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.

Not at all what I was expecting like many of the reviewers here. The opening is really bright and oily. Astringent and green like medicinal syrup. I put Deep Dark Vanilla firmly in my "wood lacquer" line up. Right there with Rotano and Encre Noire. There is a soft warmth when it dries that's really pleasant. I would hardly call the underlying rich, slightly bitter, sweetness here "vanilla" but I guess that is technically what it is. It smells old. Cramped sweltering attics, seemingly endless antique stores only ventilated by various roof leaks and standing fans, sweaty summer nights, and deep green overgrowth. After some time with this it's decidedly my new favorite wood lacquer fragrance. Not odd or good enough for a FB purchase however.

If you're buying this for vanilla you will be very disappointed. The note tree is completely wrong and misleading. This is a patchouli fragrance through and through. It does have some dry vanilla but mainly patchouli which is smokey and has cacao facets. The vanilla is there to help lighten it up. It reminds me of Oriza L. LeGrand Horizon but not nearly as complex or good. If you haven't tried Horizon, then think about Dior Patchouli Imperial but Deep Dark Vanilla is not as strong or as good as Dior PI, and that will get you to this fragrance. It's not bad, but there's better patchouli fragrances out there from brands like Oriza L. Legrand, Dior, Jovoy, SL, etc. Scent 6.7/10 Performance 7/10

Deep Dark Vanilla is exactly what the name implies. An earthy, dry, patchouli inflected vanilla. It’s also got some dark incensey smoke and a sense of greenness, but not from fresh sweet greens. More like garden clippings someone left on top of the compost pile for a few days. I think the reason so many people didn’t like this is that they expected something different. A sweeter, gourmand type vanilla. This is dry, peaty, mature vanilla. It’s got a dark and challenging charisma. But it’s also very wearable, and perfect for cooler temperatures.

This is a tough perfume to review. Upon first spray, it is the most beautiful, natural vanilla bean. Not overly syrupy or earthy. As it settles, the more prominent note is hay. The hay itself is lovely, too, lending the perfume a "handsome" quality. My main gripe is that, even while in the store, the perfume settled into a close wear within minutes. It is difficult to justify the price tag, as a result. Overall, this is a dry, natural vanilla and I do think it'll find it's wearers! It's not as offputting to me, as others have found it.

Happened to come into the perfume store the same day they got this in this weekend. I gave it a couple tries about 30 min apart and I really liked it on testing paper. It's a handsome vanilla, very aptly named - it's sultry and has an incense-like character that I think a lot of people would really get along with. It's not a sweet or cloying vanilla, but woody and smooth. I'll have to return and try it on skin. I wasn't totally head over heels but I thought it was great and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people love it.

Contrary to the name this is definitely not primarily a vanilla, though it does have a lovely vanilla undercurrent. Very recognizable as DS & Durga- reminiscent of other smoky or woody ones they have without directly recalling a certain one. A slight impression of BBQ at times, but it's not overwhelming and works well for me in this blend. The patchouli is nice- it reminds me of the patch in Pistachio. If you're a fan of the woody DS & Durgas and aren't looking for vanilla to be the star check this out.

Almost mentholated opening that reminded me of Notorious Oud for a mili second. While I don't enjoy vanilla as a note in general, this was very refreshing to smell. DDV slowly opens up to be a little green, with some hay mixed and a good amount of nice edgy patchouli. Personally I wouldn't buy a full bottle since it's not something I'd wear often, but can't say it's bad. I think this is a complex scent that would be perfect for people who like vanilla and are seeking something different.

I thought it was going to be about vanilla, but it turned out to be about cypress, hay, hospital, iodine and bandages. It smells like the moment you realize in the operating room that you can't save someone. For some reason this scent has a wistfulness and a sense of hopelessness in me as my heart sinks in my chest. When the scent settles down, what's left is mostly iodine and menthol coldness. There really is something dead and hopeless about this scent.

This is a nice try to bend vanilla into something darker. I like the fact that it is not a sweet vanilla gourmand. It balances nicely with herbal and floral notes, creating something light and airy, in my opinion. Not dark enough for my taste though. In that sense Patchouli 24 by Le Labo is far better if you’re looking for more of an edge. Does anyone have a better reference for a dark vanille fragrance for me?

If you are looking for vanilla, this probably isn't the scent for you. There is vanilla in this, but it's an earthy, hay and patchouli scent. It makes me think of being on a hayride surrounded by fallen leaves, some still green, some dead, and someone else on the opposite side of the hayride is wearing a light vanilla scent. I do think this would be amazing layered with any gourmands you find too cloying.

I’m surprised! There’s lots of folks here talking about the dearth of vanilla in this fragrance but imo it’s pretty dominant — it’s just not the type of vanilla you’re used to. Herbal and raw and green but definitely still vanilla, which I smell prominently through the whole wear.

This scent reminds of me Nishane Ani or even Diptique's Benjoin Boheme. It skews woody, almost cedar in intensity, rounded out with musty vanilla and a few background vegetal notes. I don't find it displeasing, but I'll be passing my 8ml to my husband. It's a bit masculine for me.

pure vanilla extract and woods with a slight booziness. comes off medicinal like cough syrup

First impressions based on a dabber sample on skin. Vanilla is a note that rarely shows up in this line so I was curious what they would do when finally making a stand alone vanilla. The twist is that The Deep Dark here is a jungle, not an amber. Starts with a hit of vanilla and incense, a bit of mushroom must(orchid?), but dries into a mostly green and floral concoction blended with vanilla creme. The “jungle vines” accord also comes through adding a bit of green dust and their signature weirdness. I agree with the comparisons to Pistachio, they are defiantly related thanks the the vanilla patchouli combo. More cool than warm. I like this more than other green vanillas I’ve sampled. Will need to give this a full wearing and update afterward, but so far I like it. May get a bottle if the performance is good. Update: the performance is too quiet and the scent isn’t special enough to make up the difference. Performance is all over the place with this brand, some scents lasting all day and others gone in hours with a trend toward the latter in recent output. I still think this is a nice scent, but it has problems.

Root beer and patchouli, more bitter than sweet. I don’t get a ton of green notes but I absolutely get vanilla - it smells like expensive bourbon vanilla essence does in the bottle, with the alcohol astringency to it. The medicinal/root beer/bitter vanilla accord feels very similar to the original edp version of Mugler Aura but without the floral notes (and to my nose less green-forward) and more... savoury, definitely agree with there being something briny in here. This is a skin scent to my nose though prepared to believe I’m nose-blind to some of the green notes in this based on how much other reviewers are getting them. Would be good for layering to add complexity to other vanilla scents I think, don’t love it on its own enough to consider a full size especially since I think something in it irritates my skin a little. Clearly in the minority here but I think this is one for warmer weather - I think the kind of medicinal notes this has perform really well in humid weather, cutting through mugginess.