Thanks everyone for the excellent and diverse suggestions. I have only tried a few of the fragrances suggested, and am excited to try more. I'm sure I'll find my ultimate vanilla scent (s). Yay!
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Originally Posted by
Stereotomy 
Have you tried Bulgari Black? That's rubber, smoke, black tea and a lingering vanilla note.
I'm a little anxious about trying something that sounds so strange at this point in my "fragrance appreciating" career. It sounds like something I might LOVE in a year, but not right now. Need more experience...does that make sense? Thanks for the suggestion, though, and I'm putting it in my notes...Lizzie J
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Wordbird
That Tobacco Vanille sounds very good. Another one for the 'must sniff' list, along with Bois de Vanille...
I've been on a vanilla jag recently and I really like Guerlain's Spiriteuse Double Vanille - it has made me wonder if there's a vanilla liqueur out there somewhere (any suggestions?) as it's absolutely drinkable stuff (as opposed to edible). And I'll second the Ava Luxe perfumes recommended already - Love's True Bluish Light is beautiful. Having just checked the Ava-luxe.com website I see she also has Vanilla Musk for sale at the moment, which sounds nice too. I can also recommend Dior Addict (the original blue one) - very nice vanilla. Also Kenzo Amour - comforting foody vanilla.
My most obvious suggestion would be the Comptoir Sud Pacifique range, many of which are based on "vanilla plus something" (coconut, apricot, tiare etc). I don't know if they'd count as sophisticated, but they're well worth smelling if you come across them.
Funnily enough, today I tried Dior's Dolce Vita, which has a very nice base that apparently contains vanilla - I'm liking this and finding it a bit like Shisedo's Femininite du Bois and Vol de Nuit Evasion (the travel one with vanilla and peaches). The vanilla I'd love to get a bottle of is Guerlain's Attrape Coeur - that stuff is incredible. I have been known to wear Shalimar solely for the vanilla basenote that follows the citrus opening. The nice thing about the big-hitting Guerlains and Diors is that they are widely available to try and not so expensive to buy if you go to the online discounters.
Finally, if you want to find a long list of perfumes that contain vanilla somewhere in their recipe, go to the directory here at Basenotes and type vanilla into the box at the bottom of the search form. You can refine things by adding other notes you want or selecting which house you want to search within. I just tried it with Christian Dior and discovered that Hypnotic Poison is apparently a very sexy vanilla. Well well, who'da guessed? Must smell that one soon.
One thought if you're really just craving vanilla and want to pull up that note in your fragrances is to layer on the vanilla skin products - shower gel, body lotion, deodorant - and you'll be basically vanillic before you start.
Thanks for all the terrific suggestions. I am being a little timid and not trying stuff that's too far-out sounding right away. The CSP fragrances are a little too sweet for my skin, though they smell absolutely wonderful on my tween daughter's skin. I especially love it when she wears the Vanilla Peach. I will definitely try the Bois de Vanille and the Tobacco Vanille. I've tried the Guerlain you mention and it's lovely, but not quite vanilla-y enough. I love Hypnotic Poison too, but it doesn't feel like vanilla is at all the central character, and that's what I'm looking for. Love the layering idea. Will try it! Thank you for such a thoughtful and helpful response. Lizzie J.
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Originally Posted by
RomanceSilver
Givenchy Organza Indecence is wonderful. I am a man but my cousin used to own this scent, and wow it smelled great on her. She even received compliments from people outside, and the scent is pretty much vanilla-dominant, but not like vanilla ice-cream. Try it and you'll know. The problem is that I think they might've discontinued it as it's hard to find online with exception of e-bay, although some people said they found it at Sephora. Anyway, good luck finding a scent, and if you look for Organza Indecence, make sure you don't get it confused with the other Organza's (original Organza and Organza First Light, original smells terrible)
Thank you. I'm going to look for it today! Lizzie J.
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Originally Posted by
ComDiva
Tobacco Vanille
Yves Rocher Vanille Bourbon
La Maison de la Vanille Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar
Hermes Vetiver Tonka
Tried to give you a mix of affordable and niche scents above.
Tobacco Vanille is on my FB list, and last year I sprang for a bottle of Vetiver Tonka because it's just GORGEOUS and very grown-up, on either men or women.
On the more affordable end, I echo the earlier recommendations for Yves Rocher Vanille Bourbon as a *great* cheap vanilla that smells fairly high end (I layer with Ava Luxe's Teakwood with superb results). And Vanille Sauvage Madagascar is now available for $10 (plus shipping of course) on Sephora.com --
Notes:
Bergamot, Lavender, Coriander, Geranium, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Incense, Vetiver.
Have fun, and let us know what you end up with!
Thanks for the suggestions! I have already ordered a sample of the Vetiver Tonka, and a bottle of the Vanille Bourbon which, for the price, is worth trying even if it's only mediocre on my skin! I tried the Sauvage Madagascar at my local Sephora and liked but did not love it (a little too waffle cone-ish), but did not notice the price. For $10 I might love it! Need to return to Sephora asap. Also, love the layering suggestion. Awesome. Lizzie J
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Originally Posted by
tang
For a less expensive option,
Yves Rocher Vanille Bourbon is worth checking out. It's a pretty straight-forward vanilla scent, with a tiny hint of the boozy note that I love in Spiritueuse Double Vanille. YR offers generous "try-me" sizes of many of their scents.
(Their Neonatura Cocoon is also nice, but it's vanilla with cocoa & patchouli.)
Thanks...I've already ordered both the Vanilla Bourbon and the Neonatura. What terrific prices! Lizzie J
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Originally Posted by
kopah
I don't know if I'd consider Montale
Vanille a grown-up vanilla. Initially, it strongly reminds me of meringue; after a couple of hours, one person next to me commented that it smelled like white chocolate. It's definitely big on vanilla, though.
I absolutely adore i Profumi di Firenze
Vaniglia del Madagascar. When I first bought it for my fiancee I thought it smelled like marshmallows, but as my nose becomes more tuned I realize that it's vanilla combined with a subtle floral (the notes say vanilla orchid - is this just the vanilla blossom as opposed to the bean or pod?). It's a potent vanilla, to be sure, and it's also very sophisticated and feminine.
I think Malle's
Musc Ravageur is indisputably a grown-up (or is that "adult"?) vanilla, but I really think of it more as a musk with vanilla underpinnings. It's probably not for vanilla purists, but if you like musk at all, definitely give it a try.
Despite having owned a bottle of Guerlain
Spiritueuse Double Vanille for over a month, I haven't tried it yet. This may, in fact, be a crime in some states. I can say, though, that I really loved it on the tester ribbon they gave me at the Guerlain boutique, and it does seem to be one of the most highly-regarded vanillas out there. Very hard to find and very expensive if you want a full bottle, but it's almost certainly worth it.
Finally, I think Tom Ford
Tobacco Vanille is quite nice, and it definitely qualifies as grown-up, but I wonder if you would find it too masculine. It seems to be more about spices and vanilla than tobacco and vanilla; it kind of reminds me of nutmeg, or maybe egg nog. You may also find this one not vanilla-centric enough.
@ Wordbird - you might try vanilla schnapps.
I have tried the Montale Vanille and it's lovely, but it didn't last on my skin. It certainly had a strong Vanilla character. The Vaniglia del Madagascar you mention was also very vanilla-centric and I liked it a lot, but there was no obsessive love, and that's what I want. (Perhaps I want the impossible? A vanilla-centric scent that avoids the sugary sweetness of so many, lasts a long time, is complex and layered and dark, but with vanilla as the star throughout. Hmmmmm. Tihota almost has it, but is not quite layered and complex enough. Just VANILLA and musc on me..that's it. Maybe if I layer it with something else. I digress....) So many have recommended the Tom Ford that I've now ordered a decant. Masculine does not worry me at all. It's the tobacco. We'll see. And Musc Ravageur smells wonderful to me, like sex in a bottle, but I don't dare wear it in public. (Oh yes, I want a vanilla I can wear a lot--another requirement!).
Thanks for your post. I really appreciate the suggestions! So much fun work to do now! Lizzie J.
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Originally Posted by
uli
Vanilla, spices, woods: Guerlain's Heritage. It makes a bold statement. Moreover, its overall execution and effect suggest that one doesn't have to spend a million bucks to feel like a million bucks.
Sounds yummy. I'll try it!
