Vanille de Zanzibar

A beautiful fruity, woody, vanilla! I get a lovely blast of citrusy mandarin and vanilla in opening but this is not a simplistic vanilla. There is a hidden depth to it that is revealed slowly, layer by layer. Of course, the sumptuous vanilla reigns supreme all through but once it settles on your skin, I get other notes - a clean light jasmine that stays in the background, a woody amber, a touch of powderiness sort of like powdered almonds and a creamy sandalwood. There is patchouli listed in the notes - I don't get it but sometimes I get a mysterious smokiness, that peeks through from behind these other notes which just as quickly, shies away. What's really special about this scent is that it doesn't feel overly sweet or heavy despite some heavy hitting notes and that is, I think, because of very airy, clean note of musk that lightens what would otherwise have been a dense gourmand, like Lira (the two share a lot of notes). While I prefer (and adore) the blood orange note in Lira, it is very fleeting on me, unfortunately and it just ends up smelling like vanilla caramel cupcakes with just the smallest hint of an orange note. Yummy but unexciting. Vanille de Zanzibar however, I find more interesting because while it certainly has the makings of a gourmand, the blend of notes is fantastic, giving me something lighter, fresher and more wearable. Another Vanilla I would compare it to would be Chopard's Vanille de Madagascar but this starts off very woody with a tart lemon note and is more masculine in my opinion, whereas, Zanzibar is unisex, leaning feminine. The only issue with this fragrance is performance. Longevity is 4, at the most 5 hours but after the 1 hour mark, it sits really close to my skin. Sillage and projection are on the lower end of the spectrum. Certainly worth picking up a bottle, if you like vanillas and can find it.

It's a very unisex classy and sweet scent. Yes it's a touch gourmand but it has a sophistication that prevents it becoming a mainstream girly scent. I immediately knew it reminded me of another vanilla scent. Finally I realised it was the french couvent des minimes. It's lovely but I don't need to it add to my collection. It's a well blended scent so picking notes was not easy. First and foremost it's a vanilla/sandalwood with a touch of pear. I can't pick out the Peru balsam etc. The sandalwood is good quality stuff. Not too scratchy. It is largely sweet on the opening. The sweetness eases a bit for the rest of the time line. The rest of the time line it is soft vanilla with with a touch of spiciness. Light weight yet comforting. I think you could wear this anywhere. The sophistication means it wouldn't be totally out of place in the work place. I don't think many guys with a sweet tooth should feel self conscious wearing this. I really like it but on my skin it is too close to my couvent des minimes. I get very good longevity but the silage retracts to arm length quite quickly. Boucheron always create elegant classy scents and this is no exception.

I am addicted to. It is a smoky-vanilla, almost caramelized but no sugary smell. I cannot detect the mandarine, but the pear is not the main star here: it gives just a little powdery note to the gorgeous vanilla. This pear is light and all the other notes seems to evoke the vanilla at its best. I could compare it to the vanilla used in shalimar - do not get me wrong the fragrances are very different but their creamy vanilla is very similar. I really had the impression of not very good silage and projection but my parents said they could feel it even after some hours and not being close to me... Maybe the light and "fading" sensation is not accurate. It is getting harder to find but I certainly would, if it was possible, buy a gallon of it because I just adore it.

Second day of wearing this frag, and I am absolutely in love. Yesterday I was on the fence when I first sprayed it as I thought it smelled a little 'thin' it felt watered down, like I could smell water. Also I get a bit of a musty vibe with it,like an old church. But as the day wore on I found myself sniffing and sniffing until I went to spray more on. I can smell the patch, but thankfully it's faint. I'm not a lover of strong patchouli. This is a subtle frag but it lasts and lasts. I can smell it around me all day! This isn't a gourmand vanilla bomb, its understated and classy I feel it can be worn for any occasion. Beautiful.

I blind bought the bottle and wow, it’s definitely a gorgeous vanilla, its a bit floral, a bit woody, I can also smell a bit of licorice that’s not listed in the notes. But overall, I’m not sure how it would sit on a men, because I believe this leans a bit more feminine (just my opinion). Also reminds me of Van Cleef and Arpels Orchidee Vanille mixed with Un Bois Vanille by Serge Lutens, but toned down a lot, this quite vanilla, I would say it does sit close to skin, very beautifully done. I agree with the review below, a must try for a vanilla lower.