Havana Vanille (2009)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Thumbs down, not in a completely disgusted sort of way, but rather an utterly disappointed sort of way. This is very weak in both longevity and sillage. There is no power here in any way, shape or form. And pyramid shyramid, I can explain this much more gooder than any official copy can. Havana Vanille opens like the vanilla extract you might find in your kitchen, and quickly moves into a baked goods desert-like phase. This isn't anything spectacular, and the lack of power makes it all the more flaccid. After this phase it becomes a little more akin to vanilla cream soda, and it's here that the accord begins to fade into generic, boring vanillaness.

So while I wouldn't be all that mad if an SA went all NYPD on me with this, I also would never wear it if I were gifted a bottle.

22nd November, 2011.

I don't have the world's best nose, but honestly, this smells like nothing so much as vanilla extract, straight from the kitchen. I have a hard time finding much nuance or arc to it -- maybe a smidgen of rum, but it never develops, never fades in or out. Over all, it seems pretty flat. No wonder they renamed it "Vanille Absolument".

11th April, 2011.

This does what it says on the tin - rich, creamy vanilla and buttery, sweet toffee. It's very similar to all those Body Shop buttery, sweet creams and doesn't change much once it's on you.

It's yummy in a foodie sort of way and great for people who like their perfumes to smell like food (puddings and deserts).

11th February, 2011. (Last Edited: 13rd February, 2011.)

I blindly bought this on a mad and all encompassing vanilla note obsession.

I have to say that it is not what I thought that it would be due to the notes but I am so pleasantly surprised. At first it is a creamy vanilla with a hint of fruit. This is my least favorite part of the progression, the immediate phase. I keep thinking that I smell banana. It reminds me of egg nog slightly or a spiced creme brulee, maybe because of the toasty vanilla, rum, the clove, and other spices. I find it not overly sweet, not an alchoholic water vanilla extract vanilla but a round warm powderpuff vanilla. I generally loathe fragrances that dry down to have a powdery quality but this is so well rounded that I absolutely adore the powdery aspect in this fragrance. I'm thinking the spice and slight smokey tones keep this blend grounded.

It does have more longevity than most L'artisans I have tried. Lasting a good 5-6 hours a medium sillage. I do smell it ever so faintly on my skin at the 10hr mark. Overall, I think this is a fabulous and versatile vanilla. This is perfect for winter and I'm curious to see how it will behave in the warmer months.

9th January, 2011.

Firstly, this fragrance has been changed to the name "Vanille Absolument". Secondly, the only big plus for me was longevity, as I got about 12 hours or more, which is nice for a vanilla. By the 12 hour point, as you could imagine, it was hard to sniff out, and very close to the skin. Projection was good in the first 2 hours, but after that, not so much.

Now onto the juice itself.. Well.. Initial reaction: mmm creamy vanilla, nice! Two minutes later: WTF is that incense!? Now.. knowing me.. I'm not much of an incense fan. I did like the incense in Timbuktu, which I found to be spicy and different. The incense in this one is a high quality incense.

What I don't get is what the other reviewers have gotten out of this, nor do I get most of what's in the pyramid. Here's my pyramid: top notes of vanilla, white musk; mid notes of incense, rum; base of more vanilla. Somewhere in there I pick up on the tonka bean, just a little.. but it's hard to detect since this is primarily dominated by vanilla. But, if I had to pick the second dominator in this, it would be the unlisted incense.

In the opening I get a naturally sweetened cream vanilla, then the incense creeps in about 5 minutes later. It's actually a really good incense, but again incense in general is not something that makes my nose too happy. As this dries more, the rum starts to come out, and it's a very well done take on rum. Excellent there. While the rum and incense seem to be competing for 2nd place, the vanilla is clearly leading in 1st, and all the way into end. The base. The base is a dry vanilla with a little bit of powder there to give it some life. Arguably still creamy, but I think it's more powdery in the base than creamy.

Overall, I'm left with a fairly different, long last vanilla/incense fragrance. I've said this before, that my real niche fragrance journey is going full force this year, and out of everything that I've tried on the niche side of things, I have yet to come across ad vanilla and incense dominated blend, so +1 to that.. this one required a little more attention. Overall though, this just isn't for me; and of course, like any other L'Artisan, you can expect to be paying a lot.

6th January, 2011. (Last Edited: 7th January, 2011.)

This is one of the Duchafour fragrances that lacks the exotic touch of spices that he usually uses as his signature. It`s not one of his best creations, or one of the strongest ones in L'Artisan Line. However, it`s a pleasant, and cozy creation, which uses exotic spices, dried fruits, creamy vanilla to create a comfort gourmand scent. The combination of rum, vanila and spices is the key of the creation for me - they combined seem to create a sort of a gingerbread done covered with chocolate and filled with a dulce de leche with rum and cloves. While it has a foody aroma, it`s warm and close to skin, and not sickening at all. The tobacco is more perceptible when the fragrance starts to develop, and it`s a smoky spice tobacco, surprisingly soft, and at this moment the fragrance seems like a silk version of tobacco vanille.
My only complaint is about the longevity and the base of the fragrance. The composition doesn`t last more than 6 hours and the base is very faint, kind of a ghost of vanilla, rum, tobacco and exotic fern flowers with generic wood and musk.

29th October, 2010.