Deep Dark Vanilla

This is definitely an unconventional vanilla. It is definitely NOT your girly girl cotton candy type, so if you are big on sugary gourmands, be sure to sample first, but what it is .. at least on me.. is a sparkling peppery almost treacle vanilla opening, which dries down to a stunning woody, dark toffee kind of base. To me, it is straight unisex. I wear it and absolutely LOVE it!!

Should be called Deep Damp Vanilla. This is a mulchy, moist, moody, forest floor vanilla. It’s not for everyday & definitely not for everyone but it’s intriguing, melancholic & on the right day, it’s perfect - 8/10

I'm almost afraid to say this but... I really like how this performs on my skin. Received a free sample today and read all the below reviews and was terrified! But honestly love feuermaiden's review lol. Totally can see how it could swing that way for people- there's a smokiness but on me I don't smell any 'meatiness.' I do get some vanilla but it's as though a vanilla bean pod was buried in the forest floor: A little muddled, very dirty. The patchouli is lovely. Reminds me a bit of a whisper of Tom Ford's Ombre Leather's patchouli notes. Need to wear this out around friends and hear what they have to say but again, I really like this. It's almost like Pistachio and Mississippi Medicine layered a bit. Almost. And now I'm curious what Pistachio + Ombre Leather would smell like layered. Definitely worth seeking out a sample as I think it's pretty interesting and clearly polarizing. Update 11/12/23: Wore this out on Friday and Saturday of this weekend and it was a huge hit. My bestie who always is a straight shooter said she really liked it and a person whose opinion on fragrances I really respect also said she liked it. I'm so intrigued by how people feel about this scent.

It's been about 6 weeks since I posted my original review (since deleted) where I mentioned I couldn't really smell the scent...well, I revisited Deep Dark Vanilla tonight and I can smell something. Ahh, the magic of time. Earthy, green, and camphorous pachouli dominates the opening. Like, that's all I smell - it reminds me of Psychedelique from Jovoy. Upon dry down, the pachouli takes a backseat and it gets woody, slightly herbal, and even more green. This is super interesting to me and I like it! Deep Dark Vanilla is, in no way, a gourmand vanilla. It's dark, dry, and moody. I do get a tinge of vanilla after about 45 minutes, and it's very, very (very) faintly sweet, along with the dry, dark moodiness of the other notes. I think any fan of woody, green, dry, and brooding scents would enjoy this. Projection for me was between intimate and moderate, and it lasted just five hours before it was hardly detectable on my skin. I am putting it back in its box and storing it in my dresser for the rest of the summer to see if it will continue to macerate. I do like the scent. I will wear it in the fall, day and night, on days when I don't feel like being cheerful. 7.8/10

Hot take: Deep Dark Vanilla should have been named Salem Gothic instead. The inclusion of Vanilla in the name attracted all the gourmand girlies out who wanted cake, but this is not really sweet or gourmand. Perhaps the mismatched expectations explain the low ratings. Instead, the bitter and medicinal vanilla, heavy patchouli, and dry hay notes evokes a New England landscape. There's a cold dirt element that I associate with sorcery and witchcraft — a witch in the woods, gathering up ingredients for spells. There's also a "rotting" smell, like a dying plant. If Deep Dark Vanilla had been marketed as a witch scent (as Coven or Hexensable have been), this perfume would have rightfully found its place among the goths. While I initially felt agnostic to this scent, this perfume grew on me over repeated samplings. It is a vanilla that leans more masculine to me. While I can't say that this is a love, its uniqueness does make me reach for it repeatedly and I managed to find a bottle on discount.