Dark Vanilla (1998)
by Coty

I liked this one. I usually hate sweet stuff, but this was very warm and sultry to me. It wasn't bad at all, nothing to go wild over, but okay. For a cheapie, this was a good vanilla, I say was, because I can no longer find it, which must mean that it wasn't a big hit anyway. Oh, well, so many vanillas, so little time!

Coty's handling of vanilla is suspect to me. The brand does so many things so well, but other than Vanilla Musk, it's never produced a vanilla fragrance that I've found even acceptable, much less good. And being that vanilla's one of my most-loved notes, this saddens me as I'd love to find a great, readily available drugstore vanilla (that is, besides Body Fantasies Vanilla - which is quite good) that I could just drench myself in when I felt the need. Dark Vanilla won't be fulfilling that role for me, that's for sure. Said to be a blend of bergamot, jasmine and vanilla, Dark Vanilla is to my nose a pairing of cheapish, low quality vanilla and very oily coconut. I have cheap hair oils that smell better than this stuff, I'm sorry to say. Bergamot - nada. Didn't show up for the party. Not sure it would have made a difference anyway. Another bad vanilla bites the dust.