Hiya Perfume Posse,WOO HOO! Portia from Australian Perfume Junkies and today we are going to look at one of the currently most worn fragrances I own. Since I got this bottle it has never left my desk and it regularly gets spritzed for beauty, sheer ease of wearing and longevity. Whenever I’m rushed or unsettled over the last six months this is the one I reach for, sweet, warm and comfortable and a no worries go-to that has a certain flamboyance as well.
Vanille & Narcisse by Karine Dubreuil for L’Occitane en Provence
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Blackcurrant, bergamot
Heart: Gardenia, Narcissus
Base: Tonka bean, vanilla
Right out of the Vanille & Narcisse gate I get a swoony rush of resinous vanilla with a very faint bergamot sparkle (I wonder if I’m becoming anosmic to bergamot’s charms?) with a soft fruity wave like the first bite into a blueberry, kind of tart, sweet and watery all at once. Then a creamy, rich undercurrent of flowers that aren’t really definitive enough to have the names narcissus and gardenia tacked on to them, nevertheless they are very pretty and if I really suck the air deep into my lungs I do get a little bit of a daffodil mood. More like the smell of 
the cut stems and water than the flower, it’s a green-ness but it really can’t compete with the gorgeous base which is basically fully in place by the 30 minute mark with minor re-incursions of the other notes but the vanilla/tonka base is the force in the fragrance. To be honest I am surprised that there aren’t woods mentioned in the list because my nose when I wear Vanille & Narcisse says that there are woods with the vanilla, both creamy and dry woods and a little bit of a heated milk or cream with sugar nod too.
To my nose Vanille & Narcisse could be much more expensive, from a niche or exclusive designer range like the CHANEL or DIOR exclusives, it would even fit in Patricia de Nicolai’s stable neatly and it could be a warm Aqua Allegoria at Guerlain. That’s the kind of fragrance we’re talking about. Beautiful but simple and restrained. An elegant everyday into evening scent that will have you fragrant without being over the top, a quiet, self confident statement of authority with curves. A perfect spring or autumn scent that I also found excellent company through summer in Sydney. Great all rounder and a wonderful present.
Further reading: Now Smell This and Beauty Blog Of A Kind
L’Occitane World Page<< JUMP will take you to the site in your countryVanille & Narcisse is around US$75/75ml and has a range of matching bath & body products
Have you tried any of the Collection de Grasse range from L’Occitane? What about Vanille & Narcisse? Do you like the,? How did you rate them?
Portia xx
This scent sounds addicting! Lately, we’ve been crushing on a Black Currant and Vanilla scent that’s had us in a daze for at least a week! We look forward to trying this one out!
Hello there AdM,
Black Currant and Vanilla sounds gorgeous. MMMM
Portia x
Oh, Portia — you are a wicked, wicked enabler! 🙂 This sounds so lovely that I need to locate my nearest L’Occitane store and get on it. Thanks!
Hey Ann,
Ha Ha ha! At least it’s an affordable enable.
Portia xx
OMG I must visit my local L’Occitane immediately – I had no idea that this existed! Portia, you make it sound so dreamy, I can’t wait to try it.
YAY Flora,
It certainly is a pretty one. I hope you enjoy it too Flora.
Portia x
I haven’t been into one of these stores in a long time so I have no idea what scents are on the shelves there. I used to love it but the last time there was a very overbearing SA who just latched onto me and wouldn’t let me be. It happened more than once and I just stopped going because she was always working it seemed. I’d love an easy to wear vanilla that doesn’t break the bank. It’s always good to have a few of those perfumes in the cupboard.
Hi Poodle,
That is a crying shame that the SA wouldn’t leave you alone.
A calm and deep “Back Off Bitch” can be quite effective in this situation. Or ask them if sexual harassment is in their purview.
Do go back and have a spritz, the Collection de Grasse has some super frags.
Yes, it is nice to have something lovely that you needn’t hoard.
Portia xx
OMG! You are KILLING!!! KILL-ING! I can just see you………saying……..’back off bitch” – and scaring the living snot out of some SA! ROFL!
xoxoxoxoA
Hey there Musette,
Three little words can be effective in so many situations. Everyone knows where they stand and there are no suprises.
Then when I genuinely have a question it becomes a meeting of equals.
Portia xxx
I had a similar situation a month ago with an SA there. It was overwhelming. I left after spritzing some verbena and never got to smell the Grasse Collection.
Damn,
I will send this thread to L’Occitane. they need to read about their SAs pushiness.
Portia xx
I always have this problem in L’Occitane. I think they feel like they are just enthusiastic and want every customer to know every product theey sell, but it really is too much. I never go in any more.
Sounds totally worthy of the evil eyes I will surely get at l´Occitane for spritzing myself.
Ha Ha Ha! Why the evil eyes? I have only found friendly and helpful L’Occitane staff so far. They love it when I come in during quiet times and ask them all about the range. They sometimes give me extra samples too.
Portia x
What Portia Said. I would think they would LOVE it! After all, folks who spritz often swoon. And we alllll know where that swoonin’ leads…;-)
xoxoxoA
Well, Portia, you’ve made me want to give this another go. I’ve got a sample and when I first gave it a try I didn’t like it because it wasn’t what I was expecting – which is not fair to the perfume! So now all I have to do is find that little bottle amongst the scores of other tiny phials …………
Hi there Jillie,
Yes, it can be very disconcerting when you expect something to smell a certain way, or have a picture in your head. I often find this exact problem with Le Labo and I think they do my enjoyment harm when they name their frag something when it isn’t the central player. Until I worked out that Mona di Orio was like that I didn’t like the brand either, then of course I fell in love with the scents for what they are.
Thanks for commenting,
Portia xx