Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar

Imagine you are opening up a dark flask of Madagascar bourbon vanilla, only you're not going to bake a cake with it. Instead, this is the secret ingredient to the chocolate chip waffles you're making. Smell that? They come out of the waffle iron with the perfect amount of crispiness and you serve with caramel syrup and lavender lattes. Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar is a beautiful vanilla scent, straight up but well-rounded. The lavender note is much fainter than the notes would suggest, however, it smells chocolatey-caramel to my nose. When you get beneath the forward vanilla notes, there is a traditional amber with incense and a balsamic quality. Contrast to Vanille Franck Boclet: These are different, but both are vanilla forward scents. Citrus is more forward in VFB while lavender is more forward in VSdM, but they share the insense-y amber quality. Roughly equivalent performance. Comparison to Pacifica Island Vanilla body lotion: These are different, but I initially thought this was the closest vanilla scent to my nose. Over time I noticed the incense-y amber more in VSdM. The performance is much better than Pacifica Island Vanilla. The chocolate and caramel hints are done in a similar way. Comparison to Lira by Xerjoff: These are different, although these are both forward vanilla scents. The citrus is more prominent in Lira, and the lavender more prominent in Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar which also has a more noticeable incense-y amber. Overall: this is a classic and rich vanilla, great for layering or on it's own. Worth more than a decant. 10/10.

I didn't really know what to expect and never really heard of this house before, picked it up on sale as a blind buy. The aromatic notes intrigued me. I fall in love with this a little more each time I wear this. It's 85% custard-y sweet vanilla, the rest is sandalwood, smokiness from the incense, a bit of lavender and then just a touch of a coriander spiciness that comes through. For someone passing you by and getting a whiff of the projection, lavender and coriander is probably not very noticeable except it warms up the vanilla and makes it more than a one dimensional vanilla gourmand. I know a lot of reviews mentioned the lack of lavender, I prefer it because the blaring lavender in YSL Libre almost put be off the note for good when I tested that. I appreciate restraint sometimes. To me it's enough to just pique your nose that there's a je ne sais quoi depth without being able to pick out that it's lavender. I paid about $25 for 30mL on sale which is decent. While not an unusual combination, both the vanilla and sandalwood are very pleasant and smooth, as well as well balanced. Like the name suggests, it is akin to a madagascar baking vanilla, that is dark brown toffee-type of vanilla, not a bright screechy vanilla akin to say Body Shop. It's not so sweet that others may find it cloying or headache inducing, IMO, because of the round warmth.

Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar opens with a subtly refreshing and spicy combination of bergamot and lavender with a touch of coriander and thyme. The lavender smoothly transitions into a smoky vanilla, sandalwood and vetiver with a hint of geranium heart. The vetiver and geranium fade and my favourite combination of vanilla and sandalwood settles into a glorious base. It’s warm and cozy but also mysterious and misty. It’s slightly powdery, woody, soft and musky. It smells like dreams and adventures. It smells exotic but homely. It smells like markets and gardens. It reminds me of the song 'Scarborough Fair.' It smells Celtic. It smells magical. It’s rather sexy, both cool and warm as well as being gender-neutral. It’s slightly honeyed with a touch of floral sweetness. It’s mature and worldly and easily wearable. You could wear it anywhere and at any-time and it’s sooo affordable. It’s got medium sillage and lasts about 5 hours. I brought the set of all 5 La Maison de la Vanille 15ml EDT’s. I love this collection and think it is a must for vanilla-lovers. I applaud this wonderfully blended perfume. I carry it with me in my purse and will by the 100ml FB when I run out.

This is a GROWN UP vanilla perfume. It trumps any and all of the vanilla perfumes I have tried, including my beloved Vanilla Fields and all of it's sister scents produced by La Maison. It is french, "herb-y", and FABULOUS. It mixes well with warm skin and is unobtrusive yet leaves an impression of you with other people that exudes warmth and caring and sensuality that is not an overt sexual smell, just a scent that let's people know you are comfortable with your femininity and are happy to be in your own shoes. I received compliments on this parfum (when I could not smell it on myself) from the woman at the ferry landing (seattle), the man at the gas-station, my husband and the bag-boy at Safeway all in one evening. They are quite affordable, especially since you do not need much. I highly recommend the "Divine des Tropiques" sister body lotion to go with it. It smells like you have been on a vanilla plantation in the sun while visiting Ibizia. Love it!

Another lovely offering from La Maison de la Vanille, Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar is very similar to Vanille Noire du Mexique, both very agreeable vanillas that aren't influenced by a ton or floral or spicy characteristics. But where Mexique is provocative and dark, Madagascar is subtle and blended with woods. I really don't get too many of the listed notes---sure, lavender could be in the mix but apart from that, the florals are unusually shy and I'm mostly left the with mixed base of sandalwood, incense, and vetiver, which are all subservient to the main vanilla note, as with most of the other La Maison de la Vanille fragrances. Performance is solid for an EDT. I might have to get a full bottle of this in addition to the Mexique. Impressively blended and very pleasant. A recommendation for vanilla lovers. 8 out of 10

tra le varie fragranze a base di vaniglia che ho nella mia collezione, questa è sicuramente la più fresca e aromatica. le prime note sono esperidate e con un lieve accenno di lavanda. poi la vaniglia bourbon, quella buona e aromatica, fa il suo ingresso senza essere esageratamente gourmand, accompagnata da sandalo e vetiver. la fine del viaggio è un gradevolissimo assestamento su un accordo fumoso, probabilmente un mix di vaniglia e incenso, che rimane molto vicino alla pelle con un piccolo tocco muschiato. molto buono.

I bought the set (5 x 15ml) of these from their website which I thought was actually a really reasonable price to give them all a good go. I actually really like all of them. Really light summer fragrances, completely inoffensive. They smell good quality, they don't smell synthetic. Really can't fault them. The only reason I wouldn't reach for them every day is perhaps they can smell a bit soapy and they are very sweet too.

A quality vanilla scent with aromatic tendencies that elevate the simplicity of vanilla. Lavender is quite perceptible and makes the scent as fresh as a piece of mint chocolate. It's the kinda gourmand that fills you with serotonin and dopamine and adds a touch of natural freshness and verdancy. I don't get any incensy tendencies but that might be my nose. A big love

The sandalwood/incense base notes here make this the perfect warm, sultry vanilla. From the sampler set, this is the only one I've purchased in its full size, and I do find I liked my 10 year old one more, so worth waiting for this to age. I wear a lot of sandalwood/incense based perfumes, so I often layer this with them. Definitely the ride or die from the bunch.

after 30 minutes, Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar reminds me of L de Lolita, which i love. this is powdery, spicy, all balanced and warmed by the vanilla. when i first applied it, it did have a slight tinge of "wet dog", but that disappeared quickly. i love this. it's very sensual, very feminine, very grown up vanilla.

this is so warm and delicious!! it gives me a little bit of shalimar? like shalimar's friend of a friend perhaps. fantastic!!

Wonderful Vanilla, warm, sexy, with a hint of spices that make it not obviously sweet. I absolutely LOVE it!

This perfume is delicious, and coming from someone who cannot stand sandalwood is quite a statement. I find sandalwood to be a very masculine and dominating scent, no matter the concentration it always takes over and ruins what is suppose to be "feminine." Not to mention sandalwood for me is headache inducing. But here it works and I love it. At first application you get a lot of sandalwood, but the quickly dissipates as it settles down and vanilla pops into the foreground. If you hate sandalwood like me, don't worry. It is not a dominant note, here it serves to add something to the overall formula that keeps the vanilla from being cloying or juvenile. Sandalwood and a background of soft smokiness blend together behind the vanilla, creating a sensual sort of harmony to this. I can see the florals becoming more apparent depending upon your skin chemistry, but for me they stay nice and quite in that background blend of sandalwood, smokiness, and a light touch of the smooth, creamy licorice depth that vetiver always adds to a perfume. Very much identical to Lavanila's Pure Vanilla, and if you have that I'd say you won't need this. It's just slightly a more of a grown-up's vanilla that Pure Vanilla is because of the sandalwood. But if you own neither and are looking for a deeper and more smokier version of Pure Vanilla, then this for you.

Oh! This is heavenly! Madagascar is "I can't stop lifting my wrist to my nose to sniff it" gorgeous! Some have said that it reminds them of Lea too, and I totally agree. But to me, I love Madagascar so much more! And it lasts longer than Lea does on me too. It's all snugly bugly and goes soft and creamy, with the sandalwood and lavender coming through beautifully....It's a tad close too, to Mexique, but Mexique is a bit soapy, maybe it's the rose and jasmine in it? Of the 5, I think Madagascar could be my favourite with Antilles coming an extremely close second, but oooh, I don't know...I love them all!

A brand that chose one note to excel in Usually there offerings are spectacular Although similar to each other but with different styles that sometimes demand respect but sometimes such is this one is a little bit underwhelming Supposedly the aromatic variation of the line but the only aromatic effect was in the opening and for a little while Could’ve appreciated a more bold attempt of and extra does of aromatics being lavender or else In the dry down it’s the same vanilla that the house uses which is nice and sweet A safe bet which I understand but I would’ve preferred more innovation for a good idea

This is a lovely fragrance that accentuates the natural facets of vanilla, hence the more mature feel to it. The opening is on the aromatic and smoky side, while the drydown is smoother and cozier. After around two hours of wear, I get the impression of a tamer and softer Shalimar, not too dissimilar to Shalimar L‘Essence. Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar is a definite must-try for those who love exploring vanilla fragrances.

This is a nice, subtle vanilla with a small hint of spices. Not too heady or too sweet, this is an easily wearable vanilla for every hour of the day. It starts quite loud with a big sillage, but one hour later it melts into the skin leaving a warm, comfy feeling. Lasting power is good and in fact the price is good too. But to be honest, I prefer the darker, more luscious Vanille de Mexique.

Just received the 5 pack and tried this one first. Can def smell the citrusy bergamot as someone else said. I also agree that this would be a nice scent on a man. Could def be worn here in Australia in the summer which is unusual for a vanilla. I do not get much smokiness from this. For me it's not enough vanilla bang, but it is really nice. Not a linear vanilla and enjoyable to wear.

It's a powdery vanilla scent and not much else. Perhaps a bit of smokiness but I am getting mostly vanilla and powder. It's nice and pleasant and non-offensive but it doesn't "wow" me like other vanilla-forward scents have. A like but not a love for me. I WILL be trying to see how this layers with other fragrances that need a bit of vanilla "lift".

I really appreciate how unisex this is and the subtle complexities. The vanilla that runs through Vanille Sauvage is dark and infused with smouldering lavender blossoms. This smoky mix took some getting used to, but as the more sharp herbal elements faded I realised, six hours later, that I quite liked it. One to test again for sure.

It does remind me of Vanille Noire du Mexique by the same brand, but this is less effervescent, more... brown. It's sweetish, pretty much high-quality vanilla extract in perfume form, alcohol and all, with some bright facets. The notes are very hard for me to pick out, it's just a natural, rich vanilla.

at the beginning i get mostly vanilla of course, with a little bit of sandalwood and lavender. this vanilla is sweet and custard like. i was hoping for something deep, ambery and resinous but it's primarily this vanilla custard. it smells good, but seems to be lacking a lot of the notes listed.

*update* gorgeous sweet soft vanilla drydown - decent lasting power with soft to moderate sillage on me. Yummy!!

Very nice scent. Reminds me of Warm Vanilla Sugar from B&BW.

La Maison De La Vanille confuses me. I like all their scents, but there is more than just "vanilla" to them.. Madagascar is LMDLV's "truest" vanilla - but not true enough. There is still something in there (the geranium?) that cries out "Hey, there is more to me than just vanilla!!". And you can't not pay attention to those extra random notes popping up unexpectedly. Nonetheless, Madagascar is still the least complicated of the bunch, the "purest" vanilla. What I don't like about all LMDLV's fragrances is that despite the name, the vanilla is overshadowed by other elements, like floral notes. They are still all great scents, typical eau de toilettes nonetheless that last for only a couple of hours, but with weird twists to them.. Now back to Madagascar. There's something in it's composition that hits me right in the temples (this could be the incense). I would wear it if it didn't give me a headache. Still worth trying though, as are all the LMDLV fragrances!

I was looking for something similar to Loccitane Vanille, which I loved. I read a lot of good reviews of this Maison de la vanille smell, that reminds discontinued vanille by loccitane, and I decided to purchase it. I am very disapointent with this smell - it doesn't remind vanille by loccitane at all. This smells like cheap car perfume.

The opening of this is full on hairspray made with 90% volume alcohol. It's so awful. After about 25 minutes it morphs into an aromatic, spicy vanilla that is quite nice. With that said, I'm still not willing to subject myself to the beginning stages of this fragrance. Into the "need to sell" drawer with the rest of the misses.

Let me preface my review by saying that my skin devours scent. This is the 3rd time I've worn it as the first two times I could barely smell it at all. I wish Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar had more strength, as I had to spray 7 times from my 5ml test vial to identify the notes. The bergamot and lavender top notes are obvious, without the excessive tangy herbal cast you might expect from this combination. This is a lovely lavender; so much that it makes me wish this was a lavender fragrance. The floral notes are also very nice, not lush or rich but very much present, adding to the volume of the scent. After half an hour it is well blended, serene with no wild indigenous spices intruding. This fragrance makes me think of a Colonial French interpretation of Madagascar, especially since it contains bergamot, lavender, geranium and other scents certainly more familiar to the French rather than the Malagasy. I can't say that this is a primarily vanilla scent on me. The base is balanced, without the soapy quality you get from cheap sandalwood; I am a huge fan of vetiver but there isn't too much here. There should be more vanilla because that's what this is supposed to be: obviously some other people did get just that. Inexplicably, different areas on my arm have a stronger vanilla scent! There is no rich, dense wild vanilla for me here. This is well blended and interesting, but not for me as I feel it fails to live up to its name.

Well first blast of it, it smells promising or at least interesting lets say. However after the initial blasts dies down, some of the sweetness from I assume the labdanum but that quickly faded for me and for the next lets say 4 its enjoyable but only in small wiffs. In small wiffs I got through out those hours it smelled nice.. But everytime I brought my nose closer to my arm, I got a sorta run of the mill sorta baby powderish vanilla smell my nose likens to so many others. Its got a bit of a spicy kick to it, which switchs it up a bit, but still enjoyable from far away but not really in deep breaths. This over these 4 hours or so the powdery effect goes away but again im left with something that smells better from far away. When I take a deep breath in up close the mix just isnt working for me. Maybe its the vetiver mix im not quite sure... Well once ive gotten through this far the final half or so of the fragrance I get a more enjoyable sorta smokey vanilla sorta vibe. That im sure I could trick my nose into likening it to a sorta marshmallow vanilla smell and at this point its also enjoyable to take deep breaths in of it... Over all it was ok for me. Performance wise, projection seemed lite but I was getting wiffs of myself for a good while so perhaps thats misleading. Longevity was a good 12 hours maybe a little more

Finalising the series from La Maison de la Vanille, Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar concludes my testing. Unlike the other fragrances in this series, I really felt the citrusy bergamot in this one. For a good hour or so, this was vanilla and bergamot with a subtle hint of coriander. While still sweet and vanillary, the additional citrus and spice gave this fragrance a rather exotic charm and a delightful richness. I feel that Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar is the most unisex of the series. The rounded spiciness and smokiness of the vanilla could wear well on a man in my opinion. Towards the drydown the incense note can be truly felt alongside the vanilla, which is now darker and slightly chocolatey. This is also vanilla in a natural, dry-like finish, rather than being syrupy or creamy. The lasting power, as with all the other fragrances in this series, is unbelievably good. The sillage is also commendable. It is hard not to like such a fragrance as Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar. The scent is both soothing, warm and snuggly. All in all, this fragrance is sensual and charming.

On me this fragrance smells like vanilla coated lavender stems sitting on a base of sandalwood. There is something very aromatic and almost masculine about this fragrance- I think this would work perfectly on a man, it just strikes that balance which I think is essential in a fragrance. I do wish the Incense was a bit more prominent though, I'd love a veil of smokiness to sort of envelope this fragrance and tie it all together... I think it'd be perfection but alas I think the composition is very well done. If you like lavender and vanilla fragrances then I think this is a perfect one for you and the sandalwood gives a very much needed depth and I think it helps the fragrance avoid smelling cheap and boring. But like i said at the beginning of my review- I would love to smell this on a man, it would be sensational!

This one is my favorite out the the La Maison de la Vanille sample set I have--and also the most vanilla dominant from the set. This is a very similar vanilla note to the Molinard vanillas I've tried in the past. Also a nice rich, creamy vanilla similar to Yves Rocher's vanilla bourbon scent. I do not pick up much lavender, but mostly creamy, rich, warm vanilla-and perhaps the slightest tinge of spice. Longevity is descent too. I don't really get any smoke from Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar. I would say this is a must-try for vanilla lovers, especially for those who enjoy fragrances like Yves Rocher's vanillas, Madagascar vanilla notes, Molinard's vanillas, or Tiholta vanilla!

Update: After trying samples of around 20 different vanilla perfumes, including Le Labo Vanille 44, Lavanila Pure Vanilla, Guerlain's Spiritueuse Double Vanille, Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille, Indult Tihota, Laura Mercier Vanille Gourmande, just to name a few, I have to say that Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar has won my heart. My absolutely favorite vanilla scent. I can't get enough of it. Pure heaven.

I was really excited to try this perfume, but I am sorry to say it’s just not very strong. I can barely smell anything! Maybe a tiny bit of lavender p, but I mean TINY. Vanilla is barely there as well, to the point where after only 2 hours, I can only smell the amount you might smell the day after with other perfumes. There’s just not enough scent there to even rate.

I liked this La Maison the best. It had the familiar vanilla, but the woody-ness kinda tamed it and kept it from becoming oversweet. Gave it a bit of complexity but still let the vanillic sweetness hold fast and stay in the limelight. It's a nice, smooth, "grown-up" vanilla that won't leave you smelling like sugar. Lasting power is great - 6 hours for me.

Divine. Delicate. Woodsy Vanilla. Cool, yet warm. Soft and fresh. Nice herbally tones, yet I usually like my vanilla pure and sweet and creamy. Recommend!! I am looking for something similar, but wish to branch out from this. My go-to fragrance is LMDLV's Givree des Antilles. But I like the difference that Madagascar avails. Any ideas?? Thank You :)

It's very smoky, and smells a lot like the Mexique, but without the citrus in the beginning. When I spray Madagascar, I immediately smell the lavender and faintly smell the bergamot and vetiver, but I mainly smell the incense, and of course the vanilla. Very beautiful fragrance, comforting and warm.

A smoky vanilla with perfumed fruit notes, passing through a baby-doll plastic stage to end, many many hours later, as a nice, pleasant slightly smoky vanilla. It's very nice, and the journey is interesting, but the overall scent is fairly been-there-done-that-have-something-similar-on-my-shelf.

Mmmh!... It is a serious vanilla, not "sweety-pretty" kind, but very dignified, gorgeous, with a character. With a hint on a spicy note the fragrance radiates warmth, it is woody, rich and even a bit masculine. Wonderful fume!

Very similar to Lavanila Pure Vanilla, but less powdery and something more that is very pleasant, possibly the sandalwood. One of my favorites now.

I don't smell anything in this other than a very high quality pure vanilla extract. Is that a good thing? Depends on what you like.

My favorite of the house. Vanilla/lavender/woody/smokey/vetiver...powdery..touch of citrus..Done deal !!