Vanille West Indies

I tried this ten years ago, as I adore the brand, and have been using the line since at least 2010. It’s been frustrating to see their prices raise so quickly, as this was never cheap, I think it was around $130-150 at the time. It’s now close to $200, but if you compare that to a Tom ford, a kilian, even van cleefs orchard vanille, they are all more expensive, (though yes, you get more bang for your buck w van cleefs). I think the two reasons I never bought this was because I was also semi interested in van cleefs vanille, but am one of the most indecisive people out there. Also, I found it a bit too sweet, and didn’t realize the caramel note but now after being more aware of it, I see why, I don’t hate caramel. But I don’t want it to be the star. I think it had 60/40 vanilla:caramel ratio. Still, it’s over 10 yrs later and remains as something as I think I must own, for the sake that it’s HTF and it isn’t like a lot of vanillas out there (I’ve tried most of the comparisons, with indult and carmello vanilla by new notes as the final two I haven’t sampled yet, need to order CV, and will try indult tonight after I shower. S Noire seems to resemble V.W.I. very closely, in fact, I may like it more, it smells amazing on my skin, it’s not cloying and smells like a perfect sugary vanilla without going into gourmand territory where I find it nauseating. It’s hard to tell w out a current sample of V.W.I., but I plan on building my own vanilla collection, it will just take some time, as I can’t afford all the wonderful perfumes on my wish list all at once. The other one with most similarities is Vanigilia by Mazzolari and really like it, but its longevity and silage lack in comparison to what V.W.I. carries and priced similarly, so at least with V.W.I., unless the formulation changed, it should remain rather strong and thick, and project the way I want. I think Vaniglia would work better in spring and summer as it’s not nearly as heavy as what I recall V.W.I. to be. If I had unlimited funds, I’d buy both, but for now, I am going with the one that’s stuck with me all these years. I imagine it will smell quite heavenly in these colder months ahead, and if sprayed with a coconut frag over it in the warmer months, it could smell like a coco vanilla dream.

Vanille West Indies is a beautiful, warm, cozy, creamy, delicious, gooey, caramel & vanilla fluffy cloud. Nothing in this composition is synthetic smelling. VWI smells like a photorealistic vanilla bundt cake that came straight out of the oven – not overly sweet but the perfect amount of sweetness and density that you just want to eat the whole cake. It’s drizzled with warm caramel sauce on top that seeps through the cake making it super moist. It’s not a decadent vanilla & caramel cake but think of a fluffy vanilla bundt cake that has that full bodied vanilla flavour. Also I find there is a lactonic quality to it which gives it this creamy milky touch - think of those creamy caramel squares & white chocolate being melted at low heat. In the dry down it very much does remind me of the scent that Cabbage Patch Dolls had - a powdery creamy vanilla scent. VWI is in the same wheelhouse as Outremer Vanille & Mazzolari Vaniliga however Outremer Vanille lacks the sillage & longevity and Vaniligia is more vanilla dominant, it's sweeter & the orchid note is more prominent (which gives off a bit of a synthetic vanilla vibe - but in the best way possible). This fragrance is oil based so it will last awhile on skin however the sillage & projection is moderate. Regardless, VWI is in my top most complimented fragrances ever. Yes - vanilla is perfect for those cooler days however I find that it radiates beautifully in the heat & layers perfectly with other vanilla fragrances because it’s not overpowering but people will be wondering where is the vanilla cake that they are smelling is coming from. VWI is in my top 5 vanilla fragrances of all time. I’m already on my 2nd bottle and I’ve only had it for just over a year. If you are a vanilla lover or know anyone who loves vanilla, don’t hesitate to blind buy this. You wont be disappointed!

So, I've been on a quest for several months now to procure a few different vanilla-centric fragrances. I love Bianco Latte (although the last few 100 ml bottles I bought didn't smell as delightful as the first 3-4 bottles). I like Profumum Roma "Gioiosa." I LOVE Jovoy "Fire At Will." I like to change things up and try different fragrances. Not sure why but I held off sampling Vanille West Indies until recently. There was something in the majority of reviews, as well as in the listing notes that created reluctancy on my part to try out this fragrance. So, IMHO this fragrance is really quite delightful! And despite my anticipation that Vanille West Indies would be just like all the other vanilla fragrances I own, or have sampled...it is NOT similar at all. For whatever reasons, I would place VWI in a vanilla class all by itself! It's hard to describe but VWI opens with a strong and prominent, clearly identifiable vanilla note but wears in a fluffy, ethereal, veil-like manner. The fragrance is vanilla-forward but the overall feeling of the fragrance is translucent and dreamy. The vanilla notes in this fragrance are not thin, or ethereal, or veil-like. The vanilla is front-stage present. But the fragrance never feels thick, heavy, or suffocating. And the base does develop some powderiness; however, the powdery note is never thick, nor does it overtake the vanilla and orchid notes. And like the mimosa in Fire At Will, I think the addition of orchid adds a nice dimension to this fragrance. Wish the price point wasn't as high as it is for a full bottle. Love it! May try snagging a full bottle!!

This is DIVINE, if you are looking for a concentrated, straightforward, decadent vanilla with no artificial aftertaste. There are no other big players here to distract from the comforting, cozy, sweet vanilla. It is MY perfect vanilla. What a joy to have found it at last after many decants of wrong vanillas. There many fragrances out there in this vein - Outremer Vanilla (yuck, so chemically and cheap), Sucre Noir (very “white”, less rich and deep, quite short-lived ), Vaniglia Mazzolari (a twin to Sucre noir, juice from a test-tube, not from the vanilla pod), Tihota (the strong, nose-tickling musk ruins the vanilla), etc. Some are cheaper, some are more expensive. However, none of them are Vanille West Indies. No, there is no dupe to this gorgeous scent. They all fall short. If you have tested vanillas, you know that subtle nuances make a world of difference and can make or break your enjoyment of a fragrance. Vanille West Indies is pure perfection to my taste. The juice is rich in oil, so it sticks around and creates a beautiful trail. I crave this classy, gorgeous fragrance, and next time I restock it, I am buying two bottles. Why not? It is the queen of all vanillas in my book. If you are looking for a fabulous, uncomplicated, unadulterated vanilla that smells of QUALITY, this is it. A must-try, if you are on a vanilla-testing bender. This may just be your dream vanilla. Imagine that!

If you're a vanilla lover like me, this one is definitely worth the hype. It's luscious, pillowy vanilla warmth that never gets too sweet or cloying. It melds into your skin and projects a delicious warm and huggable vanilla caramel. Similar to Tihota, but Tihota still wins for me. This is a beautiful runner up though, more caramel and sweet, a touch floral, where Tihota ranges into more dry vanilla extract territory, leaning slightly darker than this. I tried St Barth's against my sample of Mazzolari Vaniglia and yep. They are the exact same scent, I couldn't tell them apart at all. The smallest difference between the two was that St Barth's stayed melded with my skin chemistry, while I could tell Vaniglia was lightly fading away. I also found Vaniglia to have more orchid in the opening. Sometimes I find that Vaniglia can get too cloying once in a while, but I haven't found that with St. Barth's so far. After wearing this one for a few weeks now I think I'm a little bit anosmic to an ingredient in here because after about an hour or so, I find it barely noticeable unless I press my nose right into my wrist or if a scarf I'm wearing has rubbed against it. The same thing happened with my Bourbon Vanille. A shame because I live for these types of vanillas!