Vanilla Bourbon

I bought this because of all the hype on tik tok, and I was really disappointed upon first opening it. Right out of the box, it smelled kind of boring and a little masculine to me. like straight-up semi-sweet wood. I am used to wearing sickly sweet, girly perfumes, so this initial smell really put me off of this one. I also had to put my nose very close to my wrist to smell anything. Now about a month has gone by, and I find myself reaching for this every day. After letting it macerate for a bit, the notes have blended together so beautifully to create an expensive smelling sweet and woody scent. It literally smells like a Werther's caramel candy mixed with sandalwood, and I can't get enough. I also get a hint of a cinnamon-like spice. Don't let this description fool you though. Vanilla Bourbon does not smell like your average childish or cheap vanilla perfume. It has a lot of depth, and because of the Madagascar vanilla, it has a darker, more mature vibe. For a while I would have said this was a unisex perfume, but it seems to get sweeter as time goes by, so I think it definitely is more feminine, but men could absolutely still rock it. The longevity has also increased as time progressed, but it still doesn't project very well. Both this and the body mist last relatively long though. I have been on the hunt for a perfume that smells just like this but with better performance, but I haven't found anything. If you have any suggestions that aren't already listed on here please let me know!

Oh wow! Just picked up a bottle of this (finally) and tested one spray on my left forearm. It is a lot more powerful than I expected for a store-bought Vanilla fragrance! I fully expected it to be as weak as "Pacifica - Island vanilla", but its pretty powerful! As far as the scent experience...I'm getting a more slightly soapy-vanilla on my skin on initial blast. Then it calms down and becomes a more cool peppery-vanilla. Sillage is fairly nice, my labmate could smell it after returning to the lab and walking around between test-suites. The scent of this is very very nice in the air, up close you get the peppery-vanilla...in the air you get the sweet vanilla. I don't get the "Boozy" aspect of it...yet, but I probably need to spray more and will find out on my first full wear tomorrow. Hopefully the wife will like it too. =] Initially for layering testing...I think this will make a great top layer to the vanilla tone of my "Armani - Prive Bleu Turquoise" and give it the boost it needs. Then I'll test it with "Red Tobacco" and see how it blends. That will be the deciding factor on whether I pick up backup bottles. 02OCT23: Well, first full wear went splendidly. Layered it with "Armani Prive Bleu Turquoise" and it worked wonderfully. Haven't layered it with anything else, but this one is a complete WIN! It lasts far and beyond what my initial expectations were. Will definitely pick up a backup bottle until I get "Burberry - Goddess".

I have recently acquired a 50ml bottle of Vanilla Bourbon by Mix:Bar at Target for a deep discount. As a male, I do enjoy the warm embrace of a good vanilla fragrance in the cooler months. I own several, ranging from very high end all the way down to inexpensive, lesser-quality cheapies. I am very impressed with the quality of this fragrance at this price point, making it a very affordable must-have for vanilla lovers! The Madagascar Vanilla note is authentic, and a very well crafted balance between the right amount of sweet and smoky. The Amber & Sandalwood (2 notes I love) add to that cozy, warm headspace a great vanilla frag should create. A very well done powder note adds to the soft, comforting vibe, while the vanilla orchid, and apple blossom ...although very subtle, juxtapose themselves delicately in the scent profile against the smoky note & adds just the right of feminine essence to make it unisex, or perhaps very slightly feminine leaning. I can see how this could easily be paired with other fragrances..also adding to the appeal. Very satisfied with this! Would say it is in the same vein as By The Fireplace, and does also very much remind me of an outstanding Indie fragrance from Solstice Scents called “Manor”, but minus the oud note. I will be exploring more from Mix:Bar! Very impressed by both the quality, longevity, and value for the price! The Verdict: EXCELLENCE!!

Update: I put this away around 9 months ago. It was lovely but too faint. I forgot about it until the other day. Now that this has been sitting in my medicine cabinet all this time, it's like a whole other scent on me. The bourbon is stronger, the vanilla is more lush and I have fallen in love with this. This happens quite a bit with fragrances I blind buy. I think that I will just buy more of this (and the cloud) to let them sit for a year before using them! The 2nd fragrance I tried out of a discovery kit. This one is not **as** faint as Cloud Musk but it's very, very soft. I wonder now if "clean" means "faint" for fragrances??? I definitely get strong vanilla vibes with this but not pungent vanilla; it's more of sugary and almost caramel-like vanilla. I do understand why "bourbon" is in the name. I don't get any of the pepper or apple blossom. I do get slight hints of everything else. I am left with my two favorites: Tonka and Amber. I cannot think of anything that this reminds me of but I did get a little bit of an "Angel" (Mugler) memory though it's been years since I've worn that one. Out of the set, this would be what I will spend money on.

Dude, if the perfect vanilla I’ve spent hundreds of dollars searching for over the years has been at my local Target for $20 the whole time, I’m gonna be so tilted 😅 This is my first sample and first wear, but I LOVE THIS. Clearly rich vanilla, but with a comforting masculine aftershave sort of base that keeps it from leaning too cloyingly sweet. I’m not getting any heady zing from it that some pepper perfumes give me either. Though I could see this performing objectively better at night and in colder weather, I tried this today in late spring and it’s not feeling terribly inappropriate or out of place. Depending on the projection I feel like this could be a great daily close to the skin scent, then layered with lighter body sprays for the warmer months. Jury is still out on longevity and dry down, but I’m looking forward to playing around with this a lot more! My nose is very happy. Edit to add: the “bourbon” is misleading to me because I don’t get any boozy notes from this whatsoever.