Vanille Absolu

To me, this was AMAZING. Love at first sight for a guy like me who is a die-hard vanilla person. But to me, this was such a life-changing discovery. Might sound a little biased from a huge Montale fan like me who loves everything such as their metal bottles, their packaging, and just the experience overall haha. Moving on from that, Vanille Absolu was a completely different vanilla from what I smelled. Many vanillas I've smelled on my fragrance journey have been overly synthetic, boring, generic, etc. However, Vanille Absolu steers in a completely different direction. The name "Vanille Absolu" really lives up to it's name as it smells like an ABSOLUTE pure vanilla scent which was just what I was looking for. The opening during the first 2-5 minutes can be very confusing as you get suddenly hit with a slightly acidic-like scent with many notes such as cherry, cinnamon, cloves, and so on. Once you get past the opening you get some of the warm woody notes. Once you reach the base notes it dries down into an incredible pure sweet vanilla extract cloud scent with that subtle cinnamon-cloves spice blend. The best way to describe this is waking up on a cold winter morning in a winter cabin, the fireplace is slightly crackling in the background to replicate that warm cozy woody note, and there's an aroma pot on the stove filled with a vanilla extract and cinnamon-clove Christmas spice blend to give off that cozy vibe. Can also be seen as a cake baking in the oven or pancake batter being made. That's my perspective of Vanille Absolu. Projects for around 3-4 hours until it becomes a skin scent and can last up to 12-24 hours depending on skin chemistry. This is most definitely unisex and both genders can rock it without anyone batting an eye. Btw, don't let the gender on Fragrantica fool you anyway as on the official Montale website it clearly states that the reason for no gender catalogs on Montale's perfume boxes or just stores and websites in general is that all Montale scents are unisex and you should just wear whatever makes you feel happy and confident. This is a quite sweet fragrance though so for the people reading this who dislike sugary-like or sweet scents in general then this isn't quite for you. But for those that are gourmand fans or just love vanilla more than anything such as a guy like myself then this is most definitely recommended by me and worth the price tag. This is a fairly sweet scent so this should be primarily be worn during the colder parts of the year such as fall and winter, but I think that you can get away with it on spring and summer nights as well. If you're looking for a reasonably priced gourmand pure vanilla extract scent, THIS IS THE WAY TO GO ladies and gents! 10/10 recommendation from me. Get your hands on this absolute hidden gem from the house of Montale.

I have a lot to say about this scent. I got it in the mail when I was heading out for my night shift, and I took it in the car with me because I was too excited. I already had the depreciated spicebomb on, and had sprayed like 6 sprays all over myself--it goes away very fast. I lean a lot towards femininity but I genuinely liked the spicy opening of spicebomb, I just wanted it to be sweeter.I have always been a big fan of vanilla so I was almost sure it's going to be a safe blind buy. Now, the moment I shook the bottle and sprayed myself three time I began to choke in my car, in the hospital's parking lot. Don't judge me, I'm not even 20 yet. I now realize it's definitely the wrong place to wear it, I'm lucky a bit though, as it is a psych facility so I'm not suffocating anyone on life support. I actually had a headache, but I was still so happy because I could literally feel and smell an armor of very very very strong vanilla surround me. This was all around 6:15 PM until 11PM when I went to get pain meds and drunk lots of water, beauty is pain right. The headache subsided, Now I'm charting and getting whiffs of very sweet vanilla and a distant spicy scent. I AM SO INLOVE. I actually got two when I did because I KNEW I would love it. My description of this is, generic vanilla, though it dries down slowly to a very smooth and comforting vanilla scent. I'm typing this at 4:58AM and I'm still smelling vanilla. It even masked my faint (tobacco smoke) from the drive, COMPLETELY. It's easy to find this a bit too much to be honest, but my suggestion is to use it to layer with other scents you feel need that sweetness you only get from vanilla. I said that in the end because I want to gatekeep that. UPDATE: Did my nose break that night ? or did the beastmode sweetness that was promised to me escape me? I will wear it for about a month and make sure the faint cig smell isn't what's masking this.. we'll see. The pro about this though, and how I have honestly used it since after the first night is as a layer on my masculine scents. I feel like it makes them a type of sexy I really like, It's quite true to who I am. A naturally airy masculinity with a pungent sweetness is what I want, and this makes it possible whenever I layer. The sweetness has been going away quite fast though, I'll try to wear this around my situationship - crush, with just one push of a different perfume to layer. He hopefully likes/notices it and doesn't get a headache.

I have an 8ml travel size from FragranceNet and I’m slightly convinced this is all I need for now... because of how NUCLEAR this is! It’s slightly piercing almost alcoholic in the beginning which reminds me of putting my nose up to a Baileys Irish Cream bottle. It IS synthetic, so beware. It stays STRONG for hours like I’m talking 10-12 hours. Dry down is very different from the beginning phase, as it gets almost creamier as hours go by. It gives us an interesting cold/warm vanilla experiences. Almost like air pressurized lol I don’t know if I am making sense. It’s not cold in a minty way at all its just this interesting synthetic vanilla sensation. THIS IS A STARBUCKS VENTI VANILLA BEAN FRAP WITH 6 PUMPS CINNAMON DOLCE SYRUP. If you know the special vanilla that’s in Intense Cafe and Velvet Vanilla, the vanilla is absolutely present here just mixed with a gourmand cinnamon. This layers EXTREMELY well with both of those other perfumes and makes them even more yummy creamy!! If you’re looking for a STRONG Vanilla to layer with other perfumes... look no further. Longevity: 15/10 Sillage: 10/10 Rating: 8.5 (only because it’s synthetic and more than 2 sprays is CLOYING)

I think I might've reviewed this perfume before and if so, I'm back with an update. I'm a sucker for anything vanilla...as long as there is no oud, saffron or leather with the vanilla, I'm game. And a plus if it's vanilla paired with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, orris...etc. So I really thought I loved this one. But I hadn't worn it in a while and I wore it the other day and that metallic note that many people complain about with Montale frags, well it was there, loud and clear and it did NOT smell good. I don't know if maybe I didn't notice it before because I'd usually layer this and Lolita Lempicka L. I wore it alone this time n I had to scrub it bc of that terrible metallic smell. My only other experience with Montale is Vanilla Cake but that was through glass samples from the Montale brand so I was curious if I'd get that same metallic mess if I used a glass sample spray and no, I didn't at all. It's the bottles, I'm convinced. I might check out some Mancera frags because they use glass bottles n maybe that's why they're a little bit pricier. Anyway, that's my 2 cents on this frag. 😁 Oh and sillage n longevity on both is crazy good.

@S2312 You would have to really enjoy Gourmands to enjoy this. Vanilla 28 is much more mature compared to Vanille Absolu. If I were looking for a sweet vanilla perfume, I would not go for Vanilla 28 whereas I would happily reach for Vanille Absolu. I truly think your best bet would be to sniff a bottle of sweet drinking chocolate, specifically, the types you'd be marketing to children rather than the healthy kind - like the yellow Nestle chocolate. This perfume is super sugary and sweet, if you like those types of scents you'd love this, I don't pick up any cloves or spices. Like the majority of the reviews are saying - it'll remind you of baked cookies or cake, really foodie and dense. To summarise; they both have very different vibes. They aren't dupes or substitutes for each other Vanilla 28 = Vanilla extract, somewhat mature or reserved Vanille Absolu = Chocolatey and bakery-scented, youthful, and playful If you like super sweet edible gourmands - I would think it's safe to blind buy.

Vanille Absolu is about as gourmand as it gets. It is extremely sweet, yet it never becomes cloying to my nose. It does open synthetic, but this dissipates as the fragrance dries down and it begins to smell more natural. It smells like an intoxicating vanilla extract with notes of burnt sugar and faint spices. I actually bought this to be a layering scent, but it is beautiful in its own right. It goes without saying that you must like vanilla to enjoy this one- it doesn’t have much to offer you otherwise. That said, if you’re looking for an extremely well-blended, comforting, and almost ethereal vanilla, then look no further. Strong projection and performance, 2-3 sprays is all you need and it lasts all day. Update: Really loving this. It’s pure vanilla and confectionery notes but done so in a way that it doesn’t feel juvenile. It’s delicious and cozy. Update 2: This seems to be a cold weather only fragrance for me, tried to wear this in spring and it felt cloying/overwhelming.

Great vanilla fragrance! This is a sweet, vanilla extract or vanilla candle type vanilla. It's a little simple but you can't really go wrong with a great vanilla IMHO. Really impressed with the silliage! Agree with the person below about the slight tickling in the nose when you inhale this after spraying but it does disappear very quickly. Definitely a winter or cold weather scent because it will actually project through layers of clothing and has a comforting warm aroma. The kind of fragrance you want to wear around the house or to run errands in cold weather but not a show stopper or one that would grab attention. People will probably compliment how you smell though. For sure a feminine fragrance but if you're a guy and want to smell like delicious vanilla I can't imagine anybody disliking it :) This is secretly a beast with great projection (around 2-6ft) and excellent lasting power (12+ hours on my skin but ends up as a skin scent after around 6+ hours of wearing)

Meraviglioso, unico, superbo. Ho acquistato questo profumo a scatola chiusa, leggendo le recensioni e la scaletta degli ingredienti. Essendo una grande amante della vaniglia e cannella me ne sono immediatamente innamorata. Appena messo è forte, con una vaniglia leggermente chimica ma passati i primi trenta secondi diventa morbido e setoso. Molto gourmand, quindi per chi non è amante del genere è assolutamente sconsigliato, ma per essere un profumo dolcione ha un fascino oscuro, sensuale e quasi afrodisiaco. Sulla mia pelle ad un certo punto evolve diventano una vaniglia quasi al caramello. Ne indosso due spruzzi e dura fino al giorno successivo. È il mio nuovo amore. Come una seconda pelle, lo metto solo quando voglio lasciare il segno perché lascia una scia golosa. Non è un profumo comune, è semplice ma estremamente d'effetto. Non so più come dire che è il mio preferito in assoluto!!!

THIS!!! This is what I imagine bakeries in heaven smell like. So feminine, so sweet, so delicious—sweet and gourmand, but not in a nauseating way. It's suitable for any season because it's literally so soft and comforting. You’ll want to hold your breath after that first spray though, because it smells a little spicy. The longevity on clothes is about a 5/10 at best, but on my skin, it lasts around 6 hours. I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re looking for a vanilla bomb that you can smell before you even enter the room, because the sillage is pretty intimate. People will definitely smell you in a public setting, but it’s not overpowering. I got it for $95, which is a great price compared to other vanilla perfumes. I’d choose this over Kayali Vanilla 28 ANY day, because they perform almost the same, even though Kayali is a little warmer and spicier (if that makes sense). 8/10 :)

Oh I absolutely love the dry down on this perfume. The opening is slightly synthetic sweet to my nose but that gradually fades into this beautiful sweet vanilla essence sorta scent. I was really hoping to get a bit of cinnamon but I don’t smell it at all :/ I do get a slightly herbal sweetness in the background, it’s very subdued. Overall, a great vanilla scent. Perfect for layering. To me, it’s an all year scent, will definitely shine more on the cooler days. It can get a little cloying on a very hot summer day, but could still be worn if you’re careful about the number of sprays. The sillage is monstrous on this one. My mum could smell me from another room. Longevity is so good on me. It lasts about 6-7 hours until it becomes a skin scent. I could still smell it on my skin after 10 hours. On clothes, it lasted almost 16 hours.

I did not expect to love this one as much as I do. This is one of those bottles that I am afraid to even spray it because I do not want to waste one single drop of it, it is that good. I do agree with other reviews that this smells like vanilla cake. It is such a dreamy vanilla! And the vanilla cake is on a bed of woods that takes it to the next level. The woods and vanilla are perfect together, and though I can't really smell the cinnamon, i know there is something giving this a warm spicy kick. For reference, I live next door to a gas station and I am always over there grabbing milk and things like that. I had this on the other day and the guy that works there and doesn't say much told me that my perfume smells really good. He made my day. From the first spray, this went right to my favorites shelf!

I was gifted this today so I thought Id review. At first it opens with a really plasticy/alcohol scent, to the point where it burns your nose. Like genuinely when you first buy this do not spray it in an enclosed space. However shortly after this goes away and your left with a very sugary vanilla. In my opinion it smells very nostalgic, like something I smelt as a kid, The Cinnamon and Woody notes are there but subtle. I think the best way to describe it would be a comforting vanilla candle or vanilla icing without the creamy buttery note, the plasticy note remains but in a way that isn't bad at all. Overall I think this is a great simple vanilla perfume, I cant wait too see what It becomes after it sits for a while and too wear it in winter. Its very soft and sweet and lovely. I would def recommend.

This is a very basic slightly smoky, slightly sweet vanilla perfume. It is really good for layering and on its own, it is good for the days when you want to smell good but don't feel like smelling like perfume. I was nervous when purchasing this at first, I thought the cinnamon note and cloves would be prominent but I was happily surprised, the spice notes just smelled like simple brown sugar. It's very light and comforting. Not worth $100 but you can find it in some places for $60 and that seems like a good price for it. Good longevity and sillage. Easy crowd-pleaser. 7.5/10 edit: I finally wore it out of my house. Filled up an entire room. People were asking what smells like creme brulee, animal crackers, etc. You will smell like a dessert with this and people will notice. A little goes a long way.

This is an artificial vanilla scent, resembles a car freshner, dare I say? But despite that, I really enjoy it. After a few hours I can still smell it on myself and it settles into a warm, cozy vanilla. I tried layering it, but it didn't work out for me. "Smooth and sweet, Vanille Absolu is everything you could ever desire in an upscale Vanilla: swirly folds of boozy Vanilla are set off and enhanced by sweet Cherry and Plum Notes. A refined Vanilla without being snooty with a little touch of Caramel." - this is the official description on the Montale website, and I can feel its mix of boozy, yet muted cherry and plum in the beginning, but the cozy vanilla that I was previously talking about definitely has the hint of caramel on me.

This fragrance is in my top fragrance, first great brand, secondly amazing smell with a perfect blend of vanilla which really soothes the nose. Another thing is it’s so strong that I sprayed twos spray and it choked me out, its very strong. Also because I don’t have this fragrance yet (I smelt it at the mall) I don’t know the longevity but I think it’s pretty good. On to Silliage, amazing can smell it from ages away, and lastly the price is insane... 58 quid for a great niche fragrance that guess what is 100ml. Also it says it’s feminine but I think it can be for a man too. In conclusion absolutely amazing fragrance for a cheap price and I think fits any gender. Silliage. 9/10 Longevity 8/10 The scent 10/10

Just got my bottle in today...and on first spray I'm kicking myself. Welp...you win some, you lose some I guess. I just lost $62...mainly because I made this same fragrance with aromachemicals back in November of last year for a grand total of ~$10 >_< Nothing ventured, nothing gained I guess...it's only money. :shrug: I'll use it up until it's gone but already I can tell it's underperforming compared to my own frag build. Mine radiates off the skin like nuclear radiation...this stuff is sitting closer like a skin scent/body mist. Might crack the bottle open and consolidate it with the one I made in a 6.7oz spray bottle...no way this little aluminum can is 100ml...lol. Lesson learned.

I got a sample of this about a year ago, obsessively savoured every last drop of it, wrote a review (below), dreamed of it, and finally bought a bottle. It's just lovely. A lovely, warm, boozy vanilla, that just sits there being everything wonderful about vanilla. It isn't very complex, but it also isn't boring. It's very nicely made. It's honestly the best and truest (and most wearable) vanilla scent that I've ever sampled. Someone else mentioned that this would be perfect for layering. Yes, I absolutely agree. I can't wait to pair it with a citrus scent or my Nobile 1942 Patchouli. I think it will give a nice rum custard topping effect to anything it's teamed with. Love, love, love.

This is so yummy and amazing. I'm not some one who likes vanilla, 98% of vanilla ive tried is unwearable for me, but this house makes some wonderful, complex chocolate and vanilla. For some reason I get lilac notes in this and I have no idea why as its not listed. Its a awesome vanilla with depth and warmth, its projection is not great but Its not overly sweet at all. Its totally different from "sweet vanilla" from the same line. Its not cloying...overly sweet or bracing. The bottle designs are terrible structurally as they feel like light weight plastic and dont help the perfume macerate so I try to get travel sized bottles in heavier containers.

My first Montale purchase alongside Intense Cafe. (I bought about 26 odd vanilla decants from Scent Split and these two were the first full bottles after MM Escapade Gourmand that I bought). That was about 3 years ago. Since then my collection has grown and this one fell out of rotation. I’ve started wearing perfume (1-2 sprays) to bed to use up some older bottles.... And this... Omg. She’s matured beautifully! No plastic smell at all. Smells just like Vaniglia, which is very hard to get (I’m in Australia). Many vanilla perfume purchases later, I had clearly forgotten why I loved her. Does what it says on the tin: Vanilla Abolu(tely!)

@S2312, It's not at all like Vanilla 28. Vanilla 28 is more like vanilla extract, not nearly as sweet, and is rather harsh. It doesn't project much either. It's a straightforward vanilla, much better for layering than wearing alone. Montales Vanille Absolu is powdery soft but absolutely projects, it leaves a beautiful scent trail. It's somewhat lactonic, like chocolate milk. I would say it smells nearly identical to hot chocolate powder. There are no chocolate notes, but this is definitely chocolatey and delicious. This is a true gourmand vanilla. It's nearly identical to Al Rehabs choco musk if you have smelt that.