Vanilla Edesia

This is like, so, so complex. Probably the most complex vanilla I’ve ever had; Cecile is my fav perfumer so take my opinion with a pinch of salt. But no, really, she’s brilliant. It shares the same style with Enigma Parfum Cologne, and by that I mean it’s a woody, boozy vanilla that’s floral to the point it might remind some (not me) of things like a floral shower gel, a pot pourri, or a dish soap (the coriander seeds don’t help). It’s also a lot like Fahrenheit le Parfum with that coumin-y vanilla minus the violet leaves, but plus naturals and complexity. I love it though. The florality, mixed with dry pepper, bitter incense, creamy javanol (I bet there’s javanol here), powdery heliotropin, zesty mandarin... there’s every f’in thing here. Everything! Yet it seems seamless, like, it’s complete. Complex, complete AND with a texture, an actual texture which is so hard, and so rare (powdery is not enough to have a texture). That’s why I also vote for Memoirs (...) the second textural vanilla I cen remember of. Even the cumin - it’s not sweaty. But it’s oh, so much here. It’s just... perfect. This is unisex, and you can wear it everywhere and anytime except 20*C+. It’s probably going to be enjoyed by people that are 25+ mostly as this is complex, and spicy, maybe even retro in a way that some younger audience might think this is giving a grandma vibe. Me? I love it though, I only have two slight problems with it. I bet you this wasn’t Cecile’s idea but this wears western, but smells eastern. It’s long lasting, but after the opening it sits closer and closer to the skin. It becomes moderate, not say subtle. „Sensual.” Shit, I hate the westerners describing their perfume like it’s a slow, delicate blowjob. For the price and style this one is I want it to be at least an elbow, heck, arms length projection for at least 5 hours and I don’t get that. What is more, maybe it’s me, but Electimuss doesn’t have a BRAND to me. You know, they exist, but do they, really? Does electimuss mean anything to you? Textural, complete, natural, complex, seamless, finished. Perfection.

On opening alone, this may be one of the most interesting complex beautiful vanillas I've ever tried. This is not a gourmand vanilla; there is warmth and sweetness by virtue of the qualities of vanilla, yes, and the vanilla is very perceptible and characteristic, but in here, it's distinctly balsamic, resinous and smoky. What makes it so special is who surrounds it, and to me, the most prominent three peers are cumin, incense and patchouli. On blotter, I find the incense is most prominent; it's a smokey witchy vanilla that feels like you've wandered into the creakiest, coziest occult shop (where incense and candles burn simultaneously), but on skin it opens with the most beautiful cumin I've ever smelled in a fragrance. My issue with cumin as a fragrance material is that it often feels gratuitous; like a perfumer added it to add *a hook* or overdosed it specifically for the challenge. The cumin in here is perfectly balanced with coriander and they both feel NECESSARY. Cumin adds a distinct non-sweet kitchen spice and coriander and cooling anisic spice. A subtle but infinite patchouli creeps in almost like a secret path to some sort of vanilla abyss of which you'll never reach the bottom. And yet, despite all of these intricacies, there's something very *classic vanilla* about this. You do eventually reach the bottom, the drydown, where you are left with a classic creamy (almost lotiony), non-sweet, familiar vanilla, that's easy and comforting. The dry down is far less interesting than the journey there, but is very pleasant no less. LOVELY vanilla.

On my skin it smells like a heavily spiced caramel. I smell the cumin and coriander if I put my nose very close to my skin, but from a few inches away it all blends well together to give that sweet spiced caramel smell. My daughter says it smells like cinnamon and Indian burfi. For me it's very gourmand and sickly sweet, which I wasn't expecting. I'm going to leave this till winter and see if I like it any better in the cold. The perfume is extremely strong and one spray was enough for me. Update: below are the fragrance notes from the Electimuss website. Not all of them are on fragrantica: TOP Bergamot, Mandarin oil, Bitter Almond, Heliotrope, Pink pepper, Frankincense oil HEART Cinnamon Ceylan oil, Cumin oil, Coriander oil, Rose Centifolia absolute, Gurjum balsam oil, Ylang Ylang Extra oil, Creamy/milky notes BASE Vanilla absolute, Gourmand, Patchouli, Cypriol oil, Vetiver Haiti oil, Sandalwood oil, Cedarwood Virginia oil, Amber woody, Leathery, White musks Update 2: the temperature has dropped where I am, so I thought I would try the fragrance again, and I must say it smells amazing. I only sprayed once and I can really smell it.

Hmm. Interesting. I am still getting to know this one. When I first smelled it I immediately had V CANTO come to mind - I want to say Magnificat but it may be another 1 from the house... anyways this does not read as a vanilla. Not even a "dirty vanilla". The fragrance reads as an ambery (even savory) resinous woody fragrance, with mild sweetness buried under everything else* - that also happens to have vanilla as an ingredient in the note breakdown. The vanilla is like 1 of 20 notes listed and it really does smell like it is 1/20th of the fragrance - so if you are thinking this is a dirty vanilla fragrance - I would say that may be misleading. I think of INITIO Absolute Aphrodisiac as a "dirty" vanilla, but not this... with that said though I am still enjoying this! And still intrigued enough to keep trying to turn my "like" into a "love". I have gotten flashes of love but not full-on yet! I just had different expectations and I am trying to manage that now. Leans masculine, but Unisex for those who enjoy unisex.

I like this one, it's good ! It's a vanilla scent with a spicy, almost animalic twist. The cumin and coriander are actually pretty noticeable. This could be a zoologist scent, it shares a lot of similarities with some zoologist fragrances. I don't think this is a safe blind buy at all, it's very niche. This comes out masculine leaning on my skin, though a woman could definitely wear this. After a few hours, it becomes drier, woodier. The vetiver and cedar are noticeable and make it come out even more masculine. This is not very strong. It's very oily and a bit flat. This isn't made to be very noticeable by everyone, but it'll give you a nice scent bubble that will last a very long time. Good job Cécile !