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.

Around 2021/22 when this fragrance first came out I purchased it and fully enjoyed it. Something of this quality at the price point it was selling at (idk if price has increased as I still have my original bottle) was too good to be true. The pepper along with the vanilla really stands out on my skin. I was skeptical about the pepper but I LOVE it. Funny story. One autumn I went to a Halloween store for costume shopping. The sales rep that was helping me smelled frickin amazing. The most beautiful sensual "dark" vanilla and it went well with her whole vibe and the store. I asked her what she was wearing and she said mix bar vanilla bourbon 😂 I didn't recognize my own fragrance on her! No pepper like on me. She said she always gets compliments. I told her how I pull pepper and vanilla and she looked at me like, yeah, nah 😂😂. Goes to show that frags can smell different on different people. And that's the beauty of it all!

one of the best affordable vanillas on the market right now. it isn't a cakey, cloying vanilla. it's androgynous in a way. a dark vanilla, a little boozy, sweet but not syrupy at all. a "mature vanilla", if you will. its woody note is prominent, but not so overbearing that you can't tell its a vanilla fragrance. i don't under the Replica comparisons, that one is way more masculine and rustic. for $20 its a great value! the sillage is moderate but the longevity... IMPRESSIVE. even the body mist lasts 4+ hours easily on skin and 6+ on fabric. i mix the body mist with another Target brand Being Frenshe Cashmere Vanilla body mist (which is another unique spin on vanilla) and its hit every time. at least 5+ hours of good projection. gets better as it gets older (as with all fragrances contain vanillin). i would definitely recommend this to both vanilla lovers, and more androgynous fragrances lovers. its the perfect balance 💗

I was at a play when a woman slipped past me in our row, and I did the only reasonable thing: stopped her mid-shuffle and demanded to know what she was wearing. I was purchasing it online before the curtain went up. Priorities. This is a true vanilla, not cupcake frosting, not syrupy dessert, but vanilla with spine. It has a spiced, almost floral edge that keeps it elegant rather than saccharine. And then the dry down is where the real seduction happens. The sandalwood melts into the skin and turns into this cozy, warm, quietly intoxicating magic—like cashmere, candlelight. Is it a beast-mode, fill-the-room-for-12-hours situation? No. She’s intimate. Soft-spoken. Knows you’ll lean in. But for the price, the performance is genuinely impressive, and honestly, I’m happy to reapply just to stay close to her. A perfect addition to my cold-weather, holiday rotation. Festive, comforting, a little sexy. Exactly my type.

I bought this perfume well over a year ago, maybe even closer to 2 years now, and I liked it, but it wasn't one of my favorites; I would occasionally use it to layer with, but I didn't find myself reaching for it very often. But a couple weeks ago, I got a little bored with the my usually fragrances, so I decided to give the Vanilla Bourbon another try. I guess aging had a positive effect on this perfume, because it smelled far better blended/smoother than before, and there was no harsh alcohol smell at all. Now it just smells like a really lovely vanilla; not really sweet, but deep and warm with a tiny bit of the floral on top. I think this perfume is quite unisex and would smell nice on any gender. For $19.99, you can't really beat it! And if you already have this scent and aren't the biggest fan, let it set a while like I did and come back to it, because it might smell better then for you, too!

Honeyyyyyy. Yes. Got this during the Target fragrance sale for $14 and it was so worth it. I wrote a review on here based on smelling it on a blotter only and that was a mistake. I was getting a peppery masculine vibe, but thankfully I gave it another chance off paper. I’m back after wearing it for a couple days on my skin and clothes during chilly rainy weather and it is WORKING for me. It’s taking me places ... toasting marshmallows at a cabin in the woods in early fall, cozying up to my boo with a spiked coffee. Mmmm it’s delicious. I keep getting wafts of it and I just fall more in love every time. I also wore it while I walked on the treadmill and with body heat and sweat it radiated such a scrumptious warm vanilla. I get headaches very easily from sweet scents and this does not give me any headache. It’s not cloying to me at all or overly sweet in that syrupy sickly way.

OK I kept my hopes low for this one, but was happily disappointed! Several weeks back, did a sniff test at my local 'Tarjay' of their lines of Fine'ry, MIX:BAR, and Good Chemistry, and wasn't impressed with any of them. Since then, I got a Target gift card for my birthday, so decided to take another sniff. SO glad I did! Vanilla Bourbon is what I ended up getting. It isn't beast mode by any stretch, but is perfect for daily wear, AND I discovered it mixes well with a couple of my other scents (especially MMM 'By the Fireplace' omg ❤). It's fresh, vanilla, carmelly, slightly spicy, and warm. From the top note to the dry down, a very happy, cozy scent. And the price point (about $20) is perfect. Most of the others I've read and dreamt about are FAR beyond my pay grade! I'm hoping to try many others in this line, and try some of the other fragrance lines as well.

This was a blind buy online after I read reviews touting the amazing longevity and I'm far more impressed than I thought I'd be! It's a very adult vanilla, gently boozy, perfectly unisex. It definitely doesn't smell cheap. The black pepper is barely there, but the hint of it gives it a sophistication I'd never expect in a budget fragrance. Nothing lasts on my skin like this one, and even when it's mostly faded I still pick up a warm, woody scent clinging to my skin and clothes. Even family members who aren't fans of perfume have complimented me, but only after I get them to smell my wrist. Sillage is intimate, which is my preference, I try not to bother others with my fragrance, I wear it for me. I haven't tried any others in the line, nor have I tried layering it with anything else in my collection, but I will do both. Oh, and the bottle is lovely too!

i passed on this in the body mist form because it smelled weird on the paper and i wondered what all the hype was about. now that it's in walmart, i went ahead and picked up the EDP on impulse because it's inexpensive, i'm a vanilla fiend, and if it sucked i could use it up in layering pretty fast. i get the hype now! the pepper in the opening is not my favorite, but luckily fades pretty quickly. i'm more of a pink pepper this isn't a gourmand, cupcakey vanilla. it's an ambery vanilla with a hint of spiciness and citrus. it's sweet but not cloying, a little fresh from the citrus, but still warm from the amber and sandalwood base. i wish it projected a bit more because this smells beautiful on my skin. i don't mind dousing myself with it to get a scent bubble due to the price/availability, just would be great if the performance was a bit better too!

My mom had orignally bought this one for herself and I kept stealing it until I finally caved and bought my own, that's how amazing it is. Perfect on its own or for layering with more spicy woodsy gourmand scents. This one has amazing sillage as I always get tons and tons of compliments on it. I've met 2 seperate folks that I immediately recognized this scent on them and we were able to gush over how amazing it is. It's very sensual and has a warm comforting vanilla with that mature bourbon note in it that makes it feel like a warm hug. Its a perfect everyday scent and will turn heads whenever you walk into a room. It opens up with that powdery fresh vanilla scent we all love and then goes into a super subtle gentle spiciness of the bourbon and amber. The perfect entryway to spicy musky scents for someone who hates heavy spicy smells like me!

@AZGirl: I felt the same way last night when the wife dragged me to their store to use a gift card she received for christmas last year. We were quickly reminded why that store is THE WORST! The "Mix Bar:Vanilla Bourbon", however, was quite the nice fragrance (Though I already have it...from another company in Au). I only sprayed two sprays on my forearm and I could smell it the whole time we were in the store shopping. If the pricing were better, or the bottle bigger, I would have bought a bottle for fun. However, I can currently get the same fragrance from Australia for pennies on the dollar....there's just a monthlong wait for it to arrive, which I'm fine with...so I'll save that $30 from Target and get 6oz of "Bourbon Vanilla" from Au for the same price.

Bourbon Vanilla is my favorite true vanilla in my collection. It is a bit more unisex leaning than powdery vanilla's and I really get a lot of the black pepper, sandalwood and amber when I spray it. As it sits on the skin after about 4-5 hours it mellows into that creamy floral vanilla that has a bit of sophistication from the pepper. On my skin this will last up to 8-10 hours which is insane for the price. Overall, this fragrance is definitely a staple for my collection. Though if black pepper isn't your cup of tea, I might not recommend blind buying but since it is at Target it's definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a vanilla fragrance that is affordable and not super basic.

Funny story, around this time last year I smelled the EDP and I HATED IT. For starters I'm not a super Gourmand girlie....... I also hate SMOKEY fragrances. So the EDP did not pass my test. However, I've acquired the Perfume Oil roll on version of this. It came in a bundle from Mercari, it was an *immediate* love. The roll on version is a much softer, slightly sexy, vanilla, there's no pepper to be found. It's a lovely vanilla and this roll on is one of THE ones for me. You're not getting sickly sweet sugary vanilla either. I can't wait to layer this or wear it alone. It is a perfumey vanilla as well, but this I can wear in the Florida heat and not be sick. 10/10.

GET THIS. IMMEDIATELY. Don't even think about it or study further - you need this addictive, sexy, grown-up vanilla fragrance in your life. I actually feel like I'm ripping the company off by being able to purchase this perfume for only $18 at Target. How is this gorgeous fragrance so affordable?! I'm not saying Vanilla Bourbon is a dupe at all, but it's in the same vein as Guerlain's Spiriteuse Double Vanille or BBW Bonfire Bash. In short, Mix:Bar's Vanilla Bourbon is a warm, vanilla-centric fragrance with some smoky, boozy character. And it is completely intoxicating. The longevity and sillage are decent, too - especially for the price. This is a gem.

I saw all the hype about this on TT, and had to buy it. It was a blind buy. Right out of the box I was super unimpressed. I sprayed it and as it dried more it grew on me. Eventually I found myself grabbing for it everyday, and I still do. It’s such a warm woody fragrance. It’s beautiful. For the price it’s amazing too. I have gone through half the bottle in less than 6 months. If you initially don’t like it, I would recommend using it a few more times. You’ll fall in love with it. The only complaint I have is that it doesn’t last very long at all for me. It’s a cheaper fragrance so I expected that. But I’ll gladly reapply it as needed!!

The most PERFECT vanilla and scent of all time. I love this so much. I bought 5 bottles as a backup because Chemist Warehouse wasn't restocking it, but my baby is finally back. It's a lovely, sweet, almost powdery vanilla. It is on the heavy side, not overly gourmand but still very sweet and delicious. To me, it is a very versatile scent - one that I can wear to work on busy weekdays, to long days at university, or just to chill at home on a quiet evening. It is also very inexpensive and lasts a long time. Perfectly layered with Bare Vanilla and any of its flankers, and try with Kayali Vanilla 28 because it's absolutely beast mode.