Cashmere & Vanilla Essence

Beautiful, softly sweet, powdery, woody, warm, floral, soft spicy, slightly fruity and fresh, feminine, romantic, sensual, seductive, sexy, chic, classy, elegant, luxurious, sophisticated, whimsical, enchanting, dreamy, delightful, tempting, addictive, alluring, inviting, cozy, comforting This is such a beautiful and rather unique fragrance. It’s a powdery and woody warm vanilla, yet it also has a fruity and soft spicy opening to it which makes it even more interesting. On me this opens with a fresh and fruity apple and some warm spicy pink pepper. As it starts drying down the powdery violet and lush jasmine bring a delicate and floral feminine feel. Once it has dried down is when it really shines for me. The apple fades into the background leaving behind a soft freshness, while the pink pepper, violet, and jasmine all become much more subtle. The sensual vanilla, the golden warmth of amber, and the rich and woody sandalwood are the real stars here, although they are elegantly intertwined throughout the entire fragrance. They become the most prominent at this point, a warm and powdery woody vanilla that just wraps you in chic, elegant, and cozy luxury. I was introduced to this Cashmere & line by a friend who sent me a travel spray of Cashmere & Palo Santo. I immediately fell in love with it (surprisingly it reminds me strongly of one of my top favorite fragrances, Kayali The Wedding Silk Santal). I knew right away that I needed to try the other fragrances in this line, especially Vanilla Essence and Tiare Flower, as I particularly enjoy both of those notes. I still need to try Tiare Flower, but I finally got a travel spray of Vanilla Essence just the other day. I honestly enjoy Palo Santo and Vanilla Essence pretty much the same, but if I had to choose I just slightly prefer Palo Santo. They do have a similar dna to them, and are both warm and woody vanillas, but they are absolutely different enough to easily own both. I also have to say that these perfumes are extremely underrated, and I truly don’t know why! They deserve so much more attention, and I’m sure they’ll be loved by many! This feels feminine to me, and like it’s suitable for women of any age. I think this is one those fragrances that actually works really well throughout the whole year. It’s very well rounded and balanced, so it’s soft enough for the summer, and just softly sweet so as to never be cloying even in the heat. It’s also warm and cozy enough that it’s perfectly fitting for the colder weather too. I think this would make a lovely signature fragrance, and would work well to wear daily as it’s suitable for all occasions. I get great performance with Cashmere & Vanilla Essence. The longevity is very good, it lasts throughout the entire day on me. The projection is nice, it radiates out about 2-3 feet from me. For reference, some of my other favorite vanilla fragrances include Kayali Yum Boujee Marshmallow, Kayali The Wedding Silk Santal, Kayali Vanilla 28, Kayali Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar, Kayali Yum Pistachio Gelato, PDM Oriana, Kilian LDBS, Valentino DBIR Ivory, Valentino DBIR Pink, Gucci Flora Gorgeous Orchid, Bianco Latte, Celeste, Burberry Goddess, The 7 Virtues Vanilla Woods, JPG Classique Pin Up, Gold Sugar, Ellis Brooklyn Marshmallows, Phlur Heavy Cream, SDJ Summer é Amor, SDJ 39, SDJ 62, VS Vanilla Lace, VS Glitter Hustle, BBW Beach Nights, BBW Boardwalk Marshmallow Clouds

Vanilla, powdery, woody, violet, warm, amber, warm spicy, sweet, fresh, balsamic, luminous, feminine, sensual, seductive, sexy, classy, elegant, sophisticated, charming, whimsical, dreamy, delightful, delicate, alluring, tempting, addictive, intriguing, inviting, cozy, comforting On me this opens with a balanced warm spicy yet fresh opening with a blend of spicy pink pepper and fresh, sweet apple. The heart blooms with sweet and powdery violet, and just a whisper of lush jasmine. The dry down shines as it intertwines sensual vanilla, creamy sandalwood, and warm golden amber. The most prominent notes on me are the vanilla, sandalwood, and then the violet, amber, and pink pepper. This is really such a gorgeous fragrance, and very beautifully done! It has this really lovely kind of delicate feel to it, that almost reads as powdered sugar. Think vanilla powdered sugar swirled with violet and sandalwood with a sprinkle of pink pepper and amber. I have several different ones from this scent profile, but this is definitely one of my favorites! It reminds me a lot of Phlur Vanilla Skin (extremely close), Ariana Grande Plush Vanilla (extremely close), SDJ 59 (more violet, and less warm spicy), Sundays in Rio, VS Bare Sueded Vanilla, Bare Vanilla, BBW Bonfire Bash (obviously lacking a violet note), and even somewhat of Cashmere & Palo Santo (another absolutely gorgeous perfume!) , although it’s definitely the most different of the ones I’ve listed. Maybe the best way to describe it would be to say to imagine a combination of Vanilla Skin and 59 I get good performance with Cashmere & Vanilla Essence. The longevity is on the strong side as it lasts about 7-9 hours on my skin. The projection is moderate as it radiates out about an arm’s length from me. Just a side note, I do get better performance from Cashmere & Palo Santo than I do with Vanilla Essence, it actually has pretty great performance. For reference, some of my other favorites include Kayali Yum Boujee Marshmallow, Vanilla 28, Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar, The Wedding Silk Santal, Yum Pistachio Gelato, Kilian LDBS, Princess, Sunkissed Goddess, GdT Celeste, Bianco Latte, PdM Oriana, Tom Ford Soleil Blanc, Nest Sunkissed Hibiscus, Gucci Flora Gorgeous Orchid, Burberry Goddess, The 7 Virtues Vanilla Woods, YSL Black Opium Le Parfum, Guerlain Mon Guerlain, Rosie Jane Dulce, Skylar Boardwalk Delight, Ellis Brooklyn Marshmallows, Queen’s Caramel, Vanilla Salt, Phlur Heavy Cream, Vanilla Nectar, Beach Skin, SDJ Summer è Amor, 62, 39, VS Vanilla Lace, BBW Beach Nights, Boardwalk Marshmallow Clouds, Whipped Honey & Vanilla, Fireside Flurries

I received this as a sample & became absolutely obsessed. I now own a full bottle. It lasts FOREVER on me. I put it on around 7:45am before work & at 6pm I can still smell the vanilla note. Now it doesn’t travel far- it’s an intimate scent- but it I find myself sniffing my wrist all day long for a little dopamine pick-me-up. I’m sensitive to fragrance headaches, especially with cheap/overly flowery/strong citrus scents. But this doesn’t do that at all. It smells expensive. High quality. When first sprayed, funny, but the thing that comes to mind is “vanilla Sprite” in the best way. Because they are so powdery, I don’t care for the original Cashmere Mist nor any of the other newer DK cashmere scents (Wild Fig, Tunisian Neroli, Tiare Flower), besides Palo Santo. Palo is lovely at first, but I find it almost sickening sweet as it fades. Vanilla Essence has the powder element but when mixed with the vanilla, it becomes a soft, smoky powdered sugar. For those comparing to Phlur Vanilla Skin: it is quite similar, though I’d say the Phlur is more wood-y and the DK leans more vanilla/powdered sugar. The Phlur is great but the DK smells more lush—idk how to explain it— it’s something about the difference between a wonderful, solid perfume and a luxury fragrance. The journey with DK has more layers. It’s worth the higher price point in my opinion.

Ok, I’m apparently collecting this scent profile like Pokémon cards. I have 9 of the scents in the reminds me of section. So here’s how I’d rank the most relevant ones from most straightforward to most complex. SDJ 59: creamy, sugary vanilla milk AG Plush Vanilla: Sugary Sweet Warm Vanilla and whispering woods VS Bare Vanilla Body Mist: sugary sweet vanilla, tame cashmere woods, whispering purple florals Phlur Vanilla Skin: slightly peppery, mildly smoky, sugary sweet warm vanilla VS Bare Sueded Vanilla: Rich warm vanilla, melted sugar, deep creamy sandalwood DK C&VE: mildly fruity, soft florals, sweet ambery golden vanilla, smooth elegant woods Most people should pick their favorite, but I need all but the SDJ in my collection. In comparison to Cashmere & Palo Santo, this is less fruity and much less woody. But they do bear resemblance in the opening in a flanker sort of way. When I tested this it came across as soft, powdery and fleeting. The tester juice was mostly clear. However, the bottle I purchased has dark amber juice and I get the perfect blend of ALL the notes. This is simultaneously delicious and incredibly elegant. Something about this composition just feels lush. The vibe of this scent is an off the shoulder black satin gown at the ball. When he pulls you in, he plants a kiss on your neck and nearly loses his knees.

Oh, how I love this fragrance. It’s so lovely. A spicy, sophisticated vanilla, amber-musk scent. I hate to compare it to any other vanillas because it is so much more than that and I haven’t found any vanilla on par with Donna Karan Cashmere and Vanilla Essence. I haven’t tried Tom Ford’s line yet, but want to. Back to Donna... imagine a warm, spicy, creamy Oriental vanilla with some incense vibes and sophistication. I absolutely love wearing this. As soon as I opened the bottle (it was a blind buy), I knew I had done good. I couldn’t stop sniffing and couldn’t wait to wear her. This is one I don’t want to waste. I save this for when I’m going out. I’ll splash my Chanel no5, my signature fragrance, at bedtime, but not my Donna. And I know Chanel is more pricey, but Donna is extra special. This is the most underrated perfume I have ever had the pleasure of smelling. For anyone who enjoys a good vanilla fragrance, THIS IS IT! The cream of the crop.