Divine Vanille

I got a few different sample perfumes from Essential Parfums, this was the one that i was most excited to smell! Only other thing i can compare it to is TF Tobacco Vanille, Which i found a bit aggressive and offensive up-front when i first smelled it. Divine Vanille is definitely in the same family of smells but is much more palatable for me, a smoother experience overall but not as much staying power or sillage as TF. I sprayed it on a strip first and smelled it throughout the evening. It was quite sweet, a little warm, beautifully blended, even a little bit feminine. As it dried down and developed over the evening it got very sweet and musky, a bit powdery. Honestly it smelled really feminine, which i was surprised by since so many people rate it as a more masculine unisex. But then i sprayed it on the skin and WOW, whole new notes came through, and different on each wrist? On my left wrist that slightly smokey pipe tobacco note came in, i’ve seen several others mention it while others say it’s absent for them, and that musky powdery note was almost completely gone, while my right arm had a little more straightforward warm spiced vanilla to it. It was like i had my nose on two completely different fragrances. I’d heard about fragrances smelling different on skin vs a strip but i’ve never smelt quite such a difference with my own nose, and definitely not between wrists! Needless to say i think i’ve found my perfect vanilla, really beautifully blended with just enough other notes to keep it interesting, a smidge of booziness, warm and delicious but not too gourmandy, and honestly i think it’s kind of exciting to get different notes through at random times! Performance suits me perfectly. I really only want people to smell me when they’re at a more intimate distance, standing very close to me, leaning their head on my shoulder, hugging me. I got compliments on it when hugging to greet friends so it’s exactly what i’m looking for. Definitely not “Beast Mode,” more for people who like it understated or for more casual daily wear. Or for shyer people (like me,) “prey mode,” if you will. It was basically skin scent on me after a 9 hour hangout, just barely noticeable for goodbye hugs. Definitely not the longest lasting fragrance and will be completely gone the next day, but the great price point (100ml for £72 is insane for how beautiful this is) makes respraying a non issue to me. If i wanted a little boost mid-date i definitely wouldn’t feel too precious about it. Big Love for this fragrance and this perfume house, definitely getting a full bottle, a travel bottle, and then a 150ml refill in the future!

This one was a rollercoaster for me. I bought Maison Alhambra Hercules which is a clone of Herod and absolutely loved the DNA but that one didn't project at all. I didn't want to buy Herod because it's too expensive and I got Divine Vanille because many YouTubers claimed that it is herod with the tobacco swapped for incense to give the same vibe. When I first tried Divine Vanille, I could barely smell it, I only smelled a chemical opening and then it was very faint, the atomizer is really good and sprays a lot but even with 5 sprays that made my arm so oily, I still couldn't smell it that much. I was disappointed because I already had 2 herod "clones" and felt that I should have spent that money on the OG. I tried it in the summer (28-32c) and I was hoping that if I let it sit for a while, it would change by fall. Fast forward a couple of months later, now that it is fall, I absolutely love this fragrance. I can smell it now, the chemical opening is still there but it doesn't linger for more than 2 minutes so it's not something that bothers me anymore. The scent is so beautiful and cozy, it doesn't feel heavy or powerful up close but somehow projects really well, I keep getting whiffs that smell stunning. From what I read online, the latest reformulations of Herod are also not strong and sit close to the skin. I'm a huge tobacco fan and I seriously don't understand how some people smell tobacco here, I don't get any tobacco but I don't even care because the incense vanilla here is so amazing and does whatever tobacco is supposed to do. For the price, I will absolutely keep buying divine vanille till it is discontinued which I hope never happens. Because it is priced at less than half of Herod's price while having an option for a 150ml refill, I feel better spraying many sprays or just keeping it in my bag to reapply whenever I want. This scent is so lovely, sexy, and intoxicating while not being offensive at all. I will be using it a lot this fall and winter over many amazing tobacco fragrances I own like CH mystery tobacco and TF TV.

Divine Vanille is nearly identical to Tom Ford Vanille Fatale, except Vanille Fatale relies on tobacco for its spicy note, where Divine Vanille uses incense. I am not a big fan of vanilla on me -- partly because I'm not that into gourmand fragrances, partly because vanilla smells feminine on me. But DIvine Vanille is one of the few exceptions. This fragrance is for sure vanilla forward, but it's like an effervescent, bubbly vanilla instead of a creamy, vanilla extract type scent. In the mid, the scent profile isn't so much "vanilla with minor notes for variety," it's a very, very well-executed blend of cinnamon, incense and vanilla, in equal parts. It works so, so well. In the dry down, it vacillates between incense and vanilla. What an evolution of a fragrance's lifespan. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd want to add another vanilla fragrance to my collection (I do own the aforementioned Vanille Fatale), but this one just broke down the barriers. I love it. Pro Tip: If you're in the market for any Essential Parfums fragrance, it's cheaper to buy your first bottle directly from Essential Parfums. Buy the discovery set from Essential Parfums and the price of the set becomes a credit towards the purchase of a full bottle (so you essentially get the discovery set for free).

So I bought a discovery set from the brand, primarily to try Divine Vanille, but also everything else. Besides Divine Vanille which resembles the golden shine of divinity (I'm a sucker for spicy pipe tobacco vanilla scents), Patchouli Mania and Bois Imperial came behind, but way way behind so they are not really worth thinking about. The others are simply not for me. You can get a discount on the full bottle if you order it in the 30 days since you ordered your discovery set (in the amount you paid for it), but get this...... Even though not stated anywhere, except at the checkout, the discount doesn't apply to Divine Vanille. Never had vanilla that tasted of such bitterness, and, since this is now a matter of principles, I will not be buying anything from this brand, ever. (edit: ordered it since they rectified the problem) Speaking of the scent, it is reminiscent of Herod, but lighter on the tobacco. Still, it is a divine pipe-tobacco vanilla scent. Performance seems lackluster, but that might be due to the samples squirting like they're afraid the liquid will hurt you. Edit: They rectified the problem in a day since I contacted them, so perhaps it was just a technical glitch and my mind jumped the gun.

I wanted to try this perfume because I am a vanilla lover and I wanted a more grown up vanilla, something sophisticated and feminine rather than girly (if you know what I mean). Initially I didn't like this perfume because of the opening so I left it aside for a month. But I recently decided to try it again, and what a great decision! I am still unsure about the opening, but honestly it doesn't last more than a few minutes and the drydown is GLORIOUS. It is the most gorgeous warm, alluring, spicy vanilla that screams sensuality and coziness. The way it reacts with my skin creates a very particular scent that I would describe as the scent of a vanilla liqueur (I don't know if such a thing exists but if it does I'm pretty sure it smells like this!). The longevity is decent on the skin, but it does not project much (which is a shame). I'll try to overspray it to see if I can make it project more. However, on my clothes I can still smell it the day after. It is supposed to be unisex and I agree with that even though I would see it more on a woman.