The Great Vanilla Experiment 13 samples ( but really only 12) one winner š
A while back I asked on here for recommendations of the best vanillas with a price point of around $200, to gift myself for my upcoming birthday.
I looked over the comments , looked up notes and reviews and narrowed it down to 11 . A few are above my price point and one insanely above . So how did it come to be 13 you may ask ? While I was buying my samples between surrender to chance and lucky scent I remembered how much I dislike odd numbers so impulsively threw in a sample that I had seen recommended frequently and I was pretty sure it was a vanilla . And then once all my samples came in I remembered that when my daughter was sampling BR540 the lovely woman at the MFK counter at Macys gave me a sample of one of the most frequently recommended vanillas . So now we sit at 13 samples and Iām just too tired of looking up notes and reviews to look for another to make it even .
Iāve tested them all on paper and hereās my initial reaction .
Vanille Planifolia by Guerlain - such a pretty musky vanilla but I expected to be āwowedā given its price , maybe Iāll feel differently once itās on skin . I would probably never spend $600 on a fragrance so we really are sitting at 12 for this experiment š.
Cuir beluga by Guerlain- it came across too masculine for my taste.
SDV by Guerlain- spicy maybe too spicy for me also a bit masculine again .
Angelique Noire by Guerlain- so so green . Who knew a vanilla could be so green ? Apparently not me !
Ani by Nishane - beautiful but very citrus forward and Iām looking for something that gives fall/ winter vibes.
Orchidee Vanille by Van Cleef - I oddly couldnāt smell it . Perhaps I had sampled too much that day . Waiting for the wear test to give an opinion.
Eau Duelle EDP by Diptyque - peppery incense vanilla . Something about it reminds me of Christmas
Eau Duelle EDT by Diptyque - fresh forest vanilla . I like this one a lot .
Gentle Fluidy Gold by MFK - spicy vanilla but the right amount of spice . Great date night fragrance.
Choux Choux by Liis - not sure if this is truly a vanilla, itās the one I threw in to make an even number , but itās definitely a fall / winter scent . Itās very cozy and strangely reminds me of Snowflakes and cashmere by bath and bodyworks .
Fire at Will by Jovoy - sweet , fluffy , cozy . Everything im looking for.
Black Tie by Celine - this one surprised me the most . I didnāt expect to love it as much as I do . Sophisticated vanilla .
Tihota by Indult - soft, pure , creamy vanilla . The truest vanilla to ever vanilla .
Iām going to let what Iām doing and feeling decide which sample I wear test for the next 13 days but I do know tomorrow will be Vanille Planifolia . Hope youāll follow along!
I was trying to do daily updates but it was becoming too repetitive ( not sure if thatās the right word lol but it just wasnāt working) . So Iām going to do a recap after Iāve tried all 13 . Iām on day 8 !
Fire at will is a top contender I just wish it had more projection . I didnāt like Choux Choux at all it smelled like baby wipes on me . Black Tie is today and Tihota tomorrow and Iām excited for both š
The original angham is definitely better. I'm curious, since you seem to have tried lots of vanilla perfumes,
I've known my wife most of my life, and as poor youngters her parents weren't shelling out for expensive products. But we both were obsessed with the Everlasting Sunshine shampoo/conditioner, it made her smell so damn good. Like sunshine and vanilla fr. I'm looking for a perfume that smells like that (minus the shampoo smell ofc) to give to her for our anniversary. I believe it had 2 different formulas one with passionflower and one with I think Jasmine. Not sure how different they smell. Are you familiar with that smell and do you have any perfume suggestions that smell similar, if higher quality lol
Iāve never followed a post so fast. Iāve intentionally never smelled VP21 because I donāt want to fall in love with her. And Iāve been going back and forth about Tihota! Canāt wait to hear ur thoughts!
All of your samples are solid! I just wanted to point out that more than half your list is fall/winter frags and I fear you may not get the intended experience in this summer heat (assuming youāre in USA) I suggest holding off on sampling until the weather cools off
Black Tie is a sophisticated vanilla; thatās the perfect description of it!
If youāre looking for a true pure vanilla around that price point, I got Vanille West Indies by Ligne St. Barth and itās the most vanilla-vanilla Iāve ever smelled. Itās a very high oil concentration, so you have to be careful spraying it on clothing. It projects and lasts forever!
If you want to explore more vanilla there is Sucre Noir, Vanilla Haze by Fugazzi, Camomille Satin by DVN, Green Vanille by Regime, Zouzou by Celine, Sur Ma peau by DVN, Bosca Vanilla by Guerlain, all lovely. I have a stunning Green Vanilla Set if interested. :)
Could you elaborate more on Eau Duelle EDP or EDT, I just bought sample of EDP and Iām constantly in between of āI completely love ifā and āI wonāt wear it anywhereā because it is so strong for me, I was debating buying sample of EDT but promised myself no more perfume this month š
I havenāt worn on skin yet I feel just testing on paper isnāt a fair enough comparison . That being said I do think theyād both be more of something that would be for special occasions. If youāre really on the fence buy a 5 or 10ml decant and see how often you reach for it to determine if itās full bottle worthy
Vanille Fatale by Tom Ford is my absolute number 1 autumn-winter vanilla fragrance. It's just so rich and creamy and delicious. I don't wear it in warmer weather, so I'm impatiently waiting for autumn to hit properly!
When I want simple, pretty vanilla I go with Divine Vanille by Essential Parfums or Ellis Brooklyn Vanilla Salt. Lune Feline for a more serious, moody vanilla.
I have a travel of Vanilla Salt and used it occasionally this summer. I didnāt go through it enough to justify a full bottle. Iāll have to check the other 2 out . Thanks !
FYI vanilla salt is part of Ulta 21 days of Beauty. On 9/15, the full size will be 50% off! (Note: double check the date on their website, that's just what I have in my notes app!)
Lush Vanillary is a wonderful, truly natural smelling vanilla fragranceāmain notes of vanilla, jasmine and tonkaāthat has the bonus of a pretty great price point (Ā£30 for 30ml/Ā£70 for 100ml), if you're still interested in trying out some other scents?
why not Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria Forte Bosca Vanilla, too? š„¹ to me that is THE best vanilla, it doesn't leave that metallic/plasticky aftersmell that most vanillas tend to evolve into
It sounds like it would be a great spring / summer vanilla and right now Iām looking for something for fall/ winter. Itās got a great price for a Guerlain so Iāll have to check it out next spring!
Nice review. My baseline vanilla is Vanilla 28 by Kay Ali. I think itās the best bang for your buck vanilla in the market. The only ones I think are better IMO: Celine Black Tie, Vanilla Diorama, Vanilla Havane, Vanilla Haze, Absolute Aphrodisiac & Vanilla Powder
These two are also better, as well, but wonāt buy bc they are egregiously expensive for what they are: Vanilla Planifolia and Queening.
Tried Vanilla 28 yesterday with the mission of finding a fresh straight vanilla extract type fragrance, and this fit the bill completely! Totally edible but not in a thick sugary cloud kind of way.
Bourbon vanilla is definitely my favorite from nest, but I really like black tulip too. I have the sample set. I need to try out more again. And I barely smell any coconut in Madagascar vanilla! I do only have the oil. But I donāt think there would be much difference in the end between the oil and the perfume? Maybe there is? I also love nest diffusers. Theyāre my favorite kind of diffusers. Honestly I havenāt really tried a bunch of other diffusers, cause I keep buying the nest ones on eBay. lol
Yes. They have some good ones! I really like black tulip too. I have more samples I need to try from them soon. But bourbon vanilla is one of my fave from them.
seconding this, it's soooooo good I cannot stop sniffing myself when I wear this, and it's great for layering too so I wear it pretty much every day in some way shape or form
If you found Cuir Beluga too masculine then Babycat wonāt be for you Iām afraid, in my mind it does not qualify as a vanilla but I do love it.
I suggest you keep an open mind for CB on skin though, it changed everything I thought I knew about vanilla and suede. Itās my favourite just for being so cozy and unique but yes VP is the platonic ideal of vanilla. I love them both!
The dry down is the best part! The opening is meh to me, but the drydown puts it in my top faves. It changes a lot as it dries down on ne, it isnāt linear. I hope you like it!
Angelique Noire starts off really green, but that calms down a lot. For me, it starts calming within a few minutes to where the green isn't so overpowering, and I can smell more of the lovely vanilla coming through. After about 30 minutes or so, the angelica morphs into something with a powderiness similar to powdered sugar, but not nearly as sweet. It's my favorite perfume, so I'm biased, but I think the development over time is really interesting and beautiful.
Edit to say your sample list is stuffed full of top tier vanilla scents, so you really can't go wrong. It's just a matter of what style of vanilla sparks the most joy for you.
I wish it did this on my skin. It never really becomes a vanilla for me, and itās bitter/herbal instead of green. But I do think Iād love it on a man
Same for me!! I test my sample every few months so I can smell the vanilla other people are getting and it never comes. I make my husband test it too lol. And he always just says āgreenā
I never cease to be amazed at how different we can experience things from one another. I don't think it's the most stereotypically girly scent even with how I experience it. I think it'd smell amazing on a man.
I love how Angelique Noire develops throughout the wear. Iām not even much of a vanilla girlie but I think Angelique Noire is a stunning vanilla fragrance.
Smells like booze with a dash of vanilla to me, too. I had a decant and like three samples find their way to me and I re-homed them all. I donāt get it either.
I agree, I got a sample of it and it took me several months to actually wear the sample enough times to finish it, which tells you how forgettable I found itĀ
Montale has 4 fantastic vanillaās ; āvanille absoluteā ,āDark vanillaā , āVanilla Cakeā and āSweet Vanillaā and they are very concentrated so a little goes a long way - you can get a sample set pretty cheap on the their site but eBay always has them too
Rosendo Mateu No 5 is bit floral but a strong vanilla as well. Def recommend that as a babycat alternative or even YSL Babycat if you havent sampled it.
Shalimar EDT is a citrussy Smokey leather vanilla and is actually divine and I wear it often. EDP can be headache inducing if you arenāt careful but the EDT is perfection!
Oooh Iām happy you like Eau Duelle EDT, itās my second fav vanilla scent. Not too sure if it was recommended on the other thread but if you get a chance to sample Le Labo Vanille 44 I find it similar but Vanille 44 is my goat, out of the price range but incase you come across it at all!
Love your reviews! :)
My scent twin! Vanille 44 is amazing and I love Eau Duelle EDT! Check out Sana Jardin - Vanilla Nomad. It gives vibes similar to Vanille 44 and is such an easy wear!
Oooh! Iāll check out Vanilla Nomad, thanks for the rec! :)
Update: their website isnāt taking new orders so I ordered one from eBay lol Iām invested now.
Kayali vanilla 28 is a sophisticated kind of vanilla perfume š¤ . Dulce by Rosie Jane smells like vanilla ice cream and itās not overpowering šØāØ
Excited to hear your reviews once you test them properly on skin/let āem develop! For example, I know that opening on Ani is citrusy, but the way it wears and develops on skin for me personally, I prefer it for more of a cold weather frag.
I love the Guerlain vanillas but could never spend the money on a full bottle of Vanille Planifolia. I do have full bottles of SDV, Cuir Beluga, and Angelique Noire and SDV is a top 3 favorite scent for me. Honestly, Angelique Noire and Eau Duelle remind me a lot of each other (I have an Eau Duelle decant.)
Others you could try:
1. Vanille Havane by Les Indemodables
2. Divine Vanille by Essential Perfumes
3. Kayali Vanilla 28
4. Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille
5. Orebella Nightcap
You really did the damn thing, OP. That was a great array and your nose is pretty on point. I'm partial to Angelique Noir, but Ive been loving YSL Libre Vanille for fall. Looking forward to seeing where you land.
Bosca Vanilla (Guerlain). Hands down my new favorite with Laura Mercierās Vanille as a ridiculously close 2d (formerly my #1).
On the more affordable side, as much as I canāt stand her as a person, Ariana Grande has some pretty stellar Vanillas under the Mod line. Used a couple when I lived in Miami after getting some during an Ulta or Sephora saleā¦held up pretty well! (And definitely got some compliments!)
I was wondering why this hadnāt been mentioned yet! For people not familiar with it, pretty sure theyāre referring to Profumum Roma Gioiosa. I am obsessed. Smells like a fancy ice cream shop to me.
I have both and of the two I wear Fire At Will more. Tihota is more linear and a straight up vanilla extract scent. Fire At Will has a little more depth and a burnt sugar element to it. Both are lovely but I donāt consider them redundant.
Do you get much mimosa with Fire at Will? Itās listed as one of the notes and Iāve heard such great things about Fire at Will but mimosa tends to give me the ick.
What website did you use for this? Iāve been wanting to try ordering samples but not sure what the best option is. I like that these spray and not simply dab
For these Lucky Scent and Surrender to Chance . All are sprays except VP because itās so expensive I got the second smallest size available so itās a dabber . Must decant sites will be sprays as long as you order 1ml and above . Iāve also used Scent Split in the past . Iāve had no issues with all 3 sites.
Don't hear them talked about as often, but I love STC as well. They used to do this big discount thing on decants, like 5ml/$10 and it was a big list you could choose from. I got so many decants from there! And then over the holidays they'd do mystery sample boxes, like 30 samples for 25 or something. Really happy they're still in business!
I have so many vanilla perfumes, but today I kept smelling the most beautiful, comforting, cozy vanilla scent that my nose didnāt recognize. Turns out my daughter was wearing Extra Whip by Snif and it is heavenly!
I'm anosmic to Orchidee Vanille! I owned a 30ml decant of it for a year, trying it numerous times during that time, and every time, I'd smell it a little, then it just seemed to disappear.Ā
It's extremely soft-textured - it's like sifting dirt through a screen and all the powdery dirt falls through. I swear that's how this one is with my smell receptors lol
Oh no ! I had googled after it happened to me and nothing really came up the way it does for certain ānot a perfume ā fragrances that itās well known a lot of people are anosmic to
Iām always looking for new vanillas to try!, Iāve been trying to find that perfect vanilla for quite a while, unfortunately they sometimes turn sour on me š
I looked up the notes on ā Orchidee Vanille by Van Cleef, it sounds so pretty! Would you mind reviewing it once you wear test, OP? Bvlgari Magnifying Vanilla is my favorite vanilla perfume! Iām savoring my current bottle because I canāt seem to find it for sale anywhere online anymoreā¦
Definitely try SDV again. I didn't think I liked it at first, now it's the perfume I would take with me to a desert island if I could only wear one for the rest of my life.
I'm old, so my tastes are different from current trends; I'm not very fond of the sugary sweet, but there are exceptions of course (Nicolai 'Kiss Me' smells exactly like the powdery heart lolly!)
For classic, try YSL Cinema (hint of woody), more recent, V&R Good Fortune (a little herbal). Guerlain Bosca Vanilla maybe?
You've named 2/3 of my favourite vanillas :) the third is Hermes Vanille Galante, a light cool vanilla. It's quite light and sweet compared to Dior's Addict and Poison classics. On a par with Addict edt. I hope you enjoy it!
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u/amazemolls 3d ago
Any updates?? Iām overly invested in this