Felanilla 21 (2009)
by Parfumerie Generale

Notes (from LuckyScent.com): vanilla absolute, saffron, orris, banana wood, hay absolute, amber.

That Felanilla's smoky vanilla and astringent saffron top notes don’t smell at all foody is an ongoing (and welcome) source of wonderment for me. There’s a woody edge to these notes that renders them inedible, and the intensely rooty iris that joins them after a few minutes only drives Felanilla further from the dessert cart. Never mind the name or the note pyramid – this isn’t vanilla custard and it isn’t rice pudding. It isn’t even Bananas Foster. In fact, to my nose it’s more of a rich, sweetened iris scent with lots of wood and bitter saffron over a vanillic amber foundation. A trace of gamy labdanum adds a welcome animalic tang to the drydown.

The weird, dark complexity of hay absolute is played very subtly in Felanilla, so anyone expecting it to dominate the scent to the degree it does in Serge Lutens’s Chergui may wind up disappointed. While it offers plenty of depth, Felanilla is not the kind of cloying, syrupy fragrance the note pyramid might suggest. It’s greatest liability to my mind is its endurance – or should I say its lack thereof. It may be that I’m partly anosmic to the drydown, or that I habituate to Felanilla rapidly, but whatever the case I find it hard to detect after just a couple of hours’ wear. Even so, I enjoy it enough to want to wear it and to reapply it as necessary.

Felanilla is my vanilla of choice. It also happens that my favorite vanilla scent of choice is also my favorite iris scent, and that my favorite iris scent is also my favorite saffron scent. These are three of my favorite notes, so that's saying a lot.

It literally purrs on the skin like the somewhat cheesy "feline" + "vanilla" name suggests. It's an exotically sensual and sexy blend that starts off with a burst of sweet and warm vanilla pods, cool iris, and a delicate saffron note that is slightly salty. All the three main notes are apparent right from the first spray, resulting in a complex and unique opening that is slightly medicinal, antiseptic, and animalic while remaining familiar and cozy. I was at first doubtful when I heard of the resinous "banana wood" note, but when it revealed itself, all my doubts were gone as it worked perfectly and added a nice quirk that made the scent even more characterful. I loved how the banana, iris, and saffron worked with each other to create something abstractedly animalic. I mean, who would have thought banana could be made into something this sexy? Felanilla dries down to a comfortable bed of powdery vanilla, amber, soft musks, and hay with the saffron and iris still present but at a much lower volume untill the scent disappears and sinks into the skin.

I don't believe in having a single penultimate holy grail, but if were forced to choose the "one and only," Felanilla would be one of the top candidates. I have gone through over 50ml's and still find myself reaching out for it, and it never fails to satisfy. My only complaint is that I wished it lasted longer, but it is okay as it is. Highly recommended for you to sink your teeth into!