Vanille 44 Paris

I just picked up this fragrance as a blind buy - I have been looking for something vanilla to add to my collection and wanted something unique and naturally gravitated towards this one. I've got a couple of Le Labo scents in my collection already and this one I think is my new favorite. Others have noted this but the thing that stood out to me on first spray was the sheer depth of fragrance to this. The initial spray was met with a muted note of citrus, I believe bergamot and orange, with the smoky-sweet vanilla undergirding the entire fragrance through the whole time. I was then hit by a strong herbal-smelling note, something like rosemary and probably thyme which has wafted in and out, followed by a devolution into a powdery, musky-smelling vanilla. This even further devolved into a very complex accord of a slightly powdery, dry vanilla with a small amount of sweetness that for some reason evokes Chanel No 5 but in a very good way, backed up by a very nuanced accord of that signature le labo DNA where you have a complex mix of aldehydes and woods---specifically gaiac wood and something that's reading as sandalwood to me. There is also, of course, a very clean, high-quality smelling incense note that many others have talked about. On top of that, (as if this fragrance could get any more complex) I sometimes get wafts of a spicy, balsamic-style fragrance that wafts in and out perhaps backed up by a note like civet? There's a small touch of something animalic deep in there, but among the many notes (44 ingredients after all) it's like a french girl---ephemeral, teasing, and a bit fun and difficult to cloy out. Plenty of people have read it as churchy, which I think is fair, but what is Paris if not a city famous for some of its very old churches? I could honestly spend hours trying to pick apart these fragrance notes and probably fail and miss some. It's definitely a Le Labo fragrance through and through, and the complexity of this fragrance is unrivaled in my collection. Some have called it a bit linear, but I'm not sure they're trying hard enough. For the price, well, that's for you to decide. I got this as a gift and I am certainly excited about it.

Don’t listen to the naysayers: this is undoubtedly a vanilla scent but, more importantly, it’s also gorgeous and complex. The incense blends expertly with the vanilla, along with other notes I can’t quite put my nose on, to make this a sumptuous and supremely addictive scent. It’s inherently French, but oddly so: I don’t normally associate vanilla with Paris, yet I did imagine the scent of Vanille 44 while I was strolling the streets of Le Marais. It's the perfect balance of smoky and sweet - as though you just picked up a delicious croissant at a Parisian bistro after having a French cigarette with coffee. This is an extremely comforting scent – spray some on in a bubble bath, and imagine that you’ve been whisked away to a candlelit Parisian apartment overlooking the Seine, or to a chateau in the French countryside. If this scent were a movie or TV show, it would be Frasier (which, in case you were wondering, is a glowing endorsement): beige, sophisticated, witty, nostalgic and soothing. Vanille 44 has often been compared to Diptyque’s Eau Duelle but, as is the case with several of Le Labo’s fragrances, you get what you pay for. I own both Vanille 44 and Eau Duelle, and I can say with confidence that Vanille 44 is the far more nuanced and superior bottle. As a side note: I have several friends who love and compliment the scent of Vanille 44 on me, but they despise the scent of Eau Duelle. Like the fragrance itself, sillage and longevity are both solid. It’s a bit of a chameleon, as it’s appropriate for year-round wear: easy-going during the summer, cozy during the winter, pleasant during the day, and sultry at night. In five words or less: Cozy. Chic. French as hell.

On the opening spray, I pick up the vanilla with a dose of spicy wood. The opening is very soft and airy to my nose. This is not a modern sweet vanilla, but true to its Parisian roots; it's a subtle vanilla that genuinely shows its French chic roots. By 'French chic roots ', I mean it exudes a sophisticated, understated elegance that is characteristic of French perfumery. After about three minutes, the incense comes in, adding depth to the light opening. The incense is sweet and smokey, reminiscent of a Catholic cathedral you would visit while in Paris. Honestly, this scent does give off the vibes of a softly perfumed Parisian at a church service on a cold Paris afternoon. Vanille 44 is no projection monster with its aroma. At certain points, I would forget I had this on, but then I would get whiffs of the incense softened with vanilla every so often. This perfume has a similar vibe to Juliet has a gun - not a perfume, in that you forget that it's there, but it always finds a way to return to your nose later that day. To me, the perfume was projected off my skin for the first four hours. After that time, I would have to go to my arm and catch the aroma. However, to my surprise, the aroma is still there at the eight-hour mark, so while soft, this perfume does have the longevity expected of a niche perfume at this price point. In conclusion, this is an excellent bottle for someone who wants to have their aroma discovered and not announced—a perfect example of French chic perfumery.

Slightly floral, slightly boozy, and sweet but not too sweet, Vanille 44 by Le Labo is a welcome entry in their City Exclusive line and their total catalog, as the house doesn't seem to offer an abundance of sweet fragrances, otherwise. It's agreeable and not likely to offend, since it does not push the extremes of concentration, sweetness, or floralness. Rather, it sits in a comfortable unisex medium that makes it a greater year-round option for fans of vanilla. I certainly wouldn't go the route of emphasizing that this is so much more than vanilla, as the signature note is certainly the star of the show, but there are other elements that give it some depth. For some reason, the incense and guaiac (per the note listings) are giving me a musky vibe in the base, I suspect, and I don't get the orange or any citrus at all, really. I can imagine Vanille 44 being a fragrance where subservient notes resonate differently for wearers. While it carries the same burden of price as the other City Exclusives, it's one of the better offerings of the line, but surely not one that I would buy. In the vanilla scheme, it's still inferior to Tauerville Vanilla Flash and Dame Perfumery Black Flower Mexican Vanilla, that I can attest are significantly more affordable, as well. 8 out of 10

It's odd to me that some people think this scent doesn't smell like paris. Paris is a city known for its abundance of patisseries (Vanilla) and its old churches (Incense). This fragrance combines what I think are two very well-known cultural stereotypes into a magnificent fragrance. They could've gone for something overbearing here, like a cake shop on the street, but it's a surprisingly intimate fragrance. The opener is fresh and delicious, with citrus and a hint of ginger spicing it up. The drydown reveals the best vanilla scent I've ever had. It would've been easy given the pastry inspiration for them to lean gourmand, but Le Labo doesn't do that. It's a pure, excellent vanilla that's backed up with a batch of smoky incenses and something very palo-santo inspired, patchouli and gaiac wood add a really pleasant depth. I also smell some herbs lingering in the background and a fair bit of that le labo amrboxan aldehydic DNA that's in a lot of their scents. Projection and sillage will be kind of disappointing to some, and I get it. But the fragrance is just so out of this world for me that if I ever have an occasion I need to play it safe like a corporate meeting or a wedding, this is the scent I reach for. It's a little bit enigmatic and mysterious.