Sensual Vanilla

Yeahhhh sureeee it might not have as premium of ingredients per se as the real deal obviously, but for the price this is an insanely good dupe! Like almost 1:1. The opening seems ever so slightlyyy different (the cherry nuance in the almond note is a bit more pronounced here initially) but other than that they’re essentially the same. I picked this up because I received the real Vanilla Sex for my birthday (quite possibly the best vanilla perfume I’ve ever smelled in my entire life) and have been seriouslyyy restricting my usage due to how insanely expensive it is. I know I’ll never buy a bottle for myself so this is an AMAZING alternative for when I am craving the truly addictive and delicious scent profile of VS, but don’t want to use up my actual VS. Gonna reserve that for special occasions etc and use this in between. They’re indistinguishable enough that it satisfies my craving for the real deal. Yay! When u smell them side by side it maybe is less premium/full bodied here, but anyone smelling this around you wouldn’t know the difference.. it pretty much reads the same in the air. Nothing will compare to the vanilla in VS but this is very close. Just so damn good wow Update: it’s a winner y’all! Performance is AMAZING! It lasts and projects just as well as the original for me which also works great with my skin chemistry. First time wearing it and I already got a compliment from my uber driver on my way to work! Love love loveeee! Update 2: omg ok so I work at bath and body works right.. lotssss of competing scents in there.. I got a total of 6 compliments within a 3 hour shift LOL. Safe to say it performs great on me and is a total compliment getter.. so so happy!

Review based on wearing it two days in a row after buying it. I’ve tested TF’s Vanilla Sex a while ago, but I can’t say I can truly compare the two. I have to say, like all of these other Maison Alhambra dupes, this one is definitely a quality alternative, especially for the price point. It’s obviously a vanilla forward fragrance, but to me the almond is about equally as present, with small touches of the floral notes – and there’s something that first struck me as a bit of an oud fragrance, but maybe that’s the combination of the sandalwood with the tonka giving the woods a bit of a smokey touch? The opening gives me some cherry vibes, but I suppose that that is what the overload of almond can do. That fleets really quickly and after a couple of seconds I unfortunately do get the pee smell that people have noted here and in the review of Tom Ford’s Vanilla Sex, but luckily that passes after a couple of seconds too. After that it’s a pretty straightforward almond and vanilla combination. Only in the very opening do I get some Play Doh. I really like it, but I can understand why it’s divisive. Almond is one of those notes that I figure people enjoy in moderation, but they don’t always associate it with perfume. Projection is moderate, longevity is pretty long, but after a couple of hours it’s definitely a skin scent. On another note, I have to give it to them: naming it Sensual Vanilla is like a cute play on the original name.

MA can dupe some fragances to be super near to the original. This is a raw vanilla mixture with other notes that I can’t describe, but elevate the vanilla to very unexpected levels. Not particularly powdery, but rather boozy. An article described the conception of the original as the thought of making vanilla smell like a rockstar’s penis, and its true. Whilst I don’t feel a urine note as many would say, there is some "sex" that is present in the perfume. In the best of ways. I’ll say the opening is not the same as VS, as it has a bit of a stronger almond/cherry smell than the original at first, but after a couple of minutes the dry down delivers exactly the same as the OG. Longevitywise I guess its between moderate and long lasting, I feel it getting closer to my skin as the day passes, but i get whiffs. Anyways, ive been wearing this daily, so maybe im super noseblind to it rn. Smells deliciously sexy, I’d say its unisex. Try the original, if you dont like that, this aint for you. TF reputation and pricepoint affected its rating in fragrantica, so this one’s probably closer to the real peoples feelings. If you blind buy, at least this one wont bite your wallet anywhere as hard, and it is 100ml, compared to TF’s 50ml joke. 10/10

For me the name is misleading- this is not a vanilla dominant fragrance, bitter almond is the core of this scent in my experience. And if someone expects a sweet vanilla, cakes and dessert this is not it! This to me is more amaretto, marzipan gourmand, not a sweet bakery type of perfume. First spray was a bit odd, almost gasoline like chemical smell, this goes away in just a few minutes and turns into bitter almond. As the perfume sets, the floral touches become more prominent - light sweet but also a bit green floral elements accompanying the bitter almond. Then, as the dry down progresses the vanilla comes through more, but still the almond is there. To me this scent carries the dryness and bitterness all the way through. And I love it! It’s different, it’s grownup, and a bit mysterious. I am glad I decided to try it, but you have to expect it will not be a sweet easygoing, designer like scent.

The fragrance start with a vanilla note whose sweetness is not very intense, much more controlled and fragrant, unlike Tom Ford Vanilla Sex. After half an hour, when the middle note (heart note) starts, a very, very slight bitter almond smell is noticeable. Sensual Vanille in this stage is like Italica by Xerjoff. In my opinion, This perfume is much better than Tom Ford Vanilla Sex and the balance of the intensity of the notes is very well maintained. شروع عطر با یک نت وانیلی که شیرینی اش بر خلاف تام فورد وانیلا سکس، که بسیار بسیار شدیده، خیلی کنترل شده و خوشبوتره. بعد از نیم ساعت که نت میانی شروع میشه، یک بوی خیلی خیلی کم تلخ بادامی به مشام میرسه . در این زمان که در فاز میانی هست و حدود سه ربع از عمر عطر میگذره، سنسوال وانیلا خیلی شبیه به ایتالیکا از برند سرجف میشه به نظر من، این عطر، به مراتب از تام فورد وانیلا سکس بهتره و تعادل شدت نتها خیلی خوب رعایت شده