Vani Choc

VANI CHOC's opening is a potent burst of candied lemon on my skin, which I found somewhat peculiar as it was unexpected. You know, I was expecting Vani Choc and it seems like I got Vani Lemon instead, lol. But don't let that discourage you, it's actually very appealing and there is more to explore. The scent gradually warmed up into that intoxicating aroma of a spiced vanilla. The choco part continued to elude me for now. Hours after the initial spray, I was surprised to get whiffs reminiscent of vanilla with hints of cocoa. Hmmmm ... quite addictive! I can't help but bury my nose right where I sprayed Vani Choc. Another pleasant surprise is the lasting power of this fragrance, still captivating on the skin over 8 hours after. VANI CHOC was able to take me on a thrilling journey, I am glad I gave this delectable scent a chance to grow on me because now it's one of my favorite gourmand scents.

That note pyramid is a little bit awry. I notice Hilde Soliani tends to describe her perfumes with just a couple of notes even though they are much richer. This is not a simple and sweet. This is definitely an oriental vanilla with similar DNA as others of the type, Angel, Unknown Pleasures, Lira, etc. Lemon, vanilla, powdery iris in the opening certainly but as it settles has a lot of warm musk, ambery chocolate. Caramel? Tonka bean? Sandalwood? Patchouli? I'm guessing a bit by thinking of other perfumes which have the same feel. Very smooth despite the lemon. Addictive, sweet, non-linear and interesting. WOrth cehcking out as a more subtle version of the above mentioned scents. Feels versatile, age-wise Smells good but too heavy for hot days despite lemon. Wearable 3 seasons but not summer.

This perfume is one of my absolute favourite perfumes. Unexpectedly, as I only had strange encounters with Hilde Soliani's perfumes earlier. This is between me and my boy "the transformer", as it has two quite different stages. It starts as a sweet lemon but later morphs into a very characteristic and lovely vanilla. Lately, I've been noticing a certain oily coconut facet to this perfume as well. Contrary to the name, this has no chocolate in it at all. I'm a gourmand lover and not much for citrus scents in the sense of green and fresh perfumes, but I love it in sweet compositions like this. Longevity is great, it lasts more than 12 hours on skin and longer on clothes. I ordered mine from Scentbar in Italy.

First impression: surprising lemony opening leading to a fun chocolate gourmand scent. Top notch ingredients, not all of them listed. I’m picking up patchouli, sugar and sandalwood. Really wonderful vanilla rounds it out.

Hilde Soliani Vani Choc, despite its name, does not actually involve chocolate, but does feature a heavy dose of the eponymous vanilla, mixed with almond, sandalwood, and citrus. The citrus is rather overt in the opening few hours before fading away almost entirely. Almond and sandalwood are in the mix from the start but come to the forefront later in the dry down. And predictably, vanilla is the key player throughout. It's certainly not as nutty as Orgasmo but comparably nutty to Sweet Home, so in that respect it's a good fragrance for one who like a a bit of nuts. Performance is strong and it's agreeable and cold-weather-leaning like most of her (seemingly entirely) gourmand offerings. Pricing is the standard $160 for 100ml at Luckyscent. This wouldn't make it into my top list for the brand, as I'd lean toward Sweet Home over it, but I imagine some might prefer it to Sweet Home. 7 out of 10