Vanille & Narcisse

Vanille & Narcisse is a beautiful and spicy floral-vanilla fragrance on my skin. I enjoy its simplicity. It's sweet, casual and relatively light, but still interesting and rich. The vanilla/tonka accord is sweet, but it's no syrupy gourmand. It's cool and airy, comforting and soft. I don't smell black currant or bergamot in this, but I do get the floral notes almost as strongly as the vanilla. The gardenia has a buttery, slightly indolic bend on my skin. It's a linear scent, but I'm quite ok with enjoying these creamy, spicy florals and smooth vanilla from top to bottom. This scent actually brings to mind aspects of YSL Cinema for me, but it behaves better on my skin. It's simpler and lacks Cinema's citrusy tang, but on me it comes out smelling richer. Vanille & Narcisse also reminds me a lot of Hypnotic Poison Eau Sensuelle, but I prefer the former. I'm already a fan of the spicy-woodsy vanilla of the original HP, and Eau Sensuelle seemed too similar to the original HP for me to really appreciate. The orange blossom in Eau Sensuelle also gives it an orange creamsicle vibe that can at times come across as cloying, to my nose at least. In both Eau Sensuelle and Vanille & Narcisse, I get a creamy, powdery vanilla mixed with thick yellow and white florals...narcissus and gardenia in V & N, ylang and orange blossom in ES. I enjoy Vanille & Narcisse more because I get a similar beautiful floral-vanilla accord with an earthier spice, minus the sweet orange I get in Eau Sensuelle. This is a gorgeous, simple, and versatile fragrance.

The good news: Karine Dubreuil (responsible for GUCCI ph II, Envy Me, Guerlain, etc) is now official in-house perfumer for L'Occident. She is a talent in the making for I like her guts to follow her instincts and break new grounds....I expect her to go far. Funny that both perfume designing and cooking still is somewhat male dominated (never understood that)!?! Okay so you have a dual-fleur here: a rich, deep, dense and gourmand sweet Madagascan Vanilla that gets a modern floral edge by Narcissus absolue. The latter is 'all the rave' now as one of the hippest ingredients (we have reinvented Iris often enough now). For me this combo works really well for they are much better together than on their own for vanilla needs the narcissus to give it a lift and narcissus on its own can sometimes lean towards the penetrant or even fecal. Having said that the fragrance has not much 'hidden powers' or development. Once the fruity floral intersting opening wears off after 10 to 20 minutes it is a soft gourmand vanilla-tonka bean ice cream whiff until it fades (and it lasts long). I am in two minds whether I like it enough to buy. The opening is very interesting but I wished that juxtaposition between the sharp Narcissus and warm sweet vanilla would last longer... KIEHL's Vanilla/ Sandalwood Aromatic Mist is still my favourite Vanilla scent out there but L'Occitane temps me well to get a spring-time upgrade...given it's June already, shall I bother with this one?

What a soft, feminine, enveloping scent! I love love love this one. The Vanilla is really natural. Exactly like sniffing a vanilla pod (I just did. I'm baking dessert for tonight as I am typing this :-) ) yet not 'food-y' / lollie like. I've never sniffed a Narcisse, but it's surely lovely natural floral. I don't recognise any Gardenia though. I do sense Black Currant and Bergamot. These are, however, so delicately there that they don't make this frag "Fruity". (Body lotion has got more noticeable Black Currant as a top note, I think) Lasts about 6 hours on my skin. Not bad at all as EDT. About sillage... My male colleague (who's interested in fragrance, fine tea & wine a lot) told me; "Cannot tell where, but there's something nice-smelling is in the room" ------it was me. This one doesn't make a big statement or scream anything. It gently whispers and giggles. Perfect for snuggling up with your lover ( or with yourself) Simply sensual. 10/10

I just opened up mine. First of all thank you all fellow bloggers because I ordered without trying it (I could not). It was fantastic just as described below. It's a perfume you know, not just some mixture of essences, that I'm afraid some of L'Occitane fragances are. As to the fragance itself, vanilla is not overpowering or cloying, I guess it' narcissus that comes behind it, a little bit too powdery for me. Unfortunately I disagree on longevity because on me it does not stay more than an hour. Well, it' s an Eau de Toilette so it shouldn' t last long...

I blind bought this from a lovely Fragrantican and I am so glad I did! This is incredible! Its two of my favorite notes in one perfume without any patchouli (which I love but it seems like it's in nearly everything I own!!) or other noise. It's sweet but not cloying-no candy shop here! To me this is warm and sexy and I love it! I am going to have to scour ebay for another bottle or two if this has been discontinued as mentioned in the previous review. This is just delicious!!

Got this as a present from a friend that knows I'm crazy about vanilla. As nobody expects the spanish inquisition, I did not expect this to be so deep, dark, mature and perfume-y. A grown up vanilla indeed, not the sugary fluff youthful vanilla caramel type. I wear it during daytime, but it is clearly a nightime perfume, date-night type. Me likes it, but I can see this as overwhelming and loud for more demure people.

Very beautiful elegant high quality vanilla combined with tonka bean and sharp narcisse, which gives some kind of “edge”, but fades after about 20 minutes. It’s creamy and round, but linear, no smoke, no cheap spicy notes, no sticky sugary artificial sweetness. Stays quite close to the skin, but longevity is good (6 hours at least), so is perfect for everyday wear. Overall - demure high quality vanilla.

I was able to score a bottle a while back at a reasonable price.. It has since gone up in price. I really wish this was not discontinued as this fragrance is truly amazing! I spray my scent on my clothes rather than my skin, and it last for days! This is going to sound odd, but I can describe this scent in the dry down as a big glass of Yoo-hoo. My mouth salivates just thinking about it.

Yes! This is a balsamic (resin-like) vanilla-amber type of scent. It reminds me of a sugary marshmallow, play dough, root beer, or any delicious scent that is amazing on the skin. I bought this in summer, I can totally wear this EDT here on the beach, it's not cloying at all.. naaah I lied!!! it is cloying and I LOVE that!! lol. Go test this out. This is the kind of fragrance I love.

This juice is just beautiful. A perfectly lightly sweet vanilla with a floral undertone that dries down to a cozy creamy vanilla skin scent. I bought a small bottle to take on vacation with me. I just wish it wasn't so expensive for the fb and bath products considering it's just a light edt with little lasting power.

Delightful Vanilla by L'Occitane. On my skin it's all about the vanilla, with the narcissus creating a floral aura. It also feels powdery, rich and dark. I've had my bottle of Vanille & Narcisse for about 8 years now, and I'm down to my last 20 ml (with no backups). It gets better and better with time.

Shalimar was the first thing that came to mind when I sniffed Vanille & Narcisse. It had that smoky, vanilla-laced warmth--the only thing that was missing for me was the dark, animalic element that I love so much in the former. Great for those who find Shalimar overwhelming.

My favourite vanilla perfume. It's deliciously sweet without being too heavy. It's cosy and comforting, and the florals balance out the sweetness of the vanilla nicely, giving it a bit of air. A lovely day-to-day scent, especially for the colder seasons.

This is one of my moms signature scents and I love it on her. It's warm and inviting. I tried it on me and did not like it but after sniffing it on mom, we now share it :) A bit expensive but you get a big bottle never the less. In one word: Cozy.

Vanilla... Narcisse... exactly that! It's a wonderful delicate fragrance. Soft, sweet and creamy. Longevity is moderate/long lasting on me and has soft sillage. ♥♥♥♥

Vanille&Narcisse, the work of Karine Dubreuil. One of the most interesting fragrances I have tested lately. I realise that there should be an emotional connection to this fragrance. I am wearing it on the long sleeve of a gauzy (2 layers) summer blouse, on another sleeve I have Joy Jean Patou. Vanille&Narcisse smells so right next to Joy, although Joy is of different mood and category. Vanille&Narciss is comfortable and approachable, vintagy, feminine, softly sensually whispering, fragile. Something in the mood of L'heure Bleue, or maybe even better mood. Strongly addictive(one would expect it from narcotic narcissus) and delicious. Has light projection(intimate) and moderate tenacity. There is no hint of sporty, sharp or modern. Only slight touch of nutmeg or clove. Just beautiful and unique. It is already on my blouse for about 2 hours and (please, stay this way) it's not developing into anything unpleasant. Love, recommend, my next purchase from L'occitane. Update: Now, when I am thinking about it: it seems that for years they used similar scent to freshen the dressing rooms at Macy's. A very tricky position to be for the new fragrance. But no surprises here: they seem to have done it to Shalimar, Samsara, L''Heure Bleue, Boucheron's and most of the staple fragrances, turned them into cheap air fresheners. It's already august and I am still thinking if I should get the collection Vanille&Narcisse. I have smelled today Gucci EDP(now discontinued) and realized that Vanille&Narcisse and Gucci EDP are very similar. Somebody mentioned "Vanille &Narcisse smells like the root beer" in L'Occitane store. "Not to me"- I thought. Then I glanced over reviews for Gucci EDP and one of the reviewers mentions root beer too! So, it's not just me. Perhaps, these two fragrances are really similar. Vanille &Narcisse is almost opulent next to Gucci, better quality, more feminine, brighter, never watery, longer lasting, better structured, more complex, more oriental and warm. Gucci is more shampooi or linear, while Vanille&Narcisse radiates almost in the manner of Poison. Gucci and Vanille&Narcisse are definetely not of the same origin. Root beer or not, I lke it a lot. Finally I have bought the collection. Smell of the foam of the vintage root beer, Shalimar's drydown is one of the best at it. The Guerlain's experience of Karine Dubreuil helped transplanting some of what is being so masterfully expressed in Cuir Beluga Guerlain inside Vanille&Narcisse. In Vanille&Narcisse although the serious leather (characteristic of Must de Cartier) and (narcissus?) honey picks up from time to time from underneath through the powdery(somewhat heliotropic) vanillic sweet radiating layer on the top. In Cuir Beluga the leather is so dispersed/dissolved (the fragrance is so well blended) that I only can smell the subtle moist suede throughout. Cuir Beluga has a texture of moderately sweet pleasantly suedy carnal(salty and a tiny smoky) softest enveloping cloud. Certainly, Cuir Beluga is longer lasting and there is no cheap dry down. But if investment of $250+ for 75 ml seems like overindulging, then $75 for a bottle of Vanille&Narcisse seems like a really good investment in comparison.

Test on paper. I can smell vanille and amber (labdanum, benzoin origin) in "Vanille & Narcisse". But, unfortunately, "Vanille & Narcisse" has something in common with Cartier's "Must" and the whole raw of other fragrances. It's that heavy unpleasant part of "Must" or even more so of Rochas "Femme Rochas", that my nose categorizes as "synthetic" that can be also interpreted as freshness...of prosciutto breath(salty, porky). As one of the reviewers noticed, Femme Rochas (as I also know it from a discount store, I have not smelled the vintage) is carnal. Yes, carnal is the word. And I encounter that carnality every time I pass my laundry room where lavender drying sheets are in the open box (Dawny infusions "lavender serenity" drier sheets). Or the deeper carnality of my fig hand and dishwashing soaps from Wiiliam Sonoma, and most of all the Pottery Barn(was the most desirable when I bought it) Cedarwood Citron diffuser right next to my bed, probably I have developed supersensitivity to it. I do not enjoy any of those after finding that carnal chemical phenomenon inside. They all repel me nowadays. And while Rochas "Femme Rochas" seems to be overwhelmingly just this, carnality, "Vanille and Narcisse" is much more "innocent". I wish I would know exactly the source of this meaty/fishy in fragrances. Because this can be a result of fermentaion that one of the ingredients was undergone. For example, if one smells white or green tea, that are products of some fermentation, one can find them slightly fishy smelling. For example, the real patchouli, narcissus and iris roots come into fragrances after certain process of fermentation, so this savory can be a byproduct of fermentation. Maybe. I think, I would have easier time accepting savory, knowing that it's not synthetic. By the way, the same savory goes to L'Occitane Magnolia and Mure, except a touch of fenhel left at the drydown of Magnolia and Mure, probably added to create the note of blackberry. At first sniff "Vanille and Narcisse" deceivingly reminds another fragrance from L'Occitane,"Amber", but than quickly departs into the savory category. This prevents me from enjoying this otherwise pretty warm ambery fragrance. I prefer much cleaner woodier fragrances, such as "Amber". Yet another update: the fennel(or anis) at the bottom of Magnolia & Mure is, probably, just a facet of Tonka bean that suddenly emerges. I find that Tonka Bean is quite a tricky note to work with. I noticed that it often makes or breaks the fragrance.

I like this very much! I had no great expectations since L'Occitane fragrances smell all very nice and good to wear but quite simple and they lack big ooomphh even if they usually grow on you in time. This new line has quite something to say without going out of the guidelines of a nice smelling fragrance. Vanille & Narcisse in spite of the drugstore bathline name is more than that. It has naunces, at least more than many modern scents around. I smell the Citrus first, a very fresh reviving note without the usual citrus blast of so many commercial fragrances. It's kept at good measure with elegance. Then a hint of Narcissus comes out shily but clearly. I wouldn' have said there is any gardenia before reading the notes list. Then comes the vanilla while the citrus has not faded away. It's a beautiful combo and it seems to me that it gently winks at one of the flankers of poisonous Hypnotique. It's a unique vanillic balance between fake vanilla and the real warm stuff, but to my great relief it doesn't smell cake or candy floss. It vaguely reminds me of something medicinal, like the yummy cough syrup I was given in my childhood, like Kenzo Amour does, but happily without headache! Here comes the Guerlain's vibe: powdery vanilla otherly said Feve Tonka and this is where I understand why it reminds me so much of beloved Samsara! Actually both Samsara and Shalimar. There is no amber here. The powder is given by feve tonka bean and vanilla, very much like famous Guerlain's olfactive signature. I smell no rose at all and it's not listed in spite of the fact that the lovely SA told me so. I have this one on a wrist and Ambre & Santal on the other one. They couldn't be more different. I wonder what could possibly come out if I mixed them together... Ambre & Santal is still in force but tamed, amber(labdanum) is now totally emerged. Vanille & Narcisse... it seems that she just woke up after a sensual nap. Yes, soft, she's kind, sweet, floral, vanilla...and persisting! It doesn't go without some sultriness in the end.

I have the strange impression that it somehow had tried to capture the spirit of Lancôme Poême with its vanilla and yellow flowers. But Vanille Narcisse would be a very ethereal and simplistic version, very easy-to-wear to seduce people who are afraid of wearing classic bombs... nothing to do with Lancôme masterpiece with its heavy sillage actually. Unfortunately in the end the faint smell of yellow flowers disappears. All that remains is a light generic vanillic scent. L'Occitane could have done much better, especially concerning longevity. However I appreciate Vanille Narcisse as it is the kind of cozy and relaxing fragrance I reach for while reading a good book on my sofa.

The opening of Vanille & Narcisse does have some black currants. It then soon evolves into a combination of vanilla, tonka beans and some yellow flowers, which strangely smells a little sour to me. Actually I'm not sure if I smell narcissus. The floral part slightly reminds of Lancôme Poême. Towards the end, with yellow flowers fading, the powdery vanilla and tonka beans combo also has some caramel-like aspect. The longevity is around 7 hours on me. The sillage is moderate and manages to keep the intensity during the wearing. It's quite sweet and intense. Overdoing it will be tiring.