Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille

Very unusual for an Aqua Allegoria, this could be a standalone fragrance. I wish Guerlain made more of the collection like this instead of the endless lineup of light fruity florals and citruses, but I guess those also have their time and place. Ylang & Vanille starts out a little retro from today's point of view, it just smells like a 90s floral, a bit heavier than the typical recent summer scents and with a good dose of naturalistic, slightly indolic jasmin. It really reminds me of flowers in full bloom and their pollen in the air. I like it, but I also like that the fragrance doesn't stay like that forever and takes some turns. Unsurprisingly the eponymous vanilla and ylang ylang become the most dominant notes after a while, so this is a creamy, sweet, tropical scent. But there is also a surprise in the drydown: The carnation. I love, love, love this flower in real life, but in perfumes it's a little difficult. It often has a stuffy, dated vibe, or it just smells spicy like cloves and not very floral at all. But here it's done just right: Powdery, soft and slightly spiced, just like the small pink carnations I like to have on my balcony. Together with the jasmine and ylang ylang it forms a perfectly balanced floral bouquet that feels romantic, but also a little exotic. I think if you like the way carnation is done in L'Artisan Oeillet Sauvage, you might also like this. This is very suitable for summer and especially spring, but it doesn't need heat to unfold. It smells beautiful right now in February, too. Too bad this has gotten so rare. I'm glad I got to try it, but I don't even hope I will ever have a bottle.

When I first started to become preoccupied with perfume, I bought a bottle of ylang ylang essential oil, which I kept around for a few months before throwing in the trash (What was I thinking!?). Okay, what I was thinking was that everyone I lived with was grossed out by the potency of the oil, and if I spilled any, the whole house would stink for hours. Though I was aware that ylang is a very common ingredient in fragrances, I found myself asking how a perfume could feature this flower and still be well-balanced and beautiful. Several years later, the answed has arrived in the form of Ylang & Vanille. Thank you so much, Vie Cafe, for enabling me to sample this rarity. Ylang & Vanille is two tough mother flowers (ylang and carnation) forced to make nice together with vanilla/jasmine acting as the professional moderators. This fragrance is nothing short of a miracle, because of how beautifully all the elements get along. There is the sweet, bold ripeness of ylang, and the green almost peppery sharpness of carnation, wrapped gracefully into one bundle with a smooth, soft and slightly salty vanilla/jasmine (these two notes work as one entity for me here. I am not sure where the jasmine ends and vanilla begins). Longevity and projection are quite good. For me, Ylang & Vanilla is the olfactory equivalent of the Platonic form of YELLOW. The color of insanity, but also of imperial status, and of friendship.

If I had to live with three (lol, I couldn't do just one!) this would be one of them. I adore it. For me, it is exactly each of its notes, mixed to perfection. Ylang is so beautiful when done well. Of course, when it's not, it can be a disaster- too heavy and beyond cloying. It is not the case in Ylang and Vanille. It's heady but rich and interesting enough to make it one of the best blends I know. What makes it ultra special to me is how well it can be worn alone or blended with other scents, namely, other Guerlain AAs. I have two additional AAs that I layer with this: Nerolia Bianca and Lys Soleia. Divine. It's the only word I can use to express how I feel about these gorgeous scents worn together. Togigi, I sent a private message regarding your extra bottle and I'm holding my breath (well, not really, I'm sticking my nose on my wrist where I'm currently wearing Y&V with LS!) until I hear back from you with all my hopes set on you still having that extra bottle! Does anyone have any suggestions for something similar so I can go on living without this discontinued gem? ps, my other two, if I could only have three (I couldn't just leave you hanging, haha!) would be Lolita Lempicka Lolita Lempicka and either Nerolia Bianca or Lys Soleia. I'll decide before I leave my next feedback ;-)

I have a mini bottle of this, part of a set that also included Pamplelune. I just love it. There are quite a few AAs I would love to own - Jasminora and Lys Soleia most of all - and a full bottle of Ylang & Vanille ranks right up there. I can't quite put my finger on why I love this the way I do. The entire line is composed of simple, light EDTs, containing high quality, natural ingredients and I suppose I just enjoy the combination of the Guerlain vanila with such creamy ylang! The fact that they manage to take such heady notes and transform them into something light and sheer is noteworthy in my opinion. So I will continue to hunt this one down at a decent price, perhaps a partially used bottle. Not much of a review I suppose. More of a commentary on a line of fragrances that are often dismissed as inferior in the pantheon of so many great, classic Guerlain fragrances, but sometimes less is more. UPDATE - Just purchased an 85% full bottle for a very decent price. Very happy.

The greatest combo of wild ylang-ylang and clean vanilla. Ylang is really bold, sultry, almost dirty. In contrast, vanilla is very clean, sugarless, smells like wood powder. At first, I thought this is simple fragrance for casual use. But I was wrong. It's more than the simple name! It has depth and elegance in it. Imagine an exotic brunette lady in pearly white satin dress. That's it. I remember when the line of Aqua Allegoria was released, they had bath products. I purchased bath cream of Ylang & Vanille in a plastic bee bottle. It was glorious. By hot steam, the scent was gorgeously stood out. My bathroom became heaven! I miss it for long years. Well, I have gotten Ylang & Vanille in 1999. 18 years ago!? Oh my god...so fast. I have experienced many harsh things in my life, and my world was changed. But this little gem of Jean Paul Guerlain's creations kept its beauty. Amazing.

I have used this for years. It has become my winter day floral...or summer evening. I love ylang ylang and not so crazy about vanilla any more, but this is balanced so well that I enjoy the vanilla. I get many compliments when I wear it. It's not easy to fnd in Canada as we seem to get only what is popular at the time. I can usually find it in a small perfume boutique which is risky and we can find aged stock. But because of the ingredients this one never goes bad, so it's always a lucky find. If you want a "Warm" floral and not too loud then go for this.

I was afraid that the carnation would put me off this, since I haven't previously liked anything that included carnation. Happily, I don't notice it on my skin. I can smell it in the liquid itself (and it gives me a headache there), but on me it starts out smelling like ylang ylang and honey. I get a little jasmine and eventually a big dose of vanilla. I'm in love with this scent and I was crushed when I accidentally knocked over my sample because it means I have to wait for awhile before I can wear this again.

So far it`s my favorite Aqua Allegoria. With all it`s simplicity, it managed to capture the mood of a content and happy woman, a little dreamy, perhaps.Though it is light enough to wear in the afternoon, I always think of it as an evening perfume.Not a gala evening, but stay-with-friends evening...It is also very comforting to fall asleep wearing it, almost like an aromatherapy.

i have been looking for a perfect ylang ylang perfume and this may be it. opens with a gorgeous ylang ylang and vanilla. it smells like actual flowers to me. i've never actually smelled a real ylang ylang but have smelled something similar to this. i get a slight spiciness and dusting of pollen with a bit of greenness. just gorgeous for spring/summer.

A few years ago my mom bought this perfume and I had no idea the name of it then, but I was in LOVE!!! I just took over the bottle and she had to let me have it. If you are looking for a dreamy, vanilla, powdery CLASSY scent, this is it! I love love love this perfume. It is my favorite all time hands down.

I love the fleshy Ylang Ylang opening, it surely keeps it's promise give by it's name. The drydown is not as exciting as it dries down very similar to Caron Bellodgia: loads of carnation and vanilla. Nice, but I dont need a full bottle. A large decant would be nice to have.

I still have half a bottle left, I love this scent and sadly it is not made any more. Why?? So many women loved it. I get many compliments when I wear it. I keep hanging on to this last half bottle ..I better wear it before it evaporates or changes for the worse.

This was my wedding scent. I lucked into at a Marshall's store where the box was beat up but the bottle was fine. $12 I think. I like how it stays sweet and light in the heat, great for hot, humid summers. It stays fresh and does not get acrid.

I just got this today with 4 other perfumes. It was a blind buy, and I am so glad I got it. It has a very soft floral scent, I love the vanilla and ylang-ylang. I will have to get another bottle as I heard that it is being discontinued.

Well, I didn’t like this at first. It had this schreecy and old smell on my skin. But after a while it settled down to a creamy, honey/nectar- scent. I quite like it now! I get gorgeous whiffs all day when I wear it.

I’m shocked by how much I like this relatively simple perfume. It’s soft and cozy and clean. Just beautiful. Almost a white linen kind of smell though I’m sure the notes are different.

This is exactly what dianthus plumarius smell like. Just a beautiful perfume. It deserves a place among the Guerlain classics and should never be discontinued.

Carnation + carnation + light vanilla. I like it... but I prefer it in my grandma! ^^

The fact that I would purchase an edt by the name of YLANG & VANILLA speaks volumes of my obsession with Guerlain, for ylang ylang immediately evokes memories of Pier 1 Imports and overly incensed small claustrophobic apartments whose denizens are hippy types! I purchased YLANG & VANILLA at TJMaxx, along with several other Aqua Allegorias, each at the ridiculously low price of $9.99 (perhaps they were mismarked by some inattentive clerk?). Having had no prior experience with the AA line, I assumed that these must be some sort of body spray--given the hefty 4.2oz volume--but felt nonetheless compelled to scoop up a basket of bottles graced as they were with the label GUERLAIN. (What a coup!) Despite their generous volume, the beautiful Aqua Allegorias are all filled with high-quality eau de toilette, with staying power that vastly exceeds many of the current celebrity edps. To my nose, ylang-ylang is really a domineering essence, which can therefore be tastefully combined only very sparingly with other assertive notes, as in MITSOUKO and ARPEGE, where its presence, while detectable, is tempered by all of the other mighty contenders. In AQUA ALLEGORIA YLANG & VANILLA, the vanilla does manage to attenuate the ylang, but not much. This is really a bold blast of ylang-ylang with a dash of Vanilla and a dot of other florals. But I am enjoying this fragrance today, holed up at home to escape the sub-freezing temperature outside. I probably would not wear even Guerlain's Ylang Vanilla edt in the company of others... Unless I happened to be going to a party at an overly incensed small claustrophobic apartment!

I held onto my 125 ml bottle for years. I loved it for being vintage, I loved it for being Guerlain and that beautiful bee bottle, and for the color of the juice and for the fact that I had a piece of early Aqua Allegoria history. But I didn't love it enough for the scent. I'm not afraid of vintage smelling florals and this one did it well. I enjoy it. But it really is a carnation explosion, dry and dusty, not all yellow ylang and vanilla as the name and color of the juice would suggest. First and foremost it smells of spicy dry carnations. There's a whisk of ylang and Guerlainade vanilla. There is depth due to the natural spice of the flowers and the Guerlain touch on old classics. It smells of times past and I believe it takes a trained nose to appreciate it. Not a millenial fragrance, let's say. Which to me is a wonderful thing. I finally decided no matter how discontinued or sought after a fragrance, if it doesn't strike me in a special way it's gotta go. Ylang and Vanille was part of that category. If it were available today would I need to own it? No. I am happy to have had it in my little perfume family for a time and I got to know it well but passing it along to a new home was an easy choice. I'm sure it's getting the love it deserves.

Just what it says on the tin. Very pretty, what a combination. I don’t love the first moments on skin— the sweetness is rather sticky— but as it dries down the ylang ylang becomes more gentle, a young flower, cradled by vanilla. A completely alluring fragrance, demure, unassuming but brightly gorgeous. There isn’t much to ground this fragrance but it doesn’t need it, necessarily; it’s light but not flighty. This is a fragrance that might do well with layering, as it’s rather linear and doesn’t develop much through wear. It alludes to soapiness in the middle, but doesn’t succumb. Reminds me of early summer mornings steeped in sunshine, the earthen color of tennis courts, a chainlink fence teeming with bougainvillea. Absolutely gorgeous vanilla dry down with a whisper of ylang ylang's brightness.

Pleasant is the word that first comes to mind, when testing this. It’s such a gratifying perfume, being simple yet rich and smooth at the same time. There is a delightful fluffyness to it and though it may be non-complex, it instantly envelopes you in this beautiful cloud of well-being. Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille is great in all seasons, but here in spring it adds a tenderness and warmth on colder days. The ylang is what makes this a little piece of everyday comforting magic and it's such a shame it's discontinued. Somehow it didn't belong in the Aqua Allegoria line as most associate that line with bright citrusses. I have a mini and would love a full bottle of this, knowing very well it’s getting harder to find.

I received my bottle yesterday. This morning I was undoing the package and my heart beat irregularly like I had some sort of heart problem. I guess Guerlain perfumes are one of the most pleasant cardiac irritants for me .. I'm testing my Ylang Ylang Vanille right now and OMG .. I wish there were ways to curse out loud poetically. This scent is just ... delishness. I would like to bathe & have my clothes laundered in a liquid detergent that smells like Ylang Ylang Vanille .. Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh O so breath taking .. so feminine .. so cozy what a supercalifragilisticexplialidocious scent. To be continued (in a few hours)

....to my nose this is the best vanilla scent ever! elegant,classy,warm 'n' sweet but just the right amount of every ingidient.an excellent blended perfume that i wish i could find in the market-too rare- discontinued i guess! my twin gorgeous!! sister used to wear this amazing perfume and it suited her so much...i think it was made for her,could be its muse,lol! good lasting power! a poeme in a bottle! if you find it vanilla lovers,grab the chance to fall in love! buy it!

I got a partially used bottle of this today and the first thing I did was to drop it on a stone floor and smash the sprayer. I kicked myself when I picked up 17 goldcoloured plastic bits off the floor... But apart from this little mishap, I am pleased with my new perfume. The smell is unusual but not unpleasant. It reminds me of Piz Buin sun screen. The scent seems fairly linear. So far no vanilla, but I am hoping that it will turn up in the drydown.

A very floral composition but not annoying... on me the strongest note is by far the jasmine! The vanilla and the ylang ylang stay close together in the background. A pleasant smell, particularly for those who like jasmine and vanilla.. In the hours that follow the ylang comes stronger to the forefront, so it remains a flowery perfume the whole time (circa 6 hours)!

found this deadstock for $3 at an estate sale once upon a time... no longer in my possession now but it was dreamy and beautiful, the warm spice from the carnation added a nice bass to the gentle vanilla and whimsical ylang ylang. lasted quite a bit for such a simply dainty yet effective profile too!

I'm not fond of the beginning but I like what it turns into. The only way to describe it is vanilla bees wax, with a honey quality. While that sounds weird it's actually a very comforting scent. Not sexy, daring, or innocent. One of those perfumes you wear for you.

just lovely, tropical floral vanilla balanced beautifully. The initial smell is slightly artificial almost insect repellent vanilla but after 20 mins the ylang breaks through. the dry down is pretty powdery. perfect for summer

Tried this at the house of lovely mahanta. Well, it is pretty much ylang ylang that I found a little bit disturbing, but must me my chemistry. Actually I can't feel anything else but ylang ylang, such a pitty

This is a sharp clean scent. . The drydown is a lot better. If you like shalimar you might dig this one. and with all this line, the longevity is non existing....

Ylang is said to be "the poor man's jasmine" due to lower production cost. In Asia where it originates this plant is common, and the scent is widely used in lots of cleaning products, which is, very unfortunately, what ruined Ylang & Vanille for me. I can absolutely relate to another reviewer freddinos's experience: strong ylang reminds me of busy public washrooms. It's the last thing I want to put on my skin and smell all day. And that's Ylang & Vanille to me. This perfume is extremely potent like original AAs supposed to be, lasting at least 8 hours and projects a good 3 feet. The ylang-carnation combo gives it a vintage feeling with a barely noticeable vanilla on my skin. It is very vintage Guerlain-esque, bears great similarity to the opening of the original Liu, and to a lesser extent Mahora. To compare the kins: Terracota Voile d'Ete is similar to this one but spicier. Lys Soleia is also in the same vein as Ylang & Vanille but much more light-hearted, leafy fresh and floral (from lily). Personally this was a traumatic blind-buy mistake that I'll remember for a long time, but please, if you love ylang and vintage Guerlains and want you scents loud and clear, jump on it whenever you have a chance.

I just acquired a mini of this and I'm so glad I did not take the plunge for a full bottle. With ylang-ylang being one of my fave floral notes and vanilla loving skin I was VERY excited to try it. Unfortunately, all I get is carnation and a mildly indolic jasmine. The ylang never presents itself nor any vanilla to speak of. It also has a vintage feel to it. Not a loud 80's flower bomb but a bit dated. Not a bad scent for jasmine lovers but not at all what I was hoping for . . . how sad.

Very vintage smelling, a carnation and honeyed ylang combo that is quite pissy in the beginning. Turns soft as it dries down, slightly powdery undertones and a bit floral soap. Something a 90 year old today would have worn when she was young. Smells much older than something from '99. Interesting to experience a sample decant but I will never wear this.

A comforting and creamy scent. I do not fancy wearing it in the evenings, though - IMO it is a good office fragrance and best for warmer weather. Carnation dominates the opening notes but it is not the sharp flowery carnation some might expect. It is like a breeze in a bouquet of spring flowers plus a drop of vanilla.

Slightly pee-pee’d tiny baby diapers, the fancy ones. Surprisingly unpleasant. I would guess my sample is off, but it’s from an incredibly trustworthy seller? Maybe the heat in transit broke it? Not a scrubber but definitely not good.

This smells like a a floral women’s deodorant and I’m not a fan. Something. Powdery about it but not in the best way. Screechy almost.

I would add that this has a strong anisic facet. I wonder, is that inherent to the construction of one of the listed notes?

I've been testing vanilla after vanilla frags trying to find my perfect match. Today was Guerlain Ylang & Vanille and I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying this because it's a pretty linear scent. When I first put it on I thought, wow -- this is rreeaallly strong. As the afternoon wore on I kept going back to my wrist to get another good whiff. It's really rather addictive. I recently complained about how Van Cleef & Arpels Vanille Insensee was too linear and one-dimensional for me. Ironically, this too is quite one-dimensional. I didn't really notice any evolution during the entire day, but somehow, that was fine, as I found myself really enjoying this very rich, deep, addictive vanilla that had a buttery and almost waxy quality about it. While somewhat sweet, this did not have that 'bakery/cupcake' thing going on, thankfully. It's really really smooth, like a heavy, rich syrup. It somehow manages to feel foody and yet I would not really describe it as gourmand. Leave it to Guerlain to create something so hard to describe. And now I find it's discontinued. I really want Fragrantica to note when perfumes are discontinued to save us all some heartache. It's so disappointing to fall in love only to learn the only bottles for sale are $300+ on Ebay. Onto the next!

I wonder as I first spray this whether there is a dissonance between the creamy yellow tropical ylang ylang, quickly followed by the dusty cool cloved carnation. No matter, this is lovely, a Floral with a capital F. A teensy dash of vanilla jasmine warm up in the base, but this is all about ylang and carnation (the carnation note is similar to that in Oeillet Sauvage). There comes a point of the gradual combination of both floral essences, that reads "Lily" to me. And there is the inspiration for Lys Soleil, a richer, sunnier affair. I am reminded of other slightly sweet, spiced florals of this vintage (around the millennium). I can't put my finger on it, but there is an kind of chalky (or is it waxy) spicy almost camphorous sharpness, a common thread that runs through them all. Ylang & Vanille is in good company.

I originally smelled Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Ylang & Vanille from a sample I received in a swap. Ylang-ylang and vanilla being two of my favorite notes, I was instantly hooked! Much to my dismay I soon discovered that this fragrance has been discontinued *sob*. I go through phases where I sample and save, then decide what I want to buy and do a big group buy of many fragrances. Well holy-hallelujah because I just found a brand spankin’ new bottle of this for a decent price on ebay! The ylang-ylang in this has that distinct soapy sweetness that I love about yellow florals and there is a bit of a classic vibe to it as well, something sophisticated about it that I like. Special thank you to the fellow fragrantican who swapped with me because I discovered a new scent that I love!

This is a "stay at home" fragrance to me, it evokes the comfort you feel after a warm bath. Very tender, warm, intimate, very creamy and cuddly. Usually vanilla based fragrances turn kind of gourmand for me, but not this one. I smell the fresh carnations in it, lots of them, and ylang ylang , and whipped cream with vanilla; I would say, everything has a honey undertone, without being too sweet. Nice staying power and silage for an edt, but I love the Aqua Allegoria line in general, I find it brilliant in its simplicity and charm, not memorable or dramatic, but oh, so wearable and elegant... It's a calming scent, very nurturing and kind, if I can say that about a fragrance. Warm cuddles and soft kisses.

Just received my rare bottle.It smells quite old fashioned, with carnation notes dominating the top, and vanilla and ylang ylang following. I don't love it, perhaps because it very strongly reminds me of the air freshener in my city's train station restrooms circa 1995. I know it sounds wrong, and I should be ashamed to say such a bad thing about this creation, but my olfactory memory spoke here before me. Don't get me wrong, I still find it quite pretty and soft, it's just not for me purely due to the WC air freshener association:( Sad:(

This is one of the few fragrances in which I can easily smell every note listed. The Carnation and Ylang Ylang compliment one another beautifully from start to finish. The Jasmine isn't as prominent, however it's definitely there , and its beautiful. The slightest, purest dash of vanilla finishes this gorgeous scent off perfectly. I can't imagine a better Spring perfume than this :) Once again Guerlain have not failed to impress. Update: Longevity of this is off the radar! Brilliant :) On me? 12 hours +.

I have a bottle of this that I recently obtained. It's ok. The lasting power is mediocre and it fits the standard silage of the Aqua Allegoria line. I do love these bee hive bottles they are so pretty. The sprayer on this one is the wackiest I have seen in all my years of collecting I don't care for it at all. Overall a nice safe scent that is not ground breaking or long lasting but a nice addition to any Guerlain lovers collection.

Yum. What a combination. It becomes more than the sum of its parts to almost create a completely different and already existing floral, like . . . honeysuckle, almost. 'Retro' also springs to mind for me with this, I could imagine 1950's woman wearing it. Thanks to Patxaran for introducing me to this delight. On my want list.

There is nothing I do not like about this fragrance. It is elegant, it speaks of times past, but it is very current. Sweet and floral, with a bit of spice and warmth from the carnation. It is simple, but sophisticated, and very romantic The silage and lasting power are great on my skin.

No vanilla here; very yellow flowery with hints of warm bee wax and creamy honey. Dominant ylang -ylang and warm, sunkissed mellow flowers. It's day scent,nothing sensuall here. For Guerlain AA surprisingly good silage and staying power. Edit: Hm, maybe my decant turned bad...

I scored a bottle of this beautiful scent for only $8 at a thrift store! Very floral and bold for an edt, I don't detect much vanilla until the dry down, but it's worth the wait. The vanilla in this is so subtle and beautiful. A very feminine and romantic perfume.

I over indulged in my fragrance purchases for Christmas. All I can say is I am going to wear this a lot this winter. The fragrance is both intoxicating and soothing. Talking about bi polar. Go get you some girls.