Hermèssence Vanille Galante (2009)
by Hermès

I love the remarks of Vibert! Although this really is a pretty little vanilla/floral scent, it is not particularly unusual or inspiring or long lasting. I prefer Parfums de Nicolai Vanille Tonka, a similiar scent but one with a little more backbone. I wish that I could detect the lily in this fragrance, but all I perceive is a vague floral. (I think that part of my indifference to the Hermes fragrances is the aloof staff at Hermes stores!) Definately a fragrance for those who do not like fragrance!

Consider me taken aback by how beautifully Ellena has captured the sensation of breathing in the fragrance of a fresh lily. The purity, the innocence, the slight tang, the soft outer edge -- it's all there behind a breath of soft vanilla. The slight fresh sourness (there are moments when it reminds me of the fragrance of a giant white magnolia) in Vanille Gallante brings another Ellena creation instantly to mind: Un Jardin Apres La Mousson yet their relationship is extremely distant. While UJALM is initially overwhelming, sour, aquatic, and melony, Vanille Gallante is a kiss of freshness, of dewy lily petals on a crisp spring morning. In a word, lovely.

I've been racking my brain, trying to figure out the motivation behind the name 'Vanille Galante' and I'm completely stumped! Why? Because I don't smell any vanilla in this mix! I do, however, associate it directly with Fleur des Comores by MPG. It's the ylang-ylang ~ featured in this and FdC ~ beautifully done. Ylang-ylang is one floral note that many times smells just plain stinky to me. In Vanille Galante the presentation of this flower is extremely delicate, sheer, and surrounded by diffused greens. Spices and sandalwood balance this blend, like an opaque veil just barely connecting and softening each note. If I compare the two, Vanille Galante showcases green notes and ylang-ylang whereas FdC comes off less green and more 'mouthwatering', almost gourmand-ish. I adore Mr. Ellena's interpretation.

Easter came early to Hermès this year with the heady Madonna Lilies that bloom from a bottle titled “Vanille Galante”.

Unlike most of the other Hermessences, which quite clearly answer to their title (except, perhaps, Osmanthe Yunnan) - the vanilla here will not fulfill the craving of the vanillophiles who patiently awaited their dessert after clearing their plate from fresh peppers and a side of lavender.

Vanille Galante burst into the air like a flower rushing to display its colours from fear of loosing the attention of butterflies. Heady ylang ylang only but supports the main theme here - the infamous Madonna Lily, a symbol of purity and the Virgin Mary. Sliced cantaloupe sprinkled with salt brings to mind a giant Easter egg decorated by calone. Whether or not there is calone in Vanille Galante I cannot tell, but I’d like to think that this molecule found its way to the perfume to complete the picture of an Easter picnic under the sky. It’s the same cantaloupe from Un Jardin Apres la Mousson, just in a lesser dosage.
And when the vanilla finally makes an appearance it is more woody than dessert like, and perhaps will bring to mind a flavoured liquor rather than vanilla-dotted crème brûlée.
There is vanilla absolute in the base alright, but overall I would not describe Vanille Galante as a vanilla scent, but as a floral or a floriental at best. The dry down reminds me of Chanel’s Allured - a contrast of computer generated florals against a backdrop of woody vanilla. But Vanille Galante does not feel as artificial, and as with most Jean-Claude Ellena’s scents, this gown has such lightness and airiness about it that it’s easy to wear if it is not exactly your style or preferred colour.

Sweet nothing, this one. I’m losing patience with Jean-Claude Ellena and his Hermèssence scents. The minimalist dogma behind then has already produced pointless art in other media, and the vapid, gutless fragrances that Hermès charges so much for are starting to smell like an insult to my intelligence. Granted, there’s a halfway interesting smoky vanilla-based floral oriental hiding somewhere in here, but I have to look very, very hard to find it. Wear this if you like Shalimar, but are afraid someone might actually smell it on you.

Hermes Hermessence Vanille Galante

Jean-Claude Ellena became the house perfumer for Hermes in 2004, since that time he has been on a creative and popular run rivaled by few perfumers. Upon arriving at Hermes he created the Hermessence line in which he applied his minamilist esthetic to “single note” scents. The earliest entries like Ambre Narguile and Vetiver Tonka are some of the best loved scents out there by both perfumistas and colognossieurs. As the Hermessence line has evolved the scents have grown to be more that just Ellena’s musing on the titular note and more about what can be discovered by making that note part of an ensemble and letting it show a different side. This is just what is realized in Vanille Galante, the 2009 addition to the Hermessences. The top of this is a lily in spring. It is a very tightly coiled scent surrounded by a green accord. Very faintly as the transition to the heart happens, almost like shouting from across the street, vanilla is noted as present. In the heart there is spiciness to go with the hint of vanilla. The spices are rounded off by something that according to the notes is ylang ylang but it seems different to my nose from other ylang ylang I've encountered before as it seems to be more synthetic and less natural. The vanilla finally makes a more prominent appearance in the base, as combined with sandalwood, it completes this scent. This is another great example of Ellena's style of perfumery as the whole scent develops in sheer and light stages which combine in unique ways to create a complete experience. Vanille Galante wears very lightly and close to the skin and it sometimes seems like its gone only to get a whiff to remind you that it is there. Vanille Galante is a worthy addition to the Hermessence line and Ellena's body of work.