion Hearts, which is sorta similar (I’ve only tried the water version and would love to get my mitts on the absolute.) Uncle Serge’s UBV is another love and I keep thinking I should wear it more.. I love basically the entire Guerlain L’Art line (to me, they are all essentially vanillic and beautifully twisted – goddam you Guerlain, I wish I knew how to quit you!) And Lann-Ael is a wonderful comfort scent. So basically, if it’s smoky, incensy or a little weird, I’m in! If it’s a CSP-alike or an Eau de My Little Pony Cupcake, meh. But I do love a little sweetness around the edges 🙂
I know, the comments are RICH with advice. I need to put that notation in the next post..
Isn’t that Le Labo strange? I don’t get what they did to it – it is like fairy vanilla, I swear. And so delicately beautiful, it sorta haunts me all the time when I’m not wearing it. 🙂
I’ve only — oh, wait, I forgot I had that little vial CB sent ages ago of 7 billion hearts, it’s the absolute. Yikes. It really is amazing, no kidding. I won’t say more because, well, that’s just mean. If you e-mail me (click at the top), I’ll send you some of the freebie I have, ‘kay? Just so you know for yourself. 🙂
I blame all the L’Art line, too, for any of my addiction to vanilla scents, they have just been brutal in that regard. I know a lot of people prefer the old Guerlinade, but whatever crack they put in the new guerlainad for the Charnels and l’Art and Desert series, it’s like that Blue Meth in Breaking Bad — Way Too Good to Quit.
I think we love all the same Vanillas!
I am such a vanilla lover! Spiriteuse, Le Labo and Mona Di Orio are my favorites of the moment. I am so pleased that the weather is turning cooler so I can break them out again!
But you pick such great ones to wear! Enjoy them as the weather cools down. It’s the one thing I love about winter, except the first two snows, and then I”m over the whole cold and snow thing. 🙂
Tobacco Vanille smells sooo good on my skin. As a matter of fact I love vanilla based fragrances so anything with that note in it pretty much draws my attention
I did love Tobacco Vanille more, but then the Kilian thingie, can’t think of the darn name! – took my attention away, and I just loved it so much more. Back to Black, that’s it!
Thanks for this post and giveaway–I LOVE vanilla! Although I’m with you on not feeling the rabid Shalimar love. I wear Lavanila Pure Vanilla all the time, and have a big bottle of Mistral Balinese Vanilla. Also adore BPAL’s Banshee Beat (vanilla/hemp/patchouli) and Celeste (vanilla/saffron).
Oh, lots of vanilla, and I stand with you in the Shalimar not-love. 🙂
Yummmmmm Gormands make me hungry. My favorite vanilla is Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille.
They make me hungry too, which is a part of why I want to hate them!
Sooooo late for the party, but thank you for pointing out the Santa Maria Novella……that’s my favorite. And Bois 1920 La Vaniglia…..similar to PdN Vanille Intense.
I tried to find my perfect vanilla about a year ago and most of them make we want to throw sporks at random objects. I came out of it with some lovelies though….Havana Vanille, the three mentioned above, Vanille Orchidee. I’m waiting on a Mona mini, and so far have not tried the LeLabo, which is probably a good thing because I way overextended my perfume budget this month already.
I think vanilla is wonderful but like anything, moderation.
Not too late! We keep this party going for a week more or less.. The Bois 1920 sounds great, that brand annoyed me on price point, but I thought they did some really nice scents.
That sounds like me! and those are some of my favorites.
I love dry, smoky, boozy vanillas, not too sweet in any case. But I think vanilla is a wonderful perfumery ingredient, warm and sexy and it can be absolutely smashing in the hands of the perfumers that know what to do with it. so far I like Shalimar, Havana Vanille from L’artisan parfumeur, Mona di Orio Vanille, Vanille Tonka a super dry one from Parfums de Nicolai, but my vanilla repertoire is still quite limited so I’m hoping you will help me to expand my horizons
totally agree, thats why it makes me sad when it gets abused so badly,then people run from it like I used to. I’m just glad there are some great vanillas out there now for the vanilla-phobe!
Not one of my favourite notes but with the appropriate background and a skillful blending can work miracles. LIKES : Tobacco Vanile, Shalimar Initial, SDV YIKES: Habanita, Shalimar
Vanilla is probably the most individual like out there!
I love vanilla perfumes as long as they’re not too sweet.I like the boozy incensey vanilla of L’Artisan’s Havana Vanille.And believe or not waaaaay in the drydown of Andy Tauer’s Une Rose Chypree a beautiful delicious vanilla note appears….what a ride that one is…Thanks for the draw!
Havana Vanille (why did they change the name?) is really lovely, it’s got a great take on vanilla with the booze and incense, I agree. Now i need to go smell the Tauer again for that vanilla note!
I am big vanilla lover. I love them super sweet to dry and woody. One of my very favorites is Jo Malones Rose Water and Vanilla Intense
You know, that one is so pretty. I can’t believe I forgot it in this post!
If you’re a Vanilla Cretin, then so am I. I pretty much loathe this note unless it is used with a great deal of restraint. So I’m only entering the draw on the slim chance of winning and having my eyes opened by your choices, which have to be better than the vanilla shite I’ve smelled.
Lala, maybe that will happen! I used to loathe the stuff, but I have some genuine loves in this category now. It could happen!
So it’s looking like this is going to be major thing here at the Posse, the comprehensive guides? Yaaaay! One of the docs I’ve got in my Perfume folder simply has categories I haven’t really explored yet and the possibilities of each listed below. I’ve already got a couple that say “just check out the Posse link.”
As far as vanilla goes, I enjoy it as a note, but there’s nothing I’ve tried yet that really grabs me. It’s not a love OR a loathing, just a meh. (Frodo turned 13 today, and I was teasing him about that classic teenage “nothing in life is worth getting excited about,” and realized mid-sentence that there’s really not a big difference between a teenager and a zombie.)
Yup, Dionne. I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure I could take the time every week to do this, and I’m pretty sure I should be able to provided I’m not traveling, which sadly looks like I won’t be doing until after the first of the year *pouts*.
I put a link at the top of the page to it so they are easily findable for reference. I do plan to update them as well when a new perfume comes out that fits. Like the new Ineke HotHouse flower is a GREAT gardenia. And I need to add a few things to jasmine and rose that I missed the first time around that were pointed out by commenters.
And the comments have been an amazing resource, I think for everyone. So many great suggestions, thoughts, it just adds by the power of 5 to what I’ve already written. I hope people actually scroll through the comments, because there are some great mini note tutorials that are amazing!
OMG, you have it right about the teenagers and zombies. You have my sympathy on 13. 13 was actually okay and kind of funny and touching. 14 and 15 is where the serious teenager crap started. I have a really old post from back when I was writing about things that weren’t perfume about teenagers. Let me know if you want me to dig up the link. You won’t need it now exactly, ,but it’s how I got through two of them with just a skosh of sanity leftover.
Oh yes, link please! Although this isn’t my first ride on the teenage carousel, as Bones and Archimedes are now 19 and 17. Not to mention Dragongirl is 7 and Spud is 5, so I’m just exiting the “toddlers-and-teenagers” stage. “Kindergartener-and-old-enough-to-vote” is where I’m at now, but it just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
So many lovely vanillas! When I was a teenager I did try the vanilla extract, LOL – and started a life long love affair with smelling of vanilla!
I love SL Un Bois Vanille, and Tihota is just – I keep trying to forget that I ever smelled it. It is my vanilla perfection, and I know that there are so many other wonderful vanillas that surely one or more of them will be as good….?
Lots of new suggestions for me to try, though!
Ha! I have a feeling there were more than a few people that did a little vanilla extract behind the ears.
Tihota was a heart-breaker, wasn’t it? There are others, and I don’t know what it was about Tihota that made it different, but it was.
I love Mona di Orio Vanille, but that is the only vanilla-centric perfume I’ve tried so far. Thank you for the comprehensive review on vanillas–there are a number more I’d like to try now!
-Christy
Christy, you have tried an excellent one, so at least you have a great bar for the others to try to get over, which is great.