Vanilla Romance

If you’re a vanilla fan you really need this one! It’s gorgeous, woodsy, sweet, warm, sensual, cozy, creamy, comforting, addictive, feminine, intriguing, elegant, unique, and even sexy and seductive! Yes, this is a woody vanilla, but I don’t find it as woody as Replica By the Fireplace (they’ll definitely pair extremely well together!). Don’t let that frighten you off because this is truly so very lovely and is going to really shine during the fall and winter! Don’t let this be the one that got away! This is such an elevated fragrance than the majority of B&BW fragrances (I love tons of B&BW!), one that’s just more complex and special. More addictive, intriguing, unique, and elegant. This is one of the best body care fragrances that they have released imo! I’ll definitely be getting more lotion because it’s going to pair beautifully with most vanillas, but especially warmer ones like Kayali Vanilla 28, Replica Afternoon Delight, Phlur Vanilla Skin, and Nest Vanilla Bourbon! This smells very similar to their Marshmallow Fireside candles and hand soap smells like. I imagine this would be extremely similar smelling to that fragrance if it were made into body care products. I also feel like I get a slight vibe of VS Vanilla Lace! This is definitely not a dupe for it, but there’s something about it that makes me think of Vanilla Lace even though that wasn’t a woody vanilla. I also find it somewhat similar to B&BW Wicked Vanilla Woods, Kayali Vanilla 28, and Replica By the Fireplace (less smoky, sweeter, much more vanilla forward).

What to even say about Vanilla Romance. I've struggled to find vanilla fragrances I really love; they have this extremely juvenile saccharine nature about them that makes them aggressive to my nose. When I first smelled Vanilla Romance, I understood what I was missing from many of those fragrances. The initial sweetness as it is applied is lovely, its vanilla absolute is very silky and not at all too sweet for my nose, at least. As it dries into its heftier notes, the cardamom does an immense amount of heavy lifting to make this a truly gorgeous scent. The spice as it settles into the skin is fantastic, and when it fully fades into its woodsier notes, you can almost forget it's a woman's fragrance. It's surprisingly simple for a fragrance that bills itself as the pinnacle of vanilla's attachment to love and romance. From that, you might expect something very loud and aggressive, but this scent's pride is understated and elegant. VIBES: Autumn Soiree, Cocktail Party, Selina Kyle, City Chic

One of my favourite fragrances from the 90's was Escada Act 2, now discontinued. What I love about fragrantica is that it allows me to recreate the network of who-was doing-what and when. So, yesterday night, I clicked on Ilias Ermenidis name, the perfumer who created Escada Act 2 back in 1995, to check what he's been up to. Surprise, he's the nose behind Vanilla Romance! It can't be bad! I've been on 6 months exploring vanilla trends, I'm blind buying this. I've never owned anything by Bath&Bworks before, and yesterday I bumped into one of their 40% discounts (or maybe they create those based on IP ad search information??? I dont' care). Let's see if I like it, I'll update my review. Meanwhile, I'm delghted to see that Mr Ermenidis is still at work and I got my hands on a cheapie body spray for the summer. Edit: one week later; Vanilla Romance perfoms wonderfully as a body & hair spray! not too sweet, a little bit spicy, and a wonderful bedtime scent! Have a nice day!

This review is for the body mist version, which honestly has great performance so if you want to save some money definitely grab the mist. I exchanged viva vanilla for this and I am so happy I did. At first spray this is fresh, light, airy vanilla with some soft woods in the background. It’s not a an overly sweet gourmand leaning vanilla, but I appreciate that as I find this more wearable. Gourmands can be sickening to me if I’m not in the mood for them, this is perfumey and expensive smelling. It’s clean and warm, very cozy. It’s creamier the longer it settles on your skin. I love it so much it’s become my favorite scent from bath and body works. Now viva vanilla on the other hand, it was so boozy, spicy and overly woodsy, very much lacking the vanilla I wanted out of it. It smelled so sharp to me, while vanilla romance is smooth. A lot of reviews are comparing the two but in my opinion, if viva vanilla didn’t work for you, definitely give this a try.

Review is for the lotion and spray, not the perfume. Blind bought this without realizing this has amberwood (or some other similar amber aromachemical) which is my mortal enemy. Indeed, after the cardamom in the opening fades, I do get that distinct amberwood-y smell. It smells just like Lattafa Khamrah, because all that is to me is a potent amberwood bomb. However unlike in that fragrance, it's actually not too strong or overwhelming here, and it eventually fades away. I wouldn't say I like this aspect, but I surprisingly don't hate it. This definitely belongs in the same family as By the Fireplace. It's BTF's sexier, more feminine and perfumey cousin. It doesn't have photorealistic smoke or burning wood but it's just got an overall vibe of smokiness. The cardamom here is lovely. Somehow despite the amberwood, I really love this and can't stop smelling myself! I can't wait to layer the lotion & spray with BTF, it'll be a match made in heaven.