Vanille Noire du Mexique

ETA: My hormones really change the way this scent smells! Near my time of the month, I get way more oppoponax and patchouli, it smells a bit deeper without as much vanilla, and is softer. Aside from that time, it's a very delicious vanilla (so I guess my hormones are changing the way vanilla is presented in this scent). On first spray, I was a bit disappointed because this scent smelled like Vanilla Bean Noel mixed with a hint of Lord of Misrule patchouli. I was waiting for the opoponax to show up but it never did, though I do smell something faintly milky (you'd have to hunt for it, though). Wearing it over time, the scent is quite comforting and it grew on me. Although I love dark and complex scents, not everything has to be challenging or intricate all the time. Overall, not bad - a slightly lighter alternative for when you want to wear LoM or other vanilla/Christmassy scents but it's too warm outside, though you could definitely wear this scent in the winter as well. I think this scent would also layer well with lactonic scents (e.g., Chabaud Lait Concentre, I'm already drooling thinking about it) or other gourmands! I don't smell much chocolate in here, though I guess many people perceive the patchouli to smell like chocolate in here. "Vanille Noire du Mexique" refers to Mexican vanilla, which is allegedly a richer vanilla compared to that of Madagascar. Maybe "hot chocolate powder" would be a more apt description. I am a patchouli lover and have a strong tolerance for it. If you want something patchouli-chocolatey, try Chanel's Coromandel, Serge Lutens Borneo 1842, Jovoy Psychedelique, Francesca Bianchi Sticky Fingers, or Oriza L. Legrand Horizon. P.S. There is no detectable citrus in here and this scent smells absolutely nothing like Shalimar or its flankers. I would know because I own them. This scent is closer to plain and pure vanilla than Shalimar, Lira, etc.

Vanille Noire du Mexique opens with a fresh, almost spicy, bergamot. This top note is very fizzy and almost like those dissoluble cold medicine tablets that I used to have when I was little. After a few minutes this settles into a powdery and velvety iris with a touch of patchouli. I find the patchouli, which some sites don’t list but is definitely there, more prominent and sweeter in warmer weather than colder. I, thankfully, don’t get any jasmine but I do get the faintest whiff of a dry and dusty rose. It’s rather earthy and I’m happy when the tonka-bean and vanilla finally appear in the base. It’s not too sweet and certainly not gourmand. This is possibly the darkest scent of the set – hence the noire. It has a slight soapy aspect which parallels with it’s slightly spicy aspect. It’s exotic and powerful but also contained. It can be alluring and dangerous. Something a warrior ninja would wear. The kind of person I imagine this on wears a ribbon in their hair, has a sad darkness to them, wears black clothing and has a femininity to them. I imagine someone like Blake Belladona from RWBY wearing this. It’s also slightly gothic ivy, stone and velvet aspect. It has medium sillage with about 4 hours of longevity similar to the rest of the collection.

It's funny when you revisit your first niche fragrance many many years later after putting aside and assuming you were done with it. This scent is so much history in it: my first boyfriend and the fall into the epic never ending quest to find the perfect vanilla. But let's begin that it is only years later that I can fully appreciate only because certain expectations have been put aside. First of all this does not smell like true Mexican vanilla (oh how I would love for someone to do a true Mexican vanilla perfume), but it is quite a lovely wonder on its own. What this fragrance is: this starts off with that delicious candied bergamot that is so iconic in Shalimar, but unlike Shalimar it is not accentuated by civet (thankfully), instead the support is musky rose and vanilla. The scent eventually evolves into caramelized iris opoponax vanilla with light support of patchouli with bergamot still accenting. It is quite a lovely little vanilla that is grownup but easy.

Mexique is a fantastic addition to this collection, it's a really nice and earthy sort of vanilla. On me the opoponax and patchouli are very present and i think in the first 2 minutes of wearing it almost smelt very similar to A*Men by Thierry Mugler but then it started to come into it's own and it's just really well done. The vanilla is sweet but earthy and the opening with the Bergamot is both inviting and very refreshing but what I really love is the beautiful iris note which adds a sense of powderiness to this scent. It almost makes it sophisticated in a way. I don't detect to many of the floral notes- perhaps some of the Jasmine but it's not very present which doesn't really bother me because I think the fragrance is perfect the way it is. It's so well blended and all the notes on my skin work very well together. I think this could easily be worn by both men and women- It's gorgeous!

Vanille Noire du Mexique might very well be my favorite of the La Maison de la Vanille sample set quintet (I still need to try one more). It's a dark, almost resinous vanilla that, while certainly overall vanilla-dominant, involves subtle influences of rose, jasmine, and patchouli. It almost comes off slightly boozy (in the direction of Perry Ellis Black Vanilla Absolute) but with more floral and spicy influences--again, subtly--in the mix. I don't explicitly get anything sharp like iris, either. The fragrance is unusually smooth (smoother than Vanille Givree de Antilles, even) without the big floral brightness of Vanille Divine des Tropiques. Solid performance like the others, definitely above average for an EDT. Again, the pricing on the whole line seems pretty reasonably priced, at $60 for 100ml on Luckyscent, so this might need to be one that I nab. 8 out of 10

Sultry, alluring...reminds me of Mexican Hot Cocoa laced with Kahlua on a warm, summer evening. The vanilla notes are nearly identical to Lavanila Vanilla on me, but Lavanila Vanilla gets overly sweet and headachey, and somehow gets stronger throughout wear. Mexique stays balanced and enticing with its cinnamon, rose, and tonka base. I found this at a boutique in the Montage, Laguna Beach, in 2003, and I've replenished my bottles ever since. I especially love to wear this as night, to inspire the sweetest, calmest dreams. It's a special scent for me, and I do enjoy smelling every bit as tempting as creme brulee.

I used to wear this ALL the time and then ran out. Years later I just received a bottle today after buying it online. I still love it. Once you first spray it on I can notice the patchouli more than I recall, but it is not prominent at all. It is NOT overly sweet. I have some that smell like food or candy or pure sugar and this is not like that. My friend said it smelled unisex (but she likes pure florals). I still adore it. Warm, spicy, slightly sweet smokiness that is my favorite vanilla of all time. So happy to have it again!

This is the darkest vanilla of the series, luscious and warm and intoxicating. While the others I tried could be worn every time of the year, I would suggest this one for the cooler season. It's more foody and also IMO, more long lasting than the rest. In fact, I put it on yesterday evening and could still smell it when I woke up. Being a fan of louder scents, this and Vanille Tonka from Parfums de Nikolai, are my favorite vanilla scents. I love the darkness hinted underneath the innocent vanilla.

Mmmm I think this has sated my Un Bois Vanille yearning. A fresh vanilla but not a sickening one, it's the real thing, not cheap ice-cream. The 'comfort' space is now filled in my wardrobe. Thank you to swapper DawnySparkle for this lovely surprise gift! Longevity: Tenacious! Update: Hmm, All the above is still true but I've started to go off this a bit because I'm not keen on the 'unwashed' quality at the end of the drydown. If you're into 'skank' etc. in your frags, give this one a try!

Enormously citrusy and earthy vanilla. I enjoy this - it is a sweet vanilla but not sugary or overly foodie at all to me. It has a bit of a tropical feel. The prominent notes on my skin are the bergamot, vanilla, iris and opoponax. The patchouli is there but it's not in your face. This lasts really well on me! I don't wear it all the time but when I do I enjoy it!

This one is a masterpiece: even if there is no chocolate in the pyramid... to me it smells exactly like Easter chocolate eggs from an Italian pastry shop! So good! Lasts hours!

This is so good! A yummy, sweet vanilla with chocolatey patchouli touches running through it. Lasts fairly long too. Great hidden gem in my opinion.

A nice vanilla in the bottle and for about 15 min on the skin...and then *poof! Gone. I can't find a hint of it on my skin an hour later. Boo.

vaniglia bourbon scurissima e vellutata, leggermente affumicata. c'è bisogno di dolcezza gotica.

This is one of the best vanillas I have ever smelled! The guys at work loved it.

This doesn’t strike me as a “noire” scent at all, but I do like it for what it is - a sweet, citrusy vanilla fragrance. Besides the vanilla, the bergamot is the strongest thing going here...especially as the fragrance opens, it gives the vanilla an oily, sweet, sharp bite. As it warms, it becomes very creamy and smooth. The patchouli is there in the background, adding a slightly green, medicinal scent...but overall it has quite a mellow vibe. Although I like it a lot, I can’t help feeling like it's very familiar. The fragrances from this house remind me a lot of the Lavanila line; they both make simple, natural-smelling vanilla scents. For me Vanille Noire du Mexique is along the lines of Lavanila Vanilla Grapefruit, but I prefer the latter. All in all this is a likeable and satisfying scent, I just wouldn't say it's something particularly different from what I've smelled already.

My first thought when trying this was that it reminds me of Shalimar Ode a la Vanille Mexique, but with much stronger vanilla and much weaker...everything else, and no incense. Well what do you know, besides vanilla, this quite a few of the notes here are major players in Shalimar-oppoponax, bergamot, iris... I don't think this smells anything like Lavanila, which is candy sweet. This is sweet but more in the sense that vanilla extract is sweet, it's not sugary, it's just very, very vanillic. Vanilla lovers have to try this, if you're looking for a very vanilla centric perfume, this one is great. No coconut, no almond, no strong florals, no sandalwood, none of what usually is found in vanilla perfumes that ruins the pureness of it. The other notes here add to the vanilla, rather than fight for the spotlight.

I am surprised how much i liked this one. Got it from a lovely swap and was thinking to use as a comfort scent for colder days at home or after shower, but I seem to be comfortable wearing it more often than that. I am not really into vanilla or sweet scents and usually try to avoid it because it often smells like food. But I like to have some vanilla scents for colder seasons, autumn and winter, they seem to give me comfort and help to feel secure. i find this one very wearable. It is sweet but simple vanilla scent. The opening is a bit sweet for my taste (and because I am not used to scents like this) but it dries down to dry slightly powdery vanilla. It is not very dark as the name may imply, but is lovely anyway.

Wow. This is an interesting Vanilla! The notes are vanilla, rose, jasmine, iris, tonka bean and bergamot. But I can't really smell the flowers, I smell food! Well, Mexique is supposed to be the most edible of the scents and to me it's slightly spicy and slightly soapy on the drydown. Actually, it reminds me of a delicious Mexican Cheesecake I've had which is tortillas layered with cream cheese, nutmeg and cinnamon. I also smell semi-sweet chocolate too, but it's not sugary sweet at all. Yum!

This perfume was a gift i received recently and i'm really glad for it as i love vanilla. At the beggining i smell something intense-i think it's the opoponax.A little of jasmin and bergamot then. And finally,it remains a very natural scent of absolute vanilla. On my skin ther is nothing patchouli,rose or iris detectable.It's not foody or sweet,the vanilla is natural and remains a lot of hours on the skin.Very good choice for the lovers of vanilla!just give it a try!Also the bottle is 100 ml