Havana Vanille (Vanille Absolument)

Oh, how I wanted to adore this! Newly named "Vanille Absolument " - for some unknown reason - this vanilla is far from refined like the description wants you to believe. While I am intrigued by it, I just cannot put myself together to love it like I love Bois1920 La Vanigla, or Il Profumo Vanille Bourbon........ On me it starts sexy, with a boozy spicy rum, with hints of vanilla. This is the best phase on my skin and I would have preferred it to remain like this. But it doesn't last long enough. The fragrance changes... the tonka takes over the spicy rum, and there is a definite dirtiness here.... it's dusty and yes, as someone else mentioned, a little moldy... humid and woody... reminds me of those shacks made of rotting wood that have roofs made from banana leaves... people who are poor by our western standards, who didn't have a shower in ages except in ocean water perhaps... and their skin and hair smell.... they elude a certain simple happiness... that smells like this perfume! After this, another change... between the wet wood, tonka and mold there is fairly strong hint of...condensed milk? And tobacco leaves, green.... nothing like the tobacco in Tea for Two which is dry, cured, smoky... Finally everything softens... more vanilla comes at the end, and a little pleasant sweetness. Vanille Absolument is a true woody vanilla on my skin; not too spicy, not too strong, zero fruits, and surely not gourmand at all. There a weirdness in the middle phase that makes it a difficult love for me... Silage is mellow, lasting power quite good . Nevertheless it's addictive without being exactly beautiful. It's appealing and raw. Even though I am not enamoured with it, I cannot stop smelling it. Goes inside your system without the jitters of new love.

I have two bottles of this: one labeled as the original Havana Vanille, and one with the newer Vanille Absolument title. Although they are very similar, they are certainly distinct. The original feels more nuanced, and I get more rum, resin, and spice. The newer version is more vanilla-leaning and less boozy. Both are rich, woody, spicy vanillas with a deep, exotic feel. As someone with many vanilla perfumes, it is my favorite of all time. I have little to add to what has already been written on the notes, but I will say that no other parfum fetches me more compliments, dates, and attention than this fragrance. If vanillas and woods smell good on you, get ready to attract people when you wear this out. It meshes so well with my body chemistry that multiple men have said they thought I somehow just smelled like this. It's not that men couldn't pull off a fragrance like this, in fact I'm sure I'd enjoy it on a man, but I don't find that it smells masculine on me at all. In my opinion it's more or less neutral, but with the strong vanilla body, it bears no resemblance to what is marketed as typical men's fragrances and so I think could be read as feminine.

I've never been a vanilla fan in fragrance, so why did I sample this one? Because I thought if I'd ever like a vanilla fragrance, it would be one from L'Artisan - and I was right. I tend to more earthy-green fragrances, and generally avoid anything gourmand, but I've always loved the fermented, funky note of vanilla bean pods which is what I get here, enriched with tonka and tobacco (tobacco leaf, if you've ever smelled it drying in a tobacco barn - like the best fall day, but not as dark or earthy as processed tobacco), and supported by just enough wood and resin to reinforce the fact this is vanilla as a botanical ingredient vs. a food. The base notes you might think would make this very masculine - and it is easily worn by men, but in fact on skin it blends seamlessly and the the lack of musks and restrained use of the woods keeps the focus on the vanilla pod and keeps it from veering too far into conventional masculine territory. I bought a large bottle, and it's probably the best, most easy-to-wear cold weather scent I own. Very versatile, so works really well as a signature fragrance. Familiar and not 'challenging', but not routine.

Havana Vanille starts with some kind of cleaness and sweetness (in a perculiar way, it makes me think about tuberose, of course they smell different, but similar in the way they project clean, sharp and sweet aura) and mixed with spicy cinammon + vanilla combo. Soon it smells like a comfy local cafe in the winter to me. It smells of nice sweet foody spicy, a little bit sensual, totally intoxicating in an innocent, comforting way. I suddenly got the image of Tai Chai Latte, a slice of raisin toast and me, sitting at the table and enjoying a book. The dry down is something I would die for. It is sensual, sweet and truely intoxicating. I can smell something creamy and sweet like vanilla (I guess that's the resin + woodsy notes), and really great musk (the musk smell sweet, sexy, great quality and so real, it reminds me a lot of Musc by Bruno Acampora). The sillage is shorter than most of my other perfume, it lasts a good 3.5-4 hours, and then even though I can still smell it, it doesn't have any projection. It's like a shy trace of vanilla icecream, left really close to my skin for another 3 hours. A must try!

I wish this was still called Havana Vanille because I definitely smell the dry tobacco. Not only do I detect each and every note, but I detect them in the exact order shown in the perfume pyramid above, and it all blends together very effectively. The end result is a sweet vanilla with an herbal persona. It's only in the very end of the drydown that it smells like vanilla extract; up until that point it contains a note that resembles a vibrant green moss or maybe freshly crushed plant leaves. This green note lingers for hours. It's probably the second most unisex vanilla I've ever smelled, after the infamous Tobacco Vanille, which I sometimes find too dark and harsh. I always have a difficult time imagining vanilla on a man, but this fragrance might actually work. I personally don't think it smells like vanilla ice cream or think that it's gourmand, but at the same time I can easily see how it might come up that way on others, depending on chemistry. The projection and longevity are perfect--I can smell it on myself all day, but another person would only notice it if they gave me a hug.