Tag Archives: Vanilia

Giving in to my perfume sweet tooth – Un Bois Vanille

World of Perfume February 21, 2011 Comments: 22

I find it both interesting and telling that at this point in month, the two perfumes that made such an impression are both sweet. ๐Ÿ™‚

First, I’m forever thankful to the Perfume Posse for hosting that incredible mass swap before Christmas, I got so many wonderful things in exchange, I still need to go through them properly.

One of the things I received was the decant of Un Bois Vanille as I never tried it before and since I, well, like pretty much anything coming from SL line, I wanted to try it. It took a while for me to take it out (two days ago actually) and I decided to spray it on without testing it first.

It wasn’t a mistake. ๐Ÿ™‚

In my case at least. I’m not sure though how many people actually appreciate burnt caramel smell. But it’s so wonderfully done! I keep getting that burnt caramel/sugar vibe with some smoke hidden under that heaviness but it’s so good. (I’m doing a little happy dance in my chair just thinking about it) ๐Ÿ™‚

Before you start thinking that’s all there is to it, I do get traces of vanilla, the one that makes me love Vanilia by L’Artisan (why in the world did they decide to discontinue it?!).

For me the burnt caramel never truly goes away but it certainly dissipates enough to get you to smell a nutty (slightly bitter) vibe and then it just dries down to a less sweet (not that it was too sweet in the first place) woody burnt caramel/nuttiness. The burnt part has here already been mostly cleared by the wind.

Notes: Black vanilla absolute, licorice, sandalwood, coconut milk, beeswax, caramelized benzoin, bitter almond, Gaiac wood, tonka bean

P.S. I do wish I got a 10ml decant instead of 5ml.

SOTD: Vamp a NY by Honorรฉ des Prรฉs

Sample of the day, World of Perfume June 18, 2010 Comments: 8

What a better way to return to my blogging life than with this gem, I am sure I wasn’t the only who set her alarm to be on time for the 50 samples being given at Grain de Musc almost a month ago. ๐Ÿ™‚ I didn’t want to forget and miss out. And I didn’t. Lucky me.

I should probably call it the sample of the week, I’ve been sampling for several day now, in small quantities so it lasts a bit (I’ll divulge why a bit later). And the sample is a large one (thank you H des P).

What I could find of the notes mentioned is rum, tuberose and resins. That is true but also not enough.
This has made me smile through the last week when smiling wasn’t something I was prone to do. I do have to say that I don’t find it vampy (which is a good thing because I probably wouldn’t like it so much) but actually, I find it sexy in a different way (I’m sure many see vamp idea as sexy).

For me, this is sexy the same way a girl/woman having fun at a party in the sun, smiling and laughing around a bunch of guys who are there vying for her attention is sexy. The completely natural, unforced in any kind sexy. The best kind.

And that is why I’m saving my sample. I’ve been thinking for some time what perfume am I going to wear to a dear friend’s wedding in a few weeks – and this is it. I knew that the first time I smelled it. It’s perfect for a summer day wedding at the seaside (I’m sure it’s perfect for many other occasions as well) – it is just so easily loved. And I know why that is so in my case. To me, it smells like L’Artisan’s Vanillia mixed with a lot of tuberose (I love Vanilia and I adore tuberose, so this is a direct hit for me).

Yes, I got the rum (although much more strongly on paper than on me) and it’s a particular smell, not really as boozy as some perfumes containing boozy factors are. And then, there’s tuberose and anything else that appears in Vanilia. ๐Ÿ™‚ I think that is the best way of summing up what it smells like. And if you have a chance, try it.
Btw, Nathan Branch wrote a great review of another perfume from the We love NY series, Love Coco. From what I read there, I pretty much think I will love it, so now I’m wondering if that means I’ll love the carrot thingie as well. Probably. I really like carrots. ๐Ÿ™‚
And last but not least, I think the marketing strategy that enabled people like me (bloggers who are seriously interested in new creations) to be able to get a sample just by reading one of the (best) perfume blogs is straight on target. I wish more companies would consider this tactic. The word will spread wider before this hits US and the way it’s going, it will have a seriously positive vibe. ๐Ÿ™‚

L’Artisan Parfumeur: Vanilia

Uncategorized January 20, 2010 Comments: 6

I think the time has come to give this a proper review. After all, I do have a bottle now and I’ve been wearing it for some time. And it never ceases to amaze me.
I tend to skip it when I’m deciding what to wear in the morning, it’s just that I always think of it as a warm, comforting scent that kind of makes you blend in. Like wearing something that makes you look like just one more face in the crowd.
Today I concluded that I’m both right and wrong. It does smell warm and comfortable but I don’t see (smell) many people around me who actually smell this addictive. ๐Ÿ™‚ And that is what it smells like to me – addictive.
When I first spray it on, I get a large dose of wet and lush tropical-smelling vanilla. And I realized that I would definitely term this as a gourmand smell but without any foody connotations. It never reminds me of anything edible. Anyway, I was thinking how there must be a lush smelling (probably tropical) plant in this together with vanilla and while enjoying the ride, I started getting hints of warm spices. As I was considering the fact that I seem to smell clove everywhere these days and that I shouldn’t jump to clove as soon as I smell spice, I went in search for notes.
I don’t know how many of you were looking for Vanilia notes, but they tend to differ. ๐Ÿ™‚
So first I got: ylang-ylang, vanilla bean, amber and sandalwood. Aha! There WAS some tropical lushness in this.
So I looked some more thinking how come there is no spice listed and I found another list: ylang-ylang, vanilla and vanilla flower, nutmeg, clove and sandalwood. No amber in this. And then one more list without ylang-ylang in it and listing only spices.
I’m not sure about the amber but everything else seems to be there. Of course, I don’t really know what vanilla flower smells like but my guess is really harmoniously with ylang-ylang. After I read nutmeg, I got that as well.
I was reading some of my older notes on Vanilia and saw that I wrote about a salty undertone. I would have missed it this time, I was preoccupied with lush-tropical vanilla but it’s there. It is the exact thing to make this adhere to non-foody road of development. Where does it come from – I’m not sure but my guess is that ylang-ylang brings it out from vanilla.

Now, that I’ve re-read my post I’m not sure you got the idea of what it smells like. ๐Ÿ™‚ I realize I sometime have a problem with expressing coherently my thoughts on things. ๐Ÿ˜‰
Picture by: expat21.wordpress.com

Perfume shopping in Zagreb – Viktor Koncept

Perfume shopping November 11, 2009 1 Comment
My hometown might not be Paris, London or New York but we do have our share of niche perfumeries. ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank God for that.

I don’t how many people will visit Zagreb and decide to to go niche perfume shopping, but in case some get the urge, I decided to do a series of posts after visiting each of the stores. Those visits might prove a bit hard on my credit card account but will certainly make me happy, like the one yesterday to Viktor Koncept proved to be.
All the shops I plan to visit are located in the centre of the city but since that is a relatively large area, I am attaching a map to the address, Kralja Drลพislava 10.

Viktor Koncept is not only a niche perfumery but as the name might indicate, also a concept store. I wasn’t interested yesterday in perusing the rest of the store that contains clothes, shoes and accesories for men and women, and some cute house accesories as well (I checked those the last time I was there).
I have to admit, I wasn’t there for quite a while, so I got terribly upset with myself after entering and discovering that they have significantly improved their offer with new lines. I mean, I know why I didn’t go (trying not to spend money) but I still should have. At least there is still time to change that and try everything I find interesting, or the SA finds interesting. I didn’t achieve a rapport with the lady there but she was still nice and at some point in time, seeing my obvious interest, presented some of the Comme des Garcons fragrances I might find interesting (I was mostly focused on them yesterday).

My most pressing concern in going there yesterday was trying the L’Artisan’s Vanillas since I know Viktor holds the line. They still didn’t have the Havana Vanille on offer but had one bottle left of Vanilia. So I tried the Vanilia and while I was discussing my wish to compare it to Havana, another SA came and said that they just got yesterday the sample and if I wanted, they could spray it for me to try. I mean, what they had was a 10 ml decant bottle, not the actual sample bottle. Not only Havana Vanille, but they also had a small bottle of Al Oudh as well. ๐Ÿ™‚ And of course I tried that one as well. What can I say – I’ve learned to appreciate and respect ouds but I still have a problem wearing them. I had no more space on my wrists so I only tried a strip of this one, but that was enough. I not only find it wearable, I find it sexy of all things (I’m not sure if that was the intended idea). It’s obviously an oud fragrance but it is so much more (it takes you to faraway places that speak to your soul and seduce you).
This oud is going to find it’s way to me sooner than later. ๐Ÿ™‚

Actually, this was not the point I was trying to make, I got sidetracked by oud.
After spraying Havana Vanille on a strip and smelling it, it was obvious straight away that this was not the vanilla I was going to take home. I got hit by sweet vanilla, rum and dried fruit and had to remove it from my nose straight away. I am planning to give it space on my wrist in the future but I’m not holding my hopes up for it. I do understand now why people are upset that Vanilia is going out of production. But my bottle is safe now. ๐Ÿ™‚

This is turning into a long post. ๐Ÿ™‚ So, to get to the point. If you are interested in tracking down the following lines in Zagreb, Viktor Koncept is where you can find them:
– I already mentioned L’Artisan and CdG

– Parfums de Nicolai (including home fragrances and lovely bottles for holding them)

– Etat Libre d’Orange (no Fat Electrician yet)

– Penhaligon’s

– Byredo (and candles)

– Villoresi

– Carthusia

– Juliette has a gun

– Escentric Molecules

– Boudicca

– Parfum D’Empire

– Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier (can’t wait to try them)

– Parfumerie Generale
– Parfum d’Orsay

– and lastly, they have Cire Trudon candles.
My appetite for discovery is only whetted now. I plan to visit in a month or so (just before Christmas) since that’s around the time they are expecting some new additions (like CdG Daphne, Penhaligon’s Amaranthine and I have high hopes I might find Al Oudh then as well).
Come back next week and see what else can be found in Zagreb.

Pictures by: Viktor Koncept facebook page.

Two short reviews (rainy garden and vanilla)

Uncategorized July 7, 2009 Leave a comment

Yes, I finally got my hands dirty with some new fragrances. Today I testes L’Artisan’s Vanilia and AG Un matin d’orage. I’ve read a lot about Un matin d’orage so I knew I wanted to try it, but Vanilia sort of flew under my radar, being a vanilla scent. I have a strong dislike of vanilla, after smelling a whole lot of vanilla car smells that keep making me sick.

Vanilia notes:vanilla flower, ylang-ylang, vanilla bean, amber, sandal.

Well, it certainly does not fit my vanilla image but that’s good. That’s actually more than good because I think a bottle of this might be coming my way. ๐Ÿ™‚ It starts like sweet, white flowers with a light green-fresh undertone. I read a review at Now smell this and Robin mentioned the slight smokiness. After I read that, I did smell it but I don’t think I’d get it on my own. I like smokiness in my scents but those tend to be unmistakeable. ๐Ÿ™‚ After a while, it settled onto a salty, white vanilic flower with a hint of smokiness and bark. Absolutely wonderful. Such a comfort smell. And I keep wondering where did the saltiness come from?
Un matin d’orage notes: gardenia, magnolia, lemon, perilla leaves, ginger, jasmin sambac, champaca, sandalwood.
Although I’m a city girl, my grandmother had a garden and I spent many wonderful days playing there with my sister and cousins (coming home dirty and going straight into the bathtub). ๐Ÿ™‚ But I do remember the smell after a downpour. This does it complete justice. I get the whole aquatic-ozonic opening (more ozonic than aquatic if you ask me) and it smells of wet flowers, greenery and earth, and that ozonic layer making it seem you’re standing there just afterwards. I find it fascinating when perfumers manage to catch that one moment and give it form. I’m not going to break it down into notes, I love the wholeness of it and the fact that the ozonic hint does not disappear after the initial appearance. Now, after all this, I don’t think I want to smell like it but I’ll be using the little sample I have to smell it again and again.
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