Vanilia (1978)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Vanilia was a part of the inaugural bunch of fragrances released by Jean-François Laporte in 1978 to kick-start the L’Artisan Parfumeur range. It has now been inexplicably booted to the curb, despite it supposedly selling well when available. Thus, below you’ll find more of a eulogy than a review.

Despite the simplicity of its name and materials – which amount to candy floss and ylang ylang – Vanilia weaves remarkably between nuances of fun-loving banana creaminess, the alarming tang of aluminium-foil, and a burnished, mahogany-coloured, caramel note. Despite its coquettish eyeing-up of the gourmand, the closest it gets to the dessert trolley is with a raised eyebrow in the direction of clove and nutmeg. If it were run through the Michael Edwards Fragrance Mill, Vanilia would likely end up a ‘Soft Oriental’, which is to say lighter, spicier, and more svelte than the classic, purring Oriental. Vanilia also happens to be one of the most synaesthetic fragrances there ever was, from baritone custard to chewy incense and alchemical curiosities beyond.

L’Artisan’s current vanilla scent – Bertrand Duchaufour’s Vanille Absolument – is not an apt, or even worthy, comparison. Instead, look to Gorilla Perfume’s Vanillary, which uses more jasmine than ylang ylang, and is just as involving and grown-up.

And you can ignore the chatter about summer trashiness; this one shines brightest in the chillier months.

23rd June, 2011.

L'Artisan Vanilia and Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Fleur de Comores Comparison Review

Vanilia Notes: ylang ylang, vanilla bean, amber and sandalwood (from www.nstperfume.com, NowSmellThis)
Fleur de Comores Notes: blackcurrant, passionfruit, leafy green, vanilla, orange blossom, jasmine, ambegris, vetiver, musk (from luckyscent.com)

I have been wanting to compare L'Artisan Vanilia and MPG Fleur de Comores ever since I read in the guide that they were both composed by the same perfumer (Laporte), FdC being a sort of "Vanilia II" which was created after Laporte left L'Artisan.

Vanilia starts sweet, woody and balsamic. As the top notes burn off, a hint of incense lends a smoky metallic tang and the fragrance becomes increasingly powdery. Vanilia stays in this stage for quite a long time, its subtlety keeping it from becoming cloying despite being linear. The drydown is a pretty vanilla-prominent amber with a little tonka bite and smoky woods.

Fleur de Comores' opening notes are massively boozy, with fermented overripe passionfruit (which seems to be a blend of apricot and cherry not unlike "Hawaiin Punch" fruit drink) and sharp, almost urinous blackcurrant bud. FdC develops more slowly than Vanilia, but eventually starts to turn more powdery as well, with indolic florals coming forward as the fruity top accord fades. The florals eventually settle on a base of woody, smoky green (vetiver).

Overall, I find FdC to be slightly more sophisticated and complex, and I find Vanilia more charming and easy to wear. In my book, this is one contest where simplicity wins--Vanilia is one of those fragrances that is so pleasant that it is adaptable to many occasions and age groups.

I suppose I can understand a kinship between these two. Both are what I would classify as relaxing, unpretentious fragrances evocative of summer holidays. However, looking at the bigger picture, if I were to name a successor to Vanilia, it would probably be L'Artisan Havana Vanille which takes the same idea more towards woods, resins and raisiny tobacco. Regardless, both Vanilia and FdC are worthy of sampling.

9th May, 2010.

Vanilia is quite a chameleon of a fragrance. The ethylmaltol and ylang-ylang top notes others have remarked on leave the impression of banana-flavored cotton candy, but from there the fragrance takes a rapid turn, shedding the sweet kids' stuff and developing into a golden vanillic amber with some spice undertones.

Midway through the development a note that some read as cigarette smoke and others as metal enters, further complicating the fragrance. Vanilia ends up quite grown-up, almost like vanilla incense.

This is an intriguing take on vanilla and, after the first 10 minutes, of the most resolutely non-gourmand variants out there.

11th February, 2010. (Last Edited: 15th November, 2010.)

Vanilia is a lovely non-gourmand vanilla scent that is pretty straight-forward and tends to lean towards a little more traditionally feminine because of some spicy floral notes. It has a little bit of incense going on as well, though not as prominent as many of the better-known smoky vanillas out there. A nice, warm, moderately sweet quality vanilla. Despite reading elsewhere that Vanilia is rather complex, I have found it to be quite linear actually. I am a proud owner of this scent.

7th January, 2010.

After a sharp burst of alcohol, Vanilia settles into an uncomplicated creamy vanilla accord atop a foundation of quiet woods. That it’s neither over sweetened nor burdened by heavy amber makes Vanilia an attractive alternative to the more common vanilla oriental scents. That its vanilla is soft and natural smelling also spares it from the cheap crudeness that plagues most vanilla perfumes. On the down side, Vanilia doesn’t offer much by way of depth or development. I imagine it would be useful on those occasions where you just want to smell like vanilla, but I don’t have too many of those.

17th December, 2009.

I really expected to love this scent, but I don't. I like it, but I don't love it. Sometimes I detect something in the drydown that "puts me off". It is the same odor that I find in the bath products of Myrrhe Ardente by Annick Goutal. Is it the musk? Is it the tonka? I love the smell of tonka which I grind and use in potpourri, so I doubt that the occasional bad smell is tonka. For such an oily type of perfume, the staying power is only moderate at best. I'm still searching for the perfect pure vanilla. Until I find it, it's back to Vanille Tonka by Parfums de Nicolai. I can't say enough good things about the creations of Patricia Nicolai. PS Now that I have tried this on hot summer days, I need to edit my review. While this scent may never be a part of my permanent rotation, I find it quite compelling. The rich, thick vanilla smoke is a great "change of pace" fragrance for summertime.

25th May, 2009. (Last Edited: 3rd September, 2009.)