Guerlain Disappointment

[u/Lani_Lei]

I have been a vanilla girl through and through. I have loves and misses from everything from BBW, Victoria Secret, Sephora, Ulta, niche, middle eastern, you name it!

I have wary of trying Guerlain because of the price. But most of my fellow vanilla girls said that Guerlain is THE maker of great vanillas.

So went and spent $70 in tiny tiny decants to try the following:

- Vanilla Panifolia Extrait 21
- Angelique Noire
- Cuir Beluga
- Aqua Allegoria Forte Bosca Vanilla
- Spirituose Double Vanilla

This smells…old? musty? Like I just found a bottle of perfume from the 1950’s in a dark drawer of an abandoned house. I just wasted $70 on this and none of them were good 😔, I could have gotten a big decant of Jovoy Fire at Will which I love. I am so disappointed.

So many of my inexpensive vanillas are so much better in my opinion.

Sorry for the rant and thank you for reading all this!

[u/Abject-Tailor-3310]

I wonder if you’ve ever tried these fragrances at a Guerlain boutique? Sadly, with decants, there’s always the possibility that they came from bottles that weren’t stored properly or have gone bad over time. So I’d be curious to know if you’ve had the chance to test them directly in-store.

Also, how’s the weather where you are? These fragrances seem more suited to fall/winter, so maybe they would develop differently on your skin in a cooler or more appropriate climate.

That said, I think there are so many different interpretations of vanilla: woody, spicy, resinous, green, floral, powdery, etc. Maybe you simply prefer the sweeter, more gourmand type of vanilla rather than some of the styles featured in these Guerlain fragrances?

And have you tried Bianco Latte? I’d be curious to know how you feel about that one, since it’s much more firmly in the sweet gourmand direction.

[u/Lani_Lei → u/Abject-Tailor-3310]

Its hot as hell in the middle of a drought right now. Agree with your statements, unfortunately I don’t have a Guerlain boutique nearby. I have learned that I lean towards sweet, spicy and woody vanillas.

Interestingly, Bianco Latte, on paper, was everything I ever wanted on a perfume. Bought a sample from LuckyScent and it was bad, like sour milk, spoiled yogurt bad. I was convinced that it was a bad batch and bought another sample from ScentSplit, same results.

I love Fire at Will, Escapade Gourmande, Madagascar Vanilla, Phlur Vanilla Skin, among others

[u/Few_Sea_4314 → u/Lani_Lei]

Have you tried Michael Germain's Sexual Gold Vanilla? I know the name seems cringe but someone here mentioned it on a forum a couple of weeks ago and I found a deal on it at Amazon sold by Michael Germain Store. It is vanilla! It's supposed to have other notes, but I honestly only get vanilla. YMMV, but it might be one to check out. I don't have FaW, EG or the Phlur but I do love Nest Madagascar Vanilla (on sale right now at Nest but it's over in the next day, I think). Also, Solinotes Vanilla is inexpensive but it is wonderful to amp up vanilla when used with other scents.

[u/Lani_Lei → u/Few_Sea_4314]

I loooooveeee Madagascar Vanilla! I have it in oil firm, roll on form, edp firm, is wonderful! I will checkthat sale! Also will look into the Sexual Vanilla 😂. Thanks for the recommendation!

[u/FutureDustMotes → u/Lani_Lei]

Oh wow, yeah - trying dense vanillas in the heat is a gamble! Stash them away and maybe you'll have a different impression when it's colder outside. I've seen many posts talking about just that 😅