Roasted Vanilla

Oh man, "roasted" is a gross understatement of the smokiness of this fragrance. This is like, the vanilla for people who think By the Fireplace is not smoky enough. But I'm getting carried away with myself. Let me start with the opening. The notes don't remotely do the opening justice. There's a spiciness and greenness to this opening that is wonderful and natural. Kind of reminds me of Fueguia's Ballena de las Pampas, and there are a couple of other Fueguias that gave me the same vibe. Then the smokiness begins. The fragrance I thought of in this stage is Xerjoff Cruz del Sur I. My problem with that fragrance was the opening, which I thought smelled just like olive brine. But here in Roasted Vanilla, there is that beautiful spicy green opening that masks it and lets you simply enjoy the smokiness. During this whole time, the namesake vanilla note is very much in the background and provides a slight sweetness. This is not just vanilla lightly toasted in a pan, this is like hickory-smoked charbroiled vanilla. It is SMOKY. Slowly but surely, the vanilla gains ground over the smoky woody notes, and only about an hour in does Roasted Vanilla actually become a vanilla fragrance. Though the sillage is not great throughout, it seems to somehow get stronger over time, with the vanillic sweetness and boozy depth warmly wrapping around the wearer. This is one of the best vanilla fragrances I've ever tried, and well worth the high pricetag.

In my opinion, this fragrance is what Shalimar L’essence was supposed to be, I’m so addicted to it, I went to Harrods and sprayed like 50 times, everywhere on my clothes, hair, beanie, under my shirt, I’m obsessed with that, 10/10 For me it is a bit of a mix of habit rouge with that citrus, with loads of vanilla , like loads and loads. Not a sickly sticky vanilla, but a very well done vanilla. If guerlain had released this fragrance, i wouldn’t question, in my opinion it has that guerlain DNA, it’s a masterpiece- but the price point is just ridiculous, not even guerlain would come up with this price for an edp 100 ml - £365 , outrageous

I purchased the £40 discovery box of the 3 x 2.5ml Crafted Collection scents. Roasted Vanilla is the first one I tried. Initial spray is vanilla pods thrown onto a green oakwood bonfire. Do not expect sweet or creamy vanilla but a very SMOKY, slightly boozy vanilla. After 15 minutes or so, it started to mellow to a peppery spice with charred oak and a hint of vanilla in the background which is pleasant, but not pleasant enough for me to spend £365 on a 100ml bottle. After 2 hours, it's just a skin scent. To me, it's definitely masculine leaning and may work better on a man's skin. If you like a smoky/spicy fragrance (I do not care to wear smoky scents although I like it on others), this one is worth testing but not a safe blind buy.

I must say, Roasted Vanilla is a sexy name, and whoever came up with it is a marketing genius. It's a woody, resinous fragrance with some powdery vanilla. Its sweetness is very mild and feels natural; probably from the a mix of resins and the vanilla. It reminded me of a bit of Guerlain Habit Rouge PARFUM, but better and more natural-smelling. It smells very nice. I think It's a vanilla for people who don't usually like vanilla. Personally, I think it's masculine leaning, but obviously it can be worn by anyone. About the price complaints... This is a typical price for a niche perfume. Tom Ford(AND MANY MORE) charges this much for only 50ml of their cr@py fragrances, and I don't hear people complaining about it?!

This smelled original at the Loewe store in Spain, I wanted to buy it. But when I saw the price, I remembered that I have the higher quality Guerlain LÁRt collection and I bought it cheaper ! This is not worth its price really. Its not at the level of Guerlain LArt collection. .