Vanille Charnelle

Bale of Vetiver Hay Soaked in Vanilla Custard Update 9/25/22 My bottle is more than half gone now so I really know this fragrance. I’d describe it as a bale of vetiver hay soaked in vanilla. VERY similar to Annick Goutal Vanille Exquise, especially at the start. This is only a mildly gourmand vanilla, which is to say it is NOT like vanilla extract AT ALL. This is the type of vanilla-themed fragrance that doesn’t smell much like a basic vanilla extract type but has a strong mid-base of vanilla with other oriental spices, woods & herbs enveloping the vanilla. In this category of vanilla-themed orientals I’d list fragrances like YSL Manifesto L’Elixir, Guerlain Angelique Noire and MFK Gentle Fluidity Gold. This is an abstract perfumey oriental vanilla. In fact, it smells more like an herbal Tonka in an almondy-vanilla-woody way. I think what others are describing as smoky is the note that seems like vetiver on me. It does pull smoky-herbal in the base (almost to the point of a light, light touch of oud - and I hate oud but this is the woody-herbal base). The vetiver in the base really pulls this in a darker, more textured herbal direction making this not strongly gourmand on me. The vanilla and tonka accords are delightfully airy and subtly sweet but the base pulls the whole affair into being an earthy sort of sweet fragrance. I have Vanille Exquise (airier & more almonds with that strong angelica ribbon) as well as Nuit et Confidences (sweeter and more boozy blonde fresh tobacco). I love the way Goutal does these airy vanilla orientals. Vanille Charnelle is another sophisticated airy vanilla oriental for those of us who might not like straight up gourmands. I definitely need to own all three. These are vanilla themed fragrances for fragrance nerds. ;-) Excellent longevity with mostly low projection on me. Definitely sufficient if you spray on clothes. Smells a bit different on fabric vs skin (on fabric it smells more gourmand like marshmallows and custard after a few hours). 10/10 absolutely gorgeous, I love it. PS: the more I wear this, the more smitten I become. this is airy yet luscious. it’s in my top 3 vanillas of all time.

Not very charnelle (carnal) per se, but such a treat for any vanilla junkie. Smooth woody smoky, strong, thick, creamy vanilla. Slight aromatic undertone + the woodiness is a tad oud-y (not pronouncedly so). I don't see anything in common with ALAMBAR which is another winter favourite of mine. Neither does VC remind me of HYPNOTIC POISON, apart from the dense texture and sweetness, and, probably, the contrast between sweet and smoky (which was the thing in the older formulation of HP). Again, nothing carnal or animalic, just a little bit darker than the usual sweet vanilla. Will easily fit both genders. Wonderful sillage and longevity. Non-edible woody gourmand made with great finesse. I don't get any strangeness, dirtiness, yolks or else, from this one. Still, not a "girly" type of vanilla, I recommend to try before you buy. Also it's strong, I wouldn't wear it to work and/or closed office cubicles. A smell to put on for a winter walk through the city, or to relax at home after rough days. It has a therapeutic quality, in my opinion. For those who love vanilla and aren't afraid of woods, oud, smoke and spice, - put in a very balanced, refined way. It smells undoubtedly luxurious, the quality is certainly there.

I get a custardy, sweet but spiced vanilla. But yet, it's not cloying or too sweet. It's a wonderful vanilla for those of us who don't want to smell just like McCormick extract (all the time). At first, it's pretty much spiced (cinnamon to my nose) vanilla and a bit of woodiness (from the tonka?). It moves into a more floral, spiced vanilla after about 45 minutes on me and the floral is subtle, soft and pleasant but present. The cinnamon vibe is still there but the woodiness has gone to the background. To ME, it pretty much stayed that way the rest of the time it lasted (6-8 hours) but can still smell it 10 hours later if I hold my arm to my nose. I don't really care for a scent I love, as I do this one, to change over and over as long as I like the notes I am getting. This is a hard love. I have a lot of vanilla fragrances in my wardrobe but this is in the top two or three.

This is one of the best vanilla scents I ever had. It is a linear fragrance easy to understand, the main thins that you can smell in it are: smoke, tonka, vanilla. Even tho it is so simple , it is a complete stunner, the quality of the vanille absolut they use can be easily identified as superior compared to other synthetic vanillas. It lasts amazingly on the skin for around 24 H and the projection is around 1 meter but persistent throughout the wartime and it leaves a trail behind. Unfortunately it was discontinued with the change to Gutal witch I think is quite sad as this was, in my point, one of their best compositions, now most of the things this house has a pretty dull and with a very weak performance. I would highly advise all you vanilla lovers to snatch a bottle for yourselves as it is harder and harder to find.

Wow. This is the very first time I am trying any perfume from Annik Goutal brand and I must say I absolutely love this perfume. It is the perfect balance of being sweet, aromatic and floral. As a 45 year old female living in a hot climate, I like how I feel when I inhale this scent on me. It’s very comforting and pleasant to my senses. For a blind buy that I pulled the trigger on my gut feeling that it would be good and not smell like food, I am extremely pleased. The sillage is close range but the longevity is good. This is one of those perfumes I call “SCENTS FOR ME” because you don’t care if others can smell it on you from afar. You have to be up close and personal. I have just being spraying four spritzs so I don’t know what happens if I overspray. I will definitely buy this again. 💛💜💛💜