Elysia Vanilla

POV: You are a vampire, and this is how you identify sexy necks for biting. This is exactly what I always imagined bourbon vanilla should smell like: boozy (!), deep and woodsy vanilla wrapped in a swirl of dark brown sugar musk. Imagine (drier/deeper) vanilla mixed with wet rich woods , then spilling bourbon across the counter. You attempt to wipe the spill with Tonka, which lays down a cashmere blanket of woodsy cosiness. Straight out of the bottle it is gorgeous, for me it was instant love. It is linear, with no dramatic mid or dry-down shift, just the whole beast from first spray (and then for the whole day). There is perhaps a little booze evaporation over time in favour of tonka woods. Before you even open it you can see it has matured to a dark, rich colour. Being vanilla, it will get even better with age. Notes: *Superficial note - this bottle looks dainty glass in pictures, but it gives super niche and cool in person. The flowery detail on the cap is almost rubbery, and my (dirty) vampire mind chooses to associate Atsuko Kudo Couture Latex. *I am often wary of anything with a sugar note, as many can be juvenile, cloying, or screechy. Sugar avoiders can relax, this is not that. *It is for sure self-sufficient, but also a dream layering piece. It adds woody, boozy depth to loud florals and works beautifully with spicy or leathery scents. This is my trick for sneaking “fall/winter” fragrances into off-season or daytime wear under the guise of making them more accessible, when really I just brought them into the more dimensional Industrial Gourmand.* (Shhh. We will not tell my brain it is deluded.) *The rest of the Elysia line overlaps with Kayali’s offerings, so this is clearly a nod to Vanilla 28. I prefer this, as it is richer with more bourbon vanilla depth, but the caveat is I have only smelled a fresh bottle of Vanilla 28 so I cannot speak for how it changes with a few months of maturing. *I paid under £20. Even with the above caveat, this is the repurchase. *It's unisex, and I would find it very appealing (wink) to smell it on anyone’s neck. This is not gourmand, it is for the vanilla-initiated (but gourmand lovers will still appreciate it). *I am surprised more guys or mascs are not shouting about woodsy vanilla power. That thing where you are inexplicably attracted to *insert the opposite of your type* is the power this could wield. Maybe those demographics are gatekeeping. I am not. My inner vampire is a hormonal pervert and wants this on more (especially unexpected) necks

I don't think this is a blind buy safe vanilla. People describe it as masculine, earthy, too boozy, dark, spicy, mature, etc. If you are going to blind buy, know that this is a very bare, vanilla option. Closer to the essence than a baked vanilla. It's almost cold, and the clumpy brown sugar, patchouli, and amber all elevate the vanilla, but it is still a less gourmand one. It's a slightly boozy brown sugar, deeper vanilla. Just imagine all the ingredients before you actually bake them. Test it on your skin too; the skin warms it up significantly. I've had this perfume for more than two weeks now, and I will say it's very good. First day, the initial spray was harsh, but I imagine that's because the batch is new (08/2025). But from day two to now, it mellows and settles well and becomes smoother. I need to see how it sits for months or more weeks, but otherwise it's good. It lasts and projects well for what the DNA is (mind you, this type of vanilla pod/vanilla essence isn't beastmode-material, but rest assured, people can smell you). Wore a t-shirt once and put it on a chair, and every time I pass by, I smell it. I personally go nose blind when I'm wearing it - but it clings to clothes well. It's an all-year-round fragrance for me.

Reviewing straight out the box. What I love about the scent of this one is that I get a little bit of everything. Well-blended and has a depth to it. I have many vanillas - spiced, boozy, gourmand - but this DNA is special. It has a Chinese herbal medicine backdrop, with a creamy, faint vanilla cloud lingering on the top. I personally love herbal scents, especially ones that smells rich, earthy, and petrichor-y. I imagine this perfume as a sophisticated version of my favorite soap Dirty Hippie from Pacha (with notes of nutmeg, clove, and patchouli). This is not a vanilla-dominated scent, and I also don't get much boozy notes. If you also hate perfumes with a booze note in it like me, don't be scared to try this perfume because I can barely smell it in here. If you remove the tacky plastic flower at the cap, it's genuinely a very beautiful glass bottle - sturdy, heavy, and compact shape.

so much better than the original. i would say it is around 90% spot on similar, but this one is slightly on the woodier side? it is very vanilla-forward but not in a cloyingly sweet way at all. it also lasts super long and has a great projection. it is probably more suited for cooler climates though, as it tends to become kind of headache-inducing in middle eastern summers. the price point of this is absolutely fantastic - i paid 85QAR for this which is around 17GBP, for comparison. safe blind buy for sure if you like vanilla scents. i would even care to venture that this could even be appreciated gourmand-haters! can transition from day to night phenomenally as well - for nighttime/date night wear, i would layer it with an oud-based perfume to increase its sexiness (i like to use reef 31). another good layering combo is marshmallow blush by paris corner, if you like a true gourmand.

This perfume is great! An amazing alternative to V28. I’d say it’s about 85% similar, the main difference is it’s a little smokier than V28 and has almost a fruitier note? (not sure how to describe it) It smells amazing and it lasts long. Honestly, unless you own V28, you and others probably won’t smell a difference. I love the smokier scent though, it smells amazing especially with fall coming up. As I’ve stated with V28, it’s not a sweet vanilla scent, there’s other things mixed into it. It’s like a Smokey, amber, vanilla. It’s definitely more on the mature side, but not in a grandma way at all. In fact, I’d say this scent tones down the “grandma” a bit more than V28 because of that “Smokey” “incense” like addition. I love it. It’s intoxicating and strays away from sickeningly sweet body mists and such. Perfect for a date night or every day. Definitely layering this with V28.